64 THE HORSE 



lation of their vows of poverty and frugality, they 

 maintained "eastern horses, dogs and birds for the 

 chase and falconry, and other vain and worldly pleas- 

 ures." Youatt narrates that Edward II. purchased 

 thirty war-horses and twelve heavy draft -horses. 

 Edward III. devoted one thousand marks to the pur- 

 chase of fifty Spanish horses, and he prized them so 

 highly that he made formal application to the kings 

 of France and Spain to grant safe conduct to the troop. 

 In the reign of Richard II. laws were made regu- 

 lating the price of horses and prohibiting their expor- 

 tation. Similar regulations were enforced by other 

 English sovereigns, and in the reign of Henry III. 

 it was decreed that no stallion should be suffered to 

 run at large on any waste or common, where the 

 animals pastured and were of course liable to breed 

 promiscuously, under the height of fifteen hands, on 

 pain of forfeiture; and that all foals, fillies or mares 

 likely to breed undersized or ill -shaped produce should 

 be killed and buried. He also, by law, compelled all 

 the nobility, gentry and higher order of the clergy to 

 keep a number of horses proportionate to their rank. 

 In Henry's reign, also, an enactment was enforced 

 compelling the maintenance of a great number of full- 

 sized mares and stallions in every deer park, and in 

 every rural parish in the realm. These enactments 

 could not fail to result in the great improvement of 

 the horses of England. At that period an annual race 

 was run at Chester. The prize was a wooden ball 

 embellished with flowers, fixed upon the point of a 

 lance. These trophies were provided by the company 



