16 
J. C. MEYER, SR. 
tliest back, while the one on the inner side was placed farthest 
forward. At one end of the track was a pillar which must 
be passed six times, making the whole stretch about six and one- 
half kilometers; the curve about this pillar was so short that great 
dexterity was required to accomplish this; in addition a figure 
called Taraxhippus stood near the track, the purpose of which 
was to frighten the horses. Above all a rock was placed on the 
track, that made the passage so narrow at this point, that tho 
greatest care was needed to direct the horses through this narrow 
space. Both man and beast were exposed to the most thrilling 
accidents, and if a competitor was successful in avoiding all these 
dangers when making the circuit six times, he was deemed worthy 
of the laudation of his countrymen. The racing on horseback 
was less dangerous, but a remarkable regulation was, that the 
rider was obliged to leap from his horse before approaching the 
winning post, and run alongside of his animal. These Omlypic 
games lasted from 777 B. 0., until 393 A. D., thus 616 years. 
In Athens and Sparta, certain privileges being conferred on 
horsemen, a higher class of society, namely that of the knights, 
was formed. Many an Athenian loved his horse so well that 
when he lost it by death, his own existence seemed worthless. 
Aristophanes writes, u horse-breeding has ruined me, a fearful 
consuming evil, 57 and his father, who laments because his son has 
become a sportsman, said, “ He would not heed my words, but 
through his love for horses has reduced me to poverty.” The 
Medes and Persians are descendants of the Aryans, and 1,200 B. 
C. the Medes were renowned for their horse-breeding. Up to 
the time of Cyrus the cavalry king, 600 B. C., the Persians were 
not distinguished for their horses, but under his encouragement, 
horse-breeding was carried on extensively. Cyrus, the most mag¬ 
nanimous king of his time, was the first equerry; he instituted 
the mail service, he had the distance measured in which a horse 
could travel without becoming fatigued, and there he built relays. 
At each of these relays a commodious stable was erected, where¬ 
in a certain number of horses were kept, which were under the 
supervision of the most trustworthy and distinguished men of the 
land. Cyrus, as a rule, did not accept presents, but horses he 
