MESMERISING HORSES 289 



devoted to the thoroughbred and his history, 

 they need not be repeated here. 



Yet it is worthy of mention that though some 

 few years ago the famous thoroughbred sires in 

 this country included 260 direct descendants of 

 Eclipse, and sixty direct descendants of the 

 Byerley Turk, they included only thirty-six direct 

 descendants of the greatly glorified Godolphin 

 Arabian. 



I believe I am right in saying that the cream- 

 white horses which, until comparatively a recent 

 date, were used by the king on state occasions, 

 are directly descended from the celebrated white 

 horses formerly in the royal stables at Hanover. 



Allusion to these animals recalls to mind a 

 method of controlling horses that is said to be in 

 vogue still in parts of Austria, where it is spoken 

 of as "the Balassiren " of horses, and that in 

 reality is a method of mesmerising horses before 

 shoeing them. 



According to Obersteimer, whose words are 

 quoted in Hudson's " Psychic Phenomena," the 

 process takes its name from a cavalry officer 

 named Balassa, who was the first to introduce or 

 to attempt it. 



Under the circumstances it is interesting to 

 read that among the early Egyptians there were 



