CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction • • • • • .1 



Chapter I. 

 GENERAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE . 2 



Earliest records of him : appears to have been first domesticated in Egypt, and 

 thence propagated to other countries : the horse not cultivated in Arabia until the 

 seventh century. 



Chapter II. 



THE DIFFERENT FOREIGN BREEDS OF HORSES 5 



The wild horses of South America, method of catching and breaking them by the 

 Gauchos : the wild horses of Tartary : the Barb : the Dongola : the Arabian, his 

 varieties, beautiful form, fleetness, docility, affection of the Arab towards him, 

 anecdotes of: the East Indian, his varieties : the Chinese : Persian,' beauty and value 

 of: the Toorkoman: Tartar and Calmuc : Turkish: German: Swedish, Finland, 

 and Norwegian : Iceland : Flemish and Dutch : French : Spanish ; Italian : Ame- 

 rican. 



Chapter III. 



HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH HORSE . 30 



Horse of the early Britons: crossed by the Romans: improved by Athelstan and 

 Howell the Good: not used for the plough until the tenth century: improved by 

 William I. and Henry II. : neglected by the Crusaders: materially improved by 

 John who imported many Flanders horses : by Edward II., who purchased 

 thirty Lombardy horses: by Edward III., who introduced the Spanish horse, 

 and had several running horses : more rapidly improved, however, when cumbrous 

 armour was laid aside : the improvement arrested by the tyrannical and illiberal 

 policy of Henry VIII., and under Elizabeth horses were diminished m number and 

 value : under James I. the progress of improvement was hastened : Turkish and 

 Barbary horses were introduced, and the first Arabian horse: races were now esta- 

 blished : Charles I. was fond of horses : even Cromwell encouraged the improve- 

 ment of the breed : at the restoration a new impulse was given under Anne, Ara- 

 bians were again introduced : and about the middle of the eighteenth century the 

 English horse had arrived at its state of highest perfection. 



Chapter IV. 



THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF ENGLISH HORSES 29 



The roadster or hackney : description of him : the horse of all ^vork, the farmer's 

 horse: the coach-horse, derived from the Cleveland bays : principle of draught: 

 power of the horse: the pace killing: the heavy draught- horse ; the old Suffolk : 

 the Clydesdale: the heavy black horse, too heavy: the dray-horse ; the cavalry- 

 horse : the race-horse, question of his real origin, actually superior to the Arabian 

 the Darley, Flying Childers, Eclipse, the Godolphin Arabian, the emulation of 

 the race-horse, consequence of short races : the hunter, description of his proper 

 breed and form, anecdotes of his love of the sport, usage of him, management of, 

 ^vhen distressed, summering of: the Galloway: the Welsh pony: the New- 

 Forester: the Exmoor pony: the Dartmoor: the Highland: the Shetland: the 

 Irish horse. 



