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VI. 



ON THE IKISH HOESE AND ITS EAELY HISTORY. 

 By E. F. SCHAEEF, Ph. D., M.E.I.A. 



Eead Januaky 25. Ordered for Publication January 27. Published Makch 11, 1909. 



Although the problem of the origin of the Irish horse is of the greatest 

 interest and importance, little research has hitherto been undertaken to 

 solve it. This is no doubt largely due to the fact that we do not know 

 precisely what was the original breed of Irish horse, or whether several 

 distinct breeds co-existed in Ireland, We are told by some authorities that 

 the Irish draught-horse was the only old breed ; others look upon the 

 Connemara pony as an ancient stock. 



Quite a flood of new light has been thrown on this subject by the 

 publication of Professor Eidgeway's book, " On the Origin and Influence of 

 the Thoroughbred Horse." ^ He tells us (p. 388) that early in the sixteenth 

 century the Irish hobbies, or haubini, as the natives called them, were well 

 known and much prized, not only in England but throughout the Continent. 

 They seem to have had a gentle pace, yet were light and swift in action. 

 That these Irish horses, says Professor Eidgeway (p. 390), were already 

 known as hobbies in the century when Giraldus Cambrensis visited Ireland, 

 is proved by a Scotch document of the year 1296, which gives the number 

 of hobbies among the Irish troops serving in Scotland. 



There can be no doubt, therefore, that long ages ago Ireland was already 

 famous for the excellency of her breed of horses. There may possibly have 

 been more than one such breed in the country. But we know nothing 

 definitely from historical evidence. 



It has been held that the superiority of the Irish horses over all others is 

 due largely to the splendid quality of pasturage produced by the limestone 

 formation of the great central plain of Ireland. But as Professor Eidgeway 



^Eidgeway, William: "The Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse." Cambridge, 

 1905. 



K.I. A. PROC, VOL. XXVII., SECT. B. [0] 



