mals. ' ' They were of Oriental strains and these horses were never 

 over 14.2 hands high ; even the illustrous founders of the Thorough- 

 bred stock were not over 14 hands, although some credit them with 

 15 and more.* Thus for tlie first century and a half the Cape 

 Horse certainly was not higher than 14.2 hands high and possessed 

 as has been proved before the characteristics of his Oriental an- 

 cestors in a very high degree. 



As early as 1796 horses were exported to India and were the 

 first horses to carry British cavalry to success in that country. 

 These importations were continued and from various accounts we 

 find that he was not a beauty, and his good qualities were discred- 

 ited on this score. In 1S3S Major Havelock's Cape horses were 

 condemned as unfit and undersized yet their staying power and 

 general "good doing" under all trying conditions of the most try- 

 ing campaigns in foreign lands — the sun-scorched plains of India 

 and the Crimean snows — they maintained their good character, was 

 unsurpassed as a remount and gained that excellent reputation 

 based on the principle of the old adage "handsome is as handsome 

 does." 



The first expert description of the Cape Horse is given by Lt. 

 Col. Richardson in 1845. Tlie average remount was described as a 

 compact, well-knit, well-loined and shortlegged animal. Bay was the 

 prevalent color and the average height was 14.3 36/133 hands. He 

 was quiet, steady and good tempered in the ranks, sound in consti- 

 tution and by no means jjredisposed to disease of any kind. The 

 average sick was infinitely smaller than in a like number in Eng- 

 land."^ 



During the Indian Mutiny, 1854, England got all her horses 

 from South Africa and these are still spoken of by cavalry officers 

 as "the finest lot of horses ever imported into India. They stood 

 the climate much better than any other (Australian and Arabs) ; 

 they were hardier, worked to a more advanced age and were un- 

 surpassed as cavalry horses."'' 



Another expert report several years later and since a general 

 deterioration has set in, is much less favorable. Veterinary Sur- 



(4) Sir Walter Gilhey "Small Sorses in Warfare" 1908. 



(5) Papers relating to the purchase of Remounts at the Cape, etc., Bluehoolc 



1845, etc.. 

 (G) Report on the Horse Supply of South Africa.. .J. A. Nunn, Yet. Surgeon to 

 Deputy Adjudant General Capetwon 1888. 



86 



