THE HORSE 



107 



the seventeenth century. As early as the days 

 of the Crusades Arabian horses had been 

 brought to England, and by the close of the 

 Middle Ages much Spanish and Italian 

 blood had been added to theirs ; but the 

 history of pure blood, properly so called, 

 does not begin until the reign of Charles 

 II. Produced by the crossing of several 

 races, the English Thoroughbred has the 

 blood of several original races, especially 

 the Oriental, but since the establishment 

 of the genealogical record the breed has 

 been kept pure. 



The best known ancestors of this breed 

 are Byerly Turk, Derby Arabian, and 

 Godolphin Arabian, who lived in the last 

 half of the sex'enteenth century and the 

 first half of the eighteenth. The Thor- 

 oughbred is especially famous as a racer 

 or running horse. Rapid gait and stay- 

 ing power are the chief qualities of these 

 animals whose form and every action re- 

 veal a noble origin. The small, refined 

 head, the delicate, long neck, the keen, 

 intelligent eyes, the skin and hair so fine that 

 the veins show through them, the broad chest, 

 the long but robust back, the straight croup. 



can mold his action on the animal kingdom 

 by judicious breeding, selection, training, and 

 watchful care. Throughout Europe, whenever 



1-Ki.NCM 1)KAIT Horse 



the long, lean, delicate legs with hard tendons 

 and solid hoofs, all prove to what result man 



Fren'ch S.AnDLE Horse 



the improvement of a breed of horses is in ques- 

 tion, it is generally a crossing with pure English 

 blood that is desired ; it is seldom that the old 

 Arabian blood is sought. 



The Yorkshire carriage 

 horses and the Cleveland Bays 

 form a group apart in England, 

 where the former in times past 

 were much used as carriage 

 horses. The Cleveland Bay 

 is a very old race, derived, 

 probably, from an ancient 

 mi.xture of the English horse 

 with Oriental blood. Animals 

 of this race are well built, 

 lively, and vigorous, with 

 strong, lean legs. They are 

 much in demand for carriage 

 and also for work horses. Of 

 late, their good qualities be- 

 coming more widely known, 

 they have been imported to 

 America, where they receive the name of 

 "general purpose horses." 



