THE HORSE 75 



consisted in its size, strength, and endurance to burden ; 

 form of the body, which enabled a skilful rider to maintain 

 his position astride the trunk ; and the peculiar shape of the 

 mouth and disposition of the teeth which made it possible to 

 use the bit. With these direct physical advantages there 

 Avere others of a physiological and psychic sort, of equal 

 value. The creature breeds as well under domestication as 

 in the wilderness ; the young are fit for some service in the 

 third year of their life, and are, at least in the less elaborated 

 breeds, in a mature condition when they are five years old. 

 Experience shows that the animal can subsist on a o-reat 

 variety of diet, being in this regard surpassed only by its 

 humbler kinsman the donkey, and by the goats. There are 

 few fields so lean that they will not maintain serviceable 

 horses. They do well alike in mountain pastures and amid 

 the herbage of the moistest plainland. 



The mental peculiarities of the horse are much less char- 

 acteristic than its physical. It is indeed the common opinion, 

 among those who do not know the animal well, that it is 

 endowed with much sagacity, but no experienced and careful 

 observer is likely to maintain this opinion. All such students 

 find the intelligence of the horse to be very limited. It 

 requires but little observation to show that the creature 

 observes quickly, and in some way classifies the objects with 

 which it comes in contact. The fear aroused in it by 

 unknown things makes this feature of attention to the sur- 

 rounding world very evident. Almost all these animals 

 retain a tolerably distinct memory of the roads which they 

 have traversed, even if they have passed over them but a few 

 times. The studies which I have made on this point show 

 me that the average horse will be able to return on a road 



