yi'»*w-watf Willi >i.jfch iJgg&a^rA >r * 'ja^ ^ V i ^"t JHE NEW BOOK OF "^ JHE HORSE J ^.<'4^t^ H.M. KING GEORGE V. ON HIS CHARGER, RUPERT. From a painting by Christophtr Clark, R.I. THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE BY CHARLES RICHARDSON Hunting Editor of " The Field '" SCKPTRE Flwtografh by VV. A ■ Rtnich WITH TWENTY-NINE COLOURED PLATES AND NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF CELEBRATED HORSES AND AN EXTENSIVE VETERINARY SECTION GASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO AND MELBOURNE 191] ALL, BIGHTS BESEUVED INTRODUCTION \ LL history teaches us that certain nations have been famous for their horses, and /— \ this most certainly applies to the British nation. Just as civilisation came from the East, so, too, did the best horses, or rather the best horse blood, but it is quite certain that in this country the horses bred from Eastern blood have been so greatly improved that an entirely different animal has been created. The Arab, it may not be generally IcnowTi, has stood still in his own country through- out the long period of time during which anything definite has been known about him. He has undoubtedly the same elegant outline, the same beautiful appearance, and the same wonderful stamina for which he has always been noted. But in his native state he is no bigger or heavier than he was when he was first introduced into this country some- thing like 300 years ago, and this is probably due to the fact that he is bred in countries which do not possess such land as is to be found in many parts of the United Kingdom. It may be urged that the Arab in his own country does not require the luxuriant grasses upon which Enghsh horses are reared, and to some extent that is true ; but it may be pointed out that when Arabs, Barbs, and other Eastern sires were brought to this country with a view to improving our native breed, the size quickly increased, even in horses whose blood was almost entirely Eastern. The fact is that England, Ireland, and even parts of Scotland, are eminently suitable for horse-breeding, as are the blue grass plains of Ken- tucky, the Percheron district of France, certain parts also of the Northern Coast of France, and many districts of Australia and New Zealand. If we go back to the earliest accounts of the English horse we learn that the first horses of which there is any evidence in this country were exceedingly small — -were ponies, in fact. Fossil remains in Essex yielded bones of a somewhat heavily built horse, which probably measured 14 hands, but one gathers from the writings of Professor Ridgeway that a height of from 12^ to 13 hands was about the average. One can easily understand that the development of the horse in this country was as gradual as the development of the land from an agricultural point of view. When hus- bandry had advanced far enough to allow of rich grass being grown, the horse quickly advanced in size and stature, and thus all through the Middle Ages we had the very heavy and almost colossal war-horse. It is true that this particular animal had a foundation of Norman blood, but it must be remembered that the Gauls were in advance of us in many things a thousand years ago, chiefly owing to our insular position. WTiat is certain is that if the country had not been eminently suitable for horse-breeding these war-horses could not have been the wonderful weight carriers which history teaches us they were. Granted a foundation of foreign blood, the fact remains that the war-horse iv INTRODUCTION gradually increased in size throughout the period of his existence, and that his descend- ants, the Shire horse, the Clydesdale, and probably to a great extent the Suffolk Punch, have also shown a tendency to become larger and heavier animals. For hundreds of years two circumstances have been establislied in connection with the various breeds of British horses. One of these is that the semi-wild native breeds, such as those of the New Forest, Exmoor, and the Highlands, have, in spite of certain attempts to improve them by introducing fresh sire blood, made little progress, and are apparently not much larger than they were 500 years ago. The other circumstance is that when any breed of horses has been fostered and encouraged, the size and stature have increased. It must not be forgotten that horses and ponies are not quite on the same plane, but would appear to be varieties of an original breed, for true ponies do not, for example, show much tendency to become larger even when most generously treated, and the Shetland of the show yard may be quoted as an example. On the other hand, the Arab horse prob- ably does not at this day average more than 14 hands 2 inches in height, and yet in little more than 200 years he has in this country developed into a horse of 16 hands and upwards, with only a very small admixture of purely English blood in his veins. The fact is that certain land in the British Isles is endowed with bone promoting powers, and mention may be made of the various limestone districts, such as that which stretches right through the East Riding of Yorkshire, and that of the South of Ireland, about which so much lately has been heard in connection with recent Irish bred race winners, sired by imported English horses. The East Riding is not only a great district for raising thorough- bred stock, but it is almost the home of the hackney, and as great a hunter-raising district as any in the kingdom. But horse-breeding districts are very variously distributed, as is proved by the fact that great horses have been bred in so many parts of the kingdom. The miglity Stockwell was bred in the inner suburbs of London ; scores of good horses were bred in the Royal paddocks at Hampton Court between the days of Queen Anne and those of Queen Victoria, and, as two of the very last, before the stud was discontinued, La Fleche and her sister Memoir may be mentioned. The late Sir Joseph Hawley, and the late Lord Falmouth, bred scores of good horses in Kent ; St. Simon was foaled at Newmarket ; Bend Or, Ormonde, Orme, Flying Fox, and Sceptre were reared in Cheshire ; Barcaldine, Ard Patrick, and Galtee More in Ireland ; Voltigeur, and tlie Derby winners owned by the late Mr. John Bowes, in the county of Durham ; and in fact one could extend the list to all the counties on the eastern side of the country. In the following pages the horse is treated of from almost every point of view, but chief attention is paid to his position as far as the United Kingdom is concerned, and to the various uses to which he is put in this country at the present day. Thus racing, hunting, polo, drixang, agricultural and heavy work, are aU taken into consideration, and the book includes a series of chapters on veterinary matters by one of the chief authorities of the day. The various English breeds are considered in detail, and in every case the articles are written by authorities or experts of the particular breed in question. CHARLES RICHARDSON. CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1. ENGLISH VARIETIES OF THE HORSE. By Charles Richardsox 2. PRESENT POSITION OF THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. By Charles Richardson ............. 3. THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE AND HIS ORIGIN. By Charles Richardson 4. THE LINE OF ECLIPSE. By Charles Richardson 5. THE LINE OF ECLIPSE icouiinucd). By Charles Richardson 6. THE LINE OF HEROD. By Charles Richardson .... 7. THE LINE OF MATCHEM. By Charles Richardson 8. THE FEMALE LINES. By Charles Rich.ardson .... 9. THE FEMALE LINES {continued]. By Charles Richardson 10. THE TURF. By Charles Richardson ...... 11. NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS. By Charles Richardson 12. FAMOUS HORSES. By Charles Richardson 13. FAMOUS HORSES {continued). By Charles Richardson . 14. STEEPLECHASING. By Charles Richardson 15. HUNTING AND HUNTERS. By Charles Richardson . 16. HUNTING AND HUNTERS {continued). By Charles Richardson . 17. FOX-HUNTING. By Charles Richardson 18. HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING. By Charles Richardson 19. THE H.\CKNEY. By Vero Shaw 20. THE HACKNEY {continued). By Vero Shaw 21. THE HACKNEY PONY. By Vero Shaw 9 29 47 61 73 79 84 93 96 125 143 157 169 182 189 209 219 233 253 258 COiNTENTS CHAPTER 22. THE CLEVELAND BAY. By W. Scarth Dixon 23. THE YORKSHIRE COACH HORSE. By W. Scarth Di.xon 24. POLO AND POLO PONIES. By Charles Richardson . 25. PONIES : SHETLAND, HIGHLAND, AND NEW FOREST. By W. Scarth Dixon 30S 26. PONIES : WELSH, DARTMOOR. AND EXMOOR. By Vero Shaw . 27. THE SHIRE HORSE. By Charies Macdonald .... 28. THE CLYDESDALE HORSE. By Charles Macdonald . 20. THE CLYDESDALE HORSE {conliniicd). By Charles Macdonald . 30. THE SUFFOLK HORSE. By Charles Macdonald .... 31. MANAGEMENT OF HEAVY HORSES. By Charles Macdonald 52. COACHING. By Charles Richardson ...... 33. COACHING {continued). By Charles Richardson .... 34. DRIVING AND CARRIAGES. By Charles Richardson , 35. RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS. By Charles Richardson 36. RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS (conlviiicd). By Charles Richardson 37. HORSE-BREEDING AND BREEDS ON THE CONTINENT. By A. W. Coaten 38. HORSE-BREEDING AND BREEDS ON THE CONTINENT {continued). By A. ^^ Coaten ............. 39. AMERICAN HORSES. By Ch.arles Richardson 40. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES. By W. B. Woodgate page 265 285 29.3 317 326 346 349 355 362 371 381 386 398 413 420 445 448 460 VETERINARY SECTION. By Harold Leeney, M.R.C.V.S. 1. DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS .... 2. DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS {continued) . 3. DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM .... 4. DISEASES OF THE URINARY AND GENITAL APPARATUS 5. DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM .... 6. DISEASES OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS . 7. CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES 473 477 488 509 515 523 527 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 8. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 53i 9. DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 538 10. DISEASES OF THE EYE 544 11. DISEASES OF THE SKIN 548 12. PARASITIC DISEASES 551 13. DISEASES OF THE BONES AND JOINTS 556 14. DISLOCATIONS 563 15. DISEASES OF THE FEET 567 16. WOUNDS 577 17. FIRST-AID 582 18. NURSING AND FOODS FOR THE SICK 585 19. METHODS OF RESTRAINT : FIRING AND BLISTERING . . . .58; 20. THE TEETH AND AGE OF HORSES 59c. POISONS AND ANTIDOTES 594 TABLE OF DOSES 596 APPENDIX L— LAWFUL STAKES, AND GAMING AND WAGERING IN RELATION TO HORSES. By W. B. Woodgate 598 APPENDIX n— CARE OF THE HORSE'S FOOT, AND SOME NOTES ON SHOEING. By Captain Scratchley 602. APPENDIX 111.— HORSES FOR THE ARMY. By Charles RichardsOxN . 607 EDITOR'S NOTE 611 INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS Arab Pasha Cleveland bays Beadlain Choldcrton Blossom Favourite Hawthorn Beauty with Foal Rosebery Wonderful Lass Clydesdales At Work Group, A . . . Morris Team, The Famous Novar .... Waterinsr a Team PAGE 5 2/7 280 272 26g 265 ^71 34^' 346 34S 370 353 Coaching Brocklebank's, Miss, Coach Four-in-hand Club, A Meet of the, in Hyde Park " . " Reliance, The " . " Reynard " . Road Coach, A Modern Royal !Mail Coaches at " The Angel," Islington ..... Vanderbilt's Coach, Mr., on the Brighton Road ...... " Venture, The " . Cobs Iron Duke ...... Dartmoor Ponies Group of. Grazing .... " Derby Day." From the Painting by W. P. Frith, R.A Driving and Carriages Bath Horse Show, Single Harness Class H.M. the King leaving the Park . Holyport Horace and Tissington Cock Robin ..... Loudwater Rob Roy and Diana Vernon My Lady and Anne of Austria Radiant Champion Rotten Row .... Tissington Kit-Cat and Cock Robin 386 379 381 384 375 374 385 371 24 419 39S 396 3S9 386 14 460 393 ExMOOR Ponies Group of .... . Foreign Horses Ajax ...... Barney F. and Fides Stanton Bonnie View .... Champion Coach Team . Drew, One of the Famous Morris Clydes dales ..... Haras de Jardy, At the Koheilan I. . Major de Bachant Norwegian Ponies Orloff Strain, Russian Horse of the Princell and Lake Erie . Prussian Stud Farm, Young Mares and Foals on a . Ra\issant ..... Reve d'Or ..... St. L6, Stables at the French Military Stallion Depot of . Troika Horse, \ Russian Walkure, A Prussian Pony •Mary Hackneys Adbolton St Antonius .... Berkeley Lily and Her Two Sons Copmanthorpe Performer Evanthus .... Garton Duke of Connaught . Grand Viceroy and Grand Vulcan Loudwater Gongelt and Grangelt Loudwater Rob Roy and Diana V Mathias Ai . I\Iel Valley's Master Polonius Rosador St. Thomas . Towthorpc Iris and Foal Highland ponies Group of. Grazing " Horse Fair, The." From the Painting by Rosa Bonheur . . . . Hunters and Hunting Agricultural Hall Show, Judging at PAGE 325 426 451 454 15 459 422 438 444 447 441 448 431 427 445 423 443 434 253 252 260 241 256 241 ^li 13 389 244 261 236 245 241 249 315 409 X INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS Hunters and Hunting (co'itinucd)— Albrighton Hounds, The : A Meet at Stretton .... An Awkward Corner Belvoir Hounds: A Meet in Croxton Park Blackmore Vale Foxhounds: A Meet Derwent ..... Devon and Somerset Staghounds : Waitin for the Hounds to come up DubUn, Judging Hunter Geldings at Fernie's, Mr., Hounds . Fitzwilliam's, Mr., Hunt : Going off to draw ..... Grafton Foxhounds, The : The Field eager to get away .... Golden Leaf ..... Harrington's Fo.xhounds, Earl : Horsemen Crossing the Smite Joker ...... Lord Leconfield's Foxhounds : Waiting at Covert Side .... Olympia, Judging Riding Horses at Patrician ..... Quorn Hunt, The Well Over With the Warwickshire Hounds : The Hounds Arrive York and Ainsty Hounds : A ^leet at Aldboroueh .... P.IGE R.\CE-COURSES (fontiiuiai) — Goodwood, from Trundle Hill 197 Race-course .... 216 Hurst Park Meeting: A Finish 192 Kempton Park: A Parade past the 232 Stands ..... 229 Liverpool Race-course . Newbury, The Stewards' Stand 200 Newmarket High Street 416 Race-course in its Earlj' Davs 193 The Courses at . Exercising at . . . 209 Royal Ascot Race-course Sandown Park Race-course .109 213 York Race-course --5 Shetland Ponies 219 Group Grazing .... 221 Thoreau ..... 18S Shire Horses 412 Bardon Forest Princess 9 Barnfield's Forest Queen 189 Calwich Marksman 22S Champions, A Group of Lockinge Forest King . I §5 Midland Railway Horse Tatton Dray King 205 Team, A Fine P.\GE 120 119 121 Jumping Bolla, Lieut., Jumping Display by Confidence Taking a High Jump . Harriet, Lieut. Godfrey Brooks on Kitten, Lieut. W. Macneill on Montebello, Lieut. Giorgio Bianchetti New Forest Ponies Group of New Forest Ponies In the New Forest Polo Ponies Hurlingham, Polo at Saddle Room at Bishop': Sapphire with Foal Sandiway Spanish Hero Stables at Bishop's Stortford Stud at Bishop's Stortford White Wings Race-courses Ascot, Royal Procession Chester Cup : The Parade Chester, Roodeye Race-course Doncaster Race-course . A Start at . St. Leger Day at . Epsom Summer Meeting: Coaching up the Hill .... Race-course . 440 404 401 413 405 ■ .S13 I, 316 305 5«4 300 297 23 293 307 301 "7 140 96 132 133 142 Steeplechasing Aintree, Becher's Brook on Grand National Course at ... . The Water Jump on Grand National Course at . Valentine's Brook on Grand National Course at . Becher's Brook : Grand National Course at Aintree ..... " First Steeplechase on Record," The so-called. .... Grand National of 1855, The Valentine's Brook on Grand National Course at Aintree . Warwick, The Water Jump, National Hun Steeplechase .... Suffolk Horses Agricultural Work, A Team at Boulge Maid .... King of the Roses Rendlesham Sorcerer Thoroughbreds Alice Hawthorn Barcaldine Beeswing Bend Or Birdcatcher Blacklock Blink Bonny INDEX TO ILLLUSTRATIONS Winner of the St, Leger, 1S5 Thoroughbreds (ioittiniuti) Caller Ou Challacombe . Crucifix Darley Arabian Doncaster Donovan Flying Childers Flying Dutchman t'. Voltageu Flying Fox Galopin Gimcrack Hambletonian Herod . Highflyer Isinglass Kildare, King Edward VII. 's Charger King Herod Lily Agnes Blarske Matchem Newminster, Orme . Ormonde Persimmon Pot-8-Os Pretty Polly Queen Mary Robert the Devil St. Frusquin St. Gatien St. Simon Sceptre Sir Hercules Stockwell The Baron . Thormanb}' Volonel, Lord Roberts' Charger Voltageur Voltageur v. Flying Dutchman Waxy . West Australian Whalebone . Vanners, Pair of Veterinary Bog Spavin Truss . Bones of Horse's Legs . Bronchial Tree of Horse Capped Hock Catheter Colic, Horse attacked with Dentition of the Adult Horse PAGE 92 95 168 29 54 157 32 76 59 63 136 144 38 73 161 10 38 4 33 39 149 60 57 65 47 165 §4 153 69 156 64 164 50 53 52 77 II 14S 76 49 80 49 558 560 479 565 511 496 50S Veterinary (tcniiiinitd) — page Elbow Pad ...... 564 Eye, Vertical Section of . . . 545 False Quarter ..... 573 Firing Irons . . . . . -589 Fistulous Withers ..... 580 Foot, Structure of . . . -571 Generation, Organs of, of a Mare . . 540 Heart of Horse ..... 524 Hobbles, Leather 588 Laminitis . . . . . .571 Lymphangitis . . . . .328 Mange, Sarcoptic ..... 553 Nervous System of Horse . . -519 Points of a Horse . . . 491 Poll Evil 380 Probang ...... 492 Ringbone 337 Ringworm ...... 332 Sand Crack ...... 369 Scars Caused by Brushing . . . 373 Section of Horse, Vertical . . .481 Seedy Toe ...... 569 Side Bone ...... 373 Skeleton of a Horse .... 485 Skull, Section of. Showing Brain . .316 Slings 388 Spavin ...... 538 Speedy Cut . . . . . -575 Sphnt 357 Stomach, Inner Face of Wall of Horse's. 495 Stringhalt 575 Teeth as an Indication of Age . . 593 Tracheotomy Tube . . . . 478 with Valve . . . -4/8 Twitch Applied 387 Udder, Section of a " Quarter " of a Mare's 342 Umbilical Hernia, Colt with Truss fixed for 306 Urinary Organs . . . . -512 Wagon Rope, Casting with a . . 3S7 Windgalls 366 War Horse, The. From the Engraving by Albrecht Diirer .... 327 Welsh Ponies Greylight Starlight Yorkshire Coach-horses Josephine ...... Royal Carriage, Yorkshire Coach-horses in a . Woodlands Brion ..... 317 27 289 292 LIST OF COLOURED PLATES Fron H.M. KING GEORGE V. ON HIS CHARGER, RUPERT. From the Paintmp by Christopher Clark, R.I. ........ PERSIMMON. From a Photograph bj' Cl.\rexce H.ailev & Co., Newmarket ECLIPSE. From the Painting bv George Stubbs, A.R.A. SPEARMINT. From a Photograph by Clarence Hailev & Co., Newmarket PERDITA WITH PERSIMMON. From the Painting by J. Hanson Walker Junr. ............ LA FLECHE BEATING SIR HUGO, ST. LEGER STAKES, 1892. From th Drawing by V. Lon'GE ......... DIAMOND JUBILEE. From a Photograph by Clarence Hailey & Co., New market ............ SIGNORINETTA. From the Painting by J. Hanson Walker, Junk. MINORU. From the Painting by J. Hanson Walker, Junr. . THE CANAL TURN: THE GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE. From the Painting by G. D. Giles VIEWED BY THE RUNNER. From the Painting by F. Whiting MR. BUTTLES HACKNEY STALLION, KIRKBURN TOREADOR the Painting by F. Whiting ........ SIR WALTER GILBEY'S HACKNEY STALLION, DANEGELT (1902) ON THE ROAD. From the Painting In- F. Whiting .... CLEVELAND BAY STALLION, SULTAN POLO PONIES, ROMANY AND TITH, OWNED BY SIR J. BARKi-:K From the Painting by F. Whiting ....... DUAL CHAMPION PONY STALLION, BERKELEY MODEI COLT-HUNTING IN THE NEW FOREST. From the Painting by Lucy I-: Kemp-Welch ...... SHIRE STALLION, HAROLD SHIRE STALLION, HALSTEAD ROYAL DUKE Hanson Walker, Junr. .... CLYDESDALE STALLION, PRINCE OF AL.BIO A TYPICAL CLYDESDALE. From the Painting by F. Whiting . SUFFOLK SIRE, PRINCE WEDGEWOOD .... SUFFOLK HORSES. From the Painting by Christopher Clark, R.I A TANDEM TEAM. From the Painting by F. Whiting THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM STOMATITIS ERUPTIONS A MAL-PRESENTATION THE FETLOCK, NORMAL AND OVERSHOT From the Painting by J Frontispiece Facing page 12 IN THE NEW FORES THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE CHAPTER I ENGLISH VARIETIES OF THE HORSE THOUGH doubtless every sort of English horse can claim a common ancestor, there are at the present time many distinct breeds of horses and ponies, nearly all of which owe their posi- tion to the fact that for some hundreds of years their breeding has been closely attended to by the inhabitants of Great Britain. As to what the exact origin of the earliest British horses may be there is still consider- able doubt, and though many opinions have been formed, and much evidence put forward to confirm these opinions, it is difhcult to form really final conclusions. According to Professor Ridgeway in " The Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse," Cffisar, when he invaded Britain, found the Belgic tribes, who occupied the South- Eastein portion of the Island, employing not only cavalry like the Gauls, but also war chariots. Yet, writing in the sixth century a.d., Procopius describes a war between the Angh [settled in Britain] and the Varni, and states that the former tribe did not even Icnow what a liorse was like because they had never seen one, nor even a representation of one. That Procopius was mistaken there is plenty of evidence to prove, chiefly derived from fossil remains and so forth ; but we take it that a setting out of the arguments as to what manner of horses were first found in Britain would be uninteresting to the average reader, and we shall merely state that the Enghsh horses at the time of the Roman invasion were most certainly very much smaller than those of the present THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE day. Professor Ridgeway, indeed, is of opinion that they were small ponies, rather than horses, and he cites as proof the iron horseshoes found at Silchester and else- where, which are possibly to be ascribed to Roman times. The Norman Invasion It is extremely pi'obable that during the period which intervened between the departure of the Romans from Britain and the arrival of the Normans the cult of the horse was to some extent pursued, for ci\dlisation was gradually advancing, and there had been considerable intercourse between this country and several of the European States. Authorities, however, have not very much to say concerning English horses until the Norman invasion, when the heavy horse was introduced, which for centuries was used as a charger, and which became the ancestor of the Shire, the Clydesdale, the Suffolk Punch, and, in fact, of all the powerful draught horses of the present day. Distinct English Breeds At present there arc many breeds of English horses, some of which have been pure for more than a hundred years, whjle others can show several generations of pure blood. But the average horse is in nineteen cases out of twenty of no regular breed, as we shall show. The following are the distinct breeds : — 1. The Thoroughbred, by which is meant the Race-Horse. 2. The Hackney, which may be simply described as the best type of Carriage Horse, with showy ac- tion and good manners. 3. The Polo Pony.— As a distinct breed this type of horse has an existence of barely a dozen years. 'The biggest and 4. The Shire Horse t'"'"^'''^ ^''■'''' 5. The Clydesdale 1 "°^'^'' ""^^^ ^^ are used for the ^ heaviest vehicles. 6. The Suffolk Punch.' — Also a Cart Horse, but of ratlier lighter make than the Shires and Clydesdales. A local breed, greatly used by the maltsters and brewers of the Eastern Counties. 7. The Stud Book Hunter. 8. The Yorkshire Coach Horse and CLEVEL.4ND Bay. 9. The General Utility Nag, of no par- ticular breed, but by which is meant the ordinary, every -day light horse, such as is seen in cabs, omnibuses, and tradesmen's carts. It is, as will be understood, almost im- possible to say exactly where each of these breeds diverged from the ordinary English horse of the Middle Ages, but as regards the formation of the breed known as the thoroughbred there is plenty of evidence, and for more than two hundred years his history can be traced with absolute certainty. The Pony Tribes It should here be mentioned that besides the distinct breeds which have been enum- erated, there are many varieties of English and Scottish ponies, and the inference is that some of these pony tribes — especially those from the far north — have remained small because they have been allowed to live in a semi-wild condition, while horses generally have increased in size because they have been the objects of extraordinary care and attention on the part of their breeders and owners. It is hardly necessary to point out that the love of horses is strongly developed in the Anglo-Saxon race. In no country in the world, of anything like the same size as the United Kingdom, are there so many valu- able horses, and no nation in the world, with the possible exception of the Arabs, has paid so much attention to horses since civilisation became a pronounced reality. The evidence of the oldest writings, of sculptures, of frescoes, and so forth, goes to show that horses were driven long before they were ridden ; Professor Ridgeway states that men employed the horse for draught before they habitually rode upon his back, not because they were afraid to mount him, but because he was rather too small to be ENGLISH VARIETIES OF THE HORSE effective^ used as a charger, or because, where he was of sufficient size to carry a man, it took a long time before weapons and methods of warfare were devised suit- able for mounted men. Early Horse-Races In England the horse was probably used first for war purposes, and doubtless he was bred, and gradually improved, with the same idea. But all old writings teach us that he was also quickly brought into general use, as a means for hastening a journey. It is not necessary to go into such evidence as is forthcoming, but it may be briefly stated that throughout the Middle Ages, for travel- ling from one spot to another, horses were utihsed. They were at this period used principally as chargers, but the hackney or roadster — in those days a riding horse, and not a trapper — was to be found in the stables of all the nobles and knights throughout the Tudor and Stuart periods, and even much earlier. There is, in fact, plenty of evidence that horses were used for other purposes than carrjnng men-at-arms as far back as the time of Henry II., for it was during this reign that the tournament was introduced into England, while it can be further gathered from the writings of William Stephanides, a monk of Canterbury, that horse-racing was a Sunday amusement of the Londoners of the day. According to this writer every Sunday in Lent young men rode out into the fields on horses which were fit for war and ex- cellent for their speed. The learned monk then relates how they practised for tourna- ments, and trained themselves for battle, and finishes his remarks on the subject as follows : " At times two or three boys are set on horse- back to ride a race and push their horses to their utmost speed, sparing neither whip nor spur." Here is proof that the horse tournament and the horse-race were known in England as far back as the twelfth century. Nearly two hundred years later there is mention of some six or eight different sorts of horses which were in daily use, and thus we may take it as certain that by the middle of the fourteenth century, riding for pleasure was one of the principal pastimes of the great nobles and their families. It is also certain that in every great estabhshment mounted retainers were kept, who acted as soldiers when necessary, and whose lives were in great part spent in the saddle. In the 15th Century But it was a good deal later that the horse became the general servant of the Anglo- Saxon race, for in parts of the fifteenth century there was a certain amount of retrogression, for which the Wars of the Roses were chiefly responsible. The con- tinuous strife, over so long a period, had a most injurious effect upon agriculture and horse breeding, for all horses were liable to be seized for mihtary purposes, and therefore many breeders discontinued their breeding, and turned their attention to other kinds of stock. "Protection" of Horses WTien Henry VII. came to the throne in 1495 he found the supply of horses so small, and the prices so high, that he forbade the export of any horse without royal per- mission, on pain of forfeiture, and of any mare whose value exceeded six shillings and eightpcnce. He made other stipulations, too, with regard to export, and in fact he seems to have been possessed of the idea that we were in danger of losing the best of our breed. Henry VUL continued the " protection " of horses, for he absolutely forbade all export, not only from England but from Scotland as well, and stipulated that all prelates and nobles of a certain degree — to be ascertained by the richness of their wives' dress — should maintain stallions of a given stature. He made horse-stealing a capital offence, and deprived persons con- victed of it of the benefit of clergy. He also, as Sir Walter Gilbey explains in " Ponies Past and Present," made a vigorous attempt to weed out the ponies whose small size rendered them useless. It may be added THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE that during this reign armour reached its maximum weight, and that in consequence war-horses had to carry the weight of, broadly speaking, two men instead of one. Here we may break off for a moment to note that the fact of exportation of horses being compulsorily stopped in the reign of Henry VIII. shows, or perhaps only suggests. restrictions may be placed upon exportation. The subject has been mentioned in both Houses of Parliartlent, and in all proba- bility some legislation with a view to stop- ping the leakage will be effected. By the time of Henry VIII. horses were used in England for agriculture and for the state chariots of noblemen, but the ordinary THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTERS THOROUGHBRED MARE. LILY AGNES. that even at that day there was a demand for British horses on the part of Continental buyers. No doubt it had been ascertained that bigger and stronger horses could be grown in the United Kingdom than else- where, and that in fact careful breeding gave better results. This is, of course, to a certain extent conjecture, but had there been no demand from the Continent there would have been no need for the pro- tectionist measures. Another reflection a propos the same subject is to the effect that at the present day there is a demand for some form of protection, but this time it is the War Office and English breeders of horses who are alarmed, and who are clamouring that some carriage had hardly come into existence. The fact is that there were practically no roads except horse tracks, until the earliest of the coaching days. The appearance of the stage wagons caused gradual improve- ment in the roads, and as the roads be- came better the coach replaced the wagon, and the speed quickly increased. Travelling by carriage — if a stage wagon can be called a carriage — was not general, however, until the seventeenth centurj' wa.s well advanced, and for some four or five hundred years all journeys in this country were undertaken, on horseback by the rich, and on foot by the poor. In the reign of Henry VIII. the state coach was known, but except iji and near London, and THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE on one or two of the oldest main roads, such vehicles were never used. A 16th Century Stable Sir Walter Gilbey, whose researches into all matters connected with dri\'ing and harness horses have been very thorough, quotes a passage from " The Regulations of the Establishment of Algernon Percy, Fifth Earl of Northumberland," in the year 1512, which gives a detailed account of the stables, and therein appears the following : " Item, chariot hors to stand in my lorde's stable yerely. Seven great trottynge horsys to draw in the chariott, and a nag for the chariott man to ride — eight. Again, hors for his lord- ship's son and heir. A gret doble trottynge hors called a curtal, for his lordship to ride out on out of towns, another trottynge gambaldyn hors for his lordship to ride on when he comes into towns. An amblynge hors for his lordship to journeye on daily. A proper amblynge little nag for his lordship when he goeth on hunting and hawking. A gret amblynge gelding, or trotting gelding to carry his male." The above is vastly interesting, for it shows what the position of the horse was in this country almost four hundred years ago. We have not quoted the tally of " gentall horsys, saddell horsys, and pal- freys," nor have we mentioned the " hobys and nags " which were also sheltered in the great establishment, but the record in its entirety proves that every description of the then existing English horse was used, that the " chariott " involved the yoking of eight horses, and that for ordinary riding a different horse was used from that requisitioned for hunting and hawking. No doubt in the royal stables the tally would be an even larger one, but the Earl of Northumberland was one of the greatest and most influential peers of the day, and his establishment would probably be one of the largest in the Kingdom. Unfortunately the numbers of retainers' horses are not given, but in all thirty horses are spoken of as being kept for the use of the earl, my lady, and the son and heir, and thus it appears that the number was proportionately greater than it would be at this day, except in the matter of hunters. A "Gambaldyn" Horse It is rather curious that only one horse, and that a little one, should be mentioned in connection with sport, while different horses for riding out of town and into towns are named. A " curtal " was in all probability a docked horse, and as far as we Imow this is the first historical men- tion of the practice of docking. ^Vhat a " gambaldyn " horse was we can only guess. Sir Walter Gilbey supposes it was a horse of high and showy action, but we cannot find the word in the old dictionaries of sport. It is, however, probable that it signified a gambolling or galloping horse, but the fact is that 400 years ago there were subtle differentiations between horses, the meaning of which can only be guesswork. Edward VI and Horses There is suggestion, if not actual evidence, that the action of Henry VII. and Henry VIII. had the desired effect of restoring the deficit in horseflesh, for in the reign of Edward VI. an act was passed to sanction the export of mares worth not more than ten shillings, and Henry VIII. 