The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1864-04-15
THE ARABIAN HORSE.

III early youth immense pans are
lavished upon him, and he is rarely
mounted before he is two years and
half old, but his education has been
such that he is by that time almost
qualified to take care of both himself
and his master. When the rider dis
mounts, and wishes his steed to remain
stationary, he has merely to pass the
bride over his head; he has never any
reason to ask man to hold his horse
for him. At market, or elsewhere, he
leaves him for hours without disquiet-
ude, and returns to find him stock still.
This has been taught by very simple
process. The bride once over his
head, and dragging on the ground, a
slave is stationed beside him to tread
upon it whenever the animal is about
to go off, and so to give disagreeable
shock TO the bars of the mouth. This
is the only thing approaching to harsh
ness in the training Of the Arab--al
though, indeed if the training should
fail, there are spurs used such as no
European could dream of using. The
society for the prevention of cruelty to
animals would have little scope for en-
ployment in Algeria. Should any chill
dren, too young to reason, tease or i'll
use the horses tethered in front of the
tent, the Arab wife will cry? children
beat not the horses. Wretches, it is
they who nourish you Do you wish
that Allah should curse our tent p
She does not spare her own husband,
if he misuses his horse, but complain
ing of him to the chief of the tribe,
ooh my lord, although heis all we have,
yet my husband takes him on idle
journies, overrides him, taxes him be-
yond his strength. Scold him, l be-
seech you, in the name of Allah Lead
him back III the way of our forefathers.
Above all, however, don't tell him that
it was | who suggested this to YOU"
The Arab horse is watered only once
in the twenty-four hours. He is often
obliged to content himself with dates
instead of barley; these are given to
him before they are perfectly ripe,
when their stones are soft, and are eat
en- stones and all. In the Spring, he
is turned out on the pastures; but in
the summer if his master can afford it,
he gets little barley. On this scanty
fare, a good horse in the desert is ex-
pected, if necessary, to accomplish, for
five or six successive days, distances of
hundred and twenty-five to hum
bred and fifty miles; and after couple
of days rest and good feeding he will
a 10, ha COT
If he shakes himself at any resting
place, or paws the ground with his
foot, it is held that there is no occasion
to pull up in the journey; and if you
would know at the end of day of ex-
cessive fatigue how far you can yet de-
pend upon your horse, get off the back,
and pull him strongly by the tall if he
remains unmoved, you may still rely
upon him. 1t is of no very rare occur
renee to hear of horse doing one hun
dred and eighty miles in twenty-four
hours The requisites which the men
of the desert look for him are that he
should carry a full-grown man, his
arms and change of clothing, food
for both his rider and himself, q flag
even on windy day, and if it be nee
essary, drag dead body behind him.
A horse of the Sahara is calculated
to live from twenty to twenty-five
years, and E. mare from twenty-five to
thirty; his prime is indicated by the
following proverb:
Seven years for my brother,
Seven years for myself,
Seven years for my enemy.
The Arabs prefer mares to horses,
but only for three following reasons:
l. The pecuniary profit; for the stories
that represent the sons of the desert
turning their backs upon proffered
treasure, and remounting the beloved
steed that they cannot bring them
selves to part with, are little imagin-
AIRY, and as much as four thousand
pounds has been known TO have been
received for the progeny Of single
mare. 2. Because the mare does not
neigh like the horse in time of war-a
most important matter. 3. Because
she is less sensitive TO hunger, thirst,
and heat, and will feed on the same
nerbage as the sheep and camols.- ,
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