280 HOOFED ANIMALS 



domesticated animals, that have escaped and reverted to the 

 wild state. Whether the Tarpan, or Wild Horse of Tartary, 

 comes into this category or not, it is certainly the nearest 

 approach to the original wild species. Its mouse-coloured 

 coat is marked by a stripe on the back. In disposition it 

 is wild and fiery in the extreme, and is only caught by 

 the Tartar hunters lassoing it ; or chasing it with trained 

 falcons that flutter around the animal's head to distract its 

 attention from the hunter. 



The Horse is frequently mentioned in the Bible in a 

 manner that denotes it was chiefly used in war, especially 

 in drawing war-chariots. The animal was familiar to the 

 Britons before the arrival of Julius Caesar. King Ethelstan 

 forbade the export of native Horses, the breed of which he 

 improved by the introduction of German and Spanish 

 varieties. As might be expected, a warlike people like the 

 Normans paid particular attention to horse-breeding, 

 especially such as would best serve for cavalry. To King 

 John belongs the credit of introducing into England the 

 heavy horse of Flanders for draught purposes and for field 

 work generally. 



The Arab Horse is probably a descendant of the original 

 Asiatic wild species. It was introduced into Europe in the 

 eighth and ninth centuries, together with the Barb, an allied 

 breed in North Africa. Until warriors discarded heavy 

 armour their horses required to be powerful rather than 

 speedy, but the altered conditions of warfare called for 

 horses possessing speed and endurance. 



The result of centuries of careful breeding may be seen 

 in the English race-horse, graceful and elegant, the swiftest 

 horse the world has ever known. The record time for a 

 mile is i minute 35^ seconds. The hunter is not a distinct 

 breed, any really good horse well serving for cross-country 

 work, if he possess the requisite qualifications, viz., mus- 

 cular neck and chest, short body, and stouter legs than a 

 racer. The maximum broad jump for a horse of this type 

 is from thirty-three to thirty-seven feet. 



Cart Horses require size, strength, and endurance, speed 

 being altogether sacrificed to attain those ends. The 

 English Shire Horse, the Clydesdale Horse, and the Suffolk 



