THE HORSE 



97 



Thus it was that the horse came from a 

 wild to a semiwild state, till at last he reached 

 the condition of a domesticated animal. It is 

 to be remarked that the farther he came from 

 the steppes of northern Asia the longer time 

 it seems to have taken to domesticate and 

 utilize him. In all directions the e.xplorer finds 

 that the breeding and training of horses is an 

 art which the peoples of Europe have learned 

 from their neighbors on the east and north- 

 east. It is ec[ually remarkable that in Russia, 

 which serves as an intermediary between 



As for their distribution in cities and coun- 

 try places, that depends on circumstances. 

 The relation between production and demand 

 naturally exercises great influence in certain 

 countries. In the United States, which sup- 

 plies its needs chiefly by its own production, 

 the relative numbers show that about four fifths 

 of the total number of horses are employed in 

 agriculture or for draft purposes, the remaining 

 fifth being in private use, chiefly in the cities. 



In 1899 Paris had 93,052 horses, and in 

 1900 statistics show a record of 98,284, — an 



A F.\Mn.V P.ARTV 



Europe and Asia, horses are still found in far 

 greater numbers than elsewhere, and so are the 

 races of horsemen. 



The horse has always retained the principal 

 and best qualities of his ancestors, — speed and 

 strength. These qualities, which served him 

 once for flight only, are now employed in the 

 service of humanity. Let us therefore caress 

 that lowered head and rightly appreciate this 

 quadruped, larger and stronger than ourselves, 

 as one of the most useful and most indispen- 

 sable of the domestic animals. 



II. The Breeds of Horses 



In spite of motor cars, steam, and electricity 

 le number of horses is still 

 mouslv throughout the world. 



the number of horses is still increasing enor- 



increase of 5200 horses in a single city in one 

 year. This shows that just as photography 

 has not killed portrait painting, so the bicycle 

 has not killed horseback riding, for riding is 

 an art, and the arts die not. It remains to be 

 seen w'hether motor cars can kill the driving of 

 horses, which also is an art, and a great one. 



In the United States the number of horses 

 has increased nearly sixty per cent in twenty- 

 five years, showing how great is the role that 

 the horse plays to-day in all our social and 

 domestic relations. 



A vast international commerce in horses 

 goes on at all times. The countries that con- 

 tribute most to this commerce are Russia, Hun- 

 gary, Roumania, Denmark, and the United 

 States. In 1S97 this commerce between the 



