340 



NliW KMiLA.M) rAu.Mi:i?, 



Mav 11, 1S30 



LIBRAIIV OF USEFUL. KNOWLEDGE. 



[Cntinutd from faft XSt.] 

 CHAPTER* IV. 



Tilt; DIFFERIiNT BRKKDS OF KNCiLIr^ll 

 UOK.SKS. 



UALLOWAYS A.ND POMIES. 



A horse between iliirteen and tbitrlceii liaiiiU 

 in heighl is rulk-il n Galloway, IVoiii a beaulilul 

 breed of little liorsus once foiiiMl in tin- simili of 

 Scotland, on (lie sliorc of tlic Holway Fritli, but 

 now sadly dr;,'eneratod, and almost lost froni the 

 altenipts of llie farmi-rs to obtain a larfiL-r kind, 

 and better adapted for llie purposes of agriculture. 

 There is a tra<lilii>u in that country that the 

 breed is of Spanish extraction, souu! Iior^ts hav- 

 ing escaped from one of the vessels of the Grand 

 Armada, which was wrecked on the neighboring 

 coast. This disuict, hi>\vcver, so early as the 

 time of C I ward I., supplied that monarch with a 

 prrai nuinher of horses. 



The p. ire galloway was said to he nearly four- 

 teen hands high, and sometimes more ; of a bright 

 bay, or brown, with black legs, small head and 

 neck, and peculiarly def p ami clean legs. Its 

 qualitiiB were epeed, stoutness, and sure footed- 

 ness over a very rugged, and mountainous coun- 

 try. 



Dr Anderson thus describes the galloway : 

 ' Tliero was once a breed of small, elegant horses 

 in Scotland, similar to those of Iceland and Swe- 

 den, and which were known by the name of gal- 

 loways ; the best of which sometimes reached 

 • the height of fourteen hands and a half. One of 

 this description I possessed, it having been bought 

 for my use when a boy. In ])oint of elegance ol 

 shape, it was a |>erfect picture ; and 'ti disposition 

 was gentle and compliant. It movCd almost with 

 a wish, and never tired. I rode this little crea- 

 ture for twentyfive years, and twice in that time 

 I rode a hundred and fifty miles at a stretch, with- 

 out stopping, except to bait, and that not for 

 above an hour at a time. It came in at the last 

 stage with as nnich ease and alacrity as it travel- 

 ed the first. I could have undertaken to liavc 

 performed on this beast, when it was in its prime, 

 sixty miles a day for a twelvemonth running, with- 

 out any extraordinary exertion.' 



A galloway in point of size, whether of Scotch 

 origin or not wc are uncertain, performed, about 

 the year 181t, a greater feat than i)i .Vnderson's 

 favorite. It started from London with the Kxeter 

 maii, and notwithstanding the immerons changes 

 of horses, anil the rapid driving of that vehicle, 

 it arrived at Kxeter (one hundred and seventytwo 

 miles) a quarter of an hour before the mail. We 

 saw him about a twelvemonth afterwards, wind- 

 galled, spavined, ring-boned, and a lamentable 

 picture of the ingratitude of some human brutes 

 towards a willir)g and faithful servant. 



In 1751, Mr Corker's galloway went one 

 liundred miles a day for three successive days, 

 over the Newmarket course, and without the 

 slightest di»trc.>i8. 



A galloway belonging to Mr Sinclair, of Kirby- 

 Lonsdale, pcrformeil at Carlisle the extraordinary 

 feat of one thousand miles in a thousand hours. 



Many of thcr galloways now in use are procured 

 either from W.iles or tlio New Forest, but they 

 have materially diminished in number; thoy are 

 scarcely suHicienl to supply even the neighboring 

 districts, and thoy are still more mati:rially deteri 



the Hampshire galloways and [tonies claim, how- 

 ever, some noble blood. 



Old Marsk, before his value was kimwn con- 

 tributed to the improvement of the Hampshire 

 breed ; anil the Welsh | ies are Raid to be in- 

 debted to the celebrateil Mkrli.n for their form 

 and qualilii'S. 



The fydsh Pony, is one of the most ben\iiifnl 

 little animals that can be imagined. He has a 

 small lieail, iTigli withers, deep yet round barrel, 

 short joints, flat legs, and good roimil feet. He 

 will live on any fare, and can never be tircil out. 



The JVew-furesters, notwithstanding their ftlarsk 

 blood, are generally ill made, large-headed, short 

 necked, ragged hipped, but hardy, safe, anil use- 

 ful ; with iinn-h of their ancient spirit and speed, 

 and nil their old paces. The catching of these 

 ponies is as great a trial of skill, as the hnntin 

 the wild horse on the I'ampas of South America, 

 and a greater one of patience. 



Exmoor, and if possible uglier. He exists there 

 almost in a state of nature. The late Captain 

 Coigravc, of the prison had a gi eat desire lo pos- 

 sess one of them of Komenhat superior figure to 

 its fellows, uiid having several men to a^sis^ him, 

 '.hey SI parated it from the herd. They drove it 

 on some rocks by the side of a tor (an abrupt 

 pointed hill ;) a man followed on lior^eback. while 

 ihc Ciiplain stood helow watching the chase. Tlie 

 little animal being driven into a corner leaped 

 completely over the man and horse, and es- 

 caped. 



