184 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE BREEDS OF HORSES. 

 GENERAL FEATURES. 



The horse tribe, or genus equus, embraces 

 the horse, the ass, the quagga, and the zebra. 

 The members of these different species may be 

 bred together for one generation only, the pro- 

 duce being a hybrid which does not possess the 

 powers of reproduction a provision of nature 

 which effectually blocks the way to a blending 

 of these different species into one and preserves 

 to each its specific character. 



The original habitat of the horse is not 

 known, but it is clear that at the earliest peri- 

 ods known to history they existed in a wild 

 state in various parts of Europe, Asia and 

 Africa, and that they differed greatly in many 

 particulars, before they were subjected to do- 

 mestication and broken up into the more mod- 

 ern breeds. Those inhabiting hot, dry, and 

 unproductive regions, where a sparse supply 

 of food made frequent changes of grazing 

 grounds a necessity essential to existence, w r ere 

 distinguished for spirit, activity, speed, and en- 