's law about the benefit of clergy for horse-stealers was altered in some degi'ee. Still, it is certain that horse-stealing was quite one of the " liberal professions " of the day, for during the reign of Queen Mary an act was passed which aimed at its suppression. This in- volved a plan for registering all sales of horses, and caused the property in a stolen horse not to be diverted from the lawful owner, under certain conditions. Queen Mary also legislated with a -view to making it obhgatory on the upper and middle classes that they should keep horses in the interests of the defences of the King- dom. Queen Elizabeth also laid the horse question very much to heart, and made all sorts of laws and proclamations with the object of encouraging breeding, and in- creasing the supply of horses. ENGLISH VARIETIES OF THE HORSE A Royal Horsewoman It was at the end of Queen ]\Iarj''s reign that carriages came into use, and a little later gunpowder was discovered, and the slow and very gradual disappearance of the war-horse began. But the demand for horses of all sorts was now steadily, and even rapidh', increasing. The big horses which were not required for the royal service were gradually requisitioned as draught horses, both for road work and agricultural purposes, and the middle class of people, which was quickly coming into exist- ence, rode here, there, and everywhere, as a matter of course. Indeed, it is probable that a big majority of country folk were able to ride, and that a very large percentage of town-bred folk learnt to ride at the earliest opportunity. Coaches were intro- duced in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the importation of Arabs, Barbs, and Spanish horses set in, with a view to im- proving the native breeds. Queen Eliza- beth herself kept race-horses, and was a horsewoman until she was nearly seventy years of age. She usually rode on a pillion behind her Master of the Horse, but it is said that when hunting or hawking she rode her own palfrey on a side saddle. Eastern Stallions Though there is no doubt that there had been many importations of foreign horses previous to the advent of the seventeenth century, details concerning them are rather vague, and it is not until the reign of James I. that we have really definite state- ments. The modern thoroughbred had its earliest foundations during the latter part of this century, but it may here be pointed out that there must have been a rare foundation of English blood to cross with the Eastern stallions which from this time forward were brought to the country, and in this connection a quotation from Ger- va.se Markham is a propos, because of the strong proof it affords as to the excellence of the then existing English horse. Gervase ]\Iarkham wrote an exceedingly valuable book on horses, which was published in 1616 or 1617, and in this book there is distinct evidence that the author had travelled abroad, almost certainly with a view to buying and studying the various European breeds of horses. Markham wrote : — " I do daily finde in mine experience, that the virtue, goodness, boldness, swiftness and en- durance of our true English bred horses is equal with any race of horses whatsoever. Some former writers, whether out of want of ex- perience, or to flatter novelties, have concluded that the English horse is a great strong jade, deep ribbed, sid-bellied, with strong legges and good hoofes, yet fitter for the cart than either saddle or any working employment. How false this is all English horsemen knowe. The true English horse, him I mean that is l^red under a good clime, on firme ground, in a pure temperature, is of tall stature and large pro- portions ; his head, though not so fine as either the Barbarie's or the Turke's, yet is lean, long, and well fashioned ; his crest is hie, only subject to thickness if he be stoned, but if he be gelded then it is firm and strong ; his chyne is straight and broad ; and all his limbs lai-ge, leane, flat, and e.xcellently pointed. For their endurance I have seen them suffer and execute as much and more than ever I noted of any foraine crea- tion. I have heard it reported that at the massacre of Paris (St. Bartholomew), Mont- gomerie, taking an English mare in the night, first swam over the river Seine, and after ran her so many leagues as I fear to nominate, less misconstruction might tax me of too lavish a report. Again for swiftness. What nation hath brought forth that horse which hath exceeded the English ? When the best Barbaries that were ever in their prime, I saw them overrunne by a black hobbie at Salisbury ; yet that hobbie was more overrunne by a horse called Valentine, which Valentine neither in hunting or running was ever equalled, yet was a plain bred English horse both by s\Te and dam ? Again for infinite labour and long endurance, which is to be desired in our hunting matches, I have not seen any horse to compare with the English. He is of tolerable shape, strong, valiant, and durable." The "Hobby" In spite c)f the allusion to the race at Salisbury, this was written when the English turf was in its infancy, and when — as far as \\'e can judge — hunting matches were as THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE important as actual racing. The "hobby"' was either a pony or a very small horse ; the word is derived from the French hobbin, which signifies a pony, and one is much inclined to think that by this time there must have been a breed of light horses in the country which were beginning to assert themselves as both speedy and enduring. Gervase ilarkham's horse which we ha\-e described was certainly not a great or war- horse, and Valentine, who beat the " hobby,"' must also have been a " light " horse. It will be noticed that in Markham's description there is no mention whatever of suitability to carry a man-at-arms, but rather the full description encourages the idea of a superior horse which was bred for hunting or racing, probably for both. The Pack-Horse Three hundred years ago most of the ploughing was done b}' oxen, but the pack- horse had come into existence, and no doubt horses of a much lighter description than those used for war were bred for this purpose. The pack-horse, as a special tribe, had a life of probably rather less than 200 years, for long after wagons and coaches were running on the main roads much of the merchandise was still carried on horse- back. The pack-horse tracks were in many places not easily converted into sound roads, because they went straight ahead, and many of the bridges over small streams were not more than four feet wide. Wlien the stage wagon and the goods wagon were first used their routes were, of course, from town to town, a majority having their headquarters in London. The pack-horse, however, was used to carry minerals from certain mines to the coasts, and he was therefore not greatly interfered with by the increase of wheeled traffic. For example, all the lead which was mined in the dales of the moorland districts of Northumberland, Durham, and Cumberland, was carried on donkeys, or small horses, to the seacoast by tracks which led straight across the moorlands, and some of which to this day have been left in their original state. At Riding MiU- on-T>aie there is a perfect specimen of the narrow pack-horse bridge ; it does not span the Tyne itself, but a tributary thereof, which is some twenty feet wide. The Rise of the Light Horse The pack-horse was probably to a great extent the progenitor of many of the modern light horses of no particular breed. He was, it has been surmised, the ancestor of the " Dale " pony, wliich is by far the biggest and strongest horse of pony type in the kingdom. The best mares of the pack- horses were undoubtedly bred from, for the Devonshire pack-horse was, less than a himdred years ago, one of the boasts of the county. But by this period of the histor)' of our own country horses were being sorted out. The line of demarcation was in fact being gradually drawn, and quietly the light horse was ousting the heavy horse from first position. The light horse, as has been stated, went to found the breed of race-horses, and of hunters ; the hea\y horse, no longer wanted to carry enormous weights in times of war, developed into the highest class of draught tiorse which the world has ever known. The Unchanging Pony The ponies of the wilder parts of the country alone showed no change ; even their size and height did not increase, because of the poor quality of their food. They had, moreover, been through times of neglect, being despised because of their want of size, but when a whole nation was using the horse as a means of locomotion, even the ponies became useful, and after a while they were cared for, and, indeed, came to be highly regarded. A NOTED HUNTER: PATRICIAN. CHAPTER II PRESENT POSITION OF THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THAT the horse always has been and always will be one of the most im- portant of domestic animals is a fact which cannot be disputed. Indeed, many who have considered such questions are inclined to award first place to the horse, being of opinion that his usefulness as a beast of burden — whether carrying a man or drawing a load — has been of greater consequence to the human race than have the food-giving properties of the sheep and the ox. Into such questions there is no need to enter — nor, for that matter, would it be at all easy to decide such a point — but as an animal whose existence does not greatly influence the food supply in this country it is practically certain that the horse stands alone. As examples of the extraordinary im- portance which the horse has acquired in our own times it may be mentioned that — An English thoroughbred racer has been sold at public auction for 37,500 guineas. An English thoroughbred brood mare has been sold at public auction for 12,500 guineas. An English thoroughbred yearling filly lO THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE has been sold at public auction for 10,000 guineas. A young hunter has been sold (privately) at the Dublin Horse Show for £1,250. A team of four ponies or cobs was sold at the Olympia Show of 1908 for — as wheeled traffic (as a matter of fact the motor movement was in its infancy when Flying Fox and Sceptre were sold), because they were race-horses, and race-horses have an extraordinary value beyond their intrinsic value as horses. H.M. THE KINGS CHARGKH. KILDARE. was currently reported — £5,000. That this amount was actually correct we do not assert, but the on dit which gave the price named was never contradicted. A year before, a pair of celebrated tandem ponies changed hands, it was said, at 2,000 guineas. Many other instances of high prices could be given, but there is no need to quote further, and the few later examples which have been cited are merely put forward as proof of the fact that in these days of much mechanical traffic the value of horses has showTi few signs of decrease. The thoroughbreds referred to — Flying Fox, La Fleche, and Sceptre — do not come into any argument which bears upon mechanical, But the cobs sold at the Olympia Show were harness horses, the four which formed the team being geldings, while of the tandem pair one was a gelding and the other a mare. Thus fi\-e of the si.x were unfitted for breeding purposes ; but, on the other hand, all of these cobs had an enhanced value because of the prizes they were likely to win in the show ring. As far as mechanical traffic is concerned, we may take it that a very serious rival to horse industry has come into being, yet we are not of opinion that because many road journeys are now made without the em- ployment of horses, and great quantities of goods are being delivered through the agency THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM of motor vans, the horse is therefore doomed to extinction. We think, rather, that the demand for certain classes of horses is likely to increase, though at the same time there is no disputing the fact that omnibus horses, carriage horses, and hght vanners are being in a great degree replaced by motor traction. Seventy years ago, at the beginning of the railway era, the same cry was raised, it being a general opinion of the day that when the coach and the postchaise were no longer to be seen on the country roads the horse must of necessity be much less required. But the fact is that railways, because they opened out the country, caused the demand for horses to in- crease— in spite of their not being required for posting. .\nd in these days there is the fact that, up to the arrival of the motor car, horses of sorts were in continually in- creasing de- mand, chiefly because of the increase of population, and because there is so much more going about than there used to be. Not long ago we met with an example of the increase in horseflesh, and though it oc- curred in a go- ahead district which does not depend entirely on agriculture, it will serve to explain our meaning. We may say, then, that more than a quarter of a century ago we resided for some time in a village which was in a somewhat primitive condi- tion. Everyone knew everyone else, and it was a simple matter to count all the horses in the parish. There were four or five resi- dents who kept two and three harness horses, one who kept hunters, and some half-dozen farmers who had two or four horses, accord- ing to the size of their holdings. Then two doctors had a couple of horses each, the LORD ROBERTS' CHARGER, VOLONEL. 12 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE landlord of the inn had three or four whieh he let out on hire, but only two of tlie tradesmen had a single horse apiece — one of the two butchers, and the grocer. Quite lately we revisited the place, and, though the \-illage was not appreciably larger, it should be mentioned that the surrounding district had become much more populous, owing to the fact that coal mines had been opened up not many miles awav. The country-side had, in fact, become a prosperous one, and though it was not quite so easy to ascertain the number of horses in the parish, it was at once e\ident that they had greatly increased. Increase of Horses Of carriage horses for double harness there were probably rather more than there had been, and there was a considerable increase in the number of governess cars, Ralli carts, and so forth ; and in and about the village were also some thirty hunters, whereas at the earher date there had never been more than half a dozen. But it was with regard to tradesmen's horses that the great increase was chiefly visible. Instead of there being two to the whole community, there were from forty to fifty (including those for the farmers' milk carts) in and near to the village, while every day the place was visited by brewers' drays, mineral-water vans, and carts of aU sorts from the nearest towns — all these vehicles being horse-drawn. The local authority had become horse- users for the watering and cleaning of the streets, and every tradesman in the place had taken to sending his goods out, this being an innovation (in this particular district) of comparatively recent date. In fact, when we first knew the village only two trades- men dehvered goods, and their rounds were only bi-weekly — when they practically took part of their stock-in-trade with them, and sold from the cart. On the whole we came to the conclusion that there were twice the number of horses in the parish that there had been at the time of our former residence, and yet many of the wealthy residents used motor cars ■ — but kept horses as well. This brings one to the opinion that, no matter how much motors may be used, they cannot altogether supersede the horse in the country districts. At the moment we do not concern ourselves with sport, but may state with confidence that for years past the increase in the number of horses required by country tradesmen has been a steady one. The Sporting Instinct It is, moreo\-er, somewhat unlikelv that motor vans will exer be greatly used by the smaller tradesmen. Not only is the initial cost much greater than the cost of a horse and trap, but it has to be considered that the EngHsh are still to a great extent a horsey nation, and that probably a majority of country-bred tradesmen would sooner own a smart business cart and cob than a motor van. Butchers, for example, are nearly always sportsmen, and the same may be said of innkeepers, auctioneers, and many others. The sporting instinct inclines to something smart in the way of horse- flesh, and thus it happens that in many country neighbourhoods there will be quite a high standard of excellence amongst the tradesmen's turn-outs. Tramway v. Horse Neither are we inclined to think that electric tramways have interfered very much with horses, except where they have driven omnibuses off the road. The tramway carries no luggage or goods, and can only be utihsed for going from one fixed point to another. It is not exactly popular for long journeys, because the frequent stop- pages cause such numerous delays, but it is exceedingly popular with the man or woman who wishes to travel a short distance. That tramways carry more passengers than the horse 'buses did we feel fairly certain, but what we wish to point out is that the \-ery fact of there being a tramway from one point to another has caused all sorts of people to use the tram, who would have walked had there been no tram available. At the same time it must be admitted that in London and other big towns horses have been greatly superseded by mechanical /^ Z :S' THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 13 traffic, and that a certain number of people have replaced their carriage horses by motor cars. We are, however, inclined to think that the damage to what may be called the horse industry is not so great as it has been represented to be, and in confirmation of this opinion we may point out that an enormous It is also a fact that there is a falling off in the horse birth-rate, for on July 6th, 1908, Lord Carrington (Minister of Agriculture) stated in the House of Lords that there were 10,000 fewer foals in igo6 than in 1905. His lordship also stated that the known number of horses in the countr}' was r/n^frx-y,7/'/t l>y II'. MR. JOHN KERRS CHAMPION PAIR. LOUDWATER GONGELT AND GRANGELT. number of motor-car owners (who keep no horses or carriages in addition to their motor cars) began their road-driving only after the introduction of motor cars, and had previously never kept horses at all. As to what the future may have in store with regard to the horse it is impossible to say, but the best and worst of the present state of affairs can be briefly put forward. To begin with the darker side of the question, there is absolutely no doubt that for street work of almost every kind the horse is being superseded in London and the big towns, but not yet in suburban dis- tricts and the smaller country towns. 2.089,000 of agricultural and young horses, but the horses in the towns were not in- cluded, and apparently no notice had been taken of working horses in the country, other than farm horses and young stock. The decline in the number bred is probably due in some degree to the advance of mechanical traffic, but not entirely so, for the cost of rearing is heavier than it used to be, and only poor prices are forthcoming for the many moderate animals which are from time to time put on the market. To this subject we shall refer a little later. Looking at the brighter side of the question, it may be stated, firstly, that good horses of every particular breed are at the present 14 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE time (in all probability) better than they have ever been before. Secondly, that for the best horses of every variety an all-round higher price than has ever been known is now obtainable. Thirdlv, that the demand for the best sorts, for what may be called extraordinary would be artillery horses, and the others would be heavy draught horses necessary for the Army Service Corps and the wagons. The total of 174,000 includes the horses for the Territorial force. This was the state of affairs with regard to Army requirements in July, 1908, and Photasrapk by If. A. Roudt. MR. GERALD JURGENS' CHAMPION HARNESS HORSE. RADIANT purposes, is bigger than it ever was, that it still shows an increase, and that such in- crease is likely to continue. We may now briefly consider the principal uses to which horses are put in this country ; and, beginning with Government needs, there are the Army horses to be considered. The number required for this purpose in times of peace is not really great, but it is an imperative demand, for so far there is no immediate sign of the horse being super- seded in warfare. The Army buys 2,500 horses annually in times of peace ; 70,000 would be required on mobilisation of the Expeditionary force, and the total number of horses required to bring the units up to war establishment is 174,000 ; 59,000 of these would be cavalrv horses, a certain number we may take it that there has been no great change since that date. But whereas the Government of the day has hitherto done nothing towards ensuring a supply of horses for itself, a scheme has now been formulated which has for its objects, firstly, the making certain that horses for Army use will always be on hand when wanted, and, secondly, the keeping in the country of a large number of mares and stallions which might otherwise be sold to foreign buyers. Here it may be as weU to explain that the Government has never, until quite recently, concerned itself with the horse question, and that its present action is the result of agitation on the part of two sets of people, the military authorities, and the country residents — landlords, tenants, and THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE others — wlio were interested in the liorsc industry, and who could not help seeing that the continual selling of breeding stock to the foreigners was having a serious effect upon the native supjily. The King's Plates For a period of over a hundred years the King's or Queen's Plates comprised the only sums which were given by the State to horse-breeders, and these amounted to about £5,000 in England, and rather under £2,000 in Ireland. The money was split up into amounts of £100, and was run for, as a rule, at the old-fashioned race meetings, being given for long-distance races, so that stamina in horses might be encouraged. In Eng- land the establishment of the enclosed park race meeting, and the Jockey Club rule that no flat race should be of less than £100 in value, caused the King's Plates (they were Queen's Plates then) to become of exceedingly minor importance. There were two reasons for the collapse, one being that the £100 rule caused several country fixtures, at which King's Plates were run, to disappear from the list of meetings, and the other that the competition of the gate-money courses led to an all- round increase in the prize lists of the most important meetings, and this, naturally enough, caused the £roo weight for age plate to become mucli more insignilicant than it had been. Decline of "Platers" Such a horse as Fisherman, and such mares as Caller Ou and Lilian, had in their day farmed the plates, but even the winning of a great number by one and the same horse was — provided the horse was a really good one — of less consequence than having these races contested by " platers." A little earlier it had been worth while to keep good horses for the King's Plates, but the all-round increase in money prizes altered this very greatly. At the present day there are scores of races which are not worth more than £100, but they are not contested, as a rule, by valuable horses, and certainly not by the sort which are likely to imjirove the breed. We need not go further into the reasons why the King's Plates disappeared, but it may be mentioned that they are still run for in Ireland, where there is no £100 rule. \Miat happened with the money — which, by the way, is an annual grant from the Privy Purse — is that it was diverted from racing to horse-breeding, and became a small sub- sidy to be divided amongst the owners of thoroughbred stallions. Premium Stallions A Royal Commission on Horse-breeding was appointed, and this Commission found itself with a clear sum of £4,200 to give a\\ay. The amount was divided into twenty- eight premiums of £150, and these have been awarded every year since. The awards have been made by carefully selected judges at a show lield at the Agricultural HaU, Ishngton, in iMardi, and the greatest care has been taken that no horses suffering from hereditary or other unsoundness should be found in the prize lists. Every competitor for a King's Premium has, in point of fact, to be clear of roaring (or whistling), ringbone, unsound feet, navicular disease, bone spavin, and cataract ; and to ensure this, careful veter- inarv examinations of all the candidates are made by some of the greatest experts of the da}'. The prizes have been offered for thorough- bred stallions between four years old and twenty, on the condition that each stallion should scr\'e not fewer than fifty half-bred mares (if required) during the season, and to stand or travel, as the Commissioners might direct. The fee in every case has been £2, and 2s. 6d. for the groom, and the country has been parcelled out into districts, and the horses divided accordingly. Thus, Yorkshire has had tlrree sires, three have stood or travelled in the Home Counties, three have been located in the Midlands, and four in the ten counties ranging from Kent on the east to Cornwall m the west. Four have also been established in the western Mid- lands and South Wales, three in Cheshire, Lancashire, and North Wales, and three in Cumberland. Westmorland, Northum- berland, and Durliam ; while five have THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 17 been apportioned to the various districts of Scotland. Inequality of Distribution The di\"ision has been as equal as the circumstances would admit of, but from the very commencement the funds have not allowed of anvthing like a sufficient number of stallions being placed up and down the country ; and how easily this can be shown is proved by the fact that all along the nearly 400 miles of southern seaboard only four horses are allotted, while an enormous county like Lincolnshire, where some of the best horses in the kingdom have been bred from time immemorial, actually has to share a horse witli Notts. Yorkshire, still the greatest horse-breeding county in Eng- land, is as badly served as Lincolnshire ; and to sum up, there should be at least 100 Government stallions, instead of twenty- eight, to make sure of a majority of small breeders being in a position to avail them- .selves of the chance of a sound horse at a reasonable fee. An Admirable Result At the same time it must be conceded that the plan adopted by the Commissioners has answered admirably, as far as it has gone. Not every breeder, not even every horse- breeding district has profited by the placing of these stallions — simply because there have not been enough to go round — but where the stallions have been available the results have been most satisfactory : each of the favoured districts is now in a position to show all- round improvement in its locally-bred horses. In proof of this assertion we may quote from the Eleventh Report of the Royal Commission on Horse-breeding, in which the following passage occurs : — " That the young stock is turning out well is proved by the fact that during 1905, at the different summer meetings at which medals are awarded by the Hunters' Improvement Society, 446 awards, ranging fr:>m Champion Prizes, Gold and Silver Medals, etc., down to fifth prizes, were gained by animals sired by Premium stallions ; whilst in igo6, 329 similar awards were secured by the produce of the Premium stallions." This is very conclusive proof as to the efficacy of the system, and the fact that the Premium sires have played a strong part in the improvement of the ordinary English horse — the animal which is hunted, ridden, or driven, according to his fitness, and which in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred is of no particular breed, by which is meant that it is not eligible for any of the recognised Stud Books. More evidence on this head could be produced if it were necessary, but we have submitted quite enough to show that the system adopted by the Royal Commission on Horse-breeding of spending the small amount of mone}^ at their com- mond has been an admirable one. Horse in Agriculture If it is allowed that horses for military purposes are the most important equine requirement of the nation, the agricultural horse must be considered to come next, and at present there seems to be little reason to think that motor traction will be a serious ri\'al to horseflesh in this connection. The steam plough has been in use for nearly two generations at least, and one sees it here and there in work, especially in flat, level countries. But it has never seriously rivalled the horse, and we have laiown farmers who gave it a fair trial and then decided that horse ploughing w^as cheaper. For many 5'ears most of the threshing of corn has been done by steam, all over the country, but even the old-fashioned plan of working the threshing machine by horse power is not yet e.xtinct, and during the autumn of 1908 we saw one of these machines at work, at a farm which is situated near the village of Littleton in Middlesex, and not more than seventeen or eighteen miles from London. Four years ago we saw a motor plough in operation near Biggleswade, and it appeared to work well, but motor ploughing has made little or no advance since then ; and in point of fact the motor is not much used for farm work, and at present no great amount of agricultural produce is carried by motor wagons. In vmdulating countries the steam plough is always at a disadvantage, and it is probable that if motor ploughs ever iS THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE A PAIR OF VANNERS. i,'ra/>/i by Pictorial Agency. become common they will be mostly used in flat countries. Supposing that motor traction in various forms becomes common, or fairly common, for agricultural purposes within the next few years, it will probably be very greatly localised. That is to say, in certain dis- tricts where the land is fairly level, where there are good roads, and where there are many and good markets, motors of sorts may replace horses in some considerable degree, but this will only take place in such farming districts as are comparatively rich, where the holdings are large, and where the tenant farmers are possessed of capital. The small farmer, who exists in thousands all over the country, but more especially in those districts which are high-lying, wild, and remote, will most certainly stick to the horse, if only because he can breed stock from his working nags. Mares which do slow work on a farm can be used for plough- ing, harrowing, sowing, or any cart work until they are almost due to foal, and even after foaling they are quickly at work again, the foal often being taken to the fields where the dam is working, in order that its natural sustenance may be administered. Moreover, the average farmer, who is a working man, and not merely an overseer and director, such as many a large farmer is, would never take the trouble to concern himself with learning all about the machinery of the motor. Horses he understands, and of course he knows the value of the manure which he obtains from them, but macliinery as a rule he dislikes, though he is glad enough to avail himself of the services of the threshing machine when they are available. The return in manure alone is enough to ensure the horse being kept everywhere in this country for agricultural purposes, and it may also be borne in mind that the occupation roads on many farms are totally unfit for any machinery but the very rough- est, while in the hill countries it is often THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 19 impossible to bring a steam threshing machine to the onstead. Indeed, one has knowTi frequently of corn crops being stacked close to the pubhc road, merely so that there should be no difficulty about bringing the threshing machine into action. We may now go on to what we have called the extraordinary uses to whicl:i the horse is put in this country. These may be enumerated as follows : racing, liunting, polo, and such fanc}^ work as breeding horses for show purposes, and to supply a small but very lively market for high-actioned harness horses. We shall not at the moment attempt to go into details, but may state that race- horse breeding is carried on as a hobby and as a business, and that there are, as a rule, between 6,000 and 7,000 brood mares at the stud. The breed not only prospers, but grows gradually larger, and it tends to improve the blood of nearly every other breed in the kingdom, except the hea\y horses, such as Shires, Clydes- dales, Punches, etc. Nor is it used for breeding Stud Book hackneys, but all hackney blood came originally from tho- roughbred blood, and even now there are breeders who at times resort to the thorough- bred cross, while really tr5dng to breed harness horses of the highest class. The thoroughbred must not, however, be considered from a numerical point of view, but because it is liis blood which is used in making the hunter, the polo pony, and the general utility nag. In addition to the King's Premium horses there are scores (but nevertheless not enough) of thoroughbred sires scattered about the country, which are privately owned, and which are mated with light mares of every description, from the cob of 14 hands or so, to the cart mare who is fairly clean about the legs. Ireland, too, has 400 of these thoroughbred sires. If all of them were chosen with as much care as is taken in choosing the King's Premium stallions, the average half-bred and quarter-bred horse would be far better than it is, but unfortunately many of these MR. EDGAR BAXTERS SHIRE HORSE, CALWICH MARKSMAN. THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE