12 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



way to England, and these had a most important influence in 

 improving the Thoroughbred. The so-called " Royal Mares," 

 imported by Charles II (1660-1685), became foundation stock in 

 the best of British light-horse blood, their descendants attaining 

 great distinction. From the Darley Arabian imported in 1706 

 is descended the best of Hackney blood to-day. According to 

 Joseph Osborne, 1 since the time of James I 164 oriental sires of 

 known record have been taken to England and used in service. 

 This list includes 90 Arabs, 36 Barbs, 32 Turks, 4 Persians, and 

 2 horses of unknown ancestry. Arab horses have also been 

 used for centuries in improving the horses of continental Europe. 

 Much of the quality produced in the early Percheron, it is claimed, 

 came from the Arab, while the French have set a high value on 

 this horse in producing half-breeds and improving coach horses. In 

 1522 the Turks invaded Hungary five hundred thousand strong, 

 which number, so history informs us, included three hundred 

 thousand horsemen. With the defeat of the Mohammedans they 

 were driven from the country, but they left large numbers of 

 Arabian horses behind. Until the World War Arab horse blood 

 had been in use in the stables of Hungary, and a Bedouin of 

 the desert, thoroughly familiar with the breed, was attached to the 

 Hungarian army as master of horse, his duty being to select 

 the best Arabian horses for the royal studs. These studs were 

 established in 1785. In addition to the royal studs, there were 

 some 150 private studs, in which were to be found 5000 Arab 

 mares of purest blood. Russia and Germany have also used the 

 Arabian in the stud. It is said that in 1895 no less than 200 

 Arab stallions belonging to the French government were at the 

 free service of owners of mares in Algiers, Africa, this being a 

 French colony. 



In recent years Major Upton maintained a pure Arab stud in 

 England, as did Henry Chaplin, once Minister of Agriculture. 

 Sir Wilfred Blunt and his wife, Lady Anne Blunt, in 1877 be- 

 came interested in the Arab and brought to England from Arabia 

 some choice pure-bred stallions and mares. They owned a stud 

 in Egypt as well as in England, and about 1905 their Crabbet 

 stud in England contained about 125 head. Reverend F. F. Vidal, 

 1 The Horse Breeders' Handbook, London. (No date.) 



