ploughing. The horse was considered too noble for such menial work, for which the humble 

 ox was more fitted. In order to obtain a horse capable of carrying knights clad in all the 

 ironmongery of the day (a ton and a half of it sometimes). King John imported Flemish 

 stallions into the country; and successive kings, whatever their other follies, were wise enough 

 to appreciate the incalculable value of the horse in the service of Man: indeed, did not one of 

 them on a notable occasion vainly offer his kingdom in exchange for a horse? 



But as for the English 'thoroughbred' (a term which has become current usage in so many 

 walks of life and also so many languages), the most important events undoubtedly took place 

 at the beginning of the eighteenth century when three famous Arab stallions were imported, 

 namely the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the Godolphin Arab. Oldest and most 

 beautiful of all breeds, the Arab is the king of horses. Its Arabic name of 'Kehilan' means 

 indeed thoroughbred and for thousands of years the Arabs of the desert jealously guarded 

 its reputation and its pedigree. It is from such stock that many of the horses that hit the 

 headlines today are descended. 



But whether pedigree or piebald, pony or charger, the horse has been Man's constant compan- 

 ion. It has helped to shape great empires; it has helped man to win his daily bread. It has 

 provided him with sport and relaxation, from the armoured knight tilting at the quintain to 

 the hard-riding squire crashing his way over the hedges. It has taken Man on his pilgrimages, 

 as in the days of Chaucer; it has borne him to his last resting-place in the grave. 



Man has ridden the horse through the ages on his marvellous quest in search of the Truth; 

 now he has dismounted and goes forward in his machines which, like Frankenstein's monster, 

 threaten to become the master. Is it old-fashioned to wonder sometimes if the pace of the 

 horse was not a pleasanter gait? 



