THE HOKSE. 



CHAPTER I. 

 mS HISTORY AS A COMPANION AND SEBVANT OF MAN. 



eOimSCTED WITH MAN FROM A VERY BARLY AGE. HIS IMPORTAKCE AS A HELPER IN TBM. 



WORK OP THE WORLD. HIS SUPERIORITY OVER THE OTHER ANIMALS. THE HORSK 



AND HIS RIDER BECOME IN SOME MEASURE ONE CREATURE. HIS NATIVITY : DOUBT 



CONCERNTNG IT. HIS EXISTENCE UPON EARTH PROBABLY CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH' 



THAT OF MAN. THE MOST ANCIENT AUTHORS ALLUDE TO HIM. HB PASSES INTO DIF- 

 FERENT PARTS OP THE GLOBE. WILD HERDS IN THE EASTERN CONTINENT. ORIGIN 



OP THE WILD HERDS IN AMERICA. FOUND AS A DOMESTIC AMONG NEARLY ALL PEO- 

 PLE. GREATER LIABILITY TO DISEASE IN A DOMESTIC THAN IN A WILD STATE. 



SUBJECT TO DETERIORATION UNDER IGNORANT MANAGEMENT. THE WISDOM OF THE. 



ARABS AS BREEDERS AND KEEPERS. DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AMONG MEN AS TO SYS- 

 TEMS OF BREEDING : ATTENTION CALLED TO ITS TREATMENT IN THIS WORK. KNOWL- 

 EDGE AND SKILL NECESSARY TO HIS PROPER CARE. 



" And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after 

 their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind : 

 and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in, 

 our image, after our likeness ; and let them have dominion over the fish of 

 the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all 

 the earth. " 



Although the precise period at which the horse was subjected to th© 

 use of man is unknown, it is not unreasonable to conjecture that it was 

 at a time long anterior to his mention in history ; and it is probable that 

 since the day when man was made master of all other created things, 

 no animal has been more constantly his companion and friend ; and that 

 no other has contributed so much assistance in subduing wild nature and. 

 making everything subservient to his will and promotive of his happiness. 

 Other animals, particularly sheep and cattle, have shared with the horse 

 this usefulness to mankind, it is true : and in our present civilized state, 

 when mechanical ingenuity is making such rapid strides in dispensing with 



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