HORSES. 



39 



hereafter. It is a subject of much importance to the Agriculturist, 

 and we hope to excite more of the right kind of attention to it than 

 we imagine has yet been paid to it. 



Nature originally formed to herself, there is reason to suppose 

 two separate models of horse-flesh ; though the ditferent breeds of 

 horses derived from accidental varieties and mixtures may be in- 

 finite. One she meant for daily drudgery in a northern climate ; 

 the other for speed, for violent occasional exertion, to gratify the 

 pride and form one of the relaxations of luxury, and to live in the 

 tropics. The two horses are still to be found distinct ; but most 

 horse-flesh is made up of their mixture. 



The first is indigenous in the North of Europe. The basis of 

 his color is almost invariably black ; though in some few of his va- 

 rieties, he is either roan, or gray with most of his dark hairs red. 

 He is seen in Massachusetts perfectly pure in the Canadian ; who 

 has his fringe of hair starting directly from the knee ; his shortness 

 of breath ; his willingness to draw ; his sensibility to heat ; and all 

 the other attributes of the unadulterated cart-horse. The gray 

 horse, sent here by Gen. Cofiin, is a specimen of his English va- 

 riety ; but not of the largest size. The true Canadian is a valua- 

 ble horse, has a foot endowed with very little sensibility, is very 

 much inclined to carry flesh, and exceedingly well suited to a 

 changeable climate ; but he is unfit for fast work ; and 1 question 

 the fact from what I have seen, of his outworking the common 

 Massachusetts horse at slow. 



A remarkable degree of misinformation exists here as to the se- 

 cond ; and, it may be well to give a very short description of him : 

 In the countries where he has always been found, at least since the 

 first dawn of history, he is about fourteen hands and an inch high, 

 but pretty compact ; the basis of his color scarcely ever black ; 

 but generally even if he is gray, some kind of red. He has a re- 

 markably expressive eye. and very transparent ; his nose nearly 

 straight, and the nostril disengaged from the head ; a most capa- 

 cious chest ; a wide and elevated loin ; carries the dock of his tail 

 pointed straight to the end when he is in action ; and has a round, 

 high, and hard hoof. His purity has always been most sedulously 

 preserved by the Asiatic Arabs. His bones are of a much denser 

 texture than that of the cart horse ; his skeleton is heavier in pro- 

 portion to his apparent size ; and he can stand under a heavier 

 weiiiht. His most distinguishing eharacleristic, however, is the 

 natural clearness of his wind ; and breeds of horses vary in this 

 particular, according to the proportion they possess of his blood : 

 or, as it is technically called, of" blood." This with his muscular 

 power, arises from the perfection of his organization ; and he is 

 often abused from the idea that he possesses a peculiar insensibili- 

 ty to fatigue, which none can thoroughly explain. His essence is 

 speed. He is more inclined to save himself by flight from any 

 thing he does not thoroughly understand ; and is more irritable 

 and variable in constitution. As he is probably indigenous in the 



