376 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



whilst it is of the highest importance to note that his de- 

 scendants regularly had the white stockings so distinctive of 

 the North African stock. We are thus able to substantiate 

 our conclusion that the existence of white marks on the legs 

 and in the faces of bay and similarly coloured horses is due to 

 the presence of Libyan blood. 



I learn from one of the chief Suffolk breeders, Mr Alfred 

 J. Smith of Rendlesham, near Woodbridge, that at the present 

 day breeders "object to a horse with white stockings, though 

 we sometimes get one with a white foot, but not very often, 

 and we also object to too much white on the face : a good 

 whole-coloured red chestnut is what we like best." In the 

 Suffolk Stud Book one of the conditions of entry is that "no 

 horse otherwise than a chestnut colour shall be admitted, but 

 white or silver hairs well blended with chestnut shall not be 

 held to be ground of objection provided the quantity does not 

 amount to a decided roan." I here figure (Fig. 104) Mr Alfred 

 J. Smith's ' Saturn,' the winner of twelve championships and 

 special prizes and twenty-two first prizes 1 . 



We have learned from Blundeville (p. 363) that in his day 

 there were those who bred light and swift horses for racing and 

 galloping the buck. But it must not be supposed for a moment 

 that these light, swift horses sprang from "a pure well of 

 English undefiled," for in Elizabeth's reign both the North 

 African horse and his Turkish offshoot were well known in 

 England. Thus Shakespeare represents Bolingbroke as riding 

 on "a roan Barbary horse 2 "; Othello 3 is referred to as a 

 "Barbary horse"; and in Hamlet 41 Barbary horses are also 

 mentioned. 



In adding a chapter on the various breeds of horses to the 

 second edition of his work in 1580, Blundeville declares that he 



1 I arn indebted to Mr A. J. Smith for the loan of the photograph from which 

 the illustration is taken. 



2 Rich. II., v. 5. 3 Othello, i. 1. 



4 v. 2. Shakespeare twice mentions roan horses (once as already cited, 

 once in 1 Hen. IV., "Give the roan horse a drench"); twice he mentions bay 

 ("a bay trotting horse," Lear, in. 4; "a bay courser," Tim., i. 2). He also 

 mentions a team of four white horses in Timon, doubtless following a classical 

 source. 



