A Hitnter and War Horse. 185 



In the ninety-mile match between an English tho- 

 rough-bred horse and an Arab across the desert to Cairo, 

 a few years ago, the former broke down badly ; the Arab 

 came in alone, having accomplished the whole distance 

 in 7 hours 52 minutes. There was but little difference 

 in the weights at starting ; they appear to have carried 

 10 St. 81bs. and 10 st. respectively. On returning to weigh 

 the rider of the Arab was some 5 lbs. under weight, and 

 it is quite possible, had the rider of the English horse 

 also weighed, it might have been found he had lost as 

 much weight. 



At Madras a match was made by an officer of Horse 

 Artillery and some officers of the 15th Hussars (then 

 disbelievers in the Arabian) ; the former was to ride his 

 Arab horse, about 14 hands i inch, 400 miles in five 

 days. The Arab won the match with ease, without 

 distress, and was none the worse after the performance, 

 and his owner offered to do it again after resting one 

 day. 



The peculiar and perfect development of the Arabian 

 (I say peculiar, as the same is not found in any other 

 breed) — I now allude more especially to the chest, which 

 has been noticed in a former part of this work, and 

 which is one of the great secrets of the Arabian's endu- 

 rance — is more likely to be transmitted to half-bred stock, 

 either as hunters or for troopers — for both equally essen- 

 tial — by a horse who has this formation as a distinguishing 

 point of his race or breed, than by a horse who may fail in 

 this respect, or whose class or breed only possesses it in 

 a modified degree, and which has been derived in the 