piivatcly-owned country sires are of little \-alue, and a good many of them are afflicted with hereditary imsoundness of some sort or other. In certain districts the privately- owned local sires are quite as good as the King's Premium horses, and this is especially the case where masters of hounds or hunt committees keep stallions for the use of the farmers within the confines of their hunt. Lord Middleton's Stallions We may instance Lord Middleton, who is master of a pack of hounds which hunts over a large district in the East Riding of Yorkshire. At Birdsall, near Malton, where the kennels are situated, hunter breeding is also carried on on a large scale, and several stallions are kept for the use of the tenants of the estate and the farmers of the hunt. These horses are chosen with consummate judgment, and are as good as could be pro- cured unless really great race-horses were chosen. Great race-horses can, however, command a big fee for thoroughbred mares, whereas the stamp of horse which Lord Middleton and other masters of hounds keep is the second-best sort of race-horse, the animal whose breeding and general appear- ance are equal to those of the classic winners, but whose performances on the race-course were not quite good enough to ensure him a profitable supply of thoroughbred mares. Speed Consideration In breeding race-horses, speed must be largely considered ; therefore it is that all the reaUy big winners are given a chance of making a name for themselves. ''By making a name one means siring horses which in turn are good enough to win races. If a stallion, after he has left the course, begins to furnish an output of winners, his success is assured, for some years at least ; but if his progenj' run without distinguishing themselves, the horse ceases to command patronage, and then very often becomes a half-bred stallion, and is used for hunter mares. To give an instance of what we mean. A horse named Macgregor won the Two Thousand in 1870, and started an exceedingly hot favourite for the Derby. In that race. howe\'er, 'he broke down. x\ftcr a time he went to the stud in the North of England, and though he sired a great number of small-race winners, and was actually re- sponsible for the Two Thousand winner, Scot Free, he was not altogether a stud success, and, as it happened, he was allowed to cover a few half-bred mares. From these he sired light-weight hunters of a very elegant type. They were, for the most part, rather short of bone, and were not built on a large scale, but they could jump like stags, and no day was too long for them. Macgregor of course had absolutely first- class speed, but in the average hunter sire of the present day size, bone, soundness, and good looks are sought for, and breeders will be contented with what may be called secondary speed. In hunters, speed is of course necessary, but not quite in the same way that it is for racing, and the average thoroughbred hunter sire can give his progeny quite enough speed, provided that the mare he is mated witli has a certain amount of blood on her side, and is not built in too heavy a mould. Racing and Hunting This, however, is a digression, and, return- ing for a moment to our original statement, it mav be emphasised that racing is the chief horse sport of the British people, and tliat it is never hkely to lose its hold on the nation. We may take it that horses will always be bred for racing in England and Ireland, and a few in Scotland, and that, as at present, the cast-offs from the turf will be used as hunters, harness horses, hacks, and so forth. As regards hunting, and the demand for horseflesh which it entails, it may at once be said that there are at the present day more people following hounds regularly on horseback than ever there were before, and this, of course, means that there are more hunters kept than at any pre\dous period of the sport. It is, of course, no easy matter to get thoroughly rehable statistics as to the exact number of hunters which are being constantly maintained in the United King- THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 21 dom, but certain figures were prepared some ten years ago by an accepted authority, and there is every reason to believe that these figures give a rather low estimate. Number of Hunters The authority in question is Mr. Richard Ord, at one time Master of the South Durham Foxhounds, and for many years secretary of the same pack. Mr. Ord reckoned that a total of something like 200,000 hunters was being constantly maintained, and that the actual value of these hunters was £10,000,000. As to the value, it will be seen that an all- round average of £50 for each horse is taken, and if we follow the sales of hunters which are being constantly held at Tattersall's in London, at Leicester, and other places, it will be seen that £50 is anything but a high figure. In point of fact, hundreds of hunters are sold by auction every year at prices ranging between £100 and £500 (at times for even more money), though the rank and file of hunters in a provincial country may not average more than £50. As for the total of 200,000, there is httle reason to doubt it, as there are (broadly) about 300 packs of hounds in the kingdom which are ridden to. If we allow an average of 100 regular riders to every pack, we have a total of 30,000 hunting men and women, but it is probable that there are far more, because of the countless number of people who do not hunt regularly, but have odd days when the chance allows. In many of the Midland and other fashionable districts, fields will be seldom less than 200, and at times will be as high as 500, and in scores of good but not quite so fashionable coim- tries the average will be weU over 100 per day. Then it must be considered that a few packs hunt six days a week, one or two are out on five, and about threescore hunt on four of the six available days, while no pack does less than two days a week. The Change of Mount If an average is struck, it will be found that during the season about 100 packs of hounds, which are followed on horseback, are out on each of the six davs of the week. All over the [Midlands, in ^Mcath and Kildare, in Cheshire, the Blackmore Vale, in the prin- cipal Yorkshire hunts, and in such northern countries as the T^iiedale, JMorpeth, and Lord Percy's, second horses are in very general use, and even in provincial hunts which are more remote, and less fashionable, a certain percentage will be used. In all the crack countries, master, hunt.s- man , first and sometimes the second whipper- in will have two horses out on every hunting day, and in some cases a third. And with every foxhound pack, master, huntsman, and some of the field will have a change of mounts. In the Shires — and elsewhere to some extent — ladies will also have two horses out, and though there are still many hunting folk who stick to a single horse, and go home when it has had enough, the custom of using two horses is most certainly becoming more common e\cry da\'. Two Horses Necessary \Miere hounds travel fast — and they generally do in grass countries — two horses are an absolute necessity, unless the rider is content in the afternoon with a rearward position when the pace is good. Many packs, too, are taken from one covert to the next, when drawing, at a high rate of speed, and in point of fact the one-horse man is on many days imable to see all the sport properly. Only last season we were at some trouble to count the horses out on one particular day with one of the best of the pro\'incial packs, which possesses a fine grass country. At the meet and on the way to the first covert we counted 139 riders ; afterwards fresh arrivals were constantly seen, but, on the other hand, one or two groups of school- girls, and a few others, quickly dropped out and went home. About two o'clock the field had dwindled to about eighty, and we gathered that some five-and-thirty second horses were being ridden. We also dis- covered that half-a-dozen riders had a third horse out, and one man — who at times does a little amateur dealing — had no fewer than five in the field. In the morning a majority of the field had dri\'en THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE to the meet, or had ridden their hunters on. Some seventeen carriages and dogcarts of sorts had been seen (in addition half-a-dozen motor cars), but this did not include all the carriages used, for we were at some trouble to inquire, and found that quite a fair number of people had driven so far on their road to covert, and had got on to their hunters a mile or two short of the fixture. On the whole, we were of opinion that about thirty horses had been used, a few in double but more in single harness, to bring people to the meet, and that not more than half-a-dozen of the field had used a hack. (One who had come a long distance had not only a hack to ride to covert, but a a second, carefully " placed," to help him on his homeward journey, but he was rather of the old school.) ^^'e also considered that about ninety of the 139 riders in the neighbourhood of the meet were legitimate, or regular hunting men and women, the forty-nine being casual riders out, girls who had to be in the school- room after luncheon, stud grooms, and the various " irresponsibles " who always cast up at every easily-reached meet of every popular pack. Second-Horse Men The second-horse men, except an odd one or two who had brought their masters' first horse as well, were not to be seen at the meet ; and for the benefit of readers who are not conversant with all the details of hunting it may be explained that the second-horse men as a rule follow on in a body after hounds, keeping as much as possible to the roads, and not attempting to gallop across country. 200 Horses, One Hunt Making a grand total for the day, we came to the conclusion that, including hunters, the horses of the casual meet attenders, and the hacks and the harness horses, at least 200 animals had been used in this one day's hunting. Over and over again we went through the calculation ; we actually — in conjunction with a friend — made a list of those who were present, marked out the regular' hunting men and women, ascer- tained almost exactly who had second horses out, and so forth. We were, in fact, practically certain that 200 horses for the day was a low estimate. On other occasions we made rough attempts at counting, and these always confirmed, to a great extent, our previous figures. Feminine Majority It is, then, our opinion that, except in some few isolated and extremely provincial hunts, the average number of horses used each day for hunting, hacking to the meets, driving either way — and in this connection it must be remembered that on all fine days in good countries there are many driving parties who follow hounds as near as they can, for a considerable part of the day — may be put down at about double the number of the regular hunting men and women. For confirmation figures have been taken in a much smaller hunt, in a very out- of-the-way district, and, of a field of twenty- five, eleven had second horses and nine drove to the meet, while in addition several carriages of lookers-on were present. In- deed in this particular case one made out that fifty-seven horses were being used for a field which consisted of master (his own huntsman), two whippers-in, twelve ladies, and ten men. It may be rather a revelation to some of our readers that more women than men were present, but for several seasons we hunted one day in each week with a pack in which the sexes were just about equally balanced, and where at times there were more ladies than men from the beginning to the end of the day. The above has been written as proof that a very large number of horses is required for hunting in the United Kingdom ; and now mention must be made of two or three little matters in connection with hunters, which go to substantiate the fact that there must always be a huge reserve. First, it must be stated that in scores, nay, hundreds of cases, the average hunter only comes out on one single day in each week. THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOIV^ 23 Secondly, that hunters are constantly amiss from coughing, lameness caused by accident, or b}' unsoundness, temporary or otherwise. Thirdly, that the stock of hunters on active service all o\'er the country must of necessity be continually replenished. seasons entered in a hunting diary the names of all horses out on each day of hunting — not only those he rode himself, but those ridden by his huntsman and whippers-in, and by his friends. From these statistics it is easily gathered that the average hunter hardly does twenty days a season, and MR. STEPHEN MUMFORDS POLO STALLION. SPANISH HERO. Deahng briefly with these three state- ments, it is true that many hunters while in good health and condition are brought out for two half-days in each week ; and that another considerable number do five and even six full days in a month, these being generally the property of men who only keep one or two hunters. But, on the other hand, only a small majority of hunters go through a season without being '* off " work for some period of either long or short duration. In this connection we have had the op- portunity of looking over certain statistics which have been got together by a master of hounds of many years' standing. This gentleman had over a period of twenty that he lasts about three seasons and a half. In point of fact, some number between seventy and eighty days would appear to be the average Hfe of a hunter. It is true that many horses last eight, ten, and even a dozen seasons, but these are exceptional horses, and what has to be borne in mind is that many horses break down, others go wrong in their wind, and others again are drafted to less ambitious work, simply because thev have been found to be short of pace or of jumping abihty. Moreover, it is quite certain that in every large establishment, such as those main- tained by masters of hounds, and by men who hunt constantly and also proWde THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE mounts for their friends, there are at any period of the season quite a large percent- age of horses which are temporarily out of work. ^^'e have known of a big hunt establish- seasons, it will be understood that the hunt- ing community is constantly being refitted. And about this there can be no dispute. In every large stud there is a certain pro- portion of fresh horses every season, and as H.M. THE KING'S SHOOTING COB, IRON DUKE. ment, in v.hich from forty to fifty horses were kept, being only able to send a dozen out with hounds in the last week of the season, and we have known of a private stud of half-a-dozen horses, all of which were hors de combat when the season was only half completed. There is also a case of a hunt estabhshment which was visited by a severe influenza epidemic, when practically the wliole stud was thrown out of work, and the hunt had to be carried on with borrowed horses. Further instances could be given, but our point is that many more horses are really required for hunting than would be supposed by those who have not gone into the subject. As for the renewals, if the life of a hunter be taken at not more than three and a half a rule, unless there is a total absence of bad luck, additions have to be made during the actual season. Looking for a moment again at Mr. Ord's figures, we have it stated that 200,000 hunters, which have cost their owners some £10,000,000, are always kept in the United Kingdom for hunting alone. To this it may be added that the supply is changed once in four years (to give a slightly better average of hunter life than what has been suggested above), and therefore, by dividing £10,000,000 by four, we have it set forth with a tolerable degree of plainness that 50,000 fresh horses are required every year, for a sum which amounts to £2,500,000. It would appear, then, that on the score of hunting alone the reign of tlie horse is THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM not quite o\-er in this country as yet, and it may be further pointed out that hunting every year demands a larger aggregate supply of horses — -firstly, because there is almost certainly a steady increase in the number of people who hunt ; and secondly, because hunting luxury is also on the in- crease, and far more horses are now used than was the case a generation or two ago. In other words, well-to-do hunting men and women maintain considerably larger studs than did the hunting men and women of a generation or two ago, for about the same amount of hunting. As for polo and its requirements in the matter of horseflesh, the increase in the number of ponies kept is rapid and con- polo has advanced by leaps and boimds, and whereas it was at first only played in London and a few mihtary centres, it is now ex- ceedingly popular all over the country, and e\'er3r year one learns of fresh centres of play. In and about London alone there are no fewer than seven polo grounds, and all through the provinces the number is steadily increasing, there being at present a total of eighty-four clubs in the United Kingdom. In fact, during the last few years the demand for polo ponies has been very great indeed, and now breeding, and dealing in polo ponies have become im- portant industries. There is in these days a Polo and Riding Pony Society, ^^'^:^^'^., . THE LADIES G. AND D. HOPE'S SHETLAND PONY. THOREAU. tinuous. Practically, the Hfe of polo in this country is only a little over thirty years, and for nearly half that period the growth of the game was by no means rapid. During the last twelve or fifteen years, howe\Tr, which holds an annual show at the Agri- cultural Hall, Islington, and of these shows, up to the present year, ten have been held. The show is continued over two days, and not only are there prizes 26 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE for breeding stock of every age, but also for ponies which have been trained for polo, and for ponies which have been played. How many polo ponies there may be in the kingdom one cannot say with certainty, but it is the case that the game has become a much faster affair than it was a few years ago, the chief result of this increase of pace being that more ponies are now required. Very large studs are owned by all the prin- cipal players, and the tendency is to increase the numbers. Two and three ponies are used by every player in every important game, and even at the provincial grounds when ordinary club games are played there will be — at a rough average — from thirty to hve- and-thirty ponies on the ground when about ten players are taking part in the game. Polo Pony Stud Book There are, moreover, breeding studs where polo ponies alone are bred, and other studs where they share the farm with horses of some other breed. The Polo and Riding Pony Society has a Stud Book of its own, and the society has a big membership. At present, however, only a small proportion of the ponies regularly used for the game are Stud Book ponies, and it is of those which are not entered that it is difficult to form an estimate. The subject need not further be pursued here, as polo ponies will be treated of in due course, but it may be pointed out that the number of polo ponies is steadily increasing, and that probably there are in the United Kingdom not far short of 10,000 ponies which are being bred for or used in the game. The question of reserves, too, must, as With the hunters, be taken into account. Lastly, we come to the show horses of fancy breed, and in this connection hunters need not be taken into account, for it is probable that the demand for hunters is in only a small degree affected by the horse show. Hunters are wanted because of the sport for which they are used, and polo ponies are wanted for the game. In either case the horse show encourages the breeder and sets the type, but hunting and polo would go on just the same if there were no shows. The Modern Hackney On the other hand, it is probable that the modern hackney would drop out if it were not for the shows, for the modern hackney is a fancy horse which is not actually re- quired. He is, as a matter of fact, the finest harness horse in the world, but it is not absolutely necessary that he should be used, and he is to a certain extent sustained by the horse show. For the benefit of the uninitiated it may be explained that the modern hackney is the beautiful harness horse of high action, arched neck, and fast pace who wins the driving prizes at the Agricultural Hall, at Olympia, Richmond, and at all the big shows of the kingdom. As far as pedigree goes, he comes originally from thoroughbred stock (on the side of the horse at least), and he is an almost per- fect horse of his kind. He is occasionally ridden, but is out of place under the saddle, and most thoroughly in place in the shafts, or alongside another of his species in double harness. Importance of the Hackney The hackney will be treated of in his proper place, and he is only mentioned now in order that his intense importance to a certain section of the horsey world may be realised. It is perhaps not going too far to state that the horse show as an institution could hardly be sustained as it now is if it were not for the hackney. Shire horses, hunters, and polo ponies have, like the hackney, a breed show every spring, where the classes are confined exclusively to horses of each particular breed, and there are some few local shows of Shire or hunter breeding stock. But at the all-round show, where there are classes for all sorts of horses, the part played by the hackney is a truly important one. It does not quite follow that every horse or pony which is shown in harness is a pedigree hackney, but probably nine out of every ten horses which come in to contest the driving classes at the best shows are in the Hackney Stud Book, unless, indeed, they are American trotters or tradesmen's horses. THE HORSE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 27 This meLins that all the single and double harness classes which are seen at such a show as Oljonpia are placed on the pro- gramme in the interests of the hackney, and it need hardly be said that if there were no harness classes there would, in all prob- is not exactly an old one. Some breeders ha\'e always been interested in producing a high-class stepping horse, and the East Riding of Yorkshire and Norfolk especially concerned themselves with this class of animal. But at one time trotting pace SIR WALTER GILBEY'S WELSH PONY. STARLIGHT. abihty, be a great falling off in interest on the part of the public. The crowd dearly love to see the high-stepping, quick-actioned harness horses flying round the ring, and in proof of this statement it may be mentioned that year after year the Hackney Show at Islington attracts much larger afternoon attendances than do the hunter and polo pony shows in the following week. During the afternoons of the Hackney Show, when harness classes are being judged, the crowd is always a large one, and the popularity of this particular breed of horse is invariably proved by the enthusiasm which is displayed. It must be understood, too, that the hackney industry, as at present conducted, appeared to be the great desideratum, and it was only when it began to be recognised that there was practically no market in this country for the home-bred trotter, that more attention was paid to elegance of outline, showy appearance, and fine knee and hock action. Trotters were never wanted for ordinary harness purposes in the United Kingdom, but when high-class harness horses with grand action were forthcoming, a demand for such horses for park work quickly arose, and this demand extended to Paris, to Italy, and in some degree to all parts of the European continent. Then about a quarter of a century ago came the Hackney 28 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Society — which held its twenty-iifth annual show this year — and since then huge sums of money have been invested in stud farms, and the hackney has gradually come to be recognised as the highest class of harness horse, as apart from a trotter, in the world. Triumph of the Hackney For long enough there was a certain amount of prejudice against the hackney, his enemies affirming that he knocked himself to bits and was of little use for a long journey. The hackney, indeed, had to struggle against a great deal of unfair opposition. There were those who said that he was of too artificial a breed, and that his pronounced action would never stand work, but the hackney has lived down all that sort of thing, and during the last eight or ten years even the coaching men have not only been reconciled to him, but liave in many cases become his warmest admirers. Of the meets of the Four-in-Hand and Coaching Clubs held during 1908, it can truly be said that about half the teams which put in appearance were either pure- bred hackneys or horses of hackney type, which if not actually in the Stud Book had been sired by a hackney, and had, at all events, hackney appearance and action. Certain members of either of the clubs drive hackneys over the matching of which much care must have been taken, and Sir Henry Ewart, Sir Lindsay Hogg, and Mr. E. Colston may be quoted as admirers of the type, whose teams are to all appearances the same sort of horses that are seen in the harness classes of the Hackney Society's Show at Islington. The Hackney Pony Closely akin to the hacloiey is the hackney pony, or hackney in miniature, a distinctly modern t5^pe of little harness nag, which is seen to advantage in a Ralli car. This pony has attracted the attention of breeders since the larger hackney became fashionable, and not only is much money spent on breeding him, but at times the outlay is well repaid, certain of these ponies having recently been sold for enormous sums. Other breeds of ponies there are — some, indeed, may almost be called fancy breeds — but these will be treated of in their proper order, and mention is only made of them here in order that the many and varied branches of the horse intiustry may be realised and understood. HIGHLAND PONIES FEEDING. THE DARLEY ARABIAN. From the engraving by J. Webb. CHAPTER III THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE AND HIS ORIGIN A the present moment there is no horse in the world which can com- pare with the thoroughbred as far as speed is concerned, and the thorough- bred, though now to be found in many parts of the world, is of British origin, or perhaps it would be more correct to say of British manufacture. To describe in the simplest possible manner from what breed of horses the thoroughbred is derived is an easy matter so far as the sire line is concerned, but rather more difficult with regard to the mares from which the breed originally came. Briefly, every thoroughbred horse now h\ing traces to one of three Eastern 5 29 sires which were nnported into Great Britain in the eighteenth century. In like manner, nearly every thoroughbred traces to one of some fifty — more or less — mares, but whereas the evidence is con- clusive and complete with regard to the sires, it is not always clear with regard to the mares. The sires to which reference has been made are the Darley i\rabian, the Godolphin Barb, and the Byerly Turk, and about these three horses all particulars have been well preserved. On the other hand there is a considerable doubt surrounding the origin of several of the mares, and whilst it is certain that some of them were Eastern THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE importations, it is possible that others dated back to English ancestors. It will, perhaps, be the best plan to treat of the sires first, and to begin with it should be stated that the thoroughbred horse is, in common Enghsh, the race-horse. He is thoroughbred because his name is to be found in the General Stud Book, and this means that his ancestors can be traced back to the various Eastern sources of which brief mention has just been made. The Stud Book The General Stud Book, it may be ex- plained, covers the ground for a period which may be broadly reckoned as 200 years, and for the latter three-fourths of that period details as to the breeding of every horse or mare in the book are very concise. With regard to the earlier entries, elements of doubt are occasionally met with, but for all practical purposes a pedigree of 150 years is long enough for anything, especially when it is borne in mind that as regards the sire lines the records are re- markably clear. That racing was carried on in England for hundreds of years, during which no records of the sport were kept, is a fact of which there is plenty of proof. Indeed, the names of various early race-horses are to be found in certain historical writings, but there is no reliable evidence which connects them with the thoroughbred of the present da}', and it is by no means certain whether such horses were British bred, cross bred, or importations from foreign countries. We Icnow that Normandy horses were brought into this country in considerable numbers after the Norman conquest, and we also lT» ^ L^*?^-?^ A>tJ< " jf'v'ra >I QUEEN MARY. From the engraving by E. Hacker after ike painting by Harry Hall. CHAPTER VIII THE FEMALE LINES THOUGH great brood mares have always been almost as highly thought of by their breeders and owners as stallions, they have not until quite recently attracted anything like so much general interest. Successful brood mares have, as a matter of course, been awarded their full due of praise, but their origin in tail female (and for that matter the origin of all race-horses in tail female) was almost entirely ignored until the late Mr. Bruce Lowe, an Australian, was at the trouble to classify all the female families of which there are existing descend- ants at the present day. Mr. Bruce Lowe's work drew attention to the fact that the original females and the part they played towards building up the breed of thoroughbreds had been to a great extent ignored, but one cannot help thinking that he went too far in the opposite direction, and was inclined to the idea that the male played a somewhat small part in breeding. Mr. Lowe wrote in the Introduction of his book : " While admitting the important part a sire plays in the introduction of a race-horse, it will be conceded generally that the dam exercises a greater influence upon his constitution and temper . . . and that a successful sire derives his excellence principally from the combination of certain female lines in his pedigree tables." That the above statements are by no means conclusive need hardly be said, and a somewhat general opinion is to the effect that where there is great individuaUty in either horse or mare, similar characteristics will be reproduced in the stock. This in- dividuality must have been exceedingly conspicuous in such famous stud matrons 84 THE FEMALE LINES 85 as Giantess, Beeswing, Alice Hawthorn, Martha Lynn, Pocahontas, and more re- cently in Morganette and Perdita II. (to name only half-a-dozen famous breeders), and in like manner such sires as Eclipse, Herod, Pot-8-os, \\lialebone, StockweU, New- minster, and more lately Galopin, Bend Or, and St. Simon, have been the possessors of extraordinary indi\'iduality. As for con- stitution and temper these attributes will be found in some cases to follow the sire and in others the dam, though it is generally conceded that the male animal gives the external, and the female the internal organs. It is not necessary to argue at length either for or against this rather disputed point, for it may safely be said that there is no fixed rule on the subject. Indeed, there is so little that is decisively known con- cerning the breeding of thoroughbreds, and so much that is still obscure, that a strong opinion, either one way or the other, must be injudicious. One can think of dozens, nay hundreds of good horses which have been bred from dams of the most moderate character, and one is inchned to think that really first-rate race-horses whose dams have been moderate platers are far more common than horses of similar calibre whose sires had been third-rate performers in their running days. Morganette, the dam of the Derby winners Galtee More and Ard Patrick, was a very ordinary selling plater and a roarer to boot, and Pocahontas, the dam of StockweU, Rataplan and King Tom in three succeeding years, was described by one who was in- terested in her fortunes as " a bad roarer and indifferent performer on the turf." It is our object, however, to show the female descent as we have the male, so that the origin of the British thoroughbred may be made clear. It may be stated at once that whereas all the evidence with regard to the males is fairly clear, the origin of many of the earlier females is wrapped in mysteries which will never be thoroughly solved. There is, for example, that matter of the Royal mares to which reference has already been made, and the further matter of the blanks in the pedigrees of Eclipse, Herod and Matchem. ^^^$^^-^' i -^P^' 12 BLINK BONNY. From the engyaving by E. Hacker a/tcy the painting by Harry Hall. 86 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE To sum up this part of the question we cannot say for certain whether the Royal mares were all of Eastern origin — because it is possible that the term Royal was apphed to all mares at the Royal stud — ■ nor can we decide whether the blanks in the pedigrees were of Eastern or English origin. We ourselves incline strongly to the idea of a large amount of British founda- tion in the composition of the thoroughbred, but that is only because of tlie fact that the records of Eastern horses — both sires and mares — seem to have been fairly well kept, while there are no accounts extant of English sires or mares — except one or two, the line of which has not been con- tinued. First Stud Book Mares Wlien the English Stud Book was first compiled it contained about one hundred original marcs — which Mr. Lowe designated tap roots. Of these fiftj% more or less, are still represented, so that there has been nothing like so much " survival of the fittest " as there has been with the sires. Mr. Lowe, by the way, was strongly of opinion that effeminacy in sires or sire lines was derived from Barb origin, and that the great sires of the English stud mostly trace their descent to Royal and English native- bred mares. It will be seen that Mr. Lowe does not differentiate between Royal and native-bred (the italics are his) mares, and it may be here stated that his opinions on this subject are entitled to the fullest consideration, because he made so much research into the matter. Now going on to the evidence of the Stud Book, we find on page 388, of the 1891 edition of the first volume, that Charles L had at Tutbur3^ Staffordshire, in 1643, a number of mares and stallions described as race-horses, a list of which from the records includes three Morocco mares. Of the issue (if any) of these mares nothing has been handed down, and whether their offspring became Royal mares we do not know. We can, however, trace the modern race- horse back in the bottom remove of his pedigree to a female ancestor, as we can in the top line to one of the three Eastern stalHons. This tracing Mr. Lowe apphed to all the winners of classic races about sixteen years ago, and having sorted them out he apportioned the mares in the order of their winning descendants, writing of them as No. I family. No. 2 family, and so on. Persimmon's Descent in Tail Female Perhaps it will be the simplest method of explaining if we take a well-known horse of the present day, and show his descent in tail female, as we have already done in tail male. For example Persimmon traces back to D'Arcy's Black Legged Royal mare. Thus : — D'Arcy's Black Legged Royal mare Daughter of Lord Oxford's Dun Arabian Miss Slammerkin by Young True Blue Duchess by Whitenose Pyrrha by Matchem Daughter of Young Marske Daughter of Phenomenon Daughter of Pipator Grandiflora by Sir Harry Dimsdale Bessy by Young Gouty Myrrha by Malek Ellen Middleton by Bay Middleton Teterrima by Voltigeur La Belle Helena by St. Albans Hermione by Young Melbourne Perdita IL by Hampton dam of Persimmon by St. Simon. Persimmon, it will be seen, is sixteenth in descent from his earliest known female ancestor, just as he is fifteenth from the Darley Arabian in his sire line. As to what D'Arcy's Black Legged Royal mare really was, or how she was bred, the Stud Book is completely at sea. The entry is as follows : " Lord D'Arcy's Black Legged Royal marc, probably a daughter of one of the Royal mares at Hampton Court, and removed to Sedbury, near Richmond (in Yorkshire), on the death of Queen i\nne." This, it will be seen, is almost entirely conjecture, and therefore it can only be said that horses descended from this particular root go back to a certain " Royal mare " which was (presumably) living THE FEMALE LINES 87 just after Queen .