TUc Hif;hlaiid Pony is far inferior to the gal- 

 loway. The head is large, he is low before, long 

 'in the back, short in Ihc legs, u)iright in the piUt- 

 ' terns, rather slow in his paces, and not pleasant to 

 ride, except in the canter. His habils make him 

 ,,(•1 hardy, for he is rarely honseil in the suimner or 

 the winter. The Rev. Mr Hall, In his ' Travels 

 in Scotland,' says, ' that when these animals conic 



<- 1- 1 1 I .„ I „ to anv bo"ev piece o( ground, they first put their 



A creat many pomes, of little value, used to be 1 """•' ""i^'^J' I "- b .' . ■' ' 



', . Ill- .1 • ui , 1 „,i .„(• nose to II, and then pat on it in a peculiar way 



reared in Lincolnshire, in the neighborhood ol " - ' '....'. ' ^ 



IJoston, but the breed has been neglected fiir 

 some years, and the enclosure of the fens will 

 render it extinct. 



The Exmoor Ponies, although generally ugly 

 enough, are hardy and useful. A well known 

 sportsman says, that he rode one of them half a 

 dozen miles, and never felt such power and ac- 

 tion in .so small a compass before. To shew his 

 accomplishments, he was turned over a gate at 

 least eight inches higher than his back ; and his 

 owner, who rides fourteen stone, travelled on 

 him from Bristol to South Molton, eightysix 

 miles, beating the coach which runs the same 

 road. 



The hor.ses which are still used in Devonshire, 

 and parlicniaily in the western and southern dis- 

 tricts under the denomination of 1'ack-horses, 

 are a larger variety of the Exmoor or Dartmoor 

 breed. The saddle horses of Devonshire are most- 

 ly procured from the more eastern counties. 



There are many farms in that beautiful |)art of 

 the kingdom on which there is not a pair of 

 wheels. Hay, corn, straw, fuel, stones, dung, 

 lime, are carried on horseback; and in harvest, 

 sledges drawn by oxen and horses are used This 

 was probably in early times the mode of conveyance 

 throughout the kingdom, and is continued in these 

 districts, partly fiom the hilliness of the country, 

 and more from backwardness in all matters 

 of improvemeni. Light articles, as corn, straw, 

 faggots, &c., arc carried in rrooks, fnrnicd of wil- 

 low poles, of the thickness of scythe-handles, bent 

 as ox-bows, and with one end much longer than 

 the other ; these are joined in pairs by cross-bars, 

 eiirhteen inches or two fet-t long, and each horse 

 has two pair of ihem, slung together, so that the 

 shorter ci;ds lie against the pack-saddle, and the 

 longer stand four or five feet from each other, 

 and rise fifteen or eighteen inches above the horses 

 back. Within and between these crooks the 

 load is piled. Dung, sand, &c, arc carried in 

 pots, or strong coarse panniers slung together in 

 the same way, and the dung ridged up over the 

 saddle. At the bottom of the pot Ts a falling 

 do'ir, and at the end of the journey the trap is 

 unlatched, and the load falls mil. 



There is on Darlmoora race of ponies much in 

 rctpiesi in that vicinity, being sure-footed, anil har- 

 dy, and admirably cidculalcd to scramble over the 

 rough roads and dreary wilds of that moimlainon 



orated in form and value. Both the Welsh and | district. The Dartmoor pony n lorger than the Stock, vol. ii. p. 139 



with one of their fore feel, and from the i-ouiid 

 and feel of the ground, they know wlielher it 

 will hear them. They do the .same with ice, and 

 determine in a minute whether they will pro- 

 ceed.' 



The Shtttand Pony, called in Scotland Sheltie, 

 an inhabitant of the extrcmest norlhern Seollish 

 isl • , is a very diminutive animal, somelimes not 

 seven hands and a half in height, and rarely ex- 

 ceeding nine and a half. He is often exceedingly 

 beautiful, with a small head, good-tempered coun- 

 tenance, a short neck, fine towards the ihrotile, 

 shoulders low and thick, (in so little a creature far 

 from being a blemish,) hack tliorl,riiiarter8 expand- 

 ed and powerful, legs flat and fine, aiiJ pretty 

 round feet. They possess immense strength for 

 iheir size, will fatten upon anything; and are 

 perfectly docile. One of them, nine hands, or 

 three feet in height, carried a man of twelve stone, 

 forty miles in one day. 



A friend of ours was, not long ago, presented 

 with one nf these elegant little animals. He was 

 several miles from home, and puzzled how to con- 

 vey his ncwly-ac<]uired properly. The Sliethinder 

 was scarcely more than seven hands high, and as 

 docile as he was beautiful. ' Can we not carry 

 him in your chaise ?' said his friend. The strange 

 experiment was tried. The Sheltie was placed in 

 the bottom of the gig, and covered up as well as 

 could he managed with the apron ; a few bits of 

 bread kept him quiet ; anil thus he was safely 

 conveyed away, ond exhihiled the curious sjiecta 

 de of a horse riding in a gig. 



In the Southern part of the kingdom, the Shet- 

 landers have a very pleasing appearance, harness- 

 ed lo a light garden chair, or carrying an almost 

 baby rider. There are .several of them now run- 

 ning in Windsor Park. 



It has bean disputed whether the pony and large 

 English horse were, or could he originally from the 

 same slock. The question is dillicult to answer. 

 It is not impossible that they might have one 

 common extraction, and if we reflect on the eflt-ct 

 of feeding, it is not m improlmble ns it may at first 

 appear. 



iVIr Parkinson* relates n rirctinistanre very 

 inncli to the point, that fell under his observation. 

 His father had a innrc that brought liiiii nn less 

 than fourteen colls, and all by the same horse, and 



' FirkinMn on Itrocding, anil iho nonagrnicnt of Live 



