8 
of these horses was retained in England 
and the other was sent to King Alexander 
I. of Scotland, who presented it to the 
Church of St. Andrews. 
HENRY II. (1154-1189). 
Henry II. took a keen interest in horses, 
and the records of his reign show us the 
system then in vogue for the maintaining 
the royal studs. The horses, in greater or 
smaller numbers, with their grooms, were 
placed under the charge of the Sheriffs of 
counties, whose duty it was to provide them 
with pasture, stabling, and all necessaries, 
recovering the cost from the Exchequer. 
The Tournament was introduced into Eng- 
land in this reign; but these knightly 
exercises received little encouragement from 
the king, who forbade them under ecclesias- 
tical pressure. 
William Stephanides, a monk of Canter- 
bury, has left us a Latin tract or pamphlet 
descriptive of the mounted sports of Lon- 
doners in the latter half of the twelfth century, 
which possesses both interest and value. 
From this it is evident that races of a primi- 
tive character, and sham fights of a rough 
and ready kind had place among the re- 
