476 THE HORSE. 



north. But inhabiting a very dry and arid region, their cha- 

 racters have become adapted to these conditions of climate 

 and food. They are more compact than the horses of Bar- 

 bary, having a rounder body, shorter limbs, with more of 

 sinew, or what is termed bone. Yet they are of the smaller 

 class of horses, very little exceeding, on a medium, fourteen 

 hands, or fifty-six inches in height. As compared with the 

 horses of countries abounding in the grasses, their aspect is 

 lean, their form slender, and their chest narrow. But the 

 slimness of figure of these horses is not inconsistent with 

 muscular force ; and their movements are agile, their natural 

 paces swift, and their spirit is unmatched. The power of 

 their delicate limbs is indicated by the well-marked muscles 

 of the fore-arm, and the starting sinews of the leg. The 

 shoulder is sufficiently oblique ; the withers are elevated ; 

 the back is moderately short; and the quarters are good. 

 The head is well formed ; the forehead is broad ; the ears are 

 somewhat long, but alert ; the eyes full and clear ; the veins 

 prominent ; the whole rather indicating a happy union of 

 gentleness and spirit, than that fiery temper which is asso- 

 ciated with the common ideas of the Desert Horse. Bishop 

 Heber, in the narrative of his journey through the Upper 

 Provinces of India, gives, in a passing notice, a more correct 

 notion of the Arab than the more laboured descriptions of 

 others : " My morning rides," says he, " are very pleasant. 

 My horse is a nice, quiet, good-tempered little Arab, who is 

 so fearless, that he goes without starting close to an ele- 

 phant, and is so gentle and docile that he eats bread out of 

 my hand, and has almost as much attachment and coaxing 

 ways as a dog. This seems to be the general character of 

 the Arab horses, to judge from what I have seen in this 

 country. It is not the fiery dashing animal I had supposed, 

 but with more rationality about him, and more apparent con- 

 fidence in his rider, than the majority of English horses." 



The Figure at the head of this section represents correctly 

 the form of the genuine Arab. The horse here represented 



