OUR SADDLE-HORSES. 55 



cavalry on this class. A cavalry soldier fully 

 equipped for service requires an amount of 

 physical strength in his horse incompatible 

 with much speed, or highly agreeable action. 

 All that can be expected in cavalry horses 

 that have to act in line, and to do also the 

 duty of light troops, is much strength, com- 

 bined with sufficient activity and endurance, 

 and such can only be obtained from a cross 

 between the Arab and a stronger but inferior 

 race. 



Government may not now think itself called 

 on to take any step for improving the breed of 

 our saddle-horses ; but a day will arrive when 

 the matter will be forced on its attention, though 

 not, I fear, should war in the meantime arrive, 

 till the lives of many brave soldiers have been 

 sacrificed. 



Whenever that time shall arrive no country 

 at all likely to possess a good breed of Arab 

 horses should be left unvisited. The impres- 

 sion now generally is that Syria has better 

 horses than any other portion of the East; 

 but after reading attentively Daumas' work on 

 the horses of Africa, I recommend the im- 

 portation of some of the best of those. Their 



