AND HIS VARIOUS BREEDS. 591 
that they were unaccustomed to the sight of horses, or unacquainted 
with their management. 
The Italian horses are much deteriorated by the neglect of the 
breed. They have, in general, large heads and thick necks. They 
are large, spirited, and move well, excel in show and parade, and 
have a peculiar aptitude to prance. 
The Danish horses are excellent in size and strong in make; but 
they have a thick neck, heavy shoulders, long and hollow back, and 
a narrow croup. They are principally employed for draught, are 
of all colours, and often very whimsically marked. 
Much improvement has recently taken place in the German 
horses, which were originally from Arabian and Barbary stocks. 
The Dutch breed is good for draught, for which purpose it is 
used and exported. The best are from Friesland. The Flemish 
horses are much inferior; they generally have large heads, flat 
feet, and thickened legs. 
The French horses are of various kinds. The best come from 
Limosin, and have a strong resemblance to the barb. They are 
slow in coming to perfection, must be carefully treated when 
young, and not backed until seven or eight years old. Normandy 
furnishes the next best, which, although not so good for the chase, 
are better for war. Heaviness about the shoulders is a general 
characteristic defect in French horses, and is in direct opposition 
to the prevailing form of the barb. 
The Egyptians have always maintained the breed of excellent 
horses of extraordinary size. The horses of Guinea and the Gold 
Coast are diminutive, but tractable. This small size occurs also in 
those of Corea, India, and China. The conquest of the latter 
country was made by the horses of the Tartars—a race worthy to 
compete with the Arabian in patience, endurance, swiftness, and 
boldness. They are invaluable in war. In point of symmetry 
they do not compare with the Arab. The head is fine and small, 
but the neck is long and stiff, the hoof too narrow, but maintaining 
the reputation for hardness derived from their Parthian ancestors. 
The Tartar breed was no doubt improved by the admixture of the 
Persian, Arabian, and Barb, in the several conquests of Genghis 
Khan and Tamerlane. The Tartar lives with his horse upon the 
same familiar terms as the Arab. It is the playfellow of his child¬ 
ren, who mount and manage it at a very early age. There are 
very fine horses in Circassia and the Ukraine. It was 
“ A Tartar of the Ukraine breed, 
Who looked as though the speed of thought 
Were in his limbs; but he was wild — 
Wild as the wild deer, and untaught, 
With spur and bridle undefiled.” 
