CHAPTER I. 



THE HORSE. 



Embracing his birthplace — Earliest history — Advent into America — Cli- 

 matic influence and food — Greek mythology claiming immortality — 

 First horse dealer — Wild horses of America — Origin, habits, etc. — 

 Origin of the Indian pony, bronco, and mustang — Breeds — Skill re- 

 quired in breeding — Classification of breeds. 



TO write a history of the horse is like writing the history 

 of kings, and in many instances the history of kings 

 and rulers, in both ancient and modern times, is closely inter- 

 woven with that of the horse. 



As to the special country that can, by right, claim the 

 proud honor of being the birthplace of this noble animal, we 

 must accept some indirect — though quite reasonable — testi- 

 mony, fixing Africa as his original home, Africa, alone, being 

 the parent country of the Zebra and Quagga, in many respects 

 his kin; although Egypt is the country in which mention is 

 first made of him some 3,600 years ago. 



The earliest monumental records of Egypt which give any 

 clue to the use of the horse are about 1900 years B. C, where 

 he is pictured as drawing chariots used in war. From the 

 writings of early Greek historians it is evident that horses 

 have been used in Greece since about that time, so that we 

 have quite a connected history of the horse for about 3,800 

 years. 



The Bible, being the most ancient, and perhaps the most 

 authentic, of all existing ancient histories, fails to mention the 

 horse until the reign of Pharaoh as King of Egypt. Although 

 in the history of Abraham we find frequent mention of the 

 ass, the camel, of flocks and herds, of oxen and sheep, yet no 

 allusion to the horse is made until the time of Joseph, the 



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