22 THE CHARGER MANEGE. 



This custom, it should seem, subsisted during the civil wars between the royal 

 Houses of York and Lancaster, and in all probability, suffered considerable change 

 on the introduction of Horse Coursing, and of a lighter breed of horses into the 

 country. The change, however, was gradual ; and in Elizabeth's reign, " great 

 trotting horses" were much in request, as the only species adapted to war. The 

 trot had then perhaps but lately come into fashionable use, since, in the earlier 

 period, the great horses imported, of the modern dray size, though it may be pre- 

 sumed of statclx form, were taught and accustomed to amble. The common breed 

 of England was small, and much legislative care was used in the reigns of 

 Henn the Seventh and Eighth, conformably to the politico-economical notions of 

 those- times, to enforce the breeding of larger horses. Thus, in the latter reign, a 

 la\v was enacted, that every man's brood mare should be at least fourteen hands high, 

 and the magistrates were empowered by this law, to scour the wastes and commons 

 at Michaelmas tide, and to put to death all mares and all stallions, which in size 

 \\tiv below the Act of Parliament standard! Further curious regulations were 

 made, to compel horse-breeding upon a graduated scale of rank and property. 

 Each \rchbishop or Duke was obliged, under certain penalties, to keep seven 

 trotting stone horses for the saddle, each to be fourteen hands high, at the age of 

 three \ears. Each person having benefices to the amount of one hundred pounds 

 searl\, or a layman, whose wife should wear any Trench hood, or velvet bonnet, 

 were required, under the penalty of twenty pounds, to keep one " trottynge stone 

 horse" of the stated si/e for the saddle. 



The Continental Manege for the War Horse, was introduced into this country by 

 Henry the Eighth, through the medium of the most famous riding masters, invited 

 OUT and patroni/ed by that Monarch, who was honoured with the name of Castor by 

 an den-ant writer, for his affection towards the horse, and his consummate skill 

 in horsemanship. This continued in English use, for Officers' Chargers, until perhaps 

 within the last half century, limit r the style of the Grand Manege, and the horses 

 wr< i. frequently foreign, it being experienced that English-bred horses were insus- 

 ceptible of hdno- so highly f/mW or managed as the German. It was at length 

 IK-IT* i\cd, howc\cr, that the Grand Manege, consisting, in a great measure, of 

 antiquated forms and actions, was rather calculated for vain and ostentatious parade, 

 than lor real MM on the Held : and that which was of still more serious concern, 

 he considerable portion of a horse's useful life which was required to perfect 

 him, nanul\. three \.-ars, the "Teat abatement of his speed which it occasioned, and 

 the injiirx to his hinder quarters which too often necessarily ensued. 



I he /',/,/ Mam'^t. restricted to real use, succeeded to the Grand and antiquated ; 

 : >"<l prohahh, thiMval improx cinent may in great measure be attributed to the good 

 * IIM- and influence of the late celebrated Earl of 7YWW,v, whose book on horses 

 nceiud, and devnrdls, u r,at public attention. This is the common and expe- 

 ditious Hiding School system of drilling or training horses for military service in 



