26 THE HORSE 



England. It is believed, however, that the native horses 

 (early introduced) were greatly benefited by crosses with 

 the cavalry -horses of the Roman garrisons. During the 

 Norman Conquest heavy cavalry- horses were introduced. 

 These horses constituted the most rapid and efficient 

 force of the army. A heavy horse was needed to carry 

 the great weight of arms and armor in addition to the 

 rider. For hundreds of years after the Conquest two 

 distinct kinds of horses were imported, the heavy horse 

 of Flanders and the light but more active horse of 

 Spain and the Orient. 



The earliest suggestion that horses were used in 

 agriculture is said to be derived from a piece of Bayeux 

 tapestry, where a horse is represented as drawing a 

 harrow. This, however, must have been an exceptional 

 case, for we know that oxen were used until a com- 

 paratively late time, and that in Wales a law existed 

 forbidding horses to be used for plowing. 1 



It will not be necessary for our purpose to give 

 here the history of the horse previous to his introduc- 

 tion into England and France for the purposes of 

 agriculture and road work, except so far as it may be 

 necessary to understand the causes which have produced 

 the various breeds and varieties, and their distinctive 

 characteristics. 



INTRODUCTION OF IMPROVED HORSES INTO ENGLAND 



King John ascended the throne in 1199 and paid 

 great attention to the improvement of the farm -horse, 

 importing me hundred heavy stallions from Flanders 



i Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. VIII, p. 181. 



