WAR-HORSES 85 



horse ' of war was being bred as a beast of draught, to 

 develop into the modern shire horse, and his place as 

 a war-horse was in process of being taken by the 

 4 dragooner,' which carried a soldier with only as much 

 defensive armour as our modern Lifeguards. Crom- 

 well's ' dragooners ' carried rather more weight ; but 

 from a letter quoted by Sir Walter Gilbey in ' The 

 Old English War-Horse/* it may be inferred that they 

 were not of the old heavy breed. < Buy those horses,' 

 he writes to Auditor Squire, * but do not give more 

 than eighteen or twenty pieces each for them. That is 

 enough for dragooners.' Then, * I will give you sixty 

 pieces for that black you won (in battle) at Horncastle, 

 for my son has a mind to him.' The ' black ' was 

 one of the old war-horses, the colour having become 

 synonymous with the breed ; and Oliver was so keen 

 on getting it, that as Mr. Auditor Squire would not 

 part at the price offered, he wrote later : * I will give 

 you all you ask for that black you won last fight.' By 

 the accession of the Hanoverian Kings the * great horse ' 

 had disappeared, even for the use of officers and com- 

 manders. Then the equipment of regular cavalry 

 became uniform throughout the whole of Europe, and 

 has remained so until the present day. The only 

 difference in the horses is that between an animal able 



* < The Old English War-Horse.' By Walter Gilbey. London : 

 Vinton and Co. 



