THE GREEK RIDING-HORSE. 95 



art, are of inferior quality. It should be said, 

 however, that the manes of the pediment 

 horses are all hogged. 



In size, it is clear that the ancient Greek 

 horse was smaller and not so tall as ours. 

 His descendants in their own country still 

 retain this characteristic feature. We might 

 infer from the whole tone of the descriptions 

 by the writers, that they were speaking of a 

 small and compactly built animal, although 

 we find no exact statements of size or height. 

 But there is one passage at the beginning of 

 Xenophon's seventh chapter which is very 

 significant. It appears that an approved 

 method in mounting was to ** lay hold of the 

 mane aboict the cars.'' We should need no 

 further evidence than this to prove that 

 Athenian cavalry horses were much less high 

 than the ordinary saddle-horse is now; but it 

 is supported by the illustrations in art, and 

 especially by the reliefs of cavalry horses on 

 the Parthenon. But just here let me say that 

 I believe that most people fancy the Greek 

 horse a great deal smaller than he really was. 

 This is because they judge him from the 

 Parthenon frieze and other compositions, 



