geon Nunn describes the average amount then supplied as : ' ' A small 

 animal, stunted in growth and generally about 14.2-14.3 hands 

 high, only few being much taller ; deficient in bone, few if any- 

 measuring 7% inches below the knee ; pinned in at the elbows ; good 

 shoulders and forehand ; narrow chest very badly coupled and 

 ribbed up : with bad drooping quarters ; badly developed muscles 

 of the croup and thighs. In fact to sum up the whole matter : the 

 South African remount is, although small, good before and bad be- 

 hind the saddle."'^ In the British Remount Report after the war^ 

 already made use of we find that although few good horses were 

 then found yet they were the "best" and "unsurpassed." 



Count C. G. Wrangel in his work "Die Rassen des Pferdes" 

 published 1908 gives the following description of the Cape Horse: 

 "The head is rather large but not clumsy; a fine slender neck; 

 strong back and a strong, somewhat drooping croup ; long and well 

 placed shoulders with long forearm and short canons ; of quiet 

 temperament and extraordinary hardiness. He is an excellent light 

 cavalry horse but not much good as a carriage horse. The height 

 at the withers is 156-158 cm. (15.2-16 hands). Quaddekker, the 

 Dutch authority on the horse endorses these remarks and gives the 

 Orange Free State Transvaal horses 2-4 extra centimeters.'^ These 

 heights as we know are exceptional and cannot be taken as the gen- 

 eral height of the Cape Horse. 



More recently thousands of horses were exported to the neigh- 

 boring German and Portuguese Colonies, Germany alone buying 

 over 9000 animals. The German account of these animals is not 

 at all flattering. An eminent farmer in an excellent book on 

 "Farming in German South West Africa" writes the following: 

 "They show characteristics which according to home ideas would 

 be condemned as bad faults. Drooping hind quarters, sheep-necked 

 and cow-hocked, and a too straight shoulder are frequent mistakes ; 

 but these are more often merely beauty faults brought about by 

 adaptation to veld conditions. On the other hand, they possess 

 many good qualities that amply make up for minor mistakes. The 

 'Afrikaner' horse is certainly an ideal type to breed from as foun- 

 dation stock and should not be judged on his outward appearance but 

 rather on his inherent qualities. Since we want useful and not 



(7) Report on the Horse Supply of South Africa.. .J. A. Nunn, Vet. Surgeon 



to Deputy Adjudant General Capetown 1888. 



(8) I[. C. L. Quaddelclcer "Eet Paarden Boek" Amsterdam 1912. 



87 



