THE HORSE. 53 



the time Charles was founding his cele- 

 brated stud, Barbary, Spanish, or Turk- 

 ish horses were imported to fill the royal 

 stables, and that previously to this 

 period English horses of quality, such 

 as Valentine, mentioned by Markham, 

 were running on the turf, and " beautiful 

 mares " were to be found as the dams of 

 future stock. Those animals that were 

 known winners, we may assume without 

 fear of contradiction, were mated with Oriental 



horses mated 



the Oriental importations, whose off- 

 spring formed the root from which our 

 present thorough-breds have derived their 



origin. 



The successive sovereigns of the House 

 of Stuart kept magnificent studs and 

 employed agents to purchase horses of 

 va uable Oriental blood. We possess no 



