H O R 
Horfcs to be multiplied ; an excefs of we!ilth has in- 
crealed the number of carriages, and added to the 
necefTity of an extraordinary culture of thefe qua- 
drupeds ; and the reputation they have acquired on 
the continent has alfo made them a branch of com- 
. merce, and proved an additional ftimulus to their 
propagation. 
The French, and fome other nations, in their 
defer! ption of cur Plorfes, though they admit that 
they are fcrong and fpirited, find fault with the auk- 
wardneis ot their motions, and theii" want of grace 
and elegance. But while they venture thofe ftric- 
tures, they do not refie£l, that this feeming want of 
grace is entirely the refult of our manner of break- 
ing thefe animals; and that the defe6t is not na- 
tural, but adventitious. Speed is a quality prin- 
cipally confulted by us in the motions of this ani- 
mal; ' at the French, and other continental na- 
tions, pay more attention to parade and fpirit. 
We always throw our Horfes forward, while they 
put them on their haunches ; we teach them an eafy 
metliod of going, fo as to cover a great deal of 
ground: on the contrary, they throw them back; 
v/hich circumftance, while it contributes to fhew, 
iinqueftionably lefTens utility. From our manner 
of breaking the Horfe, it muft be acknowledged 
that the animal is fometimes apt to fall forward; 
■while the French menaged Horfe never falls for- 
ward, but generally on one fide. However, it 
Vv'ould certainly be no difficult tafk to give our 
Horfes all that grace which foreigners fo much 
admire; though at the fame time it would render 
them lefs fwift and durable. 
But whatever contempt foreigners might for- 
merly have exprelTed for our Horfes, they are now 
fufficiently convinced of their error, and have ac- 
cordingly altered their opinion. Englifli hunters 
are now confidered as the moft ufeful Horfes in 
the world: numbers of our geldings are exported 
to the continent, and fold at very high prices, not- 
ivithftanding a law prohibiting their exportation, 
■which, with fome variation, has been in force ever 
fince the time of King Athelftan. 
Roger de Belegme, created Earl of Shrewfbury 
by William the Conqueror, is the firll who is re- 
corded to have attempted improving our native 
breed of Horfes. This nobleman introduced Spa- 
nifli ftallions into his ellate at Powifland, in 
Wales; from which circumftance that part of the 
country was for many ages after famous for a Iwift 
and generous breed of Horfes. However, at that 
early period, ftrength and fleetnefs were more re- 
garded than beauty ; the fhape of the Horfes, dur- 
ing the time of acftion, being entirely hid by coats 
of armour, with which the knights invefted them, 
either for ornament or defence. 
In the reign of King Stephen, the number of 
Horfes, in London alone, is faid to have amounted 
to twenty thoufand : but, in the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth, the whole kingdom could not fupply 
two thoufand to form a body of cavalry. At pre- 
fent, the former numbers feem to be revived, and 
even augmented; and, in time of war, thirteen 
thoufand horfemen have been fitted out, without 
"any fenfible decreafe of the breed. 
We are informed that there are very good 
Horfes in the iflands of the Archipelago. Thofe 
of Crete were in high eftimation among the an- 
cients, for their ftrength and fwiftnefs : at prefent, 
however, they are but little ufed even there, the 
country being rocky, mountainous, and irregular. 
^ The original Horfes of Morocco are much in- 
H O R 
ferior in fize to the Arabian breed, but they afe 
very fleet and vigorous. Turky produces Horfes 
of almoft every race; Arabians, Tartars, Hun- 
garians, and the aborigines of the country. The 
latter, which are extremely beautiful and elegant, 
poiTefs a great deal of fire, fwiftnefs, and docility; 
but they are incapable of bearing long-continued 
fatigue. 
The Perfian Horfes are, in general, the moft 
beautiful and valuable in all the Eaft. The paf- 
tures in the plains of Media, Perfepolis, Ardebil, 
and Derbent, are well adapted for rearing them j 
and their propagation was formerly encouraged by 
the government. They are generally of a mid- 
dle fize; and though fome are found of the fmalleft 
ftature, that circumftance does by no means either 
impair their beauty or their ftrength. Neverthe- 
lefs, many of them are as large as the Englifh Sad- 
dle- Horfes: they have all thin heads, fine crefts, 
narrow breafts, liiiall ears, fine legs, hard hoofs, 
and elegantly-turned croups; they are docile, fpi- 
rited, nimble, hardy, courageous, and capable of 
fupporting the greateft fatigtie. Great numbers 
of thefe are annually tranfported into Turky, but 
more into the Eaft Indies : however, all travellers 
agree, that they are not comparable to the Arabian 
Horfes, either for courage, ftrength, or beauty. 
The Horfes of India are of a very indifferen 
kind. Thofe ufed by the grandees up the coun- 
try are brought from Arabia and Perfia; they are 
fparingly fed with hay in the day-time; and at 
night with boiled peas mixed with fugar and but- 
ter: this kind of food, which appears to be vei-y 
nutritive, affifts them in bearing up againft the 
almoft intolerable heat of the climate. Thole Hor- 
fes naturally belonging to the country are very 
fmall and vicious. Tavernerfays they are fo very 
little, diat the young Mogul prince, when only 
feven years of age, rode one of them whofe fize 
fcarccly exceeded that of a greyhound : and one of 
them was lately brought over to this country, as 
a prefent for the Queen, which was only about 
nine hands high, and very little larger than a com- 
mon maftifi\ 
Indeed, it is highly probable that the extremes 
of heat and cold are equally inimical to this noble 
animal. The Horfes of the Gold Coaft, and of 
Guinea, as well as thofe of India, are extremely 
fmall, but docile. In Guinea, it is a common 
exercifewith the grandees of that country, who are 
excellent horfemen, to dart out their lances before 
them when on full gallop, and to catch them agaia 
before they reach the ground. They have alfo 
a paftime on horfeback, (requiring much dex- 
terity on the part of the rider, and a great fliare 
of activity on that of the Horfe,) which confifts in 
ftriking of a ball with a battledore, while on a 
full gallop, and following it with fuch fpeed as to 
hit it again before it comes to the ground; and this 
they fometimes repeat for the fpace of a mile with 
amazing agility. 
The Chinefe Horfes are fcarcely fuperior to 
thofe of India, being fmall, feeble, ill-propor- 
tioned, and timid. Thofe of Corea are not above 
three feet high ; and fo very timorous, that they 
cannot be trained to the arts of war. It may there- 
fore be jufily faid, that the Tartarian Horfes were, 
in reality, the conquerors of China . They are, 
indeed, extremely ferviceable in war; and, though 
of a moderate fize, furprlzingly patient, vigorous, 
bold, and fwift. The Tartars and their Horles 
live together almoft after the fame manner as the 
Arabia.n5: 
