The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-11-18 00:00:00

THE HORSE, AND FACTS AND FANCIES

ABOUT HIM.—No. 12.

The horse, certainly, " bears the bell" of the animal
creation. Fitness is essential to beauty, and what it
, good is beautiful Exclusively of his beauty, if he be
not the strongest, he is tins bra Vest and fleetest of
animals, and if, is an able writer on the horse says,
custom . had hot dignified the lion with the title of
" king of the beasts, reason would have bestowed it
on the horse. In the horse iv found that happy combi-
nation of qualities which render him so peculiarly sub-
servient to the purposes and uses of man. His nature
is • blessing to mankind, bestowed by the All-wise
bestower of good things for our especial service; for
with his gigantic strength,if that nature was different to
what it is, it would be impossible to tame him, for
although education May influence nature somewhat, it
can never altogether alter her. We see, in reflecting
on the nature of the horse, that the generous and bold
disposition of animal life is easier of control and subju-
gation by man than the timid and fearful. We have
done in England more than any other nation towards
perfecting the character, for use asaf fitness, of the
animal in question, and we are disposed to think that
the mingling of breeds, and blood, mind national char
' ae-
teristics have effected this great advantage. Our race-
homes descend from Arabian stallion*, and the
genealogy, to a certain limit, extends to our hate and
hunters also. It is the admixtuee ot foreign blood, with
judicious forethottght, that perfects animal nature.
The strength and courage of our draught horses are
&afield from those of Germany and Flanders. The
British cavalry was remarkable, history tells us, even
in the days of Julius Omar, but we are in the dark
as to the primitive breed. Qua thing is clear, that
the horse from the earliest d 4 of our history was an
animal of vast repute amongst us. Speaking of the
horse, a thought comes to one in reference to *hat is
said of Noah, that he refused • beeth in the ark to
the mule. The decision, if Correct, of this divine
-
inspired man would lead he to philosophise, if there
were space, and tilue, and listeners; the latter, we fear,
woidd lie NW. However, that the horse has in itself
had authority in making and unmaking even kingdoms,
we need only refer to the fact that Darius was chosen
king of Persia by the wonderful neighing of his horse,
and it has been gravely asserted that Alexander would
never have pushed his conquests half so far as he did,
had not Bucephalus stooped to take him oit his back.
The history of this horse is elemenay Wetted (not like
some mines we occasionally see advettised) With, that
of his master It appears that when brought for Philip
to purehatie he was extremely reltiVes bit was soon
made to sehmit to the cohiage and daring horseman-
ship of his sop. This se pleased the father, that kis-
sing him (don't amber, old leather-breeches, Philip was
a Matt), he exclaimed, 'Oh I my son, seek some king-
dom equal to thy worth, for Macedonia is too little
for thee." Alexander built a city in honour of this
horse. Did he not feel, under the authority of the
impression, that this animal had given the spur to his
ambition? If history is not, as it often Is, an areant
jade, one Roman Emperor raised his horse t 6 the,Cian-
sulate (not a bad idea to Nomedintedi 'Oration) Butler
with, or an ass peeha)l; erotdd b 43 the fitting type)
and anothee read% hint a guest at table, where he was
red with tiff oats (rather indigestible) out of an ivory
etanger ; his stable was of marble, his collar set with
pearls' and his clothing of rich purple, fit for • Pope,
(we beg his reverence's grace for the simile.) ,
Morocco horses were made saints, some weltere Sas, if
our memory (serves us trulye and when the Emperor
went abroad he ceased nhe of them to be led before
him richly accoatted, his tail held up by a Christian.
There is eoinething racy in this anecdote; the Emperor
of Merooco made& sort of stud groom of the Christian,
in plaoing him at the tail of the saint. There was
humour in his Morooooship without question, Chris-
tians, as far as we know, were not veil gitat gene
in thoor days. In England we here no* earleed 5.
such perfection lit the breeding and ,Yereiret of horses,
that we have little to learn from those who have gone
the way of all flesh, but the principles laid down by
ancient *liters are good. "If you wish to win a
prite, elys Virgil, speaking of Olympic games, consult
