Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-10-02
Color of Horses.

In letter which recently appear
ed in the London Times, Lord Gal
thorpe, Offering to contribute hand
somely towards q fund to be OK.
pended for the encouragement OF
horse breeding in Great Britain aud
Ireland, mentioned horses Of ga
good color" On which the Pau
MaH Gazette says:
The moderns, for the most part,
have contented themselves with tax.
ing up the unassailable position as
serted in the saying that "a good
horse cannot be a bad color;" which,
after all, looks very like q begging
of the question. In all such ques-
tions we naturally turn the eyes Of
inquiry towards Arabia /; and the
preference of the Arabs for par
ticular color is evinced very charac.
tcristicaly. ''If you are told," says
one of their precepts, "that a horse
has been flying in the air, ask what
color it was; and if the answer be
chestnut believe it," Their tradi
tions also contain a story telling
how an old Arab chief and his
young son were one day flying be-
fore their enemies. The chiefs eyes
were dim with age, and there were in
those days no field glasses ; he had,
therefore, to depend on the young
er eyesight for all that could be
seen of the pursuers. ''My son."
said he, "what horses do they ride ?"
"My father" was the answer, "they
be white horses" "Go we, then,
towards the sun, and they will melt
away as the SNOW" After awhile
the chief asked again. "What
horses now, my son ?" "My father,
they be black horses" Go we, then,
on the hard ground, and their hoofs
will cleave to the EARTH" A third
time the chief asked, "What horse
now, my son ?" "My father" was
the answer, "they be chestnut
horses" "Quick, then, quick !" ex.
claimed the old chief cor we be
dead men,"
Whether the English have any
proverbial saying in honor of the
chestnut may be known to some
body; but there is no doubt that
among our race horses the chestnut
has very much distinguished himself.
The taste for bays is, perhaps, more
prevalent in England, partly be-
cause the chestnut is believed to be
peculiarly subject to infirmities of
constitution and Of temper; and it
is said that in France under the sec
ond Empire the same taste was car
ried to an extreme. 1t is asserted
that, with the exception of few
saddle horses, all the horses admit
ted into the imperial stables were
required to be not only bays, but
"bias zains"-that is, bays without
a single white hair. And it must be
admitted that complete bay, with
name and tail and four feet perfect
ly black, is as handsome a quadru.
ped as eye can see.
How much or little climate has to
do with the color of horses, it is
very difficult to predict at this age
of the world, for though we may be
told that white or gray and chestnut
predominate in Arabia, that black
is most common in Russia, and that
in England, France and Germany
bay is found to greatly 0utnumber
any other, there is no telling how
far fashion and consequent high
prices may have spurred on enter
rrising breeders to the accomplish.
ment of a triumph over the primor-
dial tendencies Of climate. We
should be inclined to cOnfne the COL
or of horses in this country to black,
bay, brown and chesnut. 1t is true
that there are plenty of grays, but
gray really belongs to the composite
;oIors; and it is state d by an au-
-hority that "all gray horses come
nto the world chestnut, or more
black"
CHALK. 1t is odd to think thata
II l. L., l. IT. nVI