\nne died. Such well- known horses as Donovan, Wild Dayrcll, and West Australian trace back to this same mare. It will, however, be best to glance at these original mares or tap roots in the order of their placing by Mr. Bruce Lowe. For the " famihes " have since been known in that particular way, and as regards merit the numbers as chosen sixteen years ago are still in the foremost positions, though there have been, and always will be, changes of individual positions. The "Natural Barb Mare" The tirst place was assigned by Air. Lowe to a " natural Barb mare " owned by Mr. Tregonwell, and about whom the particulars are singularly vague. Indeed, she is only incidentally mentioned in the Stud Book as the great-grand-dam of Sir W. Rarasden's Byerly Turk mare, who, in 1704, bred Grey Ramsden, and a year or two later had a filly by the Darley Arabian, who was in turn the direct maternal ancestress of such recent classic winners at Ladas, Canterbury Pilgrim, Bend Or, Robert the Devil, and Lord Lyon. What was the date of this natural Barb mare's importation we do not know, but she was mated with Place's White Turk, an Eastern stallion imported by Mr. Place, Master of the Horse to Oliver Cromwell, and the result of this alliance was a filly which was mated with the Taffolet or Morocco Barb, about whom no particulars are forthcoming beyond the fact that " he got the Honeycomb Punch about 1692." of this family have not been numerous during the last ten years. Burton's Barb Mare No. 2 family is known as that of Burton's Barb mare, of whom there are no particulars in the Stud Book beyond the bare mention of such a mare having bred a filly to Dods- worth, and another filly to Dicky Pierson, a son of Dodsworth. These filHes were bred at the Royal stud at Hampton Court, and from the Dodsworth filly came a brother and sister by the Helmsley Turk, of which the latter bred a filly by Hautboy, while from the Dicky Pierson filly came Old Thornton by Brimmer, and a sister to her, Old Thornton being the dam of Chestnut Thornton by Makeless, from whom a whole host of good horses are descended. Vol. I. of the Stud Book mentions Whitelock, Blacklock, Sir Hercules, Harkaway, Volti- geur, Teddington, and Lord Chfden, amongst others, as being descendants of the Burton Barb mare, and if the lines of this blood are carefully examined it will be found to have had great influence on the breed of thoroughbreds. Byerly Turk Mare Family No. 3 comes from a mare which is described in the Stud Book as Byerly Turk mare, and about which reliable in- formation is greatly wanting. The Stud Book says : " A celebrated mare belonging to Mr. Bowes of Streatlam, and conjectured to have been the same as the above mare." The above mare to which reference is made is described as follows :— son BYERLY TURK JM.\RE. " Her dam by the Selaby Turk, grand-dam by Hautboy out of Sister to Morg of Helmsley Turk — Dodsworth — Burton Barb. f. Bowes by Hutton's Grey Barb "| 1703 gr. c. Surley by ditto >Mr. 1709 ch. c. Wliitefoot by ditto (sold to the Duke of Rutland) J an's Dun, Hutton. by a Again the result was a filly which was the dam of the Byerly Turk mare, and from this point downwards the line can be traced to the celebrities which have just been men- tioned, and to many other great horses — though it may be stated that classic winners The entry then goes on to give information concernmg Bowes and Surley, and it must be admitted that the entry, though clear enough as to the mare herself, is very hazy as to whether she can be identified with the Byerly Turk mare which forms the next THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE entry in the book, and of which we ha\"e just made mention. Dam of the Two True Blues This second Byerly Turk mare was the dam of two grej' cohs by Honeywood's Arabian (also known as W'iUiams' Turk and Sir Charles Turner's Turk). These grey colts were foaled in 1710 and 1718, and it has lately been the custom to describe their dam as the dam of the two True Blues, the colts having been knowii as True Blue and Young True Blue respec- tively. Between 1710 and 1718 (the exact dates not being given) the dam of the two True Blues foaled two grey fillies to Honeywood's Arabian, and in turn the elder of these fillies bred two fillies to Bartlett's Childers, and from her many of the best known race-horses are descended. There is no need to give a full list, but the names of the Flying Dutchman, of Stockwell, Rataplan, and King Tom, of Galopin, Isinglass, and of the famous fillies ilemoir and La Fleche may be mentioned. The Layton Barb Mare Family No. 4 is known as the family of the Layton Barb mare, who, according to the Stud Book, was owned by Lord D'Arcy in the early days of the eighteenth century. She appears to have bred fillies to Dods- M^orth, to Brimmer, and about 1715 to D'Arcy's Chestnut x\rabian. From the Dods- worth filly came Matchem, from whom all the Barcaldine family are descended in tail male, but the line has been more prolific of great mares than of great horses, and in recent days Throstle, Sibola, Reve d'Or, Seabreeze, Thebais, St. iMarguerite, and Apology are descended from it, while Virago — thought by some to be the greatest female performer of all time — is also one of the line, as is the Derby winner Rock Sand. Apropos this Layton Barb mare, a mare named Anticipation was foaled in 1802, who is described in \o\. IIL of the Stud Book as by Beningborough out of Expectation out of sister to Telemachus by Herod out of Skim. Tlfis Skim mare belonged to ]\Ir. \'ernon.' and there is a note in the Stud Book to the effect that Mr. Vernon's own Stud Book gave the Skim mare as out of Young Country Wench, by James out of Crab, and Telemachus was entered and advertised as dam by Skim — James — Crab, which is right of both pedigrees. It is thought, however, that Mr. \'ernon's entry is not a correct one, and the Weatherby Stud Book pedigree has always been accepted. It may be added that many of the best mares of the family trace back to Expecta- tion. Massey's Barb Mare Famih' No. 5 goes back to a mare by Mr. Massey's Black Barb, which mare was possibly of English descent. About Massey's Black Barb there are no particulars, but the mare sired by this horse bred Old Ebony to Basto (by the Byerly Turk), and she in turn bred several colts and a mare named Ebony to Flying Childers. Ebony bred a mare named Hag to Crab ; she in turn bred Young Hag to Skim, and her daughter by Herod bred a mare known as Silver's dam, who foaled Grey Skim to Herod. This is the main line of the family which came down to the 1867 Derby winner Hermit. More recently Galtee More and Ard Patrick are of this family, and other members thereof are Doncaster and Marie Stuart, stable companions who ran such a great race for the St. Leger, Gladiateur, and Florizel (1768), the sire of the first Derby winner, Diomed, from whom many of the best American race-horses are de- scended. Family Xo. 6 comes, according to Mr. Bruce Lowe, from Old Bald Peg, but this Old Bald Peg was, according to the Stud Book, got by an Arabian out of a Barb mare, and was therefore of Eastern descent. The information is very vague, and the name of the owner of the. Barb mare is not given, but Old Bald Peg was the dam of Spanker by the D'Arcy Yellow Turk, and later she herself foaled to her own son Spanker a filly from whom Betty Leedes {see the pedigree of Eclipse) was descended. The Stud Book adds that " the same (the THE FEMALE LINES 89 pedigree) is written on the fly-leaf of Mr. Buller's copy of the first edition of Mr. Fairfax's ' Compleat Sportsman.'" This Mr. Fairfax died in 1774. Spanker is said to have been the best horse at Newmarket in Charles II. 's reign ; he afterwards covered in the family one may look for its more than holding its own in the future. Family No. 8 is known as that of " the mare by Bustler " (son of the Helmsley Turk), who bred a mare to the Byerly Turk, she in turn breeding a mare to Hutton's BEESWING. 'ing by Hacker after the painting by Marli. at Brocklesby in Lincobishire, and has sometimes been described as Mr. Pelham's Bay Arabian. From this family are descended King Fergus, Sorcerer, Priam, Plenipotentiary, and several famous lights of other days, but of late years the line has been stagnant as regards classic winners, and it looks like going farther back. Family No. 7, that of the Black Legged Royal mare, has already been mentioned in explanation of the table which traces Per- simmon to his female tap-root. It need only be added that Flying Fox, Donovan, Wild- fowler, and of course Florizel II. and Dia- mond Jubilee, are also of the hne, and that as there have been many recent big wdnners Royal colt, and she again breeding a mare to Hutton's Grey Barb, which was known as the Coneyskins mare. All this is very vague, but there is presumptive e\idence that the original Bustler mare was English, as there is no mention of her dam, which there would surely have been had she been a foreign importation. The Coneyskins mare bred four fillies, one of whom was by Fox Cub, and this fiUy in turn bred to Bay Bolton a fiUy who was the grand-dam of Marske and the great-grand-dam of Echpse. Ayrshire, St. Serf, Melton, and Newminster are some of the good horses of this hne. Family No. 9 is that of the Old Vintner mare, about whom the Stud Book has the following : " .AH that is known of this mare 90 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE is from a memorandum of Mr. Crofts to the effect that he had himself seen her, that she was the property of Mr. Curwen of Work- ing-ton, and was the best bred as well as the best runner of her day in the North. She was a brood mare before running. As Mr. Crofts does not say so she was prob- ably not a natural Barb or Arabian, but very likely from the Lowther stud, the Lowther family having for many genera- tions imported Eastern blood, and many good horses." The origin of this mare is, then, just as great a mystery as is the origin of any and every other original mare which cannot be traced to Eastern ancestors on both sides of the house. It will be noticed that the remark about the mare having possibly come from the Lowther stud is pure suggestion, and we are much more inclined to think that if she had any foreign blood in her veins such blood came from some of Mr. Curwen's own importations, as he brought two rather famous Barbs from France, one of which had been a present from the King of Morocco to Louis the Fourteenth. After all, however, the presumption is that the Vintner mare in some degree, if not altogether, was of British blood. She was mated with the White Legged Lowther Barb, and again with Pulliene's Arabian — about neither of which horses is there any information — and she bred a filly to each, and they in turn were mated with Curwen (or Pelham Old Spot) and Blossom (a son of the Curwen Bay Barb) respectively. From the first-mentioned union came sister to Mixbury, who went mated with Jigg, by the Byerly Turk bred Partner, the sire of Tartar and the grandsire of Herod. Many big winners came from this tap-root at one time, but just lately there has been a falling off, though La Sagesse and Kil- warlin may be mentioned as descendants in tail female of the Old Vintner mare. The Snap Mare Family No. lo is that of " the Snap mare, her dam an unnamed mare by the Gower staUion, grand-dam by Childers (probably the Grey Childers mare — Fair Helen)." This is delightfully vague, and if we turn to an earlier entry in the Stud Book we find " Grey Childers mare, bred by Lord Gower in 1741, got by Grey Childers (brother to Fleece 'Em), her dam Fair Helen, by Williams' Squirrel out of an Osysterfoot mare." It can be conjectured that the two mares were identical, but the evidence is unreliable. It is a pity that the records are not clearer, as from the Snap mare are descended such celebrities as Blair Athol, Blink Bonny, and Caller Ou, to say nothing of later high class horses in Hampton, Tristan, and the Oaks winner La Roche. As there is doubt as to identity one cannot help thinking that the Snap mare should give its name to the family rather than the daughter of the Gower stallion. The Sedbury Royal Mare Family No. 11 is that of the Sedbury Royal mare, but should most certainly be called that of Miss D'Arcy's Pet mare, as it is absolutely impossible to say for certain whether the Pet mare was out of a Sedbury Royal mare or not. The Stud Book says of the Pet mare, " she was the daughter either of Grey Royal or of a Sedbury Royal mare," and Grey Royal was " bred at Hampton Court or Sedbury, got by D'Arcy's White Turk, dam by D'Arcy's Yellow Turk — a Royal mare. Grey Royal (or rather her dam) has a family of her own, and it is quite possible that this family and that of Miss D'Arcy's Pet mare were identical. We shall not attempt to solve the mystery, but may mention that Birdcatcher, St. Simon, and Orme are members of the line which has come from the Pet mare, and that No. II (the Pet mare) is doing much better than No. 13 (the dam of Grey Royal). Brimmer Mare Family No. 12 is known as the family of a Royal mare (dam of Brimmer mare). From the Brimmer mare came a mare by Hautboy, and she again bred to Old Montagu a mare, who, in Vol. I. of the Stud Book, is recorded as having bred five fillies, one of whom, by Smith's son of Snake, was Mother Western, the dam of Spiletta, and grand-dam a 5 O S 03 S u § THE FEMALE LINES 91 of Eclipse. This then is the family to which Eclipse belongs, but beyond Spiletta and her sire Regulus (by the Godolphin) no dates in Eclipse's pedigree are given, so that, as has already been suggested, the earlier part of the pedigree is indefinite and vague. The family has never been a par- ticularly strong one, and this is evidence in a way to the extraordinary vitality of Eclipse, who was able to assert himself in spite of the fact that his relatives on the female side of the house were never doing much towards bringing the family into promi- nence. The Oldfield Mare No further reference to Family No. 13, that of the Royal mare (dam of Grey Royal), is needed, but Family No. 14 is that of the Oldfield mare, " of which nothing is known, but she was described as ' highly bred.' " The real Stud Book entry refers to " Lady Mare " got by (Old) Pert (son of the Ely Turk), her dam by St. Martin, grand-dam by Sir E. Hale's Turk out of the Oldfield mare. The Stud Book is blank as to the Ely Turk and Sir E. Hale's Turk, their names only being mentioned, but the Lady mare bred Driver and two fillies, one by the Newton Arabian and one by Merlin, and the former bred in 173 1 Look at the Lads by Grasshopper, a son of the Byerly Turk, while the other bred the dam of Naylor's Sally and a sister to Sally. From the daughter of Grasshopper came Dove, the dam of Brunette and grand-dam of Trurapator, and others in the descent are Touchstone, Buccaneer, Touchet, and Sara- band, while quite lately such celebrities as Pretty Polly, and the Derby winners \'olodyovski and St. Amant, have brought the family into a prominent position. Family No. 15 is that of the Royal mare who bred Grey WTiy Not to Old Why Not, a son of the Fenwick Barb. Grey Why Not bred fillies to St. Victor Barb, and from these some nine or ten classic winners have been bred, but with the exception of Har- vester most of them won their races a long time ago, and when Harvester shared the Derby with St. Gatien he was the first of his family to win a classic race for forty-two years. "Young Marske" Mare Family No. 16 is one of the vaguest as to its origin. In the Stud Book there is an entry of " Young Marske mare, bred by Mr. Hutton, her dam by brother to Silvio, grand-dam (sister to StripHng) by Hutton's Spot." There is also a footnote that Mr. Hutton's ch. h. Stripling was running in 1751, but no further pedigree of him is known. Hutton's Spot was by Hartley's Blind Horse out of a mare by Surley, her dam by Coneyskins out of a mare by Haut- boy, and Hartley's Blind Horse was by the Holdcrness Turk, who was brought from Constantinople by Queen Anne's ambassador about 1704. We need not go through all the line of this family to the present day, but whereas the last family we have men- tioned began well, and has done badly in recent years, so No. 16 has been a good deal to the front just lately, having had the winners of no fewer than twelve classic races since 1883. Its latest great repre- sentative is Sceptre, and it can also claim Ormonde, St. Gatien, Bonny Jean, L'Abbesse de Jouarre, Farewell, and Troutbeck, who won the St. Leger in 1906. It is likely that this family will take a higher place in the immediate future. Family No. 17 is that of the dam or grand-dam (the Stud Book is not quite clear on the subject) by the Byerly Turk of the WTiarton mare, who was herself a daughter of Lord Carlisle's Turk. The only classic winner the family has had in this country was Regalia, by Stockwell, who won the Oaks in 1865. Old Woodcock Family No. 18 comes from a daughter of Old Woodcock, about whom there seems to be some doubt. Pick mentions " a mare of Mr. Wilkinson's called Old Woodcock by the Wavey Woodcock," while Vol. I. of the Stud Book merely states that a Bartlett's Childers mare, " bred by Sir M. Wyvill in 1720, her dam by the Devonshire Turk out of sister to Westbury by the Curwen Bay THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Barb — Ciinven Old Spot — Old Woodcock," was the dam of certain fillies by Young Belgrade, whose descendants are still to be found. Probably the origin was British, but the e\idence is terribly vague. Waxy, the sire of four Derby winners in Whalebone, Blucher, WTiisker, and Pope (or Waxy Pope), was the greatest horse of the line, and if the blood of the Old Woodcock mare is not doing great tilings now in direct tail female, it lives through all the descendants of AMialebone, so that every horse of Bird- catcher or Newminster descent has some of it. Family No. 19 is supposed to come from a daughter of Davill's Old \\'oodcock, but whether there was any connection between this Old Woodcock and the mare of the same name who founded family No. 18 it is impossible to say. The Stud Book assumes two different mares, but no dates are given, and we only know in connection with the second of the two that she was the great-grand-dam of a mare, who figures as " Counsellor (Woods) mare, sister to gr. h. Thunderbolt, who was foaled in 1723. Her dam by Snake — Luggs — Davill's Old Woodcock." Of the Counsellor mare full particulars are given ; she had numerous issue, and from her that great horse Isonomj' was descended, and also his son Gallinule. The line is therefore doing pretty well, though its total of classic winners is not large. CALLLK CJU the engraving by E. Hacker ajter the painting by Harry Hall. ALICE HAWTHORN. the engraving by J. H. Enghhcait. Aj'tci the original by \V. Taskc CHAPTER IX THE FEMALE LINES {continued) FAMILY No. 20, called by Bruce Lowe that of the Daughter of Gascoigne's Foreign horse, begins in the Stud Book with (grey) Favourite, bred by Mr. Durham in 1728, got by a son of the Bald Galloway, her dam by Sir T. Gas- coigne's Foreign horse. Some nine or ten classic winners are descended from Favour- ite, who was lately represented by Doricles, winner of the St. Leger in 1901. Family Xo. 21 comes from the Moonah Barb mare who was owned by Queen Anne, and was located at the Hampton Court stud. Sweetmeat is probably the best known horse of this line, which is not an illustrious one. 13 Family No. 22 traces back to a mare by the Belgrade Turk, whose daughter by Bay Bolton had a filly to Bartlett's Childers, she in turn foaling Flora to Regulus. Flora was a most prolific mare, and from her are descended two comparatively recent Derby winners in St. Blaise and Merry Hampton, a much more famous horse than either in St. Frusquin, and the 1903 Oaks winner. Our Lassie. Family No. 23 is that of Piping Peg, the dam of the Hobby mare, who was by Lister's Turk. From the Hobby mare came the line of Brocklesby Betty, Brocklesby, Grey Brocklesby, Bay Brocklesby, and a numerous family, which has lately been in 93 94 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE e\'idence through the Derby and Oaks victories of Signorinetta in 1908. From the Hobby mare were also descended Bob Booty, and more recently Solon, Barcal- dine, Ossian, and Hagioscope. Family No. 24 comes from the Hclmsley Turk mare, who was the grand-dam of the Duke of Bolton's Old Lady. Camel, the sire of Touchstone, is of this family, as also is the Baron, the sire of Stockwell. Family No. 25 is that of an unnamed mare by Brimmer, who was the dam of the (Old) Scarboro' mare by Makeless. From her are descended Young Melbourne, and the Derby winners, Azor and Sefton, but the family is not much heard of in these days. Family No. 26 is that of a daughter of Merlin, who was the dam of a mare by the Darley Arabian ; and she in turn was the great grand-dam of Salome (or Selima), whose daughter Cypron by Blaze was the dam of Herod. The great horse just named is the most illustrious of the family, from which, however, nine classic winners have sprung, the last of which was Promised Land, successful in the Two Thousand of 1831. Family No. 27 is called by Bruce Lowe a Spanker mare, dam of a Byerly Turk mare. In the Stud Book it commences with Farmer mare, got by King William's White Chillaby — Byerly Turk — Spanker — • vague enough in all conscience. Many good horses have come of this line, and Pero Gomez, Energy, Doubloon, Discord, and Arbitrator may be mentioned as some of the most recent. Family No. 28 is that of a daughter of Place's White Turk, who bred the Coppin or Coffin mare to the Selaby Turk. Pick and the Stud Book hold different opinions as to whether there was a dual individuality, and though the Stud Book takes the view that the two mares were confused in old pedigrees we have failed to discover wh}' Pick's story should not have been correct. Anyhow, from the Coppin or Coffin mare came a filly by Commoner, and from her certain winners of a bygone generation were descended. Family No. 29 is that of a Natural Barb mare, daiii of a mare by the Bassett Arabian, from whom the St. Leger winners Ashton and Rowton were descended, and Family No. 30 is that of the daughter of the Duke de Chartres' Hawker, who was the grand- dam of Golden Locks, and from whom came two early Derby winners, Archduke and Paris. Beyond the above thirty original mares there are twenty others whose blood is still to be found. Their families are, however, inconspicuous, and it will be sufficient if we enumerate them as they were placed by Bruce Lowe. Family No. 31, Dick Burton's Barb mare : representative, Fazzoietto (Two Thousand Guineas, 1836). Family No. 32, Barb mare, dam of Dodsworth : representative, Challacombe (St. Leger, 1905). Family No. 33, Sister to Honeycomb Punch : representative, Sargeant (Derby, 1784). Family No. 34, Daughter of Hautboy : representative, Birmingham (St. Leger, 1830). Family No. 35, Daughter of Bustler : representative. Haphazard. Family No. 36, Daughter of Curwen's Bay Barb : representative. Economist. Family No. 37, Sister to Old Merlin : representative, Bourbon (St. Leger, 1777). Family No. 38, Thwaites dun mare : representative, Pot-8-os. Family No. 39, Bonny Black, her dam by a Persian horse. Family No. 40, A Royal mare, dam of Brimmer mare. Family No. 41, Grasshopper mare, dam of Traveller mare. Family No. 42, Spanker mare, dam of mare by Pulleine's Arabian Oiseau. Family No. 43, Natural Barb mare, great grand-dam of Cardigan colt mare : representative. Underhand. To Mr. Bruce Lowe's list of original mares, Mr. W. Allison, who edited Mr. Bruce Lowe's book, has added : — Family No. 44, Bustler mare : representa- tive, Joe Miller. Family No. 45, Young Cade mare : repre- sentative, Barcarolle. THE FEMALE LINES 95 Family No. 46, Babraham mare : repre- sentative, Young Gouty. Family No. 47, Spectator mare. Family No. 48, Shields Galloway mare : representative, Tartar. Family No. 49, Whitenose mare : repre- sentatives, Chiselhampton, Orzil. Family No. 50, Miss Euston : representa- tive, Bryan O'Lynn. It has been explained that a majority of the best race-horses come from the families with the lowest numbers, and this is proved by the fact that a very large proportion of all the greatest races in this and in other countries are won by horses which have low numerals. But there is no infallible rule in the matter, and every now and then a big winner will be found to belong to an outside family, as Challacombe (32), Sig- norinetta {2^), or St. Gatien, Ormonde, Troutbeck and Sceptre, all of whom come from family No. 16. CHALLACOMBE. -m//i /fy W. A RoiicJt. THE ROODEYE, CHESTER: THE OLDEST RACE-COURSE IN THE KINGDOM. From an old lithograph. Ajtcr a draining hy Alfred Sumn:r. CHAPTER X THE TURF IT has been very truly stated that horses existed in Great Britain before histories, and it is also exceedingly probable that horse-races took place at a period when there could be no chance whatever of their being recorded. That the Enghsh are a horsy nation, or rather that they were once a horsy nation, is a fact which can hardly be disputed, and that being so it is probable that tests of speed were tried at a very early period of English history. But it is also probable that during the earlier part of what is now known as the Middle Ages the tournament and the war- horse or charger claimed more consideration than the horse whose speed was his chief characteristic, and who was too lightly built to carry a fully equipped knight in armour. There is, however, no need to speculate on a question concerning which there are not many reliable historical details, and about which there is so much doubt, and therefore we may turn to such evidence as is forthcoming. The first usually cited reference to racing, or rather to running horses, occurs as early as the ninth century, when Hugh Capet, 96 who was a suitor, for the hand of the sister of Athelstan, sent over as a present to that prince several running horses (equos cur sores) , caparisoned with saddles and bridles orna- mented with gold. It has been concluded by various writers and commentators on the original Latin from which the story is derived, that these running horses were race-horses, and that there probably was some use for such horses in this country. Strutt, who wrote an important work on " The Sports and Pastimes of the English People " more than one hundred years ago, evidently took the view that Hugh Capet's horses were race-horses, and he argues the fact of this gift proves that horse-racing was known and practised by the Anglo- Saxons, " but most probably confined to persons of rank and opulence, and practised only for amusement sake." Strutt's opinion has not been generally accepted, however, and in James Rice's " History of the Turf," published in 1879, the writer takes the view that the gift of running horses " does not establish the existence of the practice of horse-racing among the Anglo-Saxons ; THE TURF 97 on the contraiy, the running horses of Hugh Capet were, it is sufficiently proved, animals swift in the chase, and called run- ning horses on account of their superior speed." As to which conjecture — for the views of Strutt and Rice were really only conjectures — is the right one we shall not attempt definitely to decide, but it seems to us that the Latin words used by the original writer afford a very correct definition of a race- horse, and we are inclined to think that at the time referred to there was no hunting on horseback of sufficient importance to demand a special sort of horse. Indeed, all horses were primarily chargers at this period of the world's history, and that chargers were occasionally raced is extremely probable. It is also possible that as the chargers were bred bigger and bigger, in order that they might be able to carry the fully accoutred man-at-arms, it was found that they were too clumsy for racing, and that in consequence horses built in lighter mould were requisitioned. This might possibly account for the fact that there is no mention of horse-racing between the story of Hugh Capet in the ninth century, and the races which took place at Smithiield in the reign of Henry II., who reigned between 1154 and 1189. It is just possible, as has been sug- gested, that during the period referred to the war-horse was too big to race, and that by the middle of the twelfth century lighter horses were being bred, which had more speed, and were not quite so clumsy as the charger accustomed to carry twenty stone. The Earliest Racers But there is further and earlier reference to racing in England which was made use of in Here's " History of Newmarket," and which is derived from Brace's " Roman Wall." This makes mention of imported Arabs of famous speed and stamina (in the reign of the Emperor Severus Alexander, A.D. 210) at Netherby (? Wetherby), in Yorkshire, which were so unsuitable to this climate that their owners were obliged to construct an enclosed training ground in order to prepare them for their engagements. It is also thought by some antiquaries that during the Roman occupation there were race-courses at Rushborough, Carleon, Sil- chester, and Dorchester. Anglo-Saxon Racing There is, moreover, a mention of horse- racing in the works of the Venerable Bede, who lived in the seventh century, in the midst of the Anglo-Saxon era. One of Bede's characters describes how a party on a journey came to a spacious plain adapted to a race-course. The young men were anxious to prove their horses in the greater course, or, as the Saxon translator expresses it, that " we might run and try which had the swiftest horse ; an individual joined them, but his animated horse, at- tempting to clear a cavity in the way, by a violent leap, the youth was thrown senseless against a stone, and with difficulty brought to life." Hore concludes that this probably occurred at Newmarket, within the domain of East Anglia, but there seems to be no proof of this suggestion, and the occurrence is just as likely to have taken place in the North of England, where Bede resided, and where there had been not long before many important Roman camps. Passing over the Smithfield racing in the time of Henry II., it may be mentioned that a horse-race took place in 1377, between horses owned by the Prince of Wales (after- wards Richard II.) and the Earl of Arundel, which was described by the Marquis de Saluces in a manuscript formerly preserved in the Royal library at Paris. This match was " owners up," but it is not recorded where the race took place, what the distance was, or what weights were carried. The Oldest Race-Course In all probability Chester was the first town at which horse-races were regularly held, and anyhow it is quite certain that the Roodeye is the oldest race-course in the kingdom about which there is any dis- tinct account. They may have raced at 98 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Newmarket at an earlier date, but racing is known to have taken place at Chester in the reign of Henry VIII., while the first mention of Newmarket in this connection was at the latter end of the reign of Charles I. The Chester Bell Racing, it appears, was in its earliest days held upon public holidays, and thus an antiquary writing of Chester said, in an ancient MS., attributed to the elder Randel Holme, " it had been customary, time out of mind, upon Shrove Tuesday, for the Company of Saddlers belonging to the City of Chester, to present to the drapers a wooden ball, embellished with flowers, and placed upon the point of a lance ; this ceremony was performed in the presence