116 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



into insignificance. The Arabs, who were perfect horsemen, 

 conquered northern Africa and Spain within about a hun- 

 dred years. They only met defeat when they encountered 

 the Franks, who had probably stronger and more enduring 

 horses than they. 



At the time of the mediaeval knights war could not be 

 carried on without horses. It is true that through the 

 invention of gunpowder the cavalry lost much of its 

 importance. Still, if cavalry is of less importance, the 

 heavy artillery is of so much more importance; and how 

 could a general move his heavy guns about the field if he 

 had no horses ; or how could food and ammunition be dis- 

 tributed to millions of soldiers scattered over hundreds of 

 square miles if the army had no horses ? Can you think 

 of other work for which an army must have horses ? Thus 

 we see that for purposes of war the horse is absolutely indispen- 

 sable to us; because it lends to man's intelligence the physical 

 power and the Jleetness of its noble body. A good horse and a 

 good rider almost act as one being. 



Intelligence of horses. One who has carefully studied the 

 subjects, and compared the horse in this respect with the cat 

 and the dog, must come to the same conclusion with Shaler 

 in his interesting book on " Domesticated Animals/' that the 

 intelligence of the horse is popularly rated too high. It 

 does not show the real, almost human, affection for its mas- 

 ter of which the dog gives unquestioned evidence ; nor has 

 it the cunning of cats and monkeys. The insane fright it 

 shows at many strange and even some frequently observed 

 objects does not speak high for its intelligence. Many 

 horses have, however, no doubt a good memory, and will 

 learn a road sooner than most drivers. As their nose is not 

 near the ground, they must follow the road by the objects 

 seen along it. Have breeding horses been selected with a 

 view to rearing intelligent offspring, or to perpetuate some 



