406 



THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC 



[CH. 



measure about five and a half inches; they have a tendency 

 to be roach-backed, as is sometimes the case with Barbs; 

 when compared with a Spanish jennet or with a Barb, these 

 ponies are relatively shorter in the neck and legs, deeper in the 

 ribs, shorter in the ears, and provided with more powerful jaws. 

 "The Connemara is a slightly altered Barb on pony's legs 1 ." 

 After having followed the pedigree of the Irish Hobby in 

 the previous pages, the reader will not be surprised to find the 



FIG. 123. New Forest Ponies 2 . 



resemblance and, at the same time, the difference between the 

 Connemara pony and the North African horse. The prevalence 

 of yellow ponies in the west of Ireland is due to the fact that 

 the ancient horses, whether ' Celtic ponies ' or the heavy-built 

 old European horses, were of a dun colour, and were sufficiently 

 prepotent to transmit their colour to a considerable proportion 

 of their descendants, as has been done by the Asiatic element 

 in the horses of Kattywar (p. 139) and by the ancient Spanish 



1 Ewart, loc. cit. 



2 The illustration is from a photograph taken by Mr G. E. Low. 



