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As late as 1795, when Arthur Young wrote his 

 various works describing his tours through the 

 counties of England and Scotland, he found on many 

 farms that horses were but seldom used. Oxen were 

 the beasts of burden for the heavy work upon the 

 land. This famous writer has no good word to say 

 in favour of employing horses for ploughing ; but, 

 on the other hand, he strongly recommends the 

 continued use of oxen as the cheapest and best 

 animals for the purpose. 



There can be little doubt that the old war or 

 draught-horse of that period was " the general 

 purpose horse," as it is undeniable that he performed 

 all the duties required of him, ploughing in some 

 cases, working in carts, driven to market or ridden 

 by the farmer, who was sometimes accompanied by 

 his wife on a second saddle or pannier. 



In most of those counties where horses were 

 employed upon the farm, they were small in size in 

 comparison to the animals used on the land at the 

 present time; and Marshall's "Rural Economy of 

 Norfolk" (2 vols., published in 1787) says, "The farm 

 horses of Norfolk were formerly a small, brown- 

 muzzled breed, light-boned, but they stood hard 

 work and hard keep in a remarkable manner, and 

 two of them were found quite equal to the Norfolk 

 plough in the Norfolk soil." 



Speaking of Yorkshire cart-horses, Mr. Cully 

 says :—" Yorkshire draught-horses, and particularly 

 the Cleveland Bays, are so justly esteemed for their 



