20 HORSE-BREEDING FOR FARMERS CHAP. 
symmetrical and valuable Barb may be found, but asa 
race the Barb is at this moment inferior to the Arab. 
His forehand is often excellent, his hind-quarters 
generally defective, but he possesses the qualities of 
great endurance and vitality, of hard limbs and 
sound constitution. The Barb in other times was 
a much superior horse, and played an important part 
in this country, no less than forty-six Barbs having 
been imported and used as racing sires since the 
time of James I., including such horses as the 
Lowther White-legged Barb, the Taffolet Barb, 
Massey’s Black Barb, Burton Barb, and Croft’s 
Bay Barb—whose blood runs in some of the best 
English Thoroughbreds of the day. 
The Godolphin Arabian is by many of the best 
authorities believed to have been a Barb; butas Mr. 
Joseph Osborne (“Beacon”) says: “Granting that 
he was either (Arabian or Barb), there is no means of 
determining whether he was of pure breed or high 
caste beyond his extraordinary influence on the stud, 
which has never been surpassed. He therefore 
forms a remarkable example of the difficulty of 
ascribing this new equine development to any 
particular source.” 
The term Barb covers a wide field. There are 
in Northern Africa at least three groups of the Barb 
which have distinct characteristics :— 
(1) The Saharian. A small horse, well pro- 
portioned, nicely sprung ribs with a deep 
wide chest, long sloping shoulder, and 
good crupper with the tail well set; big 
long thighs, long muscular forearm, strong 
clean tendons standing out from the bone, 
