12 THE HORSE. 



sess a perfect form : his head, however, is inimitable. The broadness 

 and squareness of the forehead, the shortness and fineness of the 

 muzzle, the prominence and brilliancy of the eye, the smallness of the 

 ears, and the beautiful course of the veins, will always characterise the head 

 of the Arabian horse. 



His body may be considered as too light, and his chest as too narrow ; 

 but behind the arms the barrel generally swells out, and leaves sufficient 

 room for the play of the lungs. 



In the formation of the shoulder, next to that of the head, the Arab is 

 superior to any other breed. The withers are high, and the shoulder-blade 

 inclined backward, and so nicely adjusted, that in descending a hill the 

 point or edge of the ham never ruffles the skin. He may not be thought 

 sufficiently high ; he seldom stands more than fourteen hands two inches. 



The fineness of his legs, and the obhque position of his pasterns, may 

 be supposed to lessen his apparent strength ; but the leg, although small, 

 is flat and wiry; anatomists know that the bone has no common density, 

 and the starting muscles of the fore-arm and the thigh indicate that he is 

 fully capable of accomplishhig many of the feats which are recorded of 

 him. 



The Barb alone excels him in noble and spirited action ; and if there be 

 defects about him, he is perfect for that for which he was designed. He 

 presents the true combination of speed and bottom— strength enough to 

 carry more than a light weight, and courage that would cause him to die 

 rather than to give up. 



We may not, perhaps, believe all that is told us of the Arabian. It 

 has been remarked, that there are on the deserts which this horse traverses 

 no mile-stones to mark the distance, or watches to calculate the time; 

 and the Bedouin is naturally given to exaggeration, and, most of all, when 

 relating the prowess of the animal, which he loves as dearly as his chil- 

 dren : yet it cannot be denied that, at the introduction of the Arabian into the 

 European stables, there was no other horse comparable to him. 



The Arab horse is as celebrated for his docility and good temper as 

 for his speed and courage. In that delightful book, ' Bishop Heber's Nar- 

 rative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India,' the following 

 interesting character is given of him. " My morning rides are very pleasant. 

 My horse is a nice, quiet, good-tempered little Arab, who is so fearless, that 

 he goes without starting close to an elephant, and so gentle and docile that 

 he eats bread out of my hand, and has almost as much attachment and 

 coaxing ways as a dog. This seems the general character of the Arab 

 horses, to judge from what I have seen in this country. It is not the 

 fiery dashing animal I had supposed, but with more rationality about him, 

 and more apparent confidence in his rider, than the majority of English 

 horses." 



The kindness with which he is treated from a foal, gives him an affliction 

 for his master, a wish to please, a pride in exerting every energy in obedience 

 to his commands, and, consequently, an apparent sagacity which is seldom 

 seen in other breeds. The mare and her foal inhabit the same tent with 

 the Bedouin and his children. The neck of the mare is often the pillow 

 of the rider, and, more frequently, of the children, who are rolling about 

 upon her and the foal : yet no accident ever occurs, and the animal ac- 

 quires that friendship and love for man which occasional ill-treatment will 

 not cause him for a moment to forget. 



When the Arab falls from his mare, and is unable to rise, she will 



