THE HORSE 



97 



Thus it was that the horse came from a As for their distribution in lities and coun- 

 wild to a semiwild state, till at last he reached try places, that depends on ( ircumstances. 

 the condition of a domesticated animal. It is The relation between ])ro(luction and demand 

 to be remarked that the farther he came from naturally exercises f;-reat influence in certain 

 the steppes of northern Asia the lon.L^er lime countries. In the United .Stales, which sup- 

 it seems to have taken to domesticate and ])lies ils needs chiefly fiy its own production, 

 utilize him. In all directions the e.xiilorer finds the relali\e numbers sIkjw that about four fifths 

 that the breeding and training of hoi'ses is an of the lolal number of horses ai'c emiiloyed m 

 art which the peoples of Europe have learned agriculture or foi- draft |)urposcs, the remaining 

 from their neighbors on the east and north- lifth being in pn\ate use, chiefU' in the cities, 

 east. It is ec|ually remarkable that in Russia, In 1*^99 Pai'is had 93,052 horses, and in 

 which serx'cs as an intermediary between 1900 statistics show a I'ecoi'cl of 98,284, — an 



A Family Party 



Europe and Asia, horses are still found in far 

 greater numbers than elsewhere, and so are the 

 races of horsemen. 



The horse has always retained the principal 

 and best qualities of his ancestors, — speed and 

 strength. These qualities, which served him 

 once for flight only, are now employed in the 

 service of humanity. Let us therefore caress 

 that lowered head and rightly appreciate this 

 quadruped, larger and stronger than ourselves, 

 as one of the most useful and most indispen- 

 sable of the domestic animals. 



II. The Breeds of Horses 



In spite of motor cars, steam, and electricity 

 e number of horses is still 

 mously throughout the world. 



the number of horses is still increasing enor- 



increase of 5200 horses in a single cit)* in one 

 year. This shows that just as photography 

 has not killed portrait painting, so the bicycle 

 has not killed horseback riding, for riding is 

 an art, and the arts die not. It remains to be 

 seen whether motor cars can kill the dri\'ing of 

 horses, which also is an art, and a great one. 



In the United States the number of horses 

 has increased nearly sixty per cent in twenty- 

 five years, showing how great is the role that 

 the horse plays to-day in all our social and 

 domestic relations. 



A vast international commerce in horses 

 goes on at all times. The countries that con- 

 tribute most to this commerce are Russia, Hun- 

 gary, Rouinania, Denmark, and the United 

 States. In 1S97 this commerce between the 



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