Englishinen have achieved many triumphs 

 as breeders of domestic animals ; and none 

 of these, perhaps, are more conspicuous than 

 the estabHshment of the two types of horse 

 — the race horse and heavy draught horse ; 

 breeds differing as widely one from the other 

 as the greyhound differs from the mastiff. 

 Each horse is in its own way almost perfect ; 

 the former having been brought to the 

 highest state of development for speed, the 

 latter to the highest development of strength ; 

 and it would be difficult to maintain that one 

 is more beautiful than the other. Many 

 volumes have been written on the racehorse, 

 and innumerable lives and fortunes have 

 been devoted to perfecting the breed ; and 

 if little has been written concerning the 

 draught horse, it will be possible to show 

 that for generations before our time no little 

 attention has been bestowed also upon his 

 improvement. 



The aim of the following pages is to set 

 out in convenient form some facts relating 

 to the heavy horse as it existed during the 

 early and middle ages, long before it was 

 brouoht into oeneral use for farm work and 

 for drawing heavy loads. Exceptional his- 

 toric interest attaches to this breed ; for its 

 lot has been closely interwoven with that 



