The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-02
Small Horses.


awakening to the necessity OF
paying better attention to the
breeding of horses, the publica
ton of a small work by fore
most English authority, Sir
Walter Gibley, Bart, entitled
Small Horses in Warfare;'
will be welcomed, and it's merits
will be appreciated no less in
Queensland than it has been on
the farther side of the globe.
In England and other colonies
the small horse has been dis
owned on all hands, and a de-
termined effort made in all quar-
tiers to make everything big. A
good deal of the bigness obtained
is mere legginess and grossness
of bone. and this procure should
be the means of opening the eyes
of more than the purchasers of
army remounts to the wisdom OF
encouraging the breeding OF
horses whose chief characteris-
tics are staying power, hardness,
and independence of high feed
ing. Such horses have been
demanded during the South
African war, and Great Britain
had to look for them elsewhere
than within the British Isles.
In the course of his argument
Sir Walter Gilbey brings togath-
err many illustrations of the value
of stout, native bred small
horses, and their vast superiority
for hard work over the so-called
improved stock of the more civil
lied nations. Small horses
(ponies) will beat moderate
horses of double their size, and
legginess, or height is weakness
rather than strength, and what
is wanted is miniature hunter.
such as the polo pony men are
seeking after.
That acute person, Mr.. Cecil
Rhodes, some years ago express
ed the opinion to Sir Walter that
no infusion of English blood |
would enhance the powers of the
SIN al colonial bred horse for the
performance of the work which |
local usage lays upon him; and |
he even had the ten1erity to
deny that any advantage could |
accrue from the use of the thor.
Oughbred. In the Soudan cam
paign, as the result of costly ex-
perlence, the regiment which
LETT - tlro was III united entirely
on the small Syrian Arab horses,
whose average height was II
hands. their avelage age 8 to 9
years, and their average price Els
These did Ii miles day across
Wady Halfa TO Korti, and a de-
tachment Of so of them perform
ed journey of 100 miles in re-
connaissance duty in 60 hours.
On the return journey six of
them did the last 80 miles in q
hours. Of $50 of these stout lit
tie horses used in that hard cam
paign of nine months across the
desert only IL died from disease,
and their performance is Justly
characterized as marvel of en-
durance. They carried heavy
weight on scanty fair, and less
water.
Captain Bulnaoy's ride to
khiva was marvel of endur.
ance in the man, but it was, if
possible, a greater marvel in the
pony which carried him. 1t is
described as little black horse,
standing IA hands, and his price
at Kasala, including SADLY and
bride, was IS sterling. This sor-
ry-looking jade, which, the cap
tain says, looked as if his boots
would have been all he could
carry, bore his weight of 20 stone
on that memorable ride, doing
40 miles in 6 hours,
with a thermometer below zero,
He danced about beneath his
rider as if he had been carrying
= featherweight jockey for the
cambridgeshire. The whole
Journey of 81 miles was done in
days 2 hours, or at the rate of
more than 40 mile per day, The