?)se dam of your colt. This says, in plain English, Need
from a good mare, an animal that has proved het
worth. There are few great men whose tnothete ha'ie
not possessed strong and individdel evldeltire of poWer,
end strength of intellect and ehitratter ; so with
horses. No man ever' had is reey good hose learner
• weak, vicious., atid ill•conditioned dam. it Bin -
lar that excreption should be taken is.„ it la agel et
melee, for Minters, hacks, and dc) cps Thia we think
mistaken prejudiee, aid it dwelt harm in this way :
we become blinded to the virtues of the animal US
such. Maree hiker) in the great peiforruances eclipsed
the hoelie Who shall say mares are not more perfect
in their nature than geldings, and we conceive, barring
• certain period of unrest of nature, that they etet at
least equal to the horse in any kind of week, Other iii
the field or on the road. If We torn to the Spoefilit
Calendar, we and the.performaneee of Mares, to sullied
those of the horse. The Aritbian* beam &twist Pte.
felled mares to horses; they endare Wenger and thirst
end ell other privations better. If further natural
illustration is neadech Which bears privation hest,
man or Women t The tyro in„human nature flays, with
his English experience, the men do the work. Yea I
in England, as they ought everywhere; but we here
lived in countries where the women do the *094 ilia
there they shame man-nature to an Ffiglieh eye, by
evidence of strength, entletabee, and cheerfulness
under privation. The Eploiards have a proverb which
says ;—" He that will have a mule without a fault
must too 'none." We agree with the matter-of•feet
Doll. Perfection is bad in man or beast; at least all
?ere things in practical life are open to suspicion.
Nothing is perfect, and the difficulty is therefore veil
great to find the exact sort of stock, for intOCe, to
snit our very inqttiring, unselfish friend's. kndtfe-
ing fellow, I judge of horse, duty VerY *ell advise
another In the eercheda Of is hinter, knowing the
&Acores chanteteristiela bid to advise about the buying
of a hacks the Mast ungracious duty a man can be
pdt to. Nr* want, says our dear, unselfish, seemingly
ignorant friend, " A hack to carry us and our wife
and sister (we beg pardon, men don't generally talk
about their sisters on such occasions) ; at all eventeore
want a non-such of an animist, and Mir price is not
more than £30." Welk yen kno* it man who has a
good animal (he knows ae it good), he is not willing to
part with him hnlem he can do busincres—ind to we
understand it all—herer bay a hack for people Who
profess not to rely on their own judgment in the pur-
chase. A good hack Must not only he a good hunter
in Miniature, tint he inlet he possessed of many other
qualities that you will not often find in a good hunter.
A hors may haven twist in his legs; he may have
fleshy feet, disposed to thrush, or corns; he may be
fretful, startlish, very awkward in his slow paces, and
yet go like great guns over a stiff hunting
country. One of the finest hunters we ever saw was •
magnificent topped horse, but his fore legs were so
twisted that he was booted to go to cover, and he was
called "wooden legs." Keep him up till he got warm,
nothing could touch him. When he came home he laid
down and fed from a bucket. ,Ele did this for several
seasons. This is not the animal for a hack. The quali-
fications of a good hack are of that nature that it con-
founds the best judgments to say. ibis satisfied in look-
ing for them; be must have good fore legs, they must
be well put on; he most have good hind legs, well under
him with elastic power and action; his head must be
small, his withers slopirg and pliable ; altogether, in-
deed, a machine; safe, gentle, quiet to ride on all occa-
sions, even if your simple-minded friend keeps him
in high feather, and rides him once a week. This is
the sort of animal he commissions Us to procure for him
for £3O or £35. A good heck is a valuable animal,
worth a lot of money. He should go near the ground,
and yet go safe. It is no/ the taking up of the foot,
but the putting it down on which the safety of an
animal depends. Man walks near the ground, but be
is • miserable walker if he strikes it with his toe. If
he did he would seriously injure himself. Man's
action proceeds from his hips ; that of the horse from
his shoulder as far as his fore legs are concerned, but
the principle is the same with each ; each is • plena
of curiously-wrought mechanism, and according to the
oorrectness of that mechanism is their action true.
(To be continued.)