BTTSSiAK HOESB.] MODERN VETERINARY PRACTICE. [Russian hobsk. 



another. Those animals devoted to the pur- 

 poses of pleasure, as well as those which form 

 the heavy cavalry, are, originally, mostly the 

 descendants of Cossack blood, but greatly im- 

 proved by having been crossed with Poland, 

 Prussian, Holstein, and English blood. The 

 horses forming the lighter cavalry, are, as they 

 have ever been, mostly Cossacks, which have 

 never been tried to be improved, but which are, 

 nevertheless, extremely hardy, capable of con- 

 siderable endurance, and well adapted for the 

 duties they have to perform. For a long period 

 it was believed that no horse, except the Arab, 

 was equal to the Cossack for bearing privation, 

 and, at the same time, uniting with this quality 

 so great an amount of speed as it has been 

 found to possess. In 1825, however, the con- 

 trary was proved. Two Cossack horses were 

 selected from the best breeds on the Black Sea, 

 the Don, and the Ural, and run against two 

 English ones, which greatly excelled the others 

 both in speed and stamina. On this occasion, 

 the English horses were not of the best breed, 

 and were named Sharper and Mina. The 

 account given of this trial of speed and en- 

 durance, shows that it was attended with cir- 

 cumstances the very reverse of such as we 

 should wish to be the accompaniment of similar 

 contests. 



" On the 4th of August, 1825, on the chal- 

 Jenge of the Cossacks, a race, of the cruel dis- 

 tance of forty-seven miles, out and home, was 

 agreed to. The four horses to start together; 

 and the first in, to take the whole stakes. 



"On starting, the Cossacks took the lead at 

 a moderate pace — the English horses following, 

 at the distance of three or four lengths ; but, 

 before they had gone half a mile, the stirrup- 

 leather of Sharper broke, and he ran away 

 with his rider, followed by Mina; and they 

 went more than a mile, and up a steep hill, 

 before they could be lield in. 



*' Half the distance was run in an hour and 

 four minutes Both the English horses were 

 then fresh, and one of the Cossacks. On their 

 return Mina fell lame, and was taken away. 

 The Cossack horse, likewise, began to flag, 

 when the accompanying Russian began to 

 drag him on by the bridle, throwing away the 

 saddle, and putting a mere child on his back. 

 Sharper, likewise, evidently showed the eflects 

 of the pace at which he had gone when running 



away, and was much distressed. The Cossacks 

 then had recourse to foul play, and actually car- 

 ried on their horse— some dragging him on by a 

 rope, and the bridle at his head ; others pulling 

 him forward by the tail; whilst others kept 

 alongside of his quarters to support hira ; and 

 they relieved each other at this fatiguing work. 

 Sharper did the whole distance in two hours 

 and forty-eight minutes; and the Cossack 

 horse was warped in, eight minutes after him. 

 At starting, the English horse carried three 

 stone more than the Cossacks; and, durin" 

 the latter half of the race, a mere child had 

 ridden the Cossack." 



The barbarous cruelty displayed by the 

 Muscovites in this contest, with the unfairness 

 of their whole proceedings, require no com- 

 ment. They were chagrined at being defeated, 

 and wreaked their ill-feeling upon their animal, 

 because he had not more strength than had 

 been given him by nature. 



The last Czar Nicholas was as anxious for 

 the improvement of the Cossack horses, as he 

 was for the general development of the resources 

 of his country ; and, with that view, instituted 

 races in different parts of his empire. In 

 southern and western Russia, lauded pro- 

 prietors have recently devoted much of their 

 attention, not only to the horse, but to cattle, 

 endeavouring to bring up their various breeds 

 to as high a state of perfection as they can. 

 Russian noblemen, now, have generally large 

 stables ; and the stud of the Russian Countess 

 OrlofF Tshesmensky alone, was composed of 

 1,320 Arabs, English, natives and others. The 

 ground, attached to this stud, comprised 

 nearly 1,100 acres ; and the number of grooms, 

 labourers, and others, amounted to 4,000. The 

 better breed of the Tartar horse is sketched 

 by Berenger, in his Treatise on Horsemanship ; 

 and although this species would seem to be 

 but of a moderate stature, still they are strong- 

 spirited, bold, and active. They have good 

 feet, but narrow ; and their heads are lean and 

 well-shaped. Their fore-hand is long and stiff"; 

 but the legs are over-long. With all these 

 imperfections, however, they are good and 

 serviceable horses, endowed with great speed, 

 and not readily succumbing to labour. They 

 are reared in a manner similar to those of the 

 Arabs — being caressed and fondled, and made 

 companions of. When they are six or eight 



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