328 
A COLONY IN THE MAKING 
CHAP. 
This influx of very small, poor and none too healthy 
ponies is by no means an unmixed benefit. Certainly 
it enables the settler to have a mount—it can hardly 
be called a pony, still less a horse—at a reasonable 
figure. That is to the good ; but it must never be 
forgotten that British East Africa is a small country, 
and as such must be distinguished by the excellence 
rather than by the bulk of its productions. I cannot 
think that even the sight of so many animals of the 
poorest class is likely to improve the name or prospects 
of the horse-breeders of East Africa. For export 
purposes, and more especially for the production of an 
animal suitable for Army remounts, such as is required 
in the Indian Army for instance, a larger and superior 
sire is required. In this direction Mr. Berkeley Cole 
has very courageously led the way by importing that 
fine stallion, Bobrinski, who will be remembered as an 
early favourite for the Derby won by Pretty Polly, 
but who subsequently failed thoroughly to fulfil his 
early promise. Size, shape, temperament, and 
breeding cause this horse to be especially suited to 
the requirements of the Protectorate. 
This variety of horses and ponies is naturally 
responsible for a great variety of races. Thus we 
have three classes, separated by a great gap in the 
weights ; differing, moreover, so greatly in quality 
that the weight allowance is year by year increasingly 
insufficient. These three classes are : English, South 
African and Australian horses ; Arabs, East Indian and 
country-bred ; and lowest in the scale Somalis and Abys- 
sinians. These have each their own races, both on the 
flat and over jumps, and attempts are also made to 
bring two classes together. It may, however, be 
accepted that it would take much more than the 