of the Mayor, at the Cross in the Rodhee, or Roody, an open place near the City ; but this year (the 31st of Henry VIII.) the ball was changed into a bell of silver, valued at three shillings and sixpence, or more, to be given to him who shall run the best, and the farthest on horseback, before them upon the same day." These bells were often denominated St. George's Bells — so says Strutt in his " Sports and Pastimes " — and it is said that in the last year of James I., John Bredeton, innkeeper. Mayor of Chester, first caused the horses entered for this race, then called St. George's race, to start from the point, beyond the new tower, and appointed them to run " five times round the Roody, and he who won the last course or trayne, received the bell, of a good value, of eight or ten pounds or thereabouts, and to have it for ever, which moneyes were collected of the citizens, to a sum for that purpose." Strutt conjectures that the sentence about the winner having the bell for ever implies that it had formerly been used as a temporary mark of honour, and doubtless this was so, but the " temporary mark of honour " may be more definitely construed into " Challenge Cup," for that is what it would be called at the present day. The date of this alter- ation was 1624, the last year but one of the reign of James I. But the Chester antiquary's writing seems rather to suggest that the race was run in heats of a mile, for the winner was the horse who " won the last coursa or trayne." This may either mean that no notice was to be taken as to which horse was leading at the end of the first four circuits of the course, or it may mean, as has been suggested, that the race was run in heats. The point will never be solved now, but racing in heats was common enough not so very long afterwards, so that one is inclined to adopt the idea that this is the first mention of such a competition. Early Disqualifications Forty-six ^-ears later there is another mention of Chester races in the MS. of Randel Holme, and this time there was grave trouble because some of the com- petitors did not fulfil the conditions of the race. The passage is as follows : the Sheriffs of Chester " would have no calves-head feast, but put the charge of it into a piece of plate, to be run for on that day. Shrove Tuesday ; and the High Sheriff borrowed a Barbary horse of Sir Thos. Middleton, which won him the plate ; and being master of the race, he would not suffer the horses of Master Massey, of Puddington, and of Sir Philip Egerton of Oulton, to run because they came the day after the time prefixed for the horses to be brought, and kept in the city ; which thing caused all the gentry to relinquish our races ever since." From the above it is evident that in 1665 racing at Chester was conducted with a certain amount of business-like regulation. It is evident that " conditions " had been drawn up, and it is also evident that disquahfication ensued when the conditions were not properly observed. There is, how- ever, no record as to the actual runners, nor is it known what weights they carried. At the same time the reference to the gentry relinquishing the races suggests that those same races had already acquired a certain amount of popularity, and that they were important enough to be considered by the authorities of the City, there being a THE TURF 99 reference to the Ma\-or in the earher account, and to the Sheriffs in the later one. Henry VIII. as a Race Patron It has been stated that racing took place at Chester in the reign of Henry VIII., but there is also plenty of evidence to show that the King himself was a patron of the sport, for in his Privy Purse expenses men- tion is made of various sums of money given in reward to grooms and servants by whom horses were brought to Eltham, \\indsor, and elsewhere, to compete on the race-course with those belonging to the King. Mr. Hore in his " History of New- market " ferreted out a whole host of particulars in connection with the King's stud, and amongst other things he told us that " in the spring of 1530, the King's watermen received 21s. and 4d. for waiting on the day the King's horses ran. The jockey, if he won, received 24s. and 8d., while Thomas Ogle, the ' Gentleman Rider of the Stables,' got a gratuity of 20s. by the King's special grace and favour." It also appears that it was no easy matter to procure jockeys in those days, for there is an item of £3 6s. 8d. for the expenses of sending one from the borders of Scotland. There is plenty of evidence also to prove that the jockeys wore distinguishing colours, as in these Privy Purse expenses mention is made of " riding boys," of clothes " bought for the boys that ride the running horses," and also of riding caps for these same boys. It is then extremely probable that distin- guishing colours were worn at this early date of racing history. Elizabeth's Racing Stud From the time of Henry VIII. onward racing gradually became one of the national sports of the country. Pages of evidence to this effect could be given, but it will be sufficient if one or two more important landmarks are noted. It is a fact, then, that Queen Elizabeth maintained a racing stud, and in Nichols' " Progress of Queen Eliza- beth " it is mentioned that in 1585 the Queen, accompanied by a brilliant retinue, attended the races at Croydon, when 34s. was expended on a stand for the use of her Majesty. She was also present in 1587 and 1588, there being references to similar expenses in these two years. It is, perhaps, rather curious that whilst the money accounts of Henry VIII., Ehza- beth, and later sovereigns, are so definite in respect to these petty details, there is so little reference to the horses, or to the actual races in which they took part. The five-mile race at Chester seems to be the only event in these early days of the turf of which there is any sort of description, and this description, as has been shown, is exceedingly vague. Other Early Race-Courses Another place of early racing was Don- caster, for a race-course on " Wheatley More " is noticed in old deeds, dated 1600, and there is further reference to it in connection with certain other deeds of the Corporation. " Wheatley More " was probably the Doncaster Town Moor of the present day, for Wheatley Park is situated almost adjoining the course — be- yond the Red House — and has been for long years the residence of the Cooke family, of which Sir William Cooke, Baronet, and Master of Foxhounds, is the present head. There is record of a horse-race at Sapley, near Huntingdon, in 1602, when one bearing the great name of Oliver Cromwell won the silver bell. This Oliver Cromwell was not, however, the afterwards famous Protector, but according to some authorities, his uncle, and it is also said that he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1598, and created K.B. at the coronation of King James. The one thing probable about him is that he was a sportsman, for he won this race, and, in the words of the chronicler, " had the glory of the day." Christopher Clarkson, who wrote a history of Richmond, in the County of York, says that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth racing was carried on to such an excess as to injure the fortunes of many individuals, private matches being made between gentlemen who were generally their own jockeys and 100 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE tryers. At Carlisle the Corporation gave silver bells to be run for in 1599, and it is said that there was an annual horse-race at Haddington in Scotland as early as 1552, the prize being as usual a silver bell. The race-course at Newmarket was, it is generally conceded, made in the reign of bringing in of a peece of plate for a hunting prize, to be ridden for at Woodham Stowpes yearely, upon the Tuesday next before Palme Sunday, and soe to be contynued." It is on record, too, that in 1617 King James I. came to the castle at Durham on the loth of April, and " on Monday the next following the King travelled from the YORK RACE-COURSE. Photograph by Sports &• Gciurat mustratiofts Co. James I., on land which had been a favourite hunting-ground of that particular King, for quite a lengthy period. But there is reason to believe that racing did not actually take place at what was afterwards to be the head- quarters of the Turf, until the following reign. Though James L kept race-horses, he seems to have cared quite as much for hunting, whereas Charles I. encouraged racing — which in his day also took place in Hyde Park. In 16 11 " Great Horse Racing " came off at Croydon during the Easter holidays, and in 1617 there was racing at Woodham Moor, in the county of Durham, when " the sum of fiftie pounds was collected and provided for the yearely Castle to Woodham Moor, to a horse-race, which was run by the horses of William Salvin and Master Maddocks, for a gold purse." The Salvin family still own much property within a few miles of Durham, but the name of Maddocks is hardly known in the district at the present day. Gatherley Moor in Yorkshire, some few miles north of Richmond, on one of the great North roads, was another scene of early racing, and in Clarkson's " History of Richmond " there is a description of the race for the cup, run for on May i6th, 1622, and as this is the earliest descrip- tion of a race that the present writer can find, it is here reproduced. THE TURF lOI " A new maid race upon Rychmond Moor of iiii myles, sett forth and measured by Mr. James Raine, Alderman, and "Sir. John Met- calfe, and many other gentlemen and good fellowes the vith of May. And further the said James Raine, Alderman, with his brethren, hath made up a sume of xii poundes for to buy a free cupp for those knights, gentlemen, or good fellowes that have horses or mares to run, leavyng the cupp free to their own disposition, must make upp the value of the said cupp, to renue the same for the next yeare. " Whereas the names in order as they came this present year 1622, was as foUoweth, John Wagget onely the starter. Impunius Sir George Bowes . . . his horse, i. ;Mr. Humphrey Wyvell, his tryer. Mr. Thomas Bowyer . . . his horse, 2. Mr. Christ. Bollmer, his tryer. Mr. Francis Broughe . . . his horse, 3. ilr. Matt. Rymer, his tryer. ,, Mr. Wausforde . . . his mare, 4. ,, Mr. Anthony Franckland, his tryer. Mr. Loftus . . . his horse, 5. Mr. Francis Wickliffe, his tryer. Mr. Gilbert Wharton, the last and the 6th. Mr. Thomas Wharton, his tryer. '■ So every party putting xl shillings, hath maid upp the stake of xii pounds, for the buying of another cupp for the ne.xt year following." 17th Century Race-Meetings There is record of races having been held at Langworthy in Cumberland in 1612, and at Salisbury in 1616, while in the following year horse-races are mentioned as having occurred in Lancashire at Whalley Abbey, Liverpool, and Walton. There were races at Thetford in 1620, and there is mention of a horse-race at Linton in Cambridgeshire, in the reign of James L, of which the e.xact date is not forthcoming, and of a match between two gentlemen at Brackley in Northants, in 1612. Then, again, in one of Beaumont and Fletcher's plays called " Monsieur Thomas," and which was acted about 162 1, there is mention of a horse- race at Derby. There is also evidence to show that York, Paisley, and Peebles had races about this period, and there is in point of fact ample proof, forthcoming from a variety of trustworthy sources, to the 14 effect that racing was, during the reign of James L, rapidly becoming a popular amuse- ment. The Rise of Newmarket It has now been shown that the Turf in England is, practically, about 300 years old. Meetings, or rather individual races, were common enough in the early days of the seventeenth century, but according to some authorities there is no reliable mention of racing at Newmarket until 1640, which seems rather curious, because — as has been stated — the course is sup- posed to have been made in the previous reign. It is, perhaps, a question of no great importance, but Hore, whose writings show great historical research, was of opinion that racing took place on the famous heath during the reign of James I. In Vol. I. of the " History of Newmarket," p. 327, he wrote : " Our summary introduction to the annals of the turf in the reign of James I., commences with Newmarket, where horse- races and hunting matches were instituted under the auspices of royalty." On p. 215, quoting from Camden's " Annals," or Birch's MS. — it is not quite clear which — he says " there was a horse-race at New- market, at which the King,, tarrying too long, in his return from Newmarket, was forced to put in at an inn at Wichfordbridge, by reason of his being indisposed, and came very late in the night to Rayston " (probably Royston). The date of the occurrence re- ferred to was March 19th, 1619, and the passage affords strong evidence as to the correctness of Mr. Hore's date. There is further evidence on the subject in the MS. of Sir Richard Graham, a gentleman of the horse to the Duke of Buckingham. This makes mention of the Duke losing ;^ioo to Lord SaHsbury, in a race at Newmarket, in 1622, and though particulars of the race or races in question are wanting, there is no reason to distrust the accuracy of the MS. In Mr. T. C. Whyte's " History of the British Turf," pubHshed in 1840, the author boldly states : " The first races which were held in Newmarket, took place in the reign 102 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of Charles I., in the year 1640, although the Round Course was not made until 1666." Cromwell and Racing Charles I. lived in unsettled times, but he was a horseman, and encouraged legitimate sport of all kinds. Ohver Cromwell was too busy a man to devote time to racing, but he did his best towards improving the breed of horses, and continued the importation of Eastern sires, which had now been going on at intervals for a considerable period of time. References to Place's White Turk have been made in connection with the descent of the modern race-horse, and all the evidence points to the fact that " Ohver " was fond of horses, and that he did not discourage racing. Indeed it is on record that the Puritans interfered with nearly every sport of the day except racing, and that they doubtless left alone, because of the need for encouraging the breed of horses. After the Restoration came a general de- velopment of racing, under the auspices of Charles II., who was a great patron of Newmarket, and who instituted the meet- ings on Datchet Mead. He also patronised Burford (in Oxfordshire) races in 1681. James II. was only King for three years, but Wilham III. took personal interest in racing, and maintained a stud, which was under the charge of one Tregonwell Frampton (who has been named the Father of the English Turf), who also filled the office under Queen Anne, George I. and George II. The Byerly Turk was brought to this country during this reign, and in 1706, the fourth year of the reign of Queen Anne, the equally famous Darley Arabian made his appear- ance. Parliament Intervenes At this period of history racing was firmly estabhshed as one of the national sports of the country, and it appears to have progressed smoothly until 1740 (George II.), when an Act to restrain excessive racing was passed by Parliament, which had for its object the putting an end to a number of country- meetings by raising the stakes run for. The new law provided that every horse entered for a race must be bojia fide the property of the person entering it, and that one person might only enter one horse for a race on pain of forfeiture. It was further enacted that no plate should be run for of less value than £50 — the penalty for transgression of the law being £200. Parhament also settled the weights which horses had to carry, as follows : — Five-year-olds to carry 10 stone. Six ,, ,, ,, II stone. Seven ,, ,, ,, 12 stone. The penalty inflicted upon the owner of any horse carrying less than these weights was the forfeiture of the horse, and the payment of a fine of £200 besides. It will be seen that in those days there were no races for young horses, but as a majority of the races were of four miles in length — very often four-mile heats — one can quite understand the omission. Besides, in 1740 the art of training was probably not understood as it is at the present day, and most certainly thoroughbreds were not forced, almost from foalhood, as they are now. The Jockey Club The Act also declared that matches might be run for a stake of under £50, only at Newmarket, and at Black Hamble- ton, in Yorkshire, under a penalty of £200 for disobedience. Everywhere else the lowest prize was to be £50, and entrance money was to go to the second horse. Unfortunately there is no record of all the meetings which had been held prior to 1740, so that it is impossible to know accurately which of them disappeared as a consequence of this Act. The law, how- ever, was altered five years later, both as regards money and the weights to be carried, and since then there has been very little State interference with racing, and promoters of the sport have been allowed to make their own rules. The Jockey Club was founded in 1750, or 175 1, and for a long period it only concerned itself with racing at Newmarket, but gradually it took charge a i Q 5, THE TURF 103 of the sport altogether, and for at least two generations has managed everything. As this is not a history of the British Turf, it is unnecessary to trace the develop- ment of racing through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Some account of the early beginnings of the sport has been given, in order that the origin of racing should be explained, but after the appearance of calendars and records of meetings, incidents followed each other so quickly that it is impossible to do more than note briefly certain landmarks of the Turf. 18th Century Fixtures Orton's " Turf Annals" begins with men- tion of a race for a Gold Cup which took place at York on September 13th, 1709, and in which there- were three heats of four miles each. Forty-three years later (in 1752), meetings were held at something hke seventy different places, ten of which were in Yorkshire, four in Cambridgeshire, four in Suffolk, three in Berks, Chester, Durham, Lincoln, Middlesex, and North- umberland, two in Bucks, Cumberland, Derby, Gloucester, Hants, Hereford, Leicester, Northampton, Nottingham, Ox- ford, Kent, Surrey, Warwick and Wilts, while in Dorset, Essex, Hants, Lancaster, Norfolk, Somerset, and Sussex, there was a single meeting. At the time referred to races were held at many of the most important county towns, and already the early fashion of having contests decided on remote heaths and moorlands was beginning to disappear. In 1789 racing took place at seventy-two places in England, at three places in Wales, at six in Scotland, and at fifteen in Ireland. At many of these places there were more than one meeting, however, and notably there were ten fixtures at Newmarket, two at Preston, four at Malton, two at York, and the same number at Edinburgh, but Gatherley — or Gaterly as it was sometimes called — had disappeai"ed from the list, nor is there any mention of Hambleton in the Calendar for that year, and doubtless it was being felt that it was extremely incon- venient to have meetings in out-of-the-way districts, which can onl}' have been reached by making long journeys over very rough country roads. Hambleton in pre-railway days had no towns nearer to it than Thirsk, Helmsley, Malton, and York, the first- named a very small market town, while York must be quite twenty miles away. Even at the present day Hambleton can only be approached by road, and the high- ways which lead to it from the plain of York are still terribly steep — even for a motor-car. The galloping on the moor above the plain is about as perfect as any that can be found, but the place always was, and still is, to a great extent, in- accessible. Gatherley, too, is very wide of centres of population, and entailed a long drive from such places as Richmond and Darhngton, but on the other hand the races at Kipling- Coates were mentioned in the Calendar of 1789, and these were held on the wolds, between Beverley and Market Weighton. In 1789 the race is spoken of as " The Annual Plate for horses carrying 10 stone — • four miles," but all mention of Kipling- Coates has been absent from the Calendar for many generations. And yet the race or races have not wholly disappeared, but in these days they are not under Jockey Club rules, and may be placed in much the same category as the Newmarket Town Plate, which is run for annually, over a four-mile course. Cathedral City Courses A feature of the 1789 Calendar is forth- coming in the number of race meetings which were held at the cathedral cities. The list includes Chester, Carlisle, Durham, Hereford, Canterbury, Lincoln, Peterborough, Wells, Lichfield, Oxford, Salisbury, Wor- cester, Winchester, and York, and even in this day, when racing has become centralised and park meetings have taken the place of the country fixtures, we find that races are still held in the immediate vicinity of several cathedral cities. In the list which has just been given fourteen such cities are named where the sport flourished in 1789. At six of the fourteen — Chester, Carlisle, Lincoln, 104 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Salisbuiy, Worcester, and York — racing still takes place, while it now flourishes in two cathedral cities which were not included in the 1789 list. The two places to which relerence is made are Bath and Ripon, and to these may perhaps be added Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle-on-Tyne, which have received the ecclesiastical dignity in recent years. The Increase of Meetings In 1789 the sport was far more widely distributed than it is at the present day, for whereas at the earlier date there were eighty-one places in England and Scotland at which these race meetings were held, there were in 1908 only forty-seven. At the same time the number of meetings is vastly larger than it was, as many of the enclosed park race-courses have five and six fiat race fixtures during the season, whereas a hundred years ago only at Newmarket, Malton, Carlisle, York, Preston, and Edin- burgh, was there more than one meeting, and at York, Preston, Carlisle, and Edin- burgh the fixtures were only two in number, while Malton had four dates. In all there were ninety-nine meetings of which particulars are given in the Racing Calendar of 1784, whereas in 1908 there were one hundred and thirty-three, with a far greater number of races to each day than was the case at the earlier date. The increased interest in racing may be shown in another way. In 1827 1,166 horses ran in flat races ; in 1867 the number had risen to 2,458 ; in 1877 it had dropped to 2,057 ; in 1887 the numbers were 2,045 ; in 1897 there was an increase of about 1,500, the actual number of runners being 3,506 ; and in 1907 the number was 3,465 ; which shows that matters remained stationary in this respect during that ten years. In 1901 the number reached 4,019, and this is the biggest total which the British Turf has known. Moreover, unless there is some radical change — and there are no signs of any such change at present- — there is not likely to be any material increase or decrease of these figures. The numbers will, of course, vary from year to year, but as long as there is a close time of sixteen or seven- teen weeks during the winter months, and as long as the Jockey Club keep the number of meetings much as it is at present, there is little likelihood of any great increase. If many more American race-horses are sent to this country in the immediate future there will, naturally, be an increase in the size of the fields, but hitherto the chief law which has governed the number of runners for each race has been the state of the going. The year 1901 was rather a wet one, there being a good deal of rain in July, and this doubtless allowed of larger fields than usual during what is generally the dry season. Changes in Racing Methods Certain radical changes in racing have taken place, most of which were rather gradual. The first of these to be noted was with regard to the running of young horses, instead of keeping them until they were five years old. In Orton's " Turf Annals," which begins with the year 1709, there is no mention of four-year-olds until 1743, when a plate of £50 was run for by horses of that age, at York, on Friday, August 12th. In all the previous years of which a record is given the various races seem to have been for five- and six-year-olds, or for aged horses. The usual distance, too, was four miles outright, or heats of four miles, whereas in this four-year-old race " two- mile heats " were the conditions. Four- year-olds appear to have run at Doncaster in 1751, and they may have competed at an earlier date, for the returns of several years are missing. Orton's first mention of three-year-old racing is in 1770, when the Stand Plate of £50 was run for horses of that age, over a two-mile course. From this time onwards there was almost invariably a race or races- for young horses at the more important meetings. Ten years later, in 1780, the first Derby was run, but it had been pre- ceded by the St. Leger and the Oaks, of which the first-named race was first decided in 1776, and the Oaks in 1779. One is much inclined to think that previous to the institution of the Derby, Oaks, and io6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE St. Leger, York had fur some \'ears been quite as important with regard to its meet- ings as Newmarket or Epsom, and much more important than Doncaster. For a long period of years the series of " Great Subscription Stakes " at York appear to have been the greatest events of the year, and such horses as Matchem and Eclipse were amongst the York performers of their day. The Doncaster meetings were certainly smaller affairs than those of York, but the St. Leger made a great deal of difference, and one cannot help thinking that York lost a chance when it did not instantly start a rival race. As it was the St. Leger began as a sweepstakes of £2^ each for three- year-olds, while the Derby, four years later, began as a sweepstakes of £50 each, the stake for the Oaks being the same. The result of the founding of these races was that in a very short period of time they became the most important races of the year, and in consequence Epsom and Don- caster became also the most important race meetings. The Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas were instituted in 1809 and 1814 respectively, but they never seriously rivalled the Derby and Oaks, and were to some extent looked upon as trial stakes for the more important events which were decided at Epsom four or five weeks later. Centralisation of Racing There is no need to treat of each race meeting — whether it is defunct or other- wise— in detail, but it may be mentioned that one or two changes, which were brought about owing to a combination of circum- stances, have caused racing to become greatly centralised. In its infancy, as has been shown, the sport was scattered over the country, and one hundred years ago there was more of it in Yorkshire and the Midlands than there was in the neighbour- hood of London — in spite of the fact that Epsom and Ascot were even then extremely fashionable. The fact is that racing in its early days was most popular in the horse-breeding districts, and the Calendars of the period between 1800 and 1825 show that in Yorkshire alone there were about twenty meetings, while in Surrey, Epsom, Guildford, Egham, and Reigate were the only centres of the sport. The Midlands, and especially the Western Midlands, were at about the same period very well off for meetings, Staffordshire and Worcestershire being particularly well supplied. Indeed there were more individual meetings eighty years ago than at any other period of Tarf history, but very few of them had more than one fixture in the twelve months, whereas in these days most of the enclosures summon their patrons about once a month. Influence of Railways Just before railways made their appear- ance all these country meetings depended • — as a matter of course — on local support. The promoters of the meetings and the nobility and landed gentry of the neigh- bourhood very often worked together, and the runners were frequently trained not far from where the meetings were held. The stakes were of small value, and unless there was a King's Plate on the programme very few horses from a distance were present. To a certain extent each group of country meetings formed a circuit, round which various horses travelled, their trainers often galloping them on the race-course onl}', for a certain period of time, and walking them from one meeting to another. The alteration was brought about by the coming in of the railway period, which soon allowed of race-horses being boxed from one end of the kingdom to the other. This, of course, meant that when a good prize was offered, the local horses no longer had it all their own way, for strange horses were brought from Newmarket, and from the down countries of Hants, Wilts, and Dorset, where many horses were trained, and few meetings were held — and very quickly the sport became much more cos- mopolitan in character. Then, indeed, the smaller and more remotely placed meetings began to disappear from the Calendar, and it can be noticed that the fixtures which survived were for the most part so placed that they could THE TURF 107 command plenty of patronage. Thus meet- ings which were located in the environs of a big town held their own, while those meetings which could not command much money to be given in prizes, or which were a long distance from any training quarters, disappeared. Still, throughout the middle of the last century the sport flourished, and whilst Newmarket, Epsom, Ascot, Good- wood, York, Doncaster, Chester, Manchester, Shrewsbury, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and Liver- pool w-ere the most important racing centres, a fair number of minor meetings just held their own. Modern Meetings The next great change was the introduc- tion of the gate-money meeting in 1875. Previous to the establishing of Sandown Park race meetings were managed by Corporations — as Doncaster still is — by private individuals (who never made much out of their ventures), or by syndicates of local folk. Many of them had always a hard struggle to live, and had not there been well supported subscription lists in nearly every district, there would have been much less racing than there was. The nobility, the neighbouring gentry, the County and Borough Members, were all expected to subscribe to the race fund, and thus such items as the " Lord Lieutenant's Plate," the " Borough Member's Plate," and so forth, can be noted in old numbers of the Calendar. The innkeepers and pros- perous tradesmen of the country town were subscribers to the fund, and the money was wanted, because with the exception of the grand stands and the enclosures, all parts of the course were free to the public. The £100 Rule The gate-money meeting completely revo- lutionised the Turf, and in so doing it was greatly assisted by a rule of the Jockey Club which insisted that no stake of less value than £100 to the winner should be run for under their rules. The Jockey Club had by this time complete control of all the important flat racing, and what little sport there was in the countrv which was not under their rules was quite insignificant. Runners at meetings which were not held under Jockey Club rules were — and are still — perpetually disqualified from running at meetings controlled by the Club. This, it can easily be understood, has had the effect of limiting such other flat racing as there is to tenth-rate obscurity. No one would think of running a really valuable horse at what is often called a " flapping " meeting, and thus it remains that such equine support as is forthcoming for the meetings which are not under rules is pro- vided, in great part, by the patched-up selling platers, which are not good enough to win under the proper rules of racing. The Extinct Country Meetings The £100 rule finished off another large batch of country meetings, perhaps more specially in the north of England, where Morpeth, Durham, Richmond, Northaller- ton, Scarborough, and Malton all disap- peared within a year or two. In the south some of the smaller fixtures struggled against fate for a longer period, but it was impossible for meetings held on an open common to make headway against rivals who could charge admittance to their courses, and thus within the last few years such meetings as Lichfield, Hunting- don, and Northampton — the last named at one time a really important fixture — have gone to the wall. But the advent of the gate-money en- closure was gradual, and it took at least fifteen years to set the new style of racing thoroughly on its legs. At first a great deal of prejudice had to be overcome, and there were also the vested interests of sundry folk who had worked hard in the interests of racing to be considered. Thus Sandown came into existence as a racing place in 1875, and four years were allowed to elapse before Kempton Park made its appearance. After this again there was another lull, but racing officials had by this time recognised the fact that the park meeting was more likely to prosper than the open affair — except indeed in such cases as those of Newmarket. Epsom, Ascot, and io8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Goodwood, where there were special attrac- tions in the way of popular races, or special patronage of the magnates of the racing world. But from about 1888 to 1895 there was a rapid increase in the number of gate-money fixtures, and in several instances old meet- ings were altered to conform to the new conditions. Hurst Park, which began as a steeplechase course, and which was used It will be appreciated that the advent of the gate-money meeting completely altered the racing which had previously taken part in many neighbourhoods. The London dis- trict, for example, had shortly before the advent of the enclosed gate-money meeting, racing at