34 
horses for the purpose so great, that other 
classes of horse were neglected, to the alarm 
of the more far-seeing among the King’s 
subjects. So seriously was the tendency 
to breed only light horses regarded, that 
Sir Edward Harwood presented a memorial 
to Charles, in which it was pointed out 
that there was a great deficiency in the 
kingdom of horses of a useful type, and 
praying that steps should be taken to en- 
courage the breeding of horses for service, 
and racing discouraged. - Charles would 
seem to have been conscious that excessive 
attention to breeding light horses was a 
national question; at all events, that 
animals of a more generally useful stamp 
were scarce ; for in 1641 he granted licenses 
for the importation of horses, enjoining the 
licensees to import coach horses, mares, 
and geldings not under 14 hands, and 
between the ages of three and seven years. 
In November, 1627, Charles issued his 
Proclamation forbidding the use of snaffles, 
except for hunting and hawking (‘in times 
of Disport”), and requiring all riders to 
use bits. His motive was, no doubt, a 
desire to encourage the manége, which was 
then considered the highest form of horse- 
manship. The King and the Queen had 
