The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-03-28
Arab Horses.

The article on Arabia in the second
volume of the new edition of the ENJOY
clopedia BRITANNICA is by William Pal
grave, one of the first authorities upon
the subject. A good portion of his ar
ticle is given to that theme of never
failing wonder, the Arab horse. he
says:
"Reared under An open shed. and
early habituated to the sight of man, to
the sound and glitter Of weapons and
to all the accessories of human life, the
colt grows up free from vice or timid-
ity, and even acquires degree of in
telligencs that surprises a stranger.
Barley and dates are the chief stall
provender but the grass of the pasture
grounds. In the selection of which
much care is taken, is the ordinary
nourishmsnt of all Arab horse. OF wa
ter the allowance is always kept pur-
posely scant. A good Nejdee will can
ter four and twenty hours in summer
time and eight and forty in winter
without once requiring drink. Raw
meat, dried, is occasionally given in
small quantities when extra exertion
is required; lucerne grass is employed
for lowering the tone. Geldings are
very rare. The color that most fire.
quently occurs is gray; then comes
chestnut; then white and sorrel mot
tied gray and black are now and then
to be found dark bay never. Colts are
ridden early-tOo early, indeed-in
their third, or even second year, and
are soon broken into q steady walk or
canter. and to the ambling pace which
is special favorite with Arab riders /;
racing, an Arab amusement from time
immemorial, and the game of "jsrzsd, ,"
a kind of tournament, or mock fight,
with blunt palm sticks. highly popular
without the peninsula, complete the
training as to wind and pace. Saddles
are seldom used in Nejd, and stirrups
never; but both are occasionally en-
ploysd in Hijaz and Yemen. 80 1t 10,
also, with bits, the place of which Is
taken in Nejd by haiter-ropss, the real
guidance Of the animal being almost
wholly effected by the pressure Of the
riders leg and knee. Shoes, too, are
OF rare occurrence, nor are they needed
In the light sand-mixed soil of the CEN
trail provinces on the other hand. the
hoofs are often rubbed with grease. to
countsract the drying effects of the
heated ground. or all niceties of
grooming. docking and clipping ex-
cepted, the Arabs are masters; and
their natural kindness to snimsls-s
quality which they share with most orr
entails. together with the care which
every reasonable man bestows on q
valuable article Of property-insures to
an Arab horse good treatment at the
hand of its owner. But Arab horses
do not commonly enter tents, nor play
with women and children. nor. In a
general way, do they share the family
meals, nor are thoy habitually kissed
and cried over. as the imagination or
credulity of some narrator has suggest
ed. An Arab flying for lie has. in
deed been known TO give the only NOR
sci of bread about him to his horse
rather than eat it himself--an act In
which sslf-preservation had as large q
share as affection. Lastly, the stand.
ing prohibition of horse selling from
Nsjd has really nothing more romantic
pin 1t than nsrrow-minded application
of the principles Of protective monop.
oily in other cases, reluctance to con.
slude bargain simply indicates thai
the offer made was insufficient"