CHAPTER III. 



THE CAPE HORSE 

 (a) CHARACTERISTICS. 



The Cape Horse passes under many names. English writers 

 often refer to him as the Colonial, the South African, the Cape and 

 the Boer horse. German writers also use these synonomous terms 

 and the same may be said of Dutch (Holland) writers. The Soutli 

 African farmer really has no particular name for the best type of 

 Cape Horse, but speaks of a "well-bred horse", or adds the name of 

 the breeder as a pedigree, as a van Zyl's, Melck's, Kotze's or Han- 

 tam horse. The cob of no reliable breeding is called a "Bossie 

 Kop." 



It would be best to adopt the name Cape Horse, for under this 

 name South African bred horses have gained a high reputation far 

 beyond our shores. The light horse found to-day from the Cape to 

 the Zambezi, possesses Thoroughbred or Oriental blood in some 

 measure and with varying type may easily be brought under the 

 collective name of Cape Horse. 



In 1906 Mr. C. G. Lee, chairman of the South African Stud 

 Book Association remarks that "The question of establishing a 

 breed of South African horses has had much consideration by breed- 

 ers interested in the South African Stud Book. The Transvaal 

 breeders have given the subject as much thought as any and a 

 standard limiting the size of the horse they wish to breed has been 

 drawn up. This standard fixing the height at 14.2 hands was sub- 

 mitted to the Central Committee of the South African Stud Book 

 and was accepted under the name of the "Boer Horse. "^ 



The Transvaal and Orange Free State breeders have many 

 breeders who could breed this type for its excellent characteristics. 



The Cape and Natal breeders are desirous of producing a 

 larger animal than that fixed by the Transvaal. Mr. Lee objects 

 to the name "Boer Horse." He argues that since this horse owed 

 much of its virtues to the Thoroughbred blood in its veins it never 

 was and never can be a "Boer Horse". 



(1) Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope, Vol. XXVIII, 1906. 



84 



