Ireland being a country which still holds its 

 name as producing horses of rare excellence— the 

 climate is most suitable, and it has the best pasture 

 lands in the world for growing the right sort of bone 

 — it is certain that very many of the best hunters 

 are bred there. Nevertheless, the number of size- 

 able riding and driving horses is a small percentage 

 of the enormous number bred every year. 



THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE. 



As previously mentioned, the breed is of Eastern 

 origin, descending in a direct line from imported 

 Arabians and Barbs, and has not that antiquity in 

 this country which many people imagine. The 

 history should be well known, since it has been told 

 by hundreds of able and experienced writers during 

 the past century. 



Let me turn first to the Sporting Magazine, 

 Vol. I, November, 1792, in which I find the following 

 remarks : — 



"In taking a review of horses in England, from 

 early times to the preserjt, they seem only to have 

 been divided into two general classes, which may be 

 ranged under two distinct periods of time ; in the 

 FIRST era it was a universal custom for horsemen to 

 fight in armour, and the service was so severe that 

 only large stout horses were equal to the task. It 

 was therefore the constant endeavour of the English 



