62 THE HORSE 



thought the British horses so valuable that he carried 

 many of them to Rome, and that for a considerable 

 period afterward British horses were in great request 

 in various parts of the Roman Empire. He states that, 

 during the occupation of England by the Romans, the 

 British horse was crossed to a considerable extent with 

 the Roman horse; but he probably meant the foreign 

 horses of the Roman mercenary or allied cavalry, 

 from the fact that horses had been introduced into 

 Britain from Gaul and chariot races were instituted 

 long before the Christian era. This suggestion is 

 adopted from the work of Herbert on the horse. In 

 England, horse -racing early became a fixed custom. 

 We learn from history that, after the reign of Alfred, 

 running horses were imported from Germany. That 

 the English, fully a thousand years ago, had produced 

 a valuable breed is shown by the fact that in 930 

 A. D. a law prohibited the exportation of horses. 

 Many Spanish horses were imported into England in 

 Athelstan's reign. William the Conqueror rode a 

 Spanish horse (probably of Oriental breed) at the 

 battle of Hastings, and won the day by his cavalry. 

 He imported many fine Norman, Flemish and Span- 

 ish horses and his great nobles followed his example. 

 Early writers attest the value of the stock descending 

 from these sources. 



We learn from Fitz Stephen, a contemporary his- 

 torian, that in the twelfth century a regular race- 

 course had been established in London. He thus de- 

 scribes the races: "When a race is to be run by horses 

 which in their kind are strong and fleet, a shout is 



