ANCIENT TERRA-COTTAS. 77 



the upper part of the tablet, which is in size one foot four 

 inches by one foot, is an inscription, Anniae Arescusa, 

 who may have been the winner of the race, or the artist 

 of the terra-cotta. Most important of all, however, for 

 our present purpose, is the representation of what look 

 like bandages on the fore limbs of all the horses — a little 

 rubbed on the nearest, but certainly most distinct on the 

 middle and left-hand horses. There is nothing of the 

 kind on the hind limbs, and this may easily be accounted 

 for. Admitting that these are the bands of the hippopodes, 

 it is well known to all horsemen that the fore feet are more 

 liable to suffer from attrition, when unshod, than the hind 

 ones, simply because they have to support more weight 

 and strain. In India, for instance, cavalry and other horses 

 are frequently only shod on the fore feet, as they require 

 this defence ; while the hinder ones can be submitted to 

 a great deal of wear without suffering at all to the same 

 degree. 



Thtfasciohe cover the limb apparently from the knee 

 downwards, and though nothing of the sandal itself can 

 be distinguished, yet it is to be observed that the hoofs of 

 the fore extremities are much larger, and altogether look 

 clumsier than those behind, which have no bandages 

 above them ; a circumstance that leads to the inference 

 that the hippopodes enveloped the hoofs as closely as they 

 could be made to do. 



In the same collection of terra-cottas are some very 

 fine bas-reliefs in which horses are admirably represented, 

 but none have their limbs swathed liked these, which had 

 probably been subjected to an extra amount of racing, 

 being noted horses, and had consequently become foot-sore. 



