THE ROAD AND FARMER'S ^9 



At the Restoration a new impulse was given to the cultivation of the 

 horse by the inclination of the court to patronize gaiety and dissipation. 

 The races at Newmarket were restored, and as an additional spur to emu- 

 lation, royal plates were now given at each of the principal courses. 

 Charles II. sent his master of the horse to the Levant, to purchase brood 

 mares and stallions. These were principally Barbs and Turks. 



From that period to the middle of the last century, the system of im- 

 provement was zealously pursued : every variety of Eastern blood was 

 occasionally engrafted on ours, and the superiority of the engrafted, above 

 the very best of the original stock, began to be evident. 



Man is rarely satisfied with any degree of perfection in the object on 

 which he has set his heart. The sportsman had now beauty of form, and 

 speed and stoutness, scarcely an approach to which had been observed in 

 the original breed. Still some imagined that this speed and stoutness 

 might possibly be increased ; and Mr. Darley, in the latter part of the 

 reign of Queen Anne, had recourse to the discarded and despised Arabian. 

 He had much prejudice to contend with, and it was some time before the 

 Darley Arabian attracted notice. At length the value of his produce began 

 to be recognised, and to him we are greatly indebted for a breed of horses 

 of unequalled beauty, speed, and strength. 



This last improvement now furnishes all that can be desired : nor is this 

 true only of the thorough-bred or turf-horse ; it is, to a very material degree, 

 the case with every description of horse. By a judicious admixture and pro- 

 portion of blood, we have rendered our hunters, our hackneys, our coach, 

 nay even our cart horses, much stronger, more active, and more enduring, 

 than they were before the introduction of the race-horse. 



Chapter IV. 



THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF ENGLISH HORSES. 



The reader is now prepared for the history and distinguishing character of 

 the various breeds of English horses. If we were composing a treatise 

 on the horse adapted for general readers, we should commence with the 

 racer, or thorough-bred horse, which, if it be not considered as the parent 

 of every other breed, yet enters into, and adds, or often gives, the only 

 value to it. Remembering, however, the title of our work, we will begin 

 with those which are occasionally or chiefly employed for agricultural pur- 

 poses. First stands the Roadster, or Hackney, whether used by the farmer 

 to ride over his grounds, or for the longer journeys of business or plea- 

 sure. , 



The roadster varies much in different districts, and accordnig to ttie 

 whim or caprice of the rider. We have presented our readers with a por^ 

 trait of the old Enghsh hackney, now, fortunately, little known, yet the 

 origin of our best saddle-horses, whether for the road or the field. The 

 modern horseman will find some fault with him. We give him as he was, 

 and shall proceed to describe a much superior animal. 



