CHAPTER IX. 



TYPES OF ARABIAN HORSES. 



The type of Arabian horses is very marked, is it 

 not, Count? 



" Ah, madam, so pure and distinct of race is the 

 Arab, and so great his power of heredity, that how- 

 ever radical the cross-cut, the mint mark of the desert 

 still remains. For instance, one proof of his unsul- 

 lied descent for centuries, is the characteristic spring 

 of the tail from the crupper, and his proud way of 

 carrying it as he moves it to and fro." 



Do not Arabs increase in size after leaving the 

 desert? 



" The progen)^ of Arabs once imported for breed- 

 ing purposes show at once in their increased size, 

 without any sacrifice of power and just symmetry, 

 the advantages of generous living, of a better climate, 

 of petted care, and of a wise indulgence in training." 



How many generations before they equal our horses 

 in size? 



" In the course of three generations English or 

 American bred Arabs will not lack size. While, as 

 I have said, very few Arabs of the bluest blood ever 

 leave Arabia; yet English pounds, and even the 

 American dollar, backed by the right influence, have 



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