38 THE THREE PASTURES 



continuous for several thousands of miles. In 

 sharp contrast is that little ragged edge of a great 

 continent known as North-western Europe, a 

 district which has many times been flooded 

 by the sea, each bath making new beds of rock. 



The lowlands of Great Britain, for example, 

 have been frequently submerged, and the 

 island shows samples of almost every rock 

 formation known upon the earth. This Euro- 

 pean pasture then is not only small, but also 

 varied in its rock formations, its soils, and its 

 landscape. One may get a standard horse of 

 registered size in the Bay range or the Dun 

 range, but would expect to find on the green 

 range of Europe not only many colours, but 

 also many breeds derived from the primitive 

 stock, strains of all sorts and sizes. A glance 

 at three formations will show how much the 

 build and size of a horse is varied by the 

 rocks. 



Granite. In North-western Europe the 

 granitic or speckled formations form upstand- 

 ing moorlands. The poor but abundant grass 

 maintains ponies both light and heavy of build, 

 derived from several kinds of ancestors. They 

 are so secured from attack by beasts of prey 

 that they do not need to run far and fast on 

 ground where running would be dangerous. 



