Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1830-02-16

!
teen or fifteen and half hands high, yet
certainly, in the whole, are taller than the
Arabs. Those of the desert and country
about Hillah run very small, but are full of
bone, and Of good speed. General custom
feeds and waters them only at sunrise and
sunset, when they are cleaned. Their usu-
al provender is barley and chopped straw,
which. if the animals are piquetted, is put
into nose-bag, and hung from their heads /;
but if stabbed, il is thrown into small To-
zenge shaped hole left in the thickness of
the mud wall for that purpose, but much
higher up than the line of our hangers, and
there the animal eats at his leasure. Hay
is kind of food not known here. The
bedding of the horse consts of his dung.
After being exposed to the drying influence
of the sun during the day, it becomes pull
verified, and, in that state, is nightly spread
under him. Little OF it touches his body,
that being covered by his clothing, large
nammud from the ears to the tail, and bound
firmly round his body by very long sur
cingle. But this apparel is only for cold
weather; in the warmer season the night
clothes are of lighter substance, and dur
ing the heat of the day, the animal is kept
entirely under shade.
Sat night he is tied in the courtyard.
The horses heads are attached to the place
of security by double ropes from their hal
tiers, and the heels of their hinder legs are
confined by cords of twisted hair, fastened
| to iron rings and pegs driven into the earth.
The same custom prevailed in the time of
Xenophen, and for the same reason, to Sc
cure them from being able to attack and
main each other, the whole stud generally
consisting of stations. Their keepers, how
ever, always sleep on their rugs among them,
to prevent accident; and sometimes, not
withstanding all this care, they manage to
break loose, and then the combat ensues.
A general neighing, screaming, kicking, and
snoring, soon rouses the grooms, and the
scene for while is terrible. Indeed no
one can conceive the sudden uproar of such
moment, who has not been in eastern
countries to hear it, and then all who have
must bear me witness that the noise is tre-
mendous. They seize, bite and kick each
other with the most determined fury, and fire.
l'qnently cannot be separated before their
heads and launches stream with blood
Even in skirmishes with the natives, their
horses take part in the fray, tearing each
other with their teeth, while their masters
are in similar close quarters on their backs"
His description of Persian race does
not altogether remind us of Newmarket or
Doncaster.
"My curiosity was fully on the spur to
see the racers, which could not doubt have
been chosen from the best in the nation,
to exhibit the perfection of its breed before
the sovereign. The rival horses were d.
vided into three sets, in order to lengthen
the amusement. They had been in training
for several weeks, going over the ground
very often during that time and when did
see them, found that so much pains had
been taken to sweat and reduce their weight.
that their bones were nearly cutting the
skin. The distance marked for the race
was stretch of four-and- twenty miles, and,
that his majesty might not have to wait
when he had reached the field, the horses
had set forward long before by three divis-
ions, from the starting point Ia short interval
OF time passing between each set,) so that
they might begin to come in few minutes
after the king had taken his seat. The diff
terent divisions arrived in regular order at
the goal, but all so fatigued and exhausted
that their former boasted feetness hardly
exceeded moderate canter when they pass
ed to royal eyes,"
In Circassia almost every family of dis
tlnction, whether of princes or mobiles, boast
of possessing peculiar race of horses,
which, VIII IN young, are burned on the but
took with peculiar mark On this occa-
sion, they act with the most scrupulous ad-
herence to custom, so that person who
should attempt to burn character express
ing noble descent on FLY of common
race, would for such forgery, forfeit his
life. The most celebrated race of Circassian
horses has received the name of Shalokh,
and is the exclusive possession of the Tan
Sultan family. This race is valuable for its
strength and swiftness, more than its pecu-
liar beauty. Its Distinguishing mark is a
full horse shoe, without an arrow.
THE TooRKoMAN HORSE.
Turkistan is that part of South Tartary
northeast of the Caspian sea, and has been
celebrated from very early times, for pro-
ducing pure and valuable breed of horses.