CHAPTER III 

 THE THOROUGHBRED 



The history of the Thoroughbred is so closely associated with 

 the improvement of the modern horse that much consideration 

 should be given it. 



The horse in England prior to Queen Elizabeth's reign was 

 mainly of the draft type, coarse and strong. We know little of 

 his general merits. He was used in war for chariots and as a 

 saddle horse. The early Romans brought horses to England in 

 the fifth century, and so did the succeeding Normans and others. 

 Early in the thirteenth century King John imported one hundred 

 stallions from Flanders. It is related that during the fourteenth 

 century Edward III brought to England over fifty Spanish horses 

 at a cost of over eight hundred dollars each. Henry VIII main- 

 tained a royal stud, had laws enacted regarding horse breeding, 

 and imported from Turkey, Spain, and Italy. Yet during all these 

 years the prevailing horses were burden bearers with the exception 

 of a few of greater speed, known as running horses. The use of 

 heavy armor in the army had justified breeding a horse of this type. 



Systematic horse racing in England was first introduced by 

 James I. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) the 

 use of armor grew to be unpopular, though the use of horses 

 changed but little. James I, succeeding Elizabeth, was not war- 

 like in temperament, and the use of armor passed away during 

 his reign. Not only this, but James established the race course, 

 gave attention to horse breeding, and imported from the Orient. 

 He established a code of regulations from which the modern 

 race course has derived its foundation. James imported from the 

 Orient through an English merchant named Markham, an Arabian 

 stallion for which he paid five hundred pounds ($2500). This 

 horse was much ridiculed and played no special part in improving 

 racing stock. About 1617 Sir Thomas Edmunds brought to 

 England six Barb stallions which were bred to English mares. 



