SADDLE HORSES. 153 
above all, an intelligent, docile, sound, tough horse. 
But we see very few such. Some men ride pretty, fat 
cobs, that have little “go” and no endurance; others 
are mounted on tall, bony, blood-like animals, good 
for hunting, but not suited to a daily journey over 
macadamized roads and pavements. Others again 
ride long-legged, coarse-jointed, coarse-haired char- 
gers that have no indication of good breeding except 
the quite unnecessary amount of daylight which is 
visible beneath them. 
What is wanted is a compact, elastic, rather small 
horse, with legs and feet of iron. Such pre-eminently 
is the Arab, and it cannot be doubted that, if Arabs of 
pure lineage could be bred in this country, they would 
furnish a useful and popular breed of saddle horses. 
Their inferiority to thoroughbreds as racers is incon- 
testable, but beside the point. 
In India, imported English and Australian horses 
give the Arabs, three stone, country-breds two stone, 
and Capes fourteen pounds. “These country-bred 
horses,” says an English officer, “having a strong 
dash of thoroughbred English blood, are generally 
faster than Arabs, for say six furlongs, but do not 
stay as well.” The same authority, after speaking of 
the comparative slowness of Arabs, continues: “ Yet, 
for all that, there is a great deal to be said in their 
favor as high-mettled racers. They are, as a rule, 
game, honest, and grand stayers; so sound that an 
inexperienced owner may take all sorts of liberties 
with them in their training without breaking them 
down; dovile and easy to ride.” Another peculiarity 
of Arab horses, which shows the homogeneousness 
and fixed character of the breed, is the fact that they 
can all run about equally fast. 
