The Irish standard., 1897-12-04

foreign connections and relationships
admitted the Irish horse after all is sui
generis and of the ''rale ould stock" A
recent writer, Cox, in Notes on the His
tory of the Irish Horse" tells lis that
before the Arab made his appearance
the Irish horse was Il present fit for any
king that reigned between the Adriatic
and the German ocean. And the It'd >
of Arab blue blood that flowed in trans
forming strength during the last cen
tury mingled with no inferior strain
when 1t met the Irish stream" Racing,
too, in Ireland is as old as it's history,
and it is told in the Brehon laws that
the Irish king had a race course of his
own. If there were any horse sharks
in those old days they were shown little
mercy, and were as much condemned as
was the ill-bred animal The sale of
an unsound horse was illegal and pun
lshable. In every transaction it was
conditioned that the animal should be
sound, high-headed. lively-hearted,
broad-breasted," and that he should also
be 'well-descended, his form well set,
without Jumps or flags on his back, not
big-mouthed, not ill-stepping, not blow
| ing, not shaky." Those old Celts were
exacting as well as good judges Of
horses
The superiority of the Irish racer dates
many centuries back. Sir Richard Gre
don, French knight who accompanied
Richard H., in describing Art McMnr-
rough, the Irish king, who led his kerns
against the invaders, said He had Il
horse without housing or saddle, which
was SO fine and good that 1t cost him.
they said, 400 COWS. In coming down
1t galloEed so hard that in my opinion
l never saw hare, deer, sheep, or any
other animal, declare to you for a cer-
tainty, run with such speed as 1t did"
More than four centuries ago Irish
horses were exported to England and the
continent. In Italy the duke of Fer
rara, father-in-laW OF I4ucrezia Dorpia.
and other princes set the fashion for
Irish horses in the Fifteenth century.
During the Tudor period presents Of
Irish horses to the king or queen were
OF frequent occurrence. Froude relates
that Shane O'Neill. the great chieftain,
diplomat and fighter presented l,GuO
stud mares to Queen Elizabeth. LAS an
evidence OF returning cortliality," con-
<,e,,
sent to Shane from Dublin. 1t was
consumed at his table, but the poison
mad been unskillfplly prepared. it
brought him and half his household to
the verge of DEATH" Shane O'Neil
sent no more bloodcd horses to the
Virgin Queen
From Elizabeth down to Cromwell and
including him the persecution and rob.
berry Of the Irish people gave them little
opportunity to cultivate as of old the
breed OF horses. And with the restora :
ton matters became worse, for then
came the navigation acts, prohibiting
the export to England of Irish cattle
and horses. The effect, we are told
was to reduce the price Of Irish horses
50 per cent. and SO cifectually discolr-
aged the breeding OF good stock that the
work of preceding centuries was rapidly
undope.
Sir William Temple, In memoran-
dunn, wrote that he found Irish horses
drug, bred without regard as to size
or shape, and poorly trained and cared
for. The effect of the penal laws, too,
should not be overlooked In referring
to the story of the Irish horse. A pro-
vision of those laws was that any man
not deemed loyal to the established
Church of England and the government
there should not own a horse worth
more than G5 ($25) ii any loyalist took
fancy to it. Under these conditions
there were, Of course. for farmers and
breeders no inducements to improve or
even maintain the breed of Irish horses,
and the stock gradually but surely de-
Perforated until the common horse of the
nation became stuntcd, uncared for
and spiritless animal But with the re-
Taxation of the laws and better times
for the masses Of the people the Irish
mans love for good horse revived.
and high breeding was again earnestly
engaged in. The result is shown in
Galtee More, the gallant wearer of 9Th,
triple crown" and the blue ribbon" of
1897.