tion first inspired the Persians with a liking- for horsemanship, -which 

 previously had been entirely unknown to them. 



In Greece -we find it quite different; upon the friezes of the temple 

 of Minerva, on the Acropolis, which -was erected many years before the 

 destruction of Persepolis, we see many equestrians, but no horses in 

 harness -whatever; consequently, it seems that in Persia the driving- of 

 horses -was customary, while in Greece it was not. The Greeks utilized 

 chariots not for warfare, but only for public games. 



The Bible decides further, that Arabia, by -whose breed of horses, 

 the breeds in other countries -were so much ennobled, is not the native 

 country of the horse. Six hundred years after the period just mention- 

 ed, Arabia had as yet no horses. Solomon procured spices, gold and sil- 

 ver from Arabia, but all the horses for his own use, as well as those 

 provided for the Phoenician Kings, were gotten from Kgypt. The num- 

 ber of his chariots is estimated at 1 100, that of his riders as 12,000, and 

 stables are supposed to have existed for 40,000 horses. ( 2nd Cronicles, 

 1st Book.) " The price of a horse was then 150 shekels (over $80. ) and 

 the price for a wagon .600 shekels (over $300)." 



Before we enter upon the history of the Kuropean horse, we shall 

 briefly mention the records of the historians, as to the treatment and 

 peculiarities of horses belonging to the earlier periods. The inhabitants 

 of Upper Kgypt and Abyssinia -were mounted, wild and robber like; he 

 who fell into their hands was plundered and sold to foreign potentates; 

 many hordes of them accompanied Xerxes on his campaign to Greece. 

 In Libia, Kumidia and Mauritania, from the boundries of the Desert of 

 Sahara to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, horses were plentiful. 

 Aelian describes these horses as slender, thin and flighty; they needed 

 but little care, and contented themselves with what food they found on 

 the pasture s, -where they were turned loose after their day's work had 

 been done. Even now the treatment of the horse in those regions is said 

 to be but little better ; they were originally ridden without saddle or 

 bridle, the rider having only a switch or stick, with which he struck 

 them on their jaws, right or left to guide them; a blow on the mouth 

 was the sign for a full stop, and the heels -were to urge them to go. The 

 guidance of the horse by a slight touch with the finger against the neck 

 is represented on the sculptures of the Parthenon. 



If we now turn to Arabia, we find that the Historians of old do not 

 speak of the horse ; either these deserts had no horses at that time or 

 else they -were, if in existence, not worthy of mention. Syria and Asia 

 Minor in general were not celebrated for their breed of horses, except 

 Colophon, between Smyrna Kphesus, whose equestrians were in de- 

 mand everywhere, and -were thought to be invincible. Armenia pro 

 duced excellent horses. The chariots of Xerxes -were drawn by Armen 

 ian horses, as the most stately of his Empire. Some Historians of a 

 latter period speak of the great care given to the mane of the horse. It 

 was clipped in the shape of a bow, or parted in the middle, so that the 

 mane hung on each side of the neck, but more frequently it was allowed 

 to hang full and long on the right side. Many old works of sculpture 