Epsom, Ascot, Bromley, Egham, Hampton, Harpenden, Kingsbury, West Drayton, and Windsor, but except at Epsom for pony and galloway racing before the Jockey Club licence was granted, was one of the earlier ones, and Gatwick and Lingfield were inaugurated much about the same time, Lingfield having at first, hke Hurst Park, a good deal of trouble about its licence, then came Four Oaks Park (which no longer exists), Colwick Park to take the place of the old Nottingham race- course, and shortly afterwards Bromford Bridge, Birmingham. The first of the country enclosures, however, was Gosforth Park, which took the place of the old Newcastle-on-Tyne race-course, and probably the second was Dunstall Park, close to the tov/n of Wolverhampton. and Ascot the sport was second or third rate, and, except on public holidays, there was practically no great attendance beyond the professional element of every description. In place of such plating fixtures as " 'Appy 'Ampton," Kingsbury, and Bromley, London now has San- down, Kempton, Hurst Park, Gatwick, Lingfield, and the modernised Windsor and Alexandra Park, and instead of catering for the platers as their predecessors did, the meetings just named attract — some of them always, others at times — all the equine celebrities of the day. It should be mentioned that the £100 rule to which reference has been made had THE TURF 109 already finished off several of the old subur- ban fixtures, but the curious part of the new style is that a high standard of class is now maintained at all the gate-money meetings round London, whereas a reference to old Calendars will show that under the old system nearly all the racing was of the plating order, with the same lot of horses going the treadmill round of the fixtures. somehow or other made their living out of so doing. The boxing booths, the gamb- ling tents, the exhibitions of sorts, found no accommodation reserved for them at Sandown Park, or its successors, and the result of this has been that even at Epsom there is very much less " fun of the fair " than there used to be. Everyone who has paid a single visit to SANDOWN PARK, LOOKING FROM THE STANDS OVER TATTERSALL'S AND THE COURSE. But the gate-money meeting did more than improve the sport. By having a fixed charge — without the payment of which entry was impossible — the standard of visitor was raised. It is not for a moment suggested that no one who is not honest and respectable ever goes to a place like Sandown or Kemp- ton, but the money to be paid for entrance has undoubtedly been the means of keeping away a whole host of undesirables, and this remark, of course, applies more strongly where the charge for admission to the course is 2s. 6d. than where it is a shilling. Then, again, the old, open courses were always visited by thousands of loafers, gipsies and vagrants of all sorts, who followed the meetings, and 15 any of the modern race-courses — to Sandown Park or Kempton for example — must be aware that within the course there is abso- lutely nothing beyond the racing to attract the visitor. The upshot is that an enormous majority of those who attend the meetings must do so because of love of racing. As regards the betting httle need be said. Enghsh people will bet, and that betting is greatly associated with racing is as true as that it is associated with football, or that people gamble on the Stock Ex- change. But there always has been, and there always will be, a large section of race-goers who are attracted by love of the horse. no THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE and who, practically, never bet. There always has been, and there always will be, another section who are attracted in the first place by love of the horse, and only in a minor degree by a love of speculation. There is, also, a section of the community which goes racing purely for betting pur- poses, but even this section may be divided, and of regular racing men who bet only a small moiety do so recklessly and foolishly. There are white and black sheep in every fold, and when considered in its entirety race-course betters, whether they be backers of horses or layers of the odds, are a singu- larly honest lot. To those who do not go racing it may not be generally known that on the race-course all sorts of sums are wagered between man and man, and as regularly paid by the loser — whether he be backer or layer — without any formal contract, often without any real evidence which could be brought forward in case of a dispute, but merely on a verbal arrangement made in a matter of seconds, and in an ordinary way not even confirmed, as a bet made a week or two in advance may be. The Betting System For the benefit of the uninitiated it may be explained that the numbers go up for a race, and the layers of odds offer certain prices against certain horses. The backer inclines to the chance of one of these, and asks the price, or hears it shouted. He accepts the offer of, let us say, lOO to lo, the bet is entered, and when the time of settlement arrives it is not loo to lo but 1,000 to I on the fact that the two parties are agreed, and that the loser dis- charges his liability. In such a case as has just been quoted, it is of course supposed that the two parties to the bet know each other, but if the would- be backer is a stranger he has merely to be introduced — in some cases to give a reference is sufficient, or to stake his money, and in the latter case he will be paid immediately after the " all right " has been shouted. There is in these days no place in the world except a race-course in which what may be called a " friendly understanding " allows of constant financial exchanges, involving at times thousands of pounds. There is no contract note. If the book- maker has no clerk, there is often no witness of a really big bet, and yet repudiation is seldom heard of, and disputes are of infrequent occurrence. Indeed, betting men, whether they be backers or layers, are for the most part exceedingly honest in their transactions, and it is this honesty w^hich allows of turf matters proceeding with such regularity from day to day and week to week. It is not necessary to pursue the subject further, but before leaving it an emphatic statement may be made to the effect that honesty on the turf is extremely pronounced, and that proof of this is always forthcoming in the fact that turf scandals are few and far between, and that racing is always conducted in the strictest business-like fashion. The Club Enclosures To return for a moment to the changes which the modern system brought about, mention may be made of the club enclosures, which gradually induced ladies to go racing in great numbers. In the old days Ascot was the one great ladies' meeting. A good many ladies attended Newmarket — where some of them rode on the course ; Goodwood, with its lawn and other attractions, was fairly well attended, but at the mass of meetings which were held all over the country ladies were conspicuous by their absence, though a few were at times to be seen in the stewards' stands, and at the country meetings, or in carriages on the far side of the course. There was an idea once that the Epsom Friday, on which the Oaks is run, was a " Ladies' Day," but there was really little reason for the sobriquet, for there never was a club at Epsom into which ladies had the entree, and only a hmited number of boxes in the grand stand. At the present day a fair number of ladies attend Epsom, but most of them are habituees of the club fixtures also, whereas before enclosed racing came into fashion, there was no regular contingent of racing ladies. THE TURF III The club system brought into existence by the modem enclosure, had also the effect of making racing a much simpler affair than it was. The new race-courses were always placed close by a railway line, and where there was none, a special station and platforms were made for them. At Kempton Park, for example, there are three or four covered passages from the railway platforms to the stand, and thus on a wet day not only the club members but the general public can walk under cover from the train to the various enclosures. At Gatwick the station is immediately behind the stands, and the same is the case at Newbury, whilst at Sandown the station adjoins the course, but the stands are on the far side of the park. At Hurst and Lingheld there is rather farther to go, especially at the first-named place, but on a fine day the private walk from the Lingfield station to the stands is enjoy- able enough, and the distance is barely half a mile. Modern Facilities for Race-Goers Club trains — commonly called " members' specials " — and restaurant luncheons have made the average race-goers' lot an easy one, and to attend any of the various London enclosed meetings it is not necessary to start before twelve o'clock, or even later. In the summer racing at these places rarely commences before two o'clock, and thus Londoners have time for business and so- forth before they start ; and as a rule they are in town again by six o'clock. In point of fact the enclosures near London provide an abundance of sport, which only involves half-day journeys. Thus racing is far less expensive than it used to be, and this is all owing to the change from the old- fashioned country meeting to the modern enclosure. Previous to the present style becoming general, any Londoner who wished to see the best of the sport had to travel great distances, to put up with third-rate accom- modation at more than first-rate prices, and had, in addition, to waste a great deal of time, for the mornings hung heavily at the old country fixtures, and there was little to do at night. It may be said that as some of these old country fixtures still exist there must be the same state of affairs in connection with visiting them. But in reality this is not altogether the case, as will be shown. The Newmarket Meeting To begin with, Newmarket is outside the argument, firstly, because except on two or three big days it does not attract many occasional race-goers, but only the regular habitues. These are, for the most part, people who make racing the business of their lives during the summer months. They include owners of horses, a large proportion of whom have their horses trained at Newmarket, professionals of every sort, as trainers, jockeys, book- makers, backers, and a certain contin- gent who, without actually owning horses, are the friends of owners, and who follow the meetings. There is, practically, no hotel life at Newmar- ket, but hundreds of private houses are used during the race weeks, and almost all who attend regularly either own or rent houses, or have rooms taken by the year. Then, again, the early morning on the heath, where more than a thousand horses are being trained, entirely militates against any dullness, and in addition the full strength of the regular visitors is broken up into groups of friends. Lastly, there is an admirable train service from London, which allows of people going down for the racing, and returning to town in time for dinner. To be precise on this point, one can leave Liverpool Street at ii a.m., or St. Pancras at 10.50, and arrive at New- market with an hour in which to have luncheon and drive to the course ; and if that is too early one can leave St. Pancras at a few minutes after 12 o'clock, leave the train at Dullingham, and drive on to the course in time to see the second race. Newmarket, then, need not be considered in this connection ; nor need Goodwood, for it has a special charm of its own, which has for generations been powerful enough to 112 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE counteract the troubles involved by the fact that the place is isolated. And if Newmarket and Goodwood are put out of the question, there are left as really important country racing centres, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Gosforth Park (Newcastle-on- Tyne), York, Derby, and Doncaster. These, it will be noted, are all important towns, where good hotel accommodation may be secured, and it may be added that in these days of very complete railway service — to say nothing of motor-cars — visitors to the races can stay at all sorts of places which are within a short distance from the course. Further mention of this will be made when the various racing cen- tres are described, but here it may be added that the club system prevails at all the meetings which have just been enumerated. It is the case, in fact, that the crowding and the trouble involved on the part of the race-goer of a full generation ago have given way before the club system and the modern enclosure. Now brief reference may be made to the places at which racing takes place. These may be divided into groups, as Southern, Northern, and Midlands, but it must be understood that to a very great extent the best races decided either in the South, the North, or the Midlands, call upon the same class of horse, and it is only amongst the platers who compete in the less important events that the sport is in any way local. Southern Racing The Southern group may be taken first, and in this are placed — merely in order to explain the position — all the meetings which race-goers may comfortably " do " from London, without staying from home, or for that matter without even being late for dinner. First, there is Epsom, the most important fixture of all, because the Derby is run there, and, curiously enough, a fixture which has more than held its own, in spite of the fact that it has not been in a position to go with the times, and is therefore old-fashioned and out of date. Popular Epsom It is not an easy matter to state why Epsom should be so popular, but the prob- able reason is that the course is an easy one. There are more speedy non-staying horses in training than there are nags possessed of pronounced stamina, and at Epsom speed is unduly served, compared with what it is on most other race-courses. This doubtless helps to swell the fields, but in addition the fact of Epsom being a classic meeting, where the greatest race of the year is run, causes an eclat to hang round it. Thus nearly every owner likes to run at Epsom, and the upshot is that all through the programmes of the two meetings a very high standard of class amongst the horses is reached. The place is inconvenient, as compared with the enclosures, for the Downs station is a mile from the stands, the town station about two miles, and the station at Tatten- ham Corner has not yet become popular, because of the somewhat roundabout route which the line takes after it leaves the Brighton main line at Coulsdon. There may be a future before this route, for the station is half as near again to the stands as the Downs station, and there is no toilsome climb, the terminus being on a level with the grand stand. The last- named structure can certainly accommodate a great number of people, but it is a good deal out of date, and it is placed a con- siderable distance below the winning post, so that even from the Jockey Club portion of it it is at times very difficult to be able to know which horse has won in a close finish. But the greatest trouble in connec- tion with Epsom is the situation of the paddock — quite a quarter of a mile from the stands — which can only be reached by a dusty walk through the crowd, either along the course, or at the back of the stands. There is a club at Epsom, but it is con- fined to men, and is by no means large. The average race-goer has to mix with the betting crowd in the public enclosures, and thus it results that a huge number of the visitors still see the racing from vehicles drawn up immediately opposite the stands. THE TURF 113 between them and Tattenham Corner, or on the hill, which is opposite the stands a quarter of a mile away. Year after year thousands of race-goers of both sexes see the Derby from " outside." Many of these visit no other race meeting, and are in no sense of the word regular racing folk, but make a point of seeing the Derby, and perhaps Ascot as well. that in five years out of six the weather is fine throughout the Derby week, and that there is very seldom more than one day of bad or even doubtful weather during the Summer Meeting. A great charm of Epsom is provided by the situation of the course. From the level of the stands, the ground slopes downwards to the south, and thus the course EPSOM SUMMER MEETING. Epsom on a w-et day is a most uncomfort- able place, for there is not sufficient shelter to accommodate a twentieth of the visitors, and at such times the passages of the stands become congested, and it is no easy matter to go from one part of the course to another. But not one of the drawbacks which have been mentioned is powerful enough to counteract the popularity of the place, and thus year after year the attendances seem to be on the Derby day each larger than the last, unless the weather is really bad. As a rule, however, it is fine in the early days of June, and though St. Amant and Common each won on a day of terrible storm — to say nothing of Hermit more than forty years ago — it may safely be said itself is below the enclosures, and a much better view of the racing is possible than when the course is on a plain, as at Doncaster, Kempton Park, Lincoln, and a host of other places. Sandown is probably the best course in the kingdom from this point of view, but Epsom runs it close, and at both places it is possible to find coigns of vantage where the ground slopes sufficiently for spectators to see over each others' heads. There are in these days two meetings at Epsom every year — the Spring Meeting, which takes place in April, and the Derby meeting, which is held at the extreme end of May or the very beginning of June. At the Spring Meeting the City and Suburban 114 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE !i: 1% ^„,. -'' "• A i K "^"'•■CS, ! \ ^ - ■" \\ OyHT \ ^1 \^ J ^ ¥ii>> \ ?*■ • ">'♦ St' ^ , \ V- 1 J " : . ' \ ^^'? » J . j T'i' 1 7 "^ , / '\ fl_H ' / ^4 "^Cf J ) ^ f! k . 1^ % - ^;„;^^'AiJi^ '^' fe^ * "'0, ^^ " 1 . 1 *^ _, 1 ■~- -1. '^ , ' / ^i.it^ „ CO :J M ^ ^ o / o / ^. O / u / u o en t / ^P^*" -r a u / ^fe i / '4^' ^ / i^ i / 4#?-„ 5 / i V - and the Great Metropolitan are the chief events, both of these being handicaps, one of a mile and a quarter, and the other of two miles and a quarter. The City and Suburban is one of some eight or ten handicaps which attract the very best class of handicap horses, and not infrequently some of the classic horses of the last year or two, and if the Metropolitan is not quite so prolific of class it is one of the prettiest races of the year to watch, as the horses are started opposite the stands, and go down the reverse way of the course to Tattenham Corner. They then turn and wind up the hill to the Derby course, which they reach near the mile post, after- wards going through the Furzes, and down the hill as in the Derby. The City and Suburban is run on the last mile and a quarter of the Derby course ; there is also what is called a straight course of nearly a mile, on which five, six, and seven furlongs are also run, which begins near the new South Eastern Railway station, and joins the old, or round course at Tattenham Corner. Popular as the Epsom Spring Meet- ing is, it is altogether eclipsed by the fi.xture which follows it six weeks later. This Epsom Summer Meeting is one of the greatest meetings of the year. One cannot call it the greatest, because the Ascot programme is from an all-round point of view a more powerful one ; but even the Gold Cup at Ascot is not so important a race as the Derby ; and the Derby is not the only classic event which is decided at Epsom, for the Oaks is also an item of the Epsom Summer Meeting. Here it may be mentioned that there are five classic races, all of which are contested by three-year-olds. These are the Two Thousand and the One Thousand Guineas run for at the Newmarket First Spring Meeting, the Derby and Oaks, decided at the Epsom Summer Meeting, and the St. THE TURF 115 Leger, which is included in the programme of the Doncaster September jMeeting. Epsom Summer Meeting The Epsom Summer Meeting begins on a Tuesday, and on that day the Woodcote Stakes for two-year-olds is the most im- portant race. The Woodcote is the first race of the season in which two-year-olds run a six-furlong course, and it is worthy of note that this particular race is decided on the last six furlongs of the Derby course and not on part of the straighter new mile. This involves the start taking place on a descent, but as a rule the best horse wins, and the Woodcote is, as a matter of fact, about the earliest two-year-old race to attract the class of horse that may play a prominent part in the classics of the following season. It has in very recent years been won by such celebrities as Cicero, Rock Sand, and Sceptre. The Derby On the Wednesday the Derby is the great attraction, and the crowd on the outside portions of the course is probably ten times as large as it is on any other day of the meeting. In the enclosures, too, there is a vast accession of strength, and it has often been roughly estimated that the number of those present on the Downs very nearly, if not quite, reaches a million. It need hardly be said that the figure must be guess-work, but it is the guess-work of those who may be considered experts in the matter of estimating crowds, and certain figures are available, as for example the numbers of those who travel by the three lines of railway in hundreds of special trains. Then, too, the road traffic has been counted at certain spots, as so many cars, so many omnibuses, coaches, cabs, carriages, motors, and so forth. Giving an average of a certain number of passengers to each vehicle which travels by any of the most popular roads out of London, a fair estimate has been arrived at, and to this London traffic and the railway passengers must be added the traffic that does not arrive by the main roads, and the thousands and thousands who have reached the Downs by walking. The Derby course at present in vogue has only been used since 1872, when the High Level Starting Post was made. In former times the start took place in what is known locally as Langley Bottom, and the first half-mile was on a much steeper ascent than it now is. The new or present course joins the old one at the mile post, and a very full view of all the race is obtain- able from the stands, though just between the mile post and the top of the hill — which descends to Tattenham Corner — the jackets are better seen than the horses, the latter being rather hidden by the furze. Tatten- ham Corner is rather abrupt, and at times horses run very wide, but long experience of Epsom has amply confirmed one's opinion to the effect that the Derby course is a true test of merit, and that in nine years out of ten the running comes out correctly after- wards. There are, at times, unlocked for results, and the race of 1908, when Signor- inetta so unexpectedly won, will probably always remain something of a mystery, but on the other hand the average Derby winner almost invariably distinguishes him- self in the future — as the pages of the " Racing Calendar " amply proves. The Coronation Cup On the Epsom Thursday the Cup — - formerly called the Gold Cup, more recently the Coronation Cup — is the greatest attrac- tion, though there are also two handicaps of £1,000 each on the card. The Coronation Cup, as a rule, draws the best four- and five- year-olds in training, but it is run on the Derby course, and is therefore not so great a test of stamina as is the race for the Ascot Cup, a fortnight later. The event in con- sequence hardly takes such high rank as it should do, and there are those who think that it would gain in prestige if the Metro- politan course of two miles and a quarter was used instead of the Derby course of a mile and a half. On the other hand, it is the case that there are many horses which can show great form up to a mile and a half, and yet are not genuine stayers, and this ii6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE class of horse has in many years a fair chance of winning the Cup at Epsom, but would be hopelessly out-stayed at Ascot. On the last day of the Epsom Meeting the principal events are for fillies, these being the Oaks for three-year-olds, and the Acorn Stakes for two-year-olds. The Oaks is just a fair draw, but does not attract anything like the crowd which goes to see the Derby. It has been implied that Ascot is the greatest meeting of the year, and though no classic race is decided there, few will dispute the implication. To begin with, the celebrity, has no Ascot engagement, and it may also be the case that one or two of the best Epsom performers have been stumped up by hard ground, but in an average year nine-tenths of the best horses of every age are to be seen during the four days. Highly tried, well-bred two-year-olds are, as a matter of course, kept for Ascot ; even youngsters which are only well thought of, and have not been actually tried, make their debut on the famous Berkshire heath, and there is comparatively no rank and file of mediocre quality, though, as is only ROYAL ASCOT RACE-COURSE. programmes for the four days are for the most valuable races of the year, about £40,000 being run for during the meeting, which gives an average of £10,000 a day, or, as there are seven races a day, an average of over £1,400 as the value of each race. More- over, the added money at Ascot is far beyond what is given elsewhere, amounting to well over £20,000. There are many valuable prizes for second and third horses also, and, to take 1909 as an example, one finds that on the Tuesday the seven winners took £9,680 los. ; on the Wednesday, £9,793 los. ; on the Thursday, £11,168 los. ; and on the Friday, £8,340 ; total for the four days, £38,997 los. This amount is exclusive of second and third prizes, which make the full total well over £40,000. No other race-course in the kingdom offers such prizes as Ascot, and the result is that all the best horses in training are kept for the meeting. It may happen, of course, that the Derby winner, or some other classic natural, some of the youngsters of which a great deal is expected do not always fulfil expectations. There are prizes enough to tempt all the best three-year-olds in training, but whereas the Coronation Stakes for fillies more often than not brings out the Oaks and One Thou- sand winners, and most of the best filly form of the year, there are so many races for three-year-olds of either sex that it is often un- certain which of four or five events may pro- duce the most important race. In 1909, for example, the Prince of Wales Stakes, won by Bayardo, was worth £2,150 ; the Biennial, won by Telbedde, was worth £1,095 ; the Ascot Derby, won by William the Fourth, was worth £1,475 ; the St. James's Palace Stakes, won by Minoru, was worth £1,950; and the Triennial, won by Louviers, was worth £791. It is worthy of note that the first and second in the Derby were among the Ascot winners, but the Oaks winner had no engagement, and in the •?*«^^*S^^S8«a«as... „ V ^^^i 'sisiiMiii^^,- THE ROYAL PROCESSION, ASCOT. 16 ii8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE valuable prize for three-year-old fillies the that the Epsom programme is likely to second in the One Thousand, with a pull attract all the speedy non-stayers of fair in the weights of 7 lbs., turned the tables class, and that the Ascot programme appeals on her Newmarket conqueror. to the most stout-hearted horses in training. Other Ascot Races For the older horses (and for three- year-olds also) there are the Trial Stakes and the Rous Memorial Stakes, each of a mile, the Hardwicke Stakes of a mile and a half, the Gold Vase of two miles, the Gold Cup of two miles and a half, and the Alexandra Plate of a little over two miles and three-quarters. Three-year-olds fre- quently run for the Vase, the Hardwicke Stakes, and the Rous Memorial, but in these days they seldom contest the Gold Cup or Alexandra Plate, and this is not to be wondered at seeing that the programme gives them so many chances of distinguishing themselves in easier races, or in events which are confined to three-year-olds. The winner of the Gold Cup for igog, Mr. James de Rothschild's Bomba, was, by the way, a three-year-old. Of selling races the Ascot programmes are innocent, and only five handicaps are decided on the four days, these being the Ascot Stakes, the Hunt Cup, the Visitors' Handicap, the High Weight Stakes, and the Wokingham Stakes. The Ascot Stakes is, like the Vase, decided on a two-mile course, and in this connection it may be mentioned that the Ascot executive do a great deal toward encouraging long-distance racing. They have the only flat race of the year (the Alexandra Plate) which is over two miles and a half, and there are also during the four days one race of two and a half miles, three of two miles, one of a mile and five furlongs, four of a mile and a half, eight of a mile, one of six furlongs, and nine of five furlongs, five of which are for two-year-olds. At Epsom, on the other hand, not a single race decided at the summer meeting is of greater length than a mile and a half. There are four races of that length during the week, one of a mile and a quarter, three of a mile, two of seven furlongs, five of six furlongs, and no fewer than ten of five furlongs. At a glance then it can be seen Social Ascot There is no need to go into the social side of Ascot, for it may at once be said that in this particular respect no other meeting can in any way compare with it. Sandown and Kempton draw most of the aristocratic racing people who may happen to be in town when there is racing at either of those places. The Eclipse Stakes, at Sandown, the Grand Military Gold Cup (generally run at the same place), and the Jubilee Stakes, at Kempton, are individual draws of great magnitude, but no whole four-day meeting attracts to the same degree as Ascot, and causes hundreds of parties to be made up, and hundreds of houses to be rented for the week. The meeting is under Royal patron- age, and as a rule there are state processions on the Tuesday and Thursday ; there is also the Royal Enclosure, accommodating some 3,000 people, but as a matter of fact hun- dreds who have the entree into this coveted place are not racing people, except for Ascot week. The regular turfites of either sex, whether they be of the aristocracy or of some lower rank in the racing world, are present as a matter of course, but so, too, is the occasional race-goer, and just as the Royal Enclosure contains numbers of people who are unknown in the racing world, so do the Grand Stand and the lawn. Ascot is in point of fact a holiday gathering, visited every year by thousands of people who are not in the habit of following the meetings. Goodwood After Epsom and Ascot the greatest of the Southern meetings is Goodwood, which possesses what is in the opinion of many race-goers the best course in the world. It need hardly be said, however, that in this connection Goodwood has a great rival in Newmarket ; there is no need to compare the two courses at the moment, but it may be pointed out that Goodwood as a race meeting is unique in more ways than one. THE TURF 119 Goodwood is in a degree a survival — almost the only survival of the old-fashioned, remote country meeting. It came into existence before the railway era, and, after racing was no longer held on the Danebury course near Stockbridge, it was practically the only meeting situated at a long distance from a railway which did not go to the introduced, the journey from Drayton or Chichester stations occupied at least an hour. Even now the bulk of the traffic is horse-drawn, but doubtless the motors will gradually increase. Once the top of the hill at Goodwood is reached the marvellous beauty of the place is discovered at a glance, for the race-course Goodwood Park. CHARLTON DOWNS fe^f^^r IIH GOODWOOD RACE-COURSE. wall. There is one other similar fixture, by the way, viz. Croxton Park, in Leicester- shire, but Croxton Park is only a one-day affair with a mixed programme, under both sets of rules, and of purely local interest. There had been horse-racing at Up Park in Sussex (not many miles from Goodwood), long before Goodwood was heard of, and that place is about the same distance from the main Portsmouth and London road as Goodwood is from the town of Chichester. The actual distance between Chichester and the Goodwood race-course is just about five miles, but Chichester is placed at sea level, and the Goodwood course stands some 700 feet higher. The result is that there are a couple of miles of very steep ascent to be surmounted before the course is reached, and before motor-cars were is situated on the backbone or ridge of a range of hills, and the eye can travel to the sea on one side, and over range upon range of wooded hills to the north. New stands have lately been built, but it is the lawn and the grove behind it, where the tents and luncheon tables are placed, that give so much charm to the place, for the meeting is really a monster picnic with much first- rate racing thrown in. But whereas at Ascot three-year-old racing plays such an important part, horses of that age are not so much in evidence at Goodwood. The best are often being kept for the St. Leger, and the prizes for three- year-olds are not so valuable as those divided amongst the two-year-olds. At times, of course, the best three-year-olds are sent to the meeting, and one has lively recollections of 120 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE -' Oiiurai lllustralic GOODWOOD : a stirring duel between Orme and La Fleche for the Sussex Stakes, but race-goers hardly look for much three-year-old racing at Goodwood. There are on the other hand many important two-year-old prizes, and as a rule one sees a fair number of the very best youngsters of the season at the ducal meeting. The Cup, too, stands as the second most important long-distance, weight- for-age race of the year, but long-distance running is not a great feature of Goodwood, there being only the Cup of two and a half miles and the Plate (a handicap) of two miles which are longer than one mile and a half. There are, moreover, an immense number of five and six furlong races on the four days of the meeting, of which the Stewards' Cup (six furlongs) is about the most important sprint handicap of the year. Unfortunately, horses which are drawn on the stand side in this race are at a disadvantage, and there- fore a good deal depends upon the position which each horse draws, but in spite of this the race is exceedingly popular. Another important handicap decided at Goodwood is the Chesterfield Cup, run on the Craven course of a mile and a quarter, and though this race is of no great monetary value, it invariably attracts horses of high class, and in it was achieved one of the greatest handi- cap performances of all time, viz., when Vespasian won in 1869, with no less than 10 stone 4 lb. in the saddle. Much of the success of Goodwood is due to the fact that owners whose racing is conducted on the highest lines, and who are not always scheming how to win a good stake with a leniently handicapped horse, like to win at Goodwood. In this respect Goodwood stands out, with Epsom and Ascot, and the upshot is that good class horses are put on one side and specially prepared for the meeting, whereas they might, in many cases, compete for more valuable stakes elsewhere. The Goodwood course has been mentioned, and now it may be explained that the going THE TURF 121 is always exceptionally good. The course was made by the famous Lord George Ben- tinck in the early part of the nineteenth century', but there was never any question of new ground which had to be sown, for old turf of the very best sort was there in abundance, and the making consisted of levelling and so forth, and in no way con- cerned the top of the ground — which was re- placed, and quickly settled under a course of rolling. The meeting is held at the very end of July, at a period when many horses have in a dry season become rather stumped up. But even in times of the greatest drought the Goodwood track is springy and resilient, so that horses can stride out freely, with httle fear of breaking down. Pages could be written about Goodwood, but lack of space forbids any further descrip- tion, and, to go on with the southern meet- ings, Brighton and Lewes are also survivors of the old order of things, and both are popular racing places, though the sport is of the medium kind, attracting a fair number of good second-rate horses, but not the cracks of the year. Both courses are, like Goodwood, on down-land, but both are in exposed positions, and though fairly good going is generally to be found neither course can compare with Goodwood — which, by the way, is a good deal sheltered. Indeed the Stewards' Cup track is alongside a planta- tion, and nearly all the course can boast of a certain amount of protection. The Brighton course has a steep descent, not far from home, which comes into every race, and Lewes has a certain amount of switchback. Both courses are, in fact, of the give and take order, and at Lewes a good number of races for gentlemen riders — under the auspices of the Southdown Club — are included in the programmes. Another south country meeting which still holds its own is Salisbury, now the headquarters of the Bibury Club. Two meetings are held every year, and, as at Lewes, races for gentlemen riders are strongly encouraged. The Bibury Club is. indeed, the chief institution of its HURST PARK MEETING : A FINISH. THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE kind in the kingdom, and membership is only granted to those of a good social position. The meetings are very enjoyable, but they do not attract very great numbers. Other Southern Meetings The only remaining south country fixture, run on the old Hnes, is Bath, where there is a capital down-land course, high above the town on what is called the Lansdown. Certain vested interests, and a great deal of local popularity, keep the Bath meetings going, but they are nothing like so important as they were in the pre-enclosure period, and probably such a sight as the Derby favourite beating the subsequent Oaks winner by a hundred yards (as occurred in 1870 when Macgregor who had won the Two Thousand ran right away from Gamos) will never be seen on the Lansdown again. It is, by the way, very satisfactory that such meetings as Goodwood, Brighton, Bath and Salisbury have been able to hold their own, for it cannot be doubted that too much centralisation in racing is not good for the sport. Even now there is actually no flat racing further west than Bath and Salisbury. Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall have no meetings at all, Wilts has only SaHsbury, and Somerset only Bath, while in the western midlands Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, and Shropshire are all with- out a meeting. Worcestershire has two meetings, at Worcester itself, and there arc meetings at Birmingham and Warwick, but the West and South-West of the kingdom, including the whole of Wales, have to depend for their racing on cross country sport. In the interests of horse-breeding racing is desirable in every corner of the king- dom, for from the point of view of blood there is no horse like the race-horse, and where there is no flat racing the small breeder has no chance of seeing the great performers, or even of studying the type in its running days — and this is matter for extreme regret. Gate-money Enclosures The balance of south country racing — and in this case the balance means far the greater, part — takes place at the gate- money enclosures, of which there are nine in the southern group. These are Alexandra Park, Folkestone, Gatwick, Hurst Park, Kempton Park, Lingfield, New- bury, Sandown Park, and \\'indsor, and as Sandown Park is the oldest it claims first attention. Sandown Park At once it may be said that Sandown yields in popularity to no other enclosed course in the kingdom, and that its meet- ings are excellently managed. Its course, however, is not an ideal one, for there is a long bend or elbow round the bottom of the course on which all races beyond five furlongs in distance are run, and this in some degree favours the speedy non-stayer, because there must be a slight easing up while the curve is being negotiated. It should be explained that the run in, when horses are fairly in the straight, is of a full half-mile in length, and up hill all the way. This to some extent equalises matters, but on the other hand one has seen results at Sandown which probably would not have been confirmed elsewhere, and the mind reverts to the victory of the speedy, non- staying Surefoot in the Eclipse Stakes of 1891. The horse in question came with a tremendous burst of speed from the bottom of the hill, and though he was tiring to nothing as the post was reached he just managed to hold his own. The Sandown five-furlong course is right across the centre of the park, and though on the rise is nothing like so steep as the finish of the oval course. The winning post for this course is a quarter of a mile from the stands, but so well placed are the stands — on sloping ground above the courses — ■ that it is quite possible to see the five-furlong races without crossing the park — but not an easy matter to judge a close finish between two or three horses which are running wide of each other. There is no need to go into the Sandown programmes at any length, but it may be mentioned that the mammoth stake, often spoken of as a ten thousand pounder, was THE TURF 123 inaugurated there, and that the Eclipse Stakes, established as long ago as 1886, is still one of the greatest events of the year, which is hardly ever won by a bad horse. On the day following (the meeting is held in the third week of July) the National Breeders' like those of Sandown Park, draw upon the best class of horses — though as a matter of fact handicaps are the most important races on the Kempton programme. The two principal meetings are held in May and October, and at the May meeting the Jubilee SANDOWN PARK RACE-COURSE. Produce Stakes is the most valuable two- year-old race of the year, and these are not the only important races decided at the Esher enclosure, for every programme of every meeting provides high-class sport, the ranks of the very best horses in training being drawn upon to provide the runners for all the more important events. Kempton Park is on a dead flat, and has a round course, a straight six furlongs, and a course of a mile and a quarter, with a considerable bend or elbow, rather more than a quarter of a mile from home. The stands can be reached from the railway by a series of roofed passages, and the meetings, Handicap is, as far as class is concerned, the most important " spring " handicap of the season, while at the October meeting the Duke of York Stakes ranks as inferior to the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire only, when autumn handicaps are considered. Gatwick, midway between London and Brighton, is also very fiat, though as a matter of fact the ground is rather de- ceptive, and there is more give and take up the straight mile than is apparent to the casual observer. The round course is only one furlong short of two miles, and is eminently adapted for long-distance racing. The stands and enclosures are spacious. i-M THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE and well laid out, and the programmes are attractive enough, but the meetings are not quite so well supported from the class point of view as are those of Sandown and Kempton Parks. Lingfield, a few miles east of Gatwick, has a straight mile which is shghtly down- hill, and a round course, and the place attracts enormous fields of platers of every sort. The course is the prettiest of all the enclosures, and the gardens in summer time a dream of lovehness, and at times there are valuable races which bring the better sort of nags. Hurst Park always goes with the times, and is full of enterprise. It has a straight seven furlongs, and a round or oval course of a mile and three furlongs, so that races of any distance can be run. All sorts of stakes are decided during the year, and all sorts of horses, from Derby nags to selling platers, take part in them. Windsor, Folke- stone, and Alexandra Park are all popular, and all provide interesting racing, but do not attempt big stakes, and therefore do not draw upon the best class of horse. Newbury, the latest and most up-to-date of all the meetings, caters, on the other hand, for the best sort of nags, and has good programmes, in which weight-for-age races and handicaps of considerable value are included. The courses are on the flat, with very slight undulations. ■ // A' Sherborn. Xcicmarte! HIGH STREET. NEWMARKET. CHAPTER XI NEWM.ARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS IT has been mentioned that the central- isation of racing has in a great measure brought the sport into a narrow com- pass, because it is grouped in certain dis- tricts, while many other districts are entirely neglected. The southern group is doubtless the most important, and the midland group the least important of the three, but outside each of these groups there is New- market, which, as a racing centre, stands alone, and of which some description must now be given. Newmarket is emphatically the head- quarters of the turf, and practically it exists for no other purpose than to provide every variety of race-course, and to allow of an enormous number of horses being trained on the heath. It is true that the place lies in the midst of a great agricultural district, but even its advantages in this respect would avail it little, if there were no racing, for it is situated almost midway between Cambridge and Bury St. Edmund's, 17 i: and therefore its market is really unim- portant. Racing is in stern reality the be-all and end-all of Newmarket. How many horses in training are kept there, how many training establishments there are, and how many jockeys reside there are questions not easily answered, because the numbers are always changing. But when the last edition of Ruff's " Guide " was published, the names and addresses of forty-six Newmarket trainers were given, and it is practically certain that the number was a fair average one. It may also be taken for granted that there are never less than a thousand race- horses being trained in and about the town, but here again there are constant fluctua- tions of the numbers, and doubtless the stables are fullest in October and November, when long strings of yearlings have just arrived, and the December sales have not yet been held. As regards the jockey's it may at once be said that about four-fifths 126 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of those who are in regular work hve there, during the racing season at all events, while, as a matter of course, many of the apprentices are also located in the place. The Jockey Club Newmarket is the headquarters of the Jockey Club, who have an official residence, known as " The Rooms " in the High Street, and where by far the larger portion of their business is transacted, though the annual meeting of the club is generally held in London. The eight race meetings — com- prising in recent years twenty-nine days of running — are entirely managed by the Jockey Club, and so too are the various race-courses and the huge tract of ground available for training. As the meetings are of such frequent occurrence, and so many horses are trained on the heath it has long been the custom for members of the Jockey Club and other prominent owners of race-horses to maintain an estabhshment at Newmarket, and thus not only in the town itself, but amidst its environs on every side are private houses owned or rented by racing people. These are primarily used for the meetings, but are frequently visited at other times, in order that owners of horses may be present at private trials, or be able to witness the gallops of particular horses. Then, again, the air at Newmarket is so invigorating that the place is resorted to on this account, and thus some of those who own or rent houses will stay out each series of meetings, without rushing back to London by the first special which departs after the conclusion of any individual meeting. The upshot of all this is that though many of the houses are only temporarily occupied, the periods of occupation are in a great number of cases very frequent, and of fairly long duration, and therefore the place flourishes, and always has a prosperous appearance. It is, however, with the horses and the racing which is provided for them at the headquarters of the turf that we are con- cerned, and we have merely referred to the prosperity of Newmarket in order to show- how gi'eat a thing racing is, and what huge interests the sport involves. Newmarket Meetings Eight meetings are now held on the heath, viz., the Craven in April, the First and Second Spring meetings in May, the First and Second July meetings in the first and third weeks of the month after which they are named, the First October, which almost invariably begins in September, the Second October and the Houghton. All of these meetings extend over four days, e.xcept the Craven, the Second Spring, and the Second July, which are three-day fixtures, and all the spring and autumn meetings are held on parts of the original Beacon Course, the stands at the end of the Rowley Mile being used, while the July celebrations take place behind the Ditch. Courses at Newmarket A great charm of Newmarket is to be found in the fact that the courses vary in no small degree. There are four finishing posts on the Rowley Mile (a part of the Beacon Course) and two on the July course (behind the Ditch), and these afford every variety of finish, so that an owner can enter his horse for that race which finishes on the course likely to suit him best. The Beacon Course is four miles one furlong 177 yards in length, and has its starting post about half a mile east of the Newmarket- Cambridge road, at a spot which is three miles and a half, in a straight line, from where the Portland stands were, until they were pulled down some five or six years ago. This allows of the various bends in the Beacon Course making a total of over half a mile, but as a matter of fact the first two miles and a quarter are practically straight — i.e. from the starting point to the Ditch. From the Ditch to the turn of the lands (beyond the Rowley Mile finishing post) the course bends away from the direct hne, and at the turn of the lands there is another bend. But it is little use writing of the Beacon Course, for the whole length of it is only used when there is a contest for the ^^'hip, and since they discontinued racing on NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 127 the Ancaster Jlile, and the Old Cambridge- shire Course, all the contests are confined to various parts of the Cesarewitch Course. The Cesarewitch Course is two miles and programmes, and this is matter for regret, because the Cesarewitch Course is, on the whole, superior to any other cup course in the kingdom. To begin with it nearly a quarter in length, commencing about a always affords good going. It is used in mile and a quarter beyond the Ditch. The April and May, and again in October, so REFERENCES : -Beacon Course. Ab. M— Abingd -Round Course. F.C.— f -Duke's Course. An. M. -Bunbur>-s Mile. B.P.-BetlinS Poi -Rowley's Mile. G.F.— Guide P( NEWM.ARKET R.ACE-COURSE IN ITS EARLY DAYS. i map of "Xewiiiaikct Hcalh" m tlic possession 0/ the Jockey C!ub, \e: Gap through which the horses come is practically just half way between the start and the finish, and about nine-tenths of the racing which takes place at the six meetings held at Newmarket during spring and autumn is decided on this mile and a quarter. There are certain races run on the full length of the Cesarewitch Course, certain others on the " two middle miles," which means the two middle miles of the Beacon Course, and which begins at the Cesarewitch starting post, and ends at the Ditch Mile winning post — and a fair number over the last mile and a half of the Cesare- witch Course, the start for which takes place about a quarter of a mile behind the Ditch. But, as a matter of fact, there are not a great number of long races on the Newmarket that it lies idle during all the summer months, and therefore the chances of having to race on it when it is very hard are somewhat remote. Moreover the land on Newmarket Heath is light and friable, and apparently free from stony clay. This means that when there is a long period of droughty weather the top becomes to some extent pulverised instead of caking as a clay soil will do. It may be added that the courses are all kept in the best possible order. They are manured, mown, when it is necessary, and constantly rolled, and bush harrowed. In- deed, it is almost impossible to visit the race-course on non-racing days without noticing that some work is being done on the running track. Lastly the turf, though not quite hke down-land, is very similar in character, and as unlike an ordinary pasture 128 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE or meadow field as it well can be. Close, short herbage with a thick bottom is to be found everywhere, and if it happens to be dry — say at the First October meeting — and dust is seen to rise behind the horses, that dust is almost certainly caused by the proper, and at the two meetings which are held on the July course. A year or two ago 198 races were decided during the year at Newmarket, and no fewer than 76 of these were less than six furlongs. (There are two-year-old courses on the race- Sca.le of Furlongs. THE COURSES AT NEWMARKET. moss Utter or kindred matter which has been used, and is not raised because the ground is bare. If, on the other hand, there is heavy rain during a race meeting, and the going becomes soft, the softness is nothing like so bad as it would be in the same circum- stances at many other courses. The heath can stand a great deal of rain, for the water is quickly absorbed by the light soil, and very seldom forms pools as would be the case were the subsoil clay. Besides the Cesarewitch only the Jockey Club Cup is run on the two miles and a quarter course, and a little study of the programmes reveals the fact that in an average year sprint races are in an enormous majority both on the race-course course, and behind the Ditch, the distances of which are five furlongs 134 yards, and five furlongs 140 yards, and all the races decided on either of these courses are in- cluded in the 76.) Thirty-one of six furlongs, II of seven furlongs, 29 of a mile, 2 of nine furlongs, 9 of a mile and a quarter, 2 of a mile and three furlongs, 27 of a mile and a half, 2 of a mile and si.x furlongs, 2 of two miles, and 2 of two miles and a quarter. It will be seen then that at their own meetings the Jockey Club favour short- distance racing, and one would like to see some of their programmes with more long races such as there are at Ascot. There is, however, no necessity to write anything of a controversial nature, our mission being to 1^0 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE describe the racing as it actually is. At the Craven meeting then there are no stakes of the first importance, though several of the three-year-old stakes — the Biennial, the Column Produce Stakes, and the Craven Stakes to wit — give the would-be classic horses the chance of a pubHc trial. And it may be added that these races are on the whole terrible pitfalls, for year after year some of them are won by horses which become false favourites (not necessarily first favourites) for certain classic races, and which afterwards turn out most dis- appointingly. The Biennial in particular has a most unenviable reputation, but as a matter of fact there is little to choose between this race and the Craven Stakes. The First Spring Meeting The First Spring Meeting is by far the most important of the three Newmarket fixtures which are held in the early part of the season, for at it are decided two of the five classics of the season, viz. the Two Thousand, and the One Thousand Guineas. At this meeting, too, certain fairly well-tried two-year-olds may make their appearance, and there is also such an important weight-for-age con- test as the March Stakes on the programme. The Second Spring Meeting, held a fortnight after the First Spring fixture, has nothing more important, or of greater money value than the Newmarket Stakes on its three days' programme, but the Newmarket Handicap is, in its revived state, an interesting race, and again there are several two-year-old stakes which may bring out good class youngsters — especially such as happen to be trained on the heath, and who can there- fore be indulged with a public gallop even if they are a long way from being thoroughly wound up. The July Meetings The July meetings at headquarters are very generally considered the best of the year from the general point of view, though as regards the all-round quality of the horses, and the character of the races decided they cannot be honestly put on the same level as the Second October or the Houghton meet- ings. But the course " behind the Ditch " is in July a charming place, and the racing is quite good enough to attract the attention of the enthusiast. Though the weather is often very hot, a long plantation, behind the paddock and private stands, affords plenty of shelter, and there is no crowd, no bustle, and nothing whatever to distract the atten- tion from the business of the moment. The Round Course behind the Ditch is in these times never used in its entirety, but the last two miles of it, called the Summer Course, is used for the Summer Handicap at the Second July meeting. Other parts of it provide the courses for all the racing behind the Ditch, and the last mile — called the Bunbury Mile — is quite straight. There are two finishing posts, a furlong apart, of which that farthest away is just where a sharp ascent begins, while the other is at the top of the same sharp ascent, and is therefore more severe. At the earlier of the two meetings, the July Stakes for two-year-olds, the Princess of Wales's Plate and the July Cup, a sprint race for horses of all ages, are the most important events, while at the later fixture the Chesterfield Stakes for two- year-olds, and the Summer Handicap take fairly high rank. The Autumn Season The autumn season at Newmarket begins as a rule on the last two or three days of September, the three four-day meetings being each separated by a week. The first of the three fixtures is the least important and only draws a small attendance, but the programme has been strengthened in late years by the inclusion of the Jockey Club Stakes, and the two-year-old racing is nearly always good. The Second October is perhaps the best of all the Newmarket meetings. The Cesarewitch and the Middle Park Plate are its best known races, but the programmes are full of important events, and as a rule all the best horses in training, except those which have been retired for the season, run at the meeting. The Clearwell for two-year-olds, and the Champion Stakes are the big events on the first day. The Cesarewitch is backed up by such races as NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 131 the Chieveley Park Stakes, the Select Stakes, and the Second October Nursery on the Wednesday. Thursday has the Challenge, the Lowther, and the Prendergast Stakes, and Friday is big with the fate of the Middle Park Plate, the most important two-year- old contest of the season. The Houghton meeting, being held at the very end of October, sometimes comes in for bad weather, and in 1882 — when Hackler won — the race for the Cambridgeshire had to be postponed until the following day. The handicap just named is the greatest event of the Houghton meeting, but the whole programme is a strong one, such races as the Criterion, the Dewhurst Plate (for two-year-olds), the Jockey Club Cup, and the Free Handicaps for two- and for three-year-olds being some of the most im- portant events. Early Morning at Newmarket Besides the racing at Newmarket there are other attractions, the chief of which is the early morning visit to the heath, when hundreds of horses can be seen doing their daily work, and at times two or three trials. These semi-private gallops are of frequent occurrence in the race week, because so many owners are on the spot, and therefore trainers grasp the opportunity of trying their nags in the presence of those to whom they belong. In these days there is very little secrecy about the trials. Of course the weights cannot even be guessed at by the casual onlooker, and if he be a visitor he may be quite in the dark as to the individ- uality of the runners. On the other hand he may have easily acquired the information from one of the many horse-watchers who will be present, for it is the business of these men to know every horse by sight, and some of them will reel off the names of hundreds without making a single mistake. The charms of Newmarket Heath before breakfast can hardly be appreciated until they have been experienced, but to the lover of horses, who is able to understand some- thing of what is going forward the daily scene is one of the greatest attractions which the racing season affords, and in race weeks the same men are to be seen day after day, and year after year, watching the work. At the July meetings there are sales of yearlings, both before and after racing, and additional sales are held on various mornings of the Spring and Autumn meet- The Midland Meetings The midland meetings are not of such great importance as some of the southern or northern fi.xtures. In the group may be included Birmingham, Croxton Park, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham, Warwick, and Wolverhampton, and of these Derby and Lincoln are the most important. At each place three meetings are now held during the season, and at Derby the Autumn meeting in November has the Derby Gold Cup on its programme, and one or two very important nurseries. Lincoln has the honour of being the first flat race meeting of the season, and on this account it has acquired greater prominence than is really its due. As a matter of fact there is only one race of really good class on the three days' pro- gramme, viz. the Lincolnshire Handicap. The Brocklesby Stakes for two-year-olds used to be an event of some magnitude, but since the value of all two-year-old stakes (in the early part of the season) was cut down the prestige of this race has in a great measure departed. At all the other places which have been enumerated the racing is mostly of the plating order, but at Leicester large fields are the rule, and the give and take course is exceedingly popular with trainers. The northern group of race meetings is large and important, and may in a sense be divided into separate groups of east and west. In the eastern section may be in- cluded all the Yorkshire meetings, Stockton, and Gosforth Park, and in the western, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Haydock Park, and Carlisle. To go a little more into detail there are now in Yorkshire ten courses on which flat race meetings are held, viz. Beverley, Catterick Bridge, Doncaster, Hull, Pontefract, Redcar, Ripon, Stockton (the town of Stockton-on-Tees is in Durham, but the race-course is on the south side of 132 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the river, and consequently in Yorkshire), Thirsk and York. It need hardly be stated that the Doncaster September meeting is far ahead of all other Yorkshire fixtures. It not only has the St. Leger, the last classic race of the season, on its programme, but it caters on every women who spend the day outside the enclosures, and who are hohday-making, after a somewhat serious fashion of their own, the object being to see the St. Leger at all costs, and if possible to back the winner. From a social point of view the meeting is only second to Ascot, the State Do.VC ASTER. DONCASTER R,\CE-COURSE. day of the meeting for the best class of horse. Indeed Doncaster is one of the four great meetings of the year (the other three being Epsom, Ascot, and Goodwood), and in some ways it is the greatest of all. For example it is quite possible that the attend- ance at Doncaster is actually the biggest of the year, that at Epsom on the Derby Day alone excepted. But whereas an enormous number of the visitors to Epsom care little for the actual racing, the Doncaster crowd is almost entirely attracted by the sport itself, the horse-loving Yorkshiremen eagerly wel- coming the chance of seeing the best three- year-olds of the year perform. It results then that whilst the attendance of all the racing notabilities is very large indeed on every day of the meeting, the numbers on the St. Leger Day are supple- mented by a vast concourse of men and procession and the Royal enclosure placing the last named meeting in a class of its o\\n, but whereas Ascot has a unique posi- tion in this respect, Doncaster runs it far closer than does any other meeting, chiefly because of the fact that it attracts just as many of the magnates of the racing world as Ascot, and perhaps more than Epsom. Some racing folk who do not happen to be members of the Epsom club never visit the Downs ; others similarly placed go to see the Derby, and perhaps the Oaks. Ladies again are there in very small numbers, because of there being so little accommodation for them, and, in fact, big as the general crowd at Epsom is the meeting is not exactly a social function. At Doncaster on the other hand there are half a dozen private stands included in the long range of buildings, and ladies are NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 133 admitted to nearly all of these. As every- one who has been at the September meeting will agree, the paddock is crowded with ladies between the races, and it must be added that this part of the attendance is not local, but is drawn from every part of the kingdom. The local magnates do a great deal of entertaining, and throughout a circuit of fifty miles house parties are brought together for the meeting. The King is almost invariably present — generally coming from Rufford Abbey with Lord Savile — and his presence doubtless has much to do with the success of the meetings socially, but in addition to the King every im- portant personage of the turf world is present, and thousands of occasional turfites, who do not exactly make a business of racing, but in the kingdom, and the turf is always in capital order. This turf is kept almost like a tennis lawn, and is not only beautiful to look at, but affords excellent going ; but there is one fault to the course, and one often wonders that it has not been remedied long ago. Reference is made to the bend or long elbow, not much more than a quarter of a mile from the winning post. This bend is known as the " Intake Turn " (it is just opposite the Intake Farm), and though not very pronounced it at times causes a good deal of scrimmaging. But that is not exactly the worst of it, for it must be understood that when a course bends — either way — so near the end of a race the positions nearest to the rails are far more valuable than the outside places, and thus it happens that in the sprint A START AT DONCASTER. '( f-y Sforts &• General Illustrations C who make a point of never missing Doncaster. Besides the racing there are the sales to attract. These are held, at no great distance from the course, between the hours of ten and one o'clock on each of the four racing days, and the business chiefly concerns yearhngs, of which (broadly) one hundred thousand pounds' worth are disposed of every year. The course at Doncaster is one of the best 18 races at Doncaster one often sees horses shut in at this place, and others unduly favoured. There is in fact too much racing from the start in order to secure the coveted position on the rails, and this in a measure alters some of the races, and often interferes with the result. It is stated that the course is to be altered and the turn straightened out. This Intake Turn seldom has any effect upon the race for the St. Leger, for by the 134 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE time it is reached the horses have come a mile and a half, and are somewhat strung out. Indeed, if there is trouble in the St. Leger — as there was in Memoir's year — such trouble generally occurs