The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-11
TYPES OF THE HORSE.
Tracing the Origin of Horses of the
Common and Higher Types.

Tracing the Origin of Horses of the
Common and Higher Types.
From the New York Times.
Interesting and somewhat novel theories
as to the origin of the various types of the
horse were brought to the attention of
number of men and women interested in
that animal by DR. Rush Shipper Huide-
koper on Friday evening at the American
horse exchange, during the first of his Sc
ries of lectures on THE Exterior of the
Horse"
After the glacial period when the
horses of American continents had disap-
peared," he said. after telling the story of
the prehistoric horse, there remained
eight races of equidae. In Europe there
were two races, the Aryan, the orignators
of our thoroughbreds and the Monaghan.
In Denmark was a race, the originators of
the Norman horses. In the lowlands of
Holland were the originators of the
Clydesdale. In the highlands of Belgium
were the progenitors of the Ardenner and
Agro-Romano horses. In Northern France
and England were the progenitors of the
English shire horses; in Southern France
and Ireland were the progenitors of the
Shetland pony and the Breton horse, and
in the valley of the Seine were the Per-
cherons. Herodotus speaks of a type of
horse known in the lower Danube, but it
has disappeared.
"Of these eight types the horses having
the cleanest lines and the highest temper
| ament were the Oriental horses, and their
qualities have been so apparent that they
are now known as thoroughbreds. The
thoroughbred comes from the Aryan type,
which came from Northern Asia. the
ordinary name Arab horse originated in
the Crusades, when these horses were
found in the hands of the Arabs. In real
ity Arabia was not rich in such animals.
! They came from the east and northeast
of that country.
These thoroughbred horses came into
| Europe with the Aryan peoples. The men
who carried civilization toward the west
| took with them their horses, and while
the bones of the old European breeds of
| horses are found with the bones of rumin-
ants, the bones of the Aryan horse are
often found with the bones of the .Aryan
traveller.
The distinguishing characteristic of the
thoroughbred horse is the length and
| straightness of its head the breadth be-
tween the eyes. the long and almost hori-
zontal Group. the high set of the tail, and
distinctness of the tendons, showing
! through the thin skin.
The Monaghan horse has a greater an
gle in its head above the eyes and the
Group is more oblique. The distinctive
| features of this horse can be seen in the
| bronchos which come from the west to-
| day. These horses were taken into Eu
rope through the northern part OF Africa,
and they became the famous Barbs of
| Spain. The Spanish adventures brought
some of them to this country, and they
| escaped and became the progenitors of the
bronchos of our plains. In some of the
| sales where the catalogues speak of horses
with Barb blood, If you will notice you will
| find in these animals many of the distinct
! i've features of the bronchos.
THE Danish horse has a Roman nose,
an elevation of the vertebrae in the center
and an oblique Group. The tail stand high.
The species originated in Denmark. and
some of the horses were carried by the
Aryans into Normandy In after years
more horses were brought into Normandy
and inbred. The best types of these
horses to-day are to be found in the black
horses on the hearses in Paris. The Dan
| ish breed furnished the foundation stock
| of the French coacher.
"The Shire and Dutch draught horse are
| similar. They have a rounded lower nose,
| a very straight forehead, narrowness be-
| tween the eyes, great obliquity of the
Group, and the tail set in. The Percheron
| is of much the same type of heavy horse.
| 1t has the coarse head of the Shire, but
greater opliquity of shoulder and Group
and the tail set higher.
1T is very difficult nowadays to find
| any horses Of pure stock. The French
| coacher is Danish, with thoroughbred
/ blood. The American trotter Of to-day
| comes from some common stock bred with
! thoroughbred stock until most of the COM
| mon stock is lost. The hackney is a mix
| ture of the Shire. the Irish, and the thor
oughbred. The horse, in fact, is like the
American Of this day-very much mixed
| in his genealogy."
The lecturer said there are two other
! divisions of the equidae-the zebra of
| Africa, the hemionus of Asia and the ass
| The two former he dismissed. saying
| they cannot be domesticated, as even ar
| ter they are broken they will assume their
Wild natures again at the first opportuni-
ty. lie traced, however. the difference
between the ass'of Asia and that of Spain.
He closed his lecture with an explana-
ton Of the anatomy of the horse He
pointed out the simplicity in structure be-
tween the arms Of man and the fore
legs Of a horse, by the use of couple
of skeletons, that of the man posed with
the hands touching the ground, like
four-footed animal, and showed that in
the lower animal the collar bone Is miss
ing, 1.-THE body of horse is swung be-
tween its forelegs." he said. Just as
hammock Is swung between two posts
Great muscles running from the inside OF
the shoulder blades underneath and from
the withers above sustain the weight Of
the body The forelegs are compelled 70
bear the great strain. II a horse weigh
ing 900 pounds is put on scales In such a
way as to show the weight carried on It's
forelegs and hind legs. II will be found
that the former sustain 800 pounds and
the latter 400 pounds, and II a man weigh
Ing $50 pounds should get on the horses
back. Il would be found that the fore
legs will take 100 pounds OF that weight"
-s-o-s-
l..
another rat-trap. John,