47 



or roomy thoroughbreds. Such crosses will 

 produce horses of from 15 '3 to 17 hands 

 I inch, for which there is a great and regular 

 demand. 



SADDLE-HORSES IN THE PAST. 



All travelling was performed on horse- 

 back until about the year 1564, when the 

 first " long waggons " began to ply between 

 London and large provincial towns. 



There were no roads, and therefore, while 

 rude carts were employed in agriculture, 

 all merchandise was carried on pack-horses, 

 strings of which continued to traverse the 

 country for many years after a regular system 

 of stage coaches catered for travellers. Nor 

 did the coach do away with the use of the 

 saddle-horse by able-bodied men. 



Only a few of the main highroads of the 

 kingdom were fairly good ; most were in- 

 different if not exceedingly bad, and the 

 cross-roads were the most wretched tracks 

 imaginable even in George III.'s time, and 

 furnished good reason for using powerful 

 horses for the heavy stage or post carriage. 



THE TERM "HACKNEY HORSE." 



This term, derived from the French 

 hacgzienee, was brought into use in England 



