showy horses we cannot use better material." This criticism is 

 quite true in part, but a great deal of it as effecting the general 

 stock at that time can be explained away. The Natal Agricultural 

 Journal (1906) remarks that: "those buying for these colonies did 

 not want a high class animal, but the effect of their purchases on 

 the market was to send up the value of the higher class animals. ' ' 



There is no doubt but that the farmers in South Africa got rid 

 of a large amount of the inferior stock imported from the Argen- 

 tine and aimed at getting a better foundation and this explains why 

 the price of the higher class of animals rose at once. 



It has been remarked before that the Cape Horse possesses in 

 a full measure some of the highest qualities of his Oriental ancestors 

 and Thoroughbred sires. A few individual cases taken at random 

 may suffice to emphasize this. 



Referring to Veterinary Nunn's account and looking on the 

 bright side of things he writes : "Of the strength and endurance of 

 the South African horses there is no question.. They being capable 

 of performing immensely long journeys over very hard roads, in 

 hot weather and on nothing but what they can pick up ond the veldt 

 or a little oat hay forage. They are wonderfully good tempered and 

 quiet. They are as a rule very sound, splints are the. most common 

 form of lameness when it appears. Spavins and ringbones being 

 comparatively rare. The hoofs are remarkably sound, and a good 

 many persons working their horses for long distances over rough 

 country without shoes. ' '^ 



Mr. R. Bromley speaking of thirty years experience pays a fit- 

 ting tribute to the Cape Horse and his splendid qualities of general 

 efficiency : "I never had a lame horse, except for accident, nor 

 a spavined leg or lame shoulder, and I kept from two to five horses 

 for over thirty years and travelled at one time eight months in the 

 year at an average pace of six miles an hour and forty miles per 

 day when travelling and never stayed on the road once on account 

 of a sick horse. One bay entire — a cross-breed Arab — I worked for 

 fourteen years on long journeys and sold him for £5 more than I 

 paid for him (for an easy job). He is now twenty-five years old 

 and still fit and well and won two competitions at the Rose Bank 

 Show this year (1906). For long distance travelling, a nice quiet 



(9) J. A. Nunn, Vet Surgeon 1st class. Beport on the Horse Supply in South 

 Africa, Feb. 1888. 



