THE HORSES— HORSES PROPER. 



409 



bats among the Indians. He who owns no Horses 

 tries to steal a few. Horse-stealing is considered 

 an honorable occupation by the Red-skins. Gangs 

 of thieves follow wandering tribes or caravans for 

 weeks, until they find an opportunity of stealing all 

 the saddle Horses. The Horses of America are also 

 zealously pursued on account of the value of their 

 skins and flesh. 

 u it u/u u ,,„ The Horses in the United States and Can- 

 Half-Wild Horses ada are al] the descendants of imported 



in Nonn varieties, there being no species of Horse 



America. indigenous to this continent. In Texas, 



Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and California, the descendants 

 of various Spanish breeds, as well as the Mustatig proper, are 

 kept in large numbers; and being allowed to range at large 

 over sparsely populated regions, have reverted to practically a 

 wild state. It is true that these Horses are the property of 

 various owners, but many of the Horses in the larger herds are 

 only seen by their masters at 

 the time of the annual or semi- 

 annual " round-up," when the 

 Horse owners combine their 

 forces to drive to a " corral " or 

 enclosure, all the Horses within 

 their range, in order that the 

 colts may be branded. It is 

 necessary, in order to settle the 

 question of ownership, that the 

 colt be brought to the branding 

 pen while it is still following its 

 mother, otherwise it is regarded 

 as a "gread" or orphan, and 

 any Horse owner may brand it. 

 The breaking of these Horses 

 to harness is usually a very dif- 

 ficult feat. Most of them are 

 fiven to what is popularly 

 nown as "bucking." The 

 Horse pulls vigorously at the 

 bridle, plants its four feet nearly 

 together, and with its back 

 arched keeps up a vigorous and 

 jerky jumping up and down 

 which only experts can over- 

 come. Even the most accom- 

 plished riders will often be 

 thrown by these wild creatures. 

 There are great differences in 

 the animals, however, and not 

 infrequently a Horse of this 

 kind will prove as easy to break 

 to saddle or harness as the most 

 docile of ordinary colts. 



The description, or even 

 a mere catalogue, of the 

 various, almost innumer- 

 able, breeds of the Horse 

 (Equus caballus) is not with- 

 in the scope of this book; 

 besides many excellent, 

 comprehensive works have 

 been devoted to the Horse. 

 It will suffice if we mention the most important 

 breeds, which have become distinguished for their 

 high development under careful training. 

 The Arabian Horse The Arab steed ranks first among 

 the Type of the Horses. "The thoroughbred 

 Excellence. Horse," says Count Wrangel, "has 

 no nobler representative than the Arabian Horse of 

 pure descent, which stands on the boundary line 

 between the natural breeds and those of civilization, 

 and is praised as the noblest animal of creation by 

 the naturalist, the expert and the poet." According 

 to the standard of requirements set for the Horse 

 by the code of the Arabs, a pure-bred Horse must 

 combine a symmetrical frame, short and nervously 

 mobile ears, heavy but at the same time symmetrical 

 bones, a fleshless face, nostrils "as wide as the mouth 

 of a Lion," beautiful, dark, prominent eyes, "with 

 an expression like that of a loving woman," a 



long, arched neck, a broad chest and broad crupper, 

 a narrow back, round thighs, very long true ribs and 

 very short false ones, a compact cylindrical body, 

 long thighs and hams, the latter, with the hocks, 

 forming a slight angle "like those of the Ostrich," 

 with muscles "like those of the Camel"; a black, 

 unspotted hoof, a fine, scanty mane and an abun- 

 dant tail, thick at the root and thin at the extremity. 

 Four parts must be broad: the forehead, the chest, 

 the hips and the limbs; four must be long: the neck, 

 the upper part of the limbs, the abdomen and the 

 flanks; and four short: the crupper, the ears, the frog 

 of the foot and the tail. These physical character- 

 istics prove that the Horse comes of good stock and 

 is swift; for its shape then resembles "the Grey- 

 hound, the Pigeon and the Camel." 



ENGLISH THOROUGHBRED HORSE. Largely but not solelv descended from the Arab steed, the 



English Thoroughbred represents the results of two centuries of cultivation of the qualities of endurance and 

 speed. -The American racing stock is practically of this breed, descended from Horses imported from England 

 within the past century. 



The Training 



of an Arab 



Steed. 



At eighteen months the training of 

 the noble animal begins. At first a 

 boy tries to mount it. He leads the 

 Horse to drink and to graze, cleans it and cares for 

 it in every way. Both learn simultaneously: the 

 boy becomes a rider; the colt becomes a saddle 

 Horse. But the young Arab never will require of 

 the colt the performance of tasks which it can not 

 accomplish. Every movement of the animal is 

 watched; it is treated with consideration and ten- 

 derness, but a refractory or malicious disposition is 

 not tolerated. The saddle is first put upon it when 

 it has arrived at its second year; after the third year 

 it is gradually accustomed to make use of all its 

 powers. Only when it has attained its seventh year 

 is its education regarded as complete, and therefore 

 the Arabian proverb says: "Seven years for my 

 brother, seven for myself and seven for my foe." 



