cording to the best authorities is of a strong Persian and Arab 

 strain. Freiherr von Hoerdtl in his " Pf erderassen des Nieder- 

 landisch-Indischen Archipels" ^° says that ''One cannot speak of a 

 breed of horses, only ponies are represented and they show relation 

 to a common stock. About the origin of these 'minature horses' 

 nothing definite could be gathered. In all probability they are the 

 degenerate descendents of the Arabian stallions that were imported 

 by Arabian traders hundreds of years ago; that they were an 

 autochthonous product of the Archipelago is out of the question." 

 The most important pony breeders of the present day are the Sandel- 

 woods, Makasses, and Sumbawas. They show their Arabian de- 

 scent in form, temperament, hardiness, and good constitution. 



From the great work of Eobert Miiller^^ we gather more or less 

 the same facts, viz — That the Java horse is a descendent from Arab 

 steeds imported by the Moslems during the sixteenth and seven- 

 teenth century. 



The well known Dutch authority on horses, E. A. L. Quadekker 

 in his "Het Paarden Boek" with several other writers^- of fame 

 and experience in the very localities are all unanimous in the view 

 that the existing breeds of ponies are of Arabian descent but that 

 through neglect and unintelligent crossing they have deteriorated 

 considerably and that thereby a great source of national wealth is 

 threatened to be lost. "In spite of the inaccurate and unintelli- 

 gent breeding," says Quadekker, "the breed has, however, main- 

 tained its characteristics most tenaciously, which pleads very strong- 

 ly for its noble origin and purity of race." If so much can be said 

 of the Java pony to-day the horses imported from Java in 1652 and 

 later must have been pure bred Arabs, for there is no proof that 

 Java possessed any other breed of horses. 



In the light of all these investigations made on the spot we 

 may come to a safe conclusion, therefore, that the Cape Horse owes 

 its origin to a fairly pure Arab — Persian strain. The Netherlands 

 being mistress of the sea, during the sixteenth and seventeenth 

 century and having at its disposal the best of the rich East would 

 undoubtedly have procured the best also in the way of live-stock 

 for her colonial possessions. This supposition will hold strongest 



(30) Cf. Graf. C. G. Wraiigel. Die Bassen des Pferdes. 1908- 



(31) Robert MUller " Geographie der Wirtschaftstiere." Leipzig 1903. 



(32) A. M. C. J. Exler Eitmeester der 0. I. Cavalerie "Eet Paard-" 



G. TV. Couperus "Militaire Tydschrift" 1891. 



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