ARABS. 187 



ARABS. 



We get almost all our Arabs from India, Bombay 

 being their port of disembarkation from Bagdad, via 

 the Persian Gulf. They generally arrive in Bombay 

 during the months of September and October, at 

 which time high prices are asked by the Arab dealers 

 for anything of good class. In fact, it would be 

 difficult to get a newly-imported pony, with bone, good 

 shoulders and quality, for less than ^50. 



During November, 1894, I bought ten ponies in 

 Bombay, after having had about 500 animals paraded 

 before me, and having ridden at least 1 50. I bought 

 every pony between 14 hands and 14.2 which I could 

 find with good shoulders and sufficient bone. My 

 speculation was not a success from a pecuniary point 

 of view, because I got only two really good ponies 

 out of the ten I brought home. The vast majority 

 of animals in Bombay would not be worth £10 

 apiece at home ; most of them being coarse and 

 leggy, and having bad shoulders and ewe. necks. 

 As a rule, these brutes have only a small dash of 

 Desert blood. The best time for buying cheaply in 

 Bombay, though naturally at a large sacrifice of power 

 of selection, is during the months of February and 

 March, when the dealers, with the prospect of their 

 customers flitting to the hills or England, are anxious 

 to sell off, lest their horses be left on their hands 

 during the long hot weather. 



Johnnie (Fig. 80) is a chestnut Arab horse which was 

 bought in Bombay by the late Lieut. -Colonel le Gallais 

 in July, 1 89 1. Unlike most Arabs, he was not easy 



