I20 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



England and his suite had difficulty in following 

 his majest)' Louis XIV. He ranked the Arabian 

 and Barbary stallions abo\-e the Spanish for 

 breeding purposes, and he aided in abolishing 

 certain absurdities of the Italian school. 



KE^■TU('K^■ HdRSK 



The above schools (the Latin schools) de- 

 manded c/cgaucc in the horse, — the pointed 

 head, the long mane, the fine swan's neck 

 gracefully curved, the long and supple back, 

 the slender but sinewy fore legs flung high and 

 majestically (as in the " Siianish step " ) with 

 an elastic, dancing motion. The Andalusian 

 and Neapolitan horses fulfilled these require- 

 ments better than all others. 



The German school, which followed the 

 Latin school only to a certain point, held a 

 medium place between that school and those 

 of the Slav races, — Russian, Hungarian, and 

 Polish. The latter governed their restive 

 horses by violent means, and could never 

 bring themselves to use the gentler methods 

 of the Latin nations. 



Americans and their English cousins have 

 always preferred the enjoyment of trotting 

 and galloping across country to making any 

 fine display in the riding schools. 



The rough, harsh way in which the Slavs 

 ride is partly caused, no doubt, by their saddles, 

 which project so far from the body of the horse 

 that the rider cannot direct the animal by knee 

 or thigh. His heels are usually under the chest 

 of the horse, and he controls him entirely by 

 bit and spur. He will often, in the middle of 

 a gallop, fling the horse backward or to one 

 side b)' pulling violently on the bit, using both 

 whip and voice at the same time. The saddle 

 is high in front and back, and the stirrups very 

 short ; consequentl}' it is almost impossible for 

 a restive horse to throw his rider. The Sla\'s 

 never ride at a trot, but always at a walk or 

 gallop. The rider often forces the animal to sit 

 down on his haunches, and then he compels 



Horses in Corr.'\l, \Vyo:MiNG 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



