Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-07-28


Kentucky, who was educated in our neighbor-
ing county of Brooke, has published a pamphlet
descriptive Of his expedition through the des-
erts of Arabia, in search of the finest breeds Of
horses He had prepared himself by careful
study of the history of the horse, and thor
ough investigation of the American breeds, TO
Judge what were the points of superiority to be
gained.
looking first at the English thoroughbred
his history. followed back few generations
leads directly to the Arab, Barb and Turk In
deed. the ultimate authority in such matters
the English stud book-decides that all thor
oughbred horses must beable trace their ped
| igree to oriental sircs and dams.
Mr.. Richards, however, knew that the English
| bni tried the modern Arab cross, without much
success. He examined in England the import
cd Arabs there, as well as those on the CONT
nent and their manifest inferiority suggested
| the question whether it was owing to degen-
eracy in the Arabian stock, or to the fact that
no pure Arabs had been imported? HIS inVes-
| LEGATIONS convinced him that all modern lmPoT
| tations had been, not the best Arabs. he mad9
bimeelf acquainted with all in England, France
and Spain, examining the best Arabs belonging
! TO those governments He visited Morocco,
lpnssei through the interior Of Algeria to IunIs,
! thence TO Egypt, thence through Arabia, Petra
and the Desert, East OF Damascus as TAR as Fal-
myra. On this his first visit TO the East, ne
selected two stations, Mokhladi and Massond,
and a grey mare, the first mentioned bred by the
Tarabine tribe in Arabia Petra, and the two
! Iatter by the Anayza tribe He brought them
| home safely to Kentucky, and ending that nus
! expectations concerning them were realized ne
| commenced making preparations for another
trip to the East, determined to spare no trouble
nor expense III procuring the best hloou, as
well as the finest formed horses in the Desert.
Mr. Lavard has expressed the opinion that no
| Arab of the best blood has ever been brought
to England. Mr.. Richards knew this, and the
great difficulty that has always been experienced
in securing the best. After two years spent III
Investigation rs to the best means of procuring
the best blood of the Desert, he matured his
plans and started again to the East, accompanied
by Mr.. Tcoyc, an artist, who has furnished some
admirable drawings of the horses bouSht-and
by his cousin, Mr.. Keene, with n Syrian, who
attended him on his first journey, and knew
much about the horses of the East. This Syrian
suddenly died, and the The party delayed seven
months in Damascus, while Mr.. Keene acquired
the Arabic language, and informed himself as
to the best way of getting to that tribe OF Be
dOuins in Arabia possessing tue type oil morse
they were seeking They entered the Desert
aud the result of their expedition was the pur-
chase of horse of superior form and blood
from one of the Sheikhs of the tribe, but after
wards exchanged by giving heavy boot for
better, called Sacklowie. Besides this, Mr..
Richards obtained colt supposed to be the best
young horse in the AnayZa trihe grey colt,
mare aud two Dromedarics All of these horses
were brought safely home, so that Mr.. Richards
has now on his farm near Georgetown, five Arab
stations and three mares. His object is not to
breed pure ArabianS but to cross this Arab
stock Win kentucky =thorough-oreds. Inc
three stations to which Mr.. Richards specially
invites theattention of horse-tanciers are -NocS-
ladi. Kass0,t1 and Sack2ouH. The tirstis grey,
IA hands inch, a horse from the Tarabine tribe
of Bcdouins. The second is chestnut, 10
hands, bred by the Anayza Bedouins. The third
is a mahogany bay, 10 hands, and bred by the
Annyza tribe. The colts of the first and second
took the prize last fall at Lexington in the ring
of thorongh-breds under one year
The size of the horses may excite remark.
Mr. Richards states that thereare not fifty pure
bred horses in the Desert over fifteen hands one
inch high. Layard only saw one mare over tif-
teen hands. Not one OF the Arabs from whose
loins sprung the English thorough-breds, was
over fifteen hands. Yet the progeny of these
horses are of good size, and able to pack heavy
weights through four mile beats.
The pictures of these horses, which Mr.. Rich
ards publishes in pamphlet, to which we are
luueuleh tuC SLtlbSH'S''t't
them to be animals Of very beautiful form, with
fine proportions, and the points which one in
search OF racer would look for. One of the
Ii IsFKt Kentucky, told US that he had seen no more
finely formed or more promising horses than
these Arabs In reference to the pedigrees of
these horses, Mr.. Richards remarks that in the
Desert no regular pedigrees are kept Of the line
age Of their horses. But the blood of the best
is known to all the tribes additionally, and
when n stranger takes horse, he may get
certificate ofhis blood written utby the Sheik2s
scribe and certified to by some of the old men
of the tribe who know well his pedigree and
history When a colt of high blood is foaled,
several men of the tribe arc called in to witness
the fact The best family of horses is never
crossed with any inferior blood. And whenever
there is any stain in the stock ofany family, it
is as well known as flaw in the pedigree Of
any Of our distinguished winners