188 HORSES AND RIDING. 



As the experiment has not, as far as I know, been 

 yet tried with hunters, we cannot speak from experi- 

 ence concerning this particular class of horse, but let 

 us consider what has been the origin of and result 

 in some other descriptions of horses. 



. The present English racehorse is originally de- 

 scended from Arab and Barb horses coming from 

 Africa on the one hand, and English mares on the 

 other. But racehorses are never now produced in 

 this way, and when the experiment is tried the 

 produce is found to be very inferior to those bred 

 from English racehorses. 



But the first specimens of the English racer 

 must have been a mixed and consequently a mongrel 

 breed, and we thus have an instance of a mongrel 

 breed becoming by careful selection vastly superior 

 to the first specimens bred, or to either of the breeds 

 from which their ancestors originally sprung. 



No Arab of the present day is anything like a 

 match in size, strength, beauty, or speed, for the 

 pick of our English thoroughbreds. 



To take another instance. The breed of horses 

 known as American trotters is now a distinct breed, 

 that is, no one, I believe, as a rule, attempts to 

 breed a trotter in America from two animals which 

 are not trotters themselves. But the best trotters 

 in America come from English thoroughbred stock 

 originally, and it is worthy of notice that some of 

 the best trotters in America and some of the best 



