go FOREIGN BREEDS OF HORSES. 



origin of some of oui- best racing blood, was a Barb ; and others of our 

 most celebrated turf-liorses trace tlieir descent from African mares. 

 They are generally first mounted at two years old. They are never 

 castrated, for a ' Mussulman would not mutilate or sell the skin of the 

 beast of the Prophet.' The horses alone are used for the saddle, and 

 the mares are kept for breeding. No Arab ever mounts a stallion ; on 

 the contraiy, in Africa they never ride mares. The reason is plain. 

 The Arabs are constantly at war mth their neighbours, and always 

 endeavour to take their enemies by surprise in the grey of the eveniiig 

 or the dawn of day. A stallion no sooner smells the stale of the mare in 

 the enemy's quarters, than he begins to neigh, and that would give the 

 alarm to the party intended to be surprised. No such thing can ever 

 happen when they ride mares only. On the contrary, the African trusts 

 only to superior force. They are in an open plain country, must be dis- 

 covered at many miles' distance, and all such surprises and stratagems are 

 useless to them. The cavalry exercise to which their horses are exposed 

 is exceedingly severe. The Moorish method of fighting principally con- 

 sists in galloping at the very height of their horses' speed for the distance 

 of a quarter of a mile or more, then suddenly stopping while the rider 

 throws his spear or discharges his musket. By way of exercise, they will 

 sometimes continue to do tins -without a moment's intermission to change 

 or to breathe their horse. All that is requii-ed of the best-taught and 

 most valuable Barbary horse is thus to gallop and to stop, and to stand 

 still, all the day if it is necessary, when his rider quits him. As for 

 trotting, cantering, or ambling, it would be an unpardonable fault were 

 he ever to be guilty of it. A Barbary horse is generally broken in in a 

 far severer way, and much earlier than he ought to be, and therefore he 

 usually becomes unfit for service long before the Arabian. The usual 

 food for the Barb is barley and chopped straw, and grass while it is to be 

 found, but of the provision for winter food in the form of hay they are 

 altogether ignorant. 



Captain Brown, in his ' Biographical Sketches of Horses,' gives the 

 following interesting account of a Barb and his rider, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope : — ' In one of the violent storms which often occur there, a vessel in 

 the road dragged her anchors, and was forced on the rocks, and beaten to 

 pieces. The greater part of the crew perished immediately, but some few 

 were seen from the shore chnging to different pieces of the wreck. No 

 boat oould venture to their assistance. Meanwhile a planter came from 

 his farm to see the shipwreck, and perceiving no other chance of escape 

 for the survivors, and knowing the spirit of his horse and his excellence 

 as a swimmer, he determined to make one desperate efibrt for their 

 deliverance, and pushed into the midst of the breakers. At first both 

 disappeared, but they were soon seen on the surfiice. Neaidng the wreck, 

 he induced two of the poor fellows to quit their hold and to clmg to his 

 boots, and so he brought them safe ashore. He repeated this perilous 

 expedition seven times, and saved fourteen lives ; but on his return, the 

 eighth time, his horse being much fatigued, and meeting with a formidable 

 Avave, the rider lost his balance and was overwhelmed in a moment. The 

 horse swam safely to land, but his gallant rider was seen no more. The 

 Cape was then a colony of the Dutch. The directors christened one of 

 their new vessels after him, and ordered a pillar to be erected to his 

 memory, but the local authorities refused to the son a trifling place which 

 his father filled.' 



The Barb improves towards the Western coast of Africa, both in his 

 form and graceful action. 



Deep in the Sahara Desert is a noble breed of Barbs, known by the 



