14 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 



discovered present in any field. The cause is obvious. 

 Better drainage and higher cultivation has rendered the 

 country easier to cross, and, simultaneous with this im- 

 provement, a more agile description of hunter has been 

 adopted. It is not therefore any one man, or number of 

 men, who has directed or influenced the change, which 

 has been swayed chiefly by the customs of a nation. 



The racecourse, as supplying the means of improvement, 

 has been of immense use in the national amelioration of the 

 breed of horses. It however begins to languish, showing 

 by this circumstance that its usefulness is nearly accom- 

 plished. Under its influence the sturdy breed of animals 

 appears to be departing. These were so useful, so gentle, 

 so sure, and so enduring, that we cannot lose them without 

 regret. 



Many persons will speak of the intelligence of the horse 

 as superior to that of the dog; we see nothing in the 

 animals to warrant even the remotest comparison between 

 them ; the horse is the servant, the dog is the companion 

 of man. The position each holds is sundered, and all that 

 can be said is, that each is gifted with qualities which will 

 fit it for the situation it is destined to fill. It is well known 

 that horses reared by hand can rarely be thoroughly broken 

 in. The familiarity established in early life appears to be 

 remembered in after years, and the creature which has been 

 the pet refuses to become the patient drudge. 



Gentlemen who lavish too much kindness on a horse they 

 ride or drive generally live to repent of their weakness. 

 Over the horse it is imperative to exercise what is termed a 

 "firm hand." Every necessary must be supplied; every 

 want anticipated ; but fondness must be indulged in a fashion 

 which convinces the animal that receives it there is a whip 

 near at hand. Many stories are told of the Arab in the 

 tent, but we must be excused if we treat all such as fables. 

 No horse is so vicious as the Arab. In the Indian army 

 their ferocity constitutes one of the difficulties of the march. 

 In England we have seldom looked upon an example of a 

 genuine gentle Arab. We wish it were otherwise. The 

 beauty of the animal, joined to its small figure, invites you 

 to caress it, but rarely have we been able to gratify the 

 feeling with perfect safety. And there are stories about 