at the Red House, where the round course joins the so-called straight mile, and not at the Intake Turn. The Doncaster Course The Doncaster course is almost a dead flat, though there is a very slight rise and fall on the round course about a mile and a quarter from home. The round course — on which the St. Leger is run — is one mile six furlongs and 132 yards, and as the horses start just in front of the paddock, and only a few yards from the stands there is as good a view of the start as there is of the finish. In addition to the round course there is the Sandall Mile, on which all the sprinting events are decided, and this joins the round course rather more than five furlongs from home. The races are managed by the Corporation of Doncaster, who make a big profit out of the meetings, and who are by no means free with added money. Indeed, the full amount of prizes for the four days of the September meeting does not reach much more than £1^,000, and this compares very unfavour- ably with what is given, for example, at Ascot. Probably the average racing man, unless he owns horses, never inquires much into the actual value of races. It does not affect him whether owners are running for their own, or for someone else's money, and the result of this is that — owners being a long- suffering class — very little is heard of the subject. There are, as a rule, two meetings during the year (there were three in 1909), but only the St. Leger meeting, held at the beginning of September, is a really important fixture. The Doncaster Fixtures On the Tuesday of the great week the Champagne Stakes for two-year-olds is the most important event of its kind which is decided in the north of England. As in the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, there are no penalties or allowances, and in five years out of -six the very best form of the year is represented. Pretty Polly, Rock Sand, Ladas and La Fleche are amongst the recent winners, for example, and briefly the race is one of half a dozen which have claims to be the most important two-year-old events of the season. The other big race on Tuesday is the Great Yorkshire Handicap, run on the St. Leger course of a mile and six furlongs, and this again attracts some of the best long-distance handicap horses. The Doncaster Cup On Wednesday, there are, besides the St. Leger, the Tattersall Sale Stakes for two-year-olds, and the Rufford Abbey Plate, a two-mile handicap. On Thursday the Portland Plate, a handicap sprint of five and a half furlongs, is second only to the Goodwood Stewards' Cup amongst races of this kind, but the card is the weakest of the four, while that of Friday is perhaps the strongest all round. On this day the Doncaster Cup, the Prince of Wales Nursery, the Park Hill Stakes, and the Doncaster Stakes are all of them races of note, and the Cup stands on an equality with that given at Goodwood, the two being inferior to the Ascot Cup only, amongst long-distance weight-for-age races. And the inferiority is more imaginary than real, for as a matter of fact the same class of horse con- tests both races, and in very recent times, in support of this argument, it may be stated that William the Third and Bachelor's Button won both trophies, while The White Knight won a brace of Ascot Cups, and in each year was beaten when he attempted to add Doncaster honours to those gained at Epsom and Ascot. The Prince of Wales Nursery is the first mile nursery of the season, and so good is the class it attracts that it is looked upon as the most difficult two-year-old handicap of the season. St. Simon won it with 9 stone in the saddle, and won by so great a margin that some of the field appeared to be hardly beyond the Intake Turn when he was passing the winning post, and a recent example of a good winner may be quoted in Radium, who three years later was also successful NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 135 in the Doncaster Cup. The Park Hill Stakes is for three-year-old fillies, and the Doncaster Stakes is also a three-}'ear-old race ; both bring out good class, and notably the first- named often shows confirmation, or an upset, of One Thousand and Oaks form. York August Fixture After Doncaster the York August fixture is the greatest meeting of the year in the north of England. It is held a fortnight before Doncaster, and when many racing people are in Scotland, or abroad, but it is of great local importance, and in spite of its rather awkward date it attracts a big number of strangers to the place, and the sport, without being quite up to the Doncaster standard, is of fairly high class. In these days there is no York Cup, and the Ebor Handicap seems lately to have rather lost its hold on the public, while the Great Yorkshire Stakes — in which The Miner beat Blair Athol, and Trent disposed of Apology, each of the beaten horses winning the St. Leger a fortnight later — has also declined in importance. But on the other hand the two-year-old racing at this meeting has steadily improved, and the Gimcrack Stakes has gradually become one of the great two- year-old contests of the season. It is now a thousand pound race, with penalties and allowances, and as far as its conditions go is much hke many other races of the present day, but it has outside importance, because of the annual dinner of the Gimcrack Club — held in York during December. The Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes was founded in honour of a grey horse named Gimcrack, who was by Cripple out of a mare by Grise- wood's Partner. He was foaled in 1760, and though only a little (a quarter of an inch to be precise) over fourteen hands high, won a great number of races, and in fact made a very big mark on the turf. He began his running career when four years old, and won races when he was eleven, and his victories were very greatly in excess of his defeats, though as a matter of fact lie was beaten some half-dozen times during his career. Curiously enough two of his defeats were sustained at York. In 1768 he was unplaced to Pilgrim, Chatsworth, and Tortoise, in the Great Subscription Plate, and a year later in the same race he was third to Chatsworth and Tortoise. It is thus rather singular that the York folk should have recognised his great merit when he was twice defeated over their course. They did so, however, and the Gimcrack Club has not only lasted to the present day, but has during the last five-and-twenty years obtained an importance which did not belong to it at an earlier date. The Gimcrack Club. At first indeed the membership and in- fluence of the club were only local, but gradually it became the custom to exercise a good deal of hospitality at the annual dinner. Invitations were sent to prominent turfites, stewards of the Jockey Club, and others, and then the inevitable thing hap- pened, and what had once been merely a social gathering became to some extent a meeting of turf politicians, with a long pro- gramme of after-dinner speeches, all of which were reported, at length, on the follow- ing day. At one time the dinner was looked to to clear the turf horizon, and from one particular speech came a cause celebre which is hardly yet forgotten. More recently no great importance has been attached to the utterances of the speakers — probably because several who have spoken out on the subject of turf reform and so forth have been merely private individuals, with no mandate from the stewards of the Jockey Club. Besides giving the turf world something to talk about every year the members of the Gim- crack Club endow the race with £500 of added money, and it may be added that the desire to win it is, amongst owners of race-horses, very great. None of the other Yorkshire meetings is of really first-class importance. Stockton has a three-day fixture in August, in the week immediately preceding York, and other meetings of much less general interest. The August meeting does not lack for patronage, and supplies capital racing of 136 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE not quite the best class, but which is not far removed from it. There are several good stakes for two- and three-year-olds, and the course is a good one, though not quite so good as York. Nor is Stockton quite so handy for southern visitors, but of late years the train service to the meetings has been greatly improved, and it is not the other. The programmes include Biennial; and Foal Stakes, and so forth, and were it not that the meetings are never allowed a clear date they would be a far bigger draw than they actually are. This applies both to Redcar and Stockton, of which the former is generally opposed by Kempton Park, while Stockton has, as a rule, the Gl.MCRACK. ing by J. Scott, after the painting by George Stubbs, A.R.A. necessary to stay at Stockton — where the hotel accommodation is of rather a limited character — because Redcar and Saltburn are close at hand, and at either place there are many good hotels. Redcar, half an hour by train from Stockton , has one of the best courses in the kingdom, and its August meeting, though of only two days' duration, is much on a par with that of Stockton as regards the class of competitor which is foimd in the more important races. Though drawing largely on the northern stables, both Redcar and Stockton always attract a very strong contingent of New- market trained horses at their August meetings, and as Stockton follows Redcar many horses stay on from one meeting to opposition of Folkestone and Wolverhamp- ton. Redcar would be a first-class meeting, or something very like one, were a clear date allowed. It is an older meeting than Kempton, and it had a fair standing — • which was improving every year — before any racing took place in the Sunbury Vale. Of late the opposition in the south has tended to injure Redcar, however, and this is matter for extreme regret, as the real sporting spirit is far stronger in the North Riding of Yorkshire than it is in the neigh- bourhood of London. Moreover, there is in the early days of August a great exodus of racing people from the London district to the north of England. NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 137 By this time of year the summer is well advanced, and professional race-goers have been hard at it in the south for not far short of six months. In many years the weather has become very hot, and the ground con- siderably dried up. Then come a series of northern meetings, Redcar, Stockton, and York, in successive weeks, with Derby sandwiched in between York and Doncaster. Here then is the chance of a change to crisper air, a good deal less heat, and courses with which the average southern enclosure cannot compare. Scores of racing folk go north, and many stay in the north until York is over, while a fair number do not come south again until after Doncaster, but all the time there are meetings in the south, and even if these are ignored by many, they put trainers and jockej's to a great deal of trouble. Racing in August In August only a moiety of the horses in training are fit to run. Many of the spring performers are being rested until the autumn, and many others have in most 3'ears shown signs of feeling the effects of hard ground. There is then a difficulty about filling the fields, for as a matter of fact there is at this time of year more racing than either before or afterwards, there being a continuous clashing between northern and southern meetings. Jockeys in August spend their days in the saddle and their nights in the train, and to some extent this is also the lot of those trainers who happen to have horses fit to fulfil August engagements. Instead of being a slack month — which it is to the race-goer who is not a professional, and whose attend- ance is optional — it is one of the busiest months of the year, and yet it is a time of disappointments, because the supply of good jockeys is so limited that if the forces are about equally divided there are not enough at either fixture. How many horses one has heard of which have been sent to some of these August meetings, and home again without running because the owner or trainer could not find a suitable jockey, one does not know, but it is quite certain that the jockey question often becomes acute at this period of the season, and it is probable that most difficulties occur during the Redcar- Kempton week. Pontefract and Hull Such Y'orkshire meetings as Beverley, Catterick, Pontefract, Thirsk, and Ripon, are unambitious in their programmes, and are chiefly of local interest. Pontefract secures a fair number of Newmarket trained horses, and is the best of the five, but it cannot be called a first-rate meeting. What sort of racing the new fixture at Hull will provide remains to be seen, it being at present far too early to speak with real conviction. The course is a good one, and well adapted for long-distance racing, but much depends upon the attitude of the North Eastern Railway Company, who have it in their power to make or mar the fixture. So far a promise of fair class sport conducted on very sound lines is given. Gosforth Park In the north-eastern district Gosforth Park is the only other racing centre, and at this place there is the best enclosed course in the country. The straight mile is probably the widest to be found at any enclosure, and on the round course of a mile and three quarters the turns are so gentle that there is seldom any shutting out, or much crowding. Indeed one hardly knows a better course for two-mile races, and were Gosforth Park close to London, instead of being in the country, at a distance of five miles from Newcastle-on-Tyne, it would have a very much greater reputation than it has. But like Redcar and Stockton the fixtures never have a clear date. The spring and autumn meetings are not of great import- ance, their programmes being of a modest nature, but the summer fixture almost attains the dignity of a great meeting, and yet it is always opposed by a meeting of some considerable importance in the south of England. Gatwick and Newbury are the meetings which generally clash with Gosforth Park in June, but in this case it 138 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE is probably the southern meeting which suffers, for the racing up north is in this particular week almost of higher class than that which takes place at its southern rival. Though Gosforth Park is a modern en- closed course of some twenty-five years of existence the meeting (held in June) is one of the oldest of existing fixtures, and its removal from the Newcastle Town Moor to the present site was compulsory. The result was that all the old features of the racing were continued, and though Gosforth Park is farther away from the town, the change was all for the best, for it allowed of the course being kept in perfect order, whereas the Town Moor is a public common, used by the freemen of Newcastle-on-T}'ne for grazing purposes, and it was not always an easy matter to keep the race track in really good galloping condition. The Northumberland Plate Turf history is replete with stories of what happened at Newcastle in old days, when the Newcastle Gold Cup was of greater importance than the Northumberland Plate, and when such horses as X Y Z, Beeswing, Doctor Syntax, and others were the heroes of northern racing, but as the Cup declined the Northumberland Plate gathered im- portance year by year, and for a considerable period, during the middle part of last century the race was one of the greatest two-mile handicaps of the year. The famous Under- hand won it three years in succession, the St. Leger winner Caller Ou was successful as a five-, and again as a six-year-old, and in later days Lily Agnes, the dam of Ormonde, Hampton, who afterwards sired three Derby winners, and the mighty Barcaldine, who won under 9 stone 10 lb., and who never knew defeat during his racing career, are to be found amongst the list of winners. More recently the race has suffered because of the extraordinary number of new /i,ooo handicaps which the enclosures have pro- vided, but even now it is of considerable importance generally, and as the " Pitman's Derby " has a local standing which is almost unique. Besides the Northumberland Plate the North- Derby for three-year-olds, and the Seaton Delaval Stakes for two-year-olds are trump cards of the Gosforth programme, and even the minor events at the June meeting bring out horses of fair class. Indeed, Gosforth Park is in many respects an ideal racing place, but as its principal meeting is held in the height of the London season it is not a big social function, though well supported locally. The Liverpool Meeting There are two, and sometimes three, meet- ings every year at Carlisle, and at the fixture which follows Gosforth Park in June (or the first week of July) the sport is pretty good, but the place as a racing venue is the least important of the north-western group, and pride of place must certainly be given to Liverpool, while Chester stands next, for its one meeting in May takes higher social rank than any of the meetings held at Manchester during the racing year. Liverpool has three fixtures, one towards the end of March, the second in July, and the last in November, and all three come into the category of first-class meetings. The spring races are the most important, because the Grand National Steeplechase is included in the programme, and this race is un- doubtedly the most famous cross-country event in the world. Further reference will be made to it when steeplechasing is being discussed, and it will be enough if it is here mentioned that the race draws such a crowd as is never seen on any other course in the kingdom. In actual numbers the Derby and the St. Leger crowds are much larger, but at Liverpool it is the attendance inside the stands and paddock which is so extraordinary, for it includes not only all the racing world, and all the steeplechase world, but hundreds, nay thousands of hunting folk from all parts of the kingdom, many of whom are in no sense of the word regular racing folk. From Ireland, too, it draws an enormous number, and when an Irish trained horse wins the demonstration is most pronounced. At the Spring meeting, and again at the November fixture the Liverpool programmes NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 139 TheLjverpool FLAT 8, GRAND NATIONAL Steeple Chase Course include races under both sets of rules, but there is also a Liverpool Cup (handicap of a mile and three furlongs) at each meeting, and though the Spring Cup does not take very high rank, the Summer Cup is one of the most important handicaps of the mid season, and the Autumn Cup usually attracts some of the best handicap nags in training, and is often a sort of second edition of the Cambridgeshire. In addition to the cups there are good class two- and three-year-old races, and at the Summer meeting the pro- gramme is one of the richest of the year, the St. George's Stakes, the Lancashire Breeders' Produce Stakes, and the Atlantic Stakes being each of £2,000 in value, while the Cup is worth over £1,000, and the MolyTieux Plate and the Knowsley Dinner Stakes £1,000 apiece. The flat- racing course is not the best in the world, for there is a long elbow to the Cup course, and horses at times run very wide when coming into the straight. There is a straight six furlongs, and the super-excellence of the steeplechase course quite makes up for the rather poor quality of the fiat-race course. Chester has only one meeting, in May, and in many respects the course is about the worst in the kingdom. " Twice round the frying pan, and once up the handle " has been descriptive of the course on which the Cup is run any time during the last fifty years, and it cannot be said that the description is in any way inapt. The races are run on the Roodeye, and their antiquity has been explained in an earlier chapter of this work. But in spite of the poor course there are always plenty of runners, and the meeting has extraordinary popularity amongst all sections of racing folk. The Chester Cup, a two-mile handicap, is the great draw, attracting such a crowd that the narrow streets of the town are congested with pedestrian traiific from quite an early horn- in the forenoon until quite late in the evening, and long after the sport of the day is over. Nor is the crowd composed entirely of the LIVERPOOL RACE-COURSE. 140 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE local " bob-a-nob " element, for the fact is that the meeting is just as popular with the aristocracy of the racing world as it is with the poorer race-goers, and house parties by the hundred are made up, for this particular meeting, not only in Cheshire, but in Shrop- shire, North Wales, North Staffordshire, case. ■ But except in the two or three most important events it is good second class, rather than first class which is to be found, and this could hardly be otheiwise, consider- ing that selling plates and minor handicaps are to be found on the programmes of each of the three days' racing. CHESTER CUP: THE PARADE. and from every part of the Manchester and Liverpool districts. On the first day the greatest attraction is now the Chester Vase of £2,000 ; on the second day the Cup takes precedence, and on the last day the Dee Stakes for three- year-olds, and the Great Cheshire Handicap. There are, in addition, several two-year-old stakes which are well worth winning, and minor handicaps of some importance. Horses are sent to the meeting from all parts of the kingdom, and the King is a fairly frequent visitor. In every respect the meeting is a pleasant one, and from a social point of view it perhaps takes higher rank than is warranted by the class of horse mostly in evidence. By this it must not be under- stood that class is poor, for this is not the Manchester is a great racing centre, and has three meetings every year, one in May or June, one in September, and one at the end of November, this third fixture being in fact the last flat-race meeting of the year. The new course at Castle Irwell is by no means a bad one, and the going improves year by year. There is a round course of a mile and six furlongs, with a straight run in of five furlongs, and a straight course of six furlongs, but there are two drawbacks to Manchester, one being that the programmes frequently contain one big race, and a lot of third-rate events, and the other that the light is often very bad, owing to the low- lying position of the course, which allows of fog and mist hanging about when the atmosphere is not dry. NEWMARKET AND THE COUNTRY MEETINGS 141 Manchester Meetings At the Spring meeting of three daj-s there were (in igo8 and held in June) the Whit- suntide Plate of £1,000 for two-year-olds, and the Castle Irwell Handicap of £500 on the first day, while each of the four other races was of less than £200 in value ; on the second day there were two handicaps of less than £500 each to the winners, and live races of less than £200 apiece, and on the third day the Manchester Cup of £2,570 to the winner, with four races of £100 each, and one worth just under £200. Thus it will be seen that whilst the Cup was bound — on account of its value — to attract horses of good class, the balance of the programme catered for platers, and there are those who think that there is far too much plating, in proportion to good class racing, at all the Manchester meetings. In September the fixture is now of two days' duration, and on the first day it has a £500 nursery, and the Autumn Breeders' Foal Plate for two-year-olds (this was worth £888 to the winner in 1908), and the usual four races of less than £200. On the second day there was the Prince Edward Handicap of £1,670 to the winner, four minor races, and the Michaelmas Plate for two-year-olds, worth £452. At the November meeting there was a £500 handicap and six minor events on the first day, a £500 nursery and six minor events on the second day, and the Manchester November Handicap of £1,500, and five little races on the third day. One cannot help thinking that more money should be provided, for the meetings have great pretensions, and are well favoured in the matter of dates. Racing in Scotland The only flat-race meetings which are being held in Scotland just now are Ayr, Eglinton, Lanark, and Edinburgh, and of these Ayr is quite the most important. The new course is an oval of a mile and five furlongs, and the principal meeting is held in September, and is of three days' duration. The West of Scotland Foal Stakes for two- year-olds, the Ayrshire Handicap, and the Ayr Gold Cup are the principal races, and 19 the meeting takes rank as good second- class, and has very powerful local support. Eglinton, Lanark, and Edinburgh appeal chiefly to the Scottish and north of England stables, but each has a popularity of its own, and the Caledonian Hunt Cup, and Edinburgh Gold Cup, both decided at Edinburgh, are the most important events on the pro- grammes. The Irish Meetings In Ireland there are about forty courses on which flat-racing takes place, but a very large majority of them are of minor im- portance. The rule with regard to the value of stakes allows of smaller prizes being given than in England and Scotland, and thus a host of small local meetings are held, which are of quite different type to those known in England. No doubt the horse- breeding industry is encouraged by the multiplicity of small meetings, for small breeders have the chance of running their young stock at comparatively small expense, and all country folk are enabled to have sight of thoroughbreds other than those bred or trained in their immediate locahty. It says a great deal for the horse-loving cjualities of the Irish that in a country of which the population is a great deal less than that of London (inner and outer London) there should be nearly as many racing places as there are in Great Britain. There were, as a matter of fact, forty-one places in Ireland where race meetings were held in 1907, to the forty-seven on this side of St. George's Channel. Ireland, is, however, better known in connection with the breeding of race-horses than great race meetings, and when an Irish thoroughbred of more than average merit puts in an appearance, he is very frequently sold to an English owner. In breeding, Ireland does remarkably well, more especially perhaps with English stallions and mares which have been sent to the country after their running days are over. Much of the land is undoubtedly suitable for rearing horses, and though hunters have been the chief industry for two or three generations, there has been during the last 142 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE few years a great increase in the number of thoroughbreds, and certain Enghsh breeders of race-horses have actually taken stud farms in Ireland and placed there their English stud matrons — many of which are sent every spring to England to be mated, and are then sent back to Ireland, to be kept, so that the foal may have the benefit of the bone-making limestone pastures. As regards the actual flat racing which takes place in the Sister Isle it may be said that Baldoyle, the Curragh, Cork Park, Leopardstown and Phcenix Park are the principal centres, where the best class horses are to be seen, and between them these five places have no fewer than twenty-four flat- race meetings in the course of the year. The sport is probably even more popular than it is in England, but the comparatively small population does not allow of anything very great being done in the matter of prize money, and thus the programmes are on a small scale, even at the best meetings. At times prizes of £1,000 are forthcoming, but the good Irish race-horse has only a small chance of winning any very big sum, unless he is sent over to England. And this is what happens with regard to the best of the breed. If they have distinguished themselves in the country of their birth, and have failed to find an English pur- chaser at a longish price, they are sent to some English trainer, and unless they turn out to have been sadly overrated Ireland knows them no more. Many good judges in England are always on the look- out for Irish nags of class, and the result is that early or late — either because they have been sold or sent to run in England — a huge majority of the best find their way to this country. rhotograph by 11'. A. Rouch. ST. LEGER D.4Y AT DONCASTER. CHAPTER XII FAMOUS HORSES THOUGH there have been hundreds — • probably thousands — of race-horses which were far above the ordinary in point of merit, it has not fallen to the lot of all such horses to have become really famous. Some of the best ran so seldom that their good qualities were never properly appreciated by the pub- lic ; others came in a good year, when something just a little better would beat them two or three times, and thus pre- vent them from taking the high position in turf history which they might otherwise have achieved. Then, again, accident has frequently interrupted a career which could hardly have failed to have been great, and lastly certain horses have become famous more because they were popular idols with the race-going crowd than because of their superlative merits. To quote an example or two, such horses as Minting, The Bard, and Saraband, were overshadowed by the mighty Ormonde, as Ravensbury was by Isinglass a few years later. Such a horse as Spearmint never reached the high position — in the estimation of the general public — to which he was pro- bably entitled, because he never ran again after winning the Grand Prix de Paris, and because he only ran five times altogether, and showed no particular form as a two-year-old. Again, such horses as Bendigo and Victor Wild attained extraordinary race-course popularity because of the big performances they gave in handicaps, and yet when Bendigo ran against Ormonde and Minting in the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot he was beaten by fifty yards, and when Victor Wild attempted to add the Ascot Cup to his handicap honours he also was beaten off. Instances of lucky and unlucky horses, of horses with great reputations thoroughly deserved, and of horses with great reputa- tions rather easily come by, could be given by the dozen, but space will only allow of a very cursory glance at some of the greatest performers which the turf has known, and those whose doings are within the recollec- tion of many of our readers — and who can be written of from personal observation — • will receive more attention than the early celebrities. Mention of many famous horses from a stud point of view, has already been made, and as a general rule the great horses of every period of turf history have followed up their race-course victories by a successful stud career. There have, as a matter of course, been exceptions, and, for example, such a horse as Gladiateur — thought by some good judges to have been one of the best runners of all time — was a complete failure at the stud. Dozens of instances could be quoted, in point of fact, of first- rate runners who have been unable to re- produce themselves in their progeny, whereas, on the other hand, the lines of blood which have been given in an earlier part of the present work, show the names of certain horses who did nothing on the turf, and yet whose blood lives, and is strongly represented at the present day. It may be, of course, that such an animal as Whitelock (to quote a single example), the sire of Blacklock, and from whom all the St. Simon family are descended in direct tail male, might have done better in other circumstances. It may be that the quality and merit were there, but that he was badly managed and not properly trained. It is possible that he ought to have been as good as his sire Hambletonian, or his son Blacklock, but this is an abstruse turf problem, which it is almost impossible to solve, and it is only 143 144 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE HAMBLETONIAN. From the engraving by J. Scott, after the pnintin^ by Francis Sartori mentioned because in the line from Eclipse to Persimmon, Whitelock is the only sire who was not a race-horse of far more than average merit. The first great runner of whom there is any reliable account was Flying Childers, and of this horse, who, according to turf his- torians, was never beaten, sufficient account has already been given. The next real celebrity, from the racing point of view, was Echpse, who was foaled in 1764, and this horse made by far the greatest name of all the old-time racers. He was the Ormonde of his day, and, as has been already ex- plained, he won, or walked over for all the six-and-twenty races and matches which are credited to his name, and retired from the turf with a reputation which has never been equalled in the turf history of all the world. In only one of his races, a match against Bucephalus, decided at Newmarket in 1770, was there any appearance of his having at last met an opponent really worthy of him, but we are left quite in the dark as to how far the great horse won, and all that is known in connection with the race is that Bucephalus was so distressed by his efforts that he was never able to run again. It is extraordinary that Eclipse should have been such a Triton amongst the minnows in his running days, for Herod, who was foaled six years earlier, had a better stud record, and though the line of Eclipse in later years has completely dominated the line of Herod, there is no getting away from the fact that Herod sired 497 winners against the 344 sired by Eclipse, although the last-named was four years longer at the stud. It is evident, then, that in his own time Eclipse had a stud rival who actually beat him, but as regards racing, whilst Herod won many good races he was also often beaten, and on the course he showed none of that marked superiority to (practically) all his opponents that Echpse did. Matchem, foaled in 1748, was also a greater horse at the stud than he was on the course, and Pot-8-os, foaled in 1773, was in training for eight seasons, and yet sired Waxy, through whom two different lines of Eclipse have been handed down. Waxy won the Derby (his first outing) and ^ 5 FAMOUS HORSES 145 many other races, and was afterwards a great sire. Whalebone, who carried on the line, also won the Derby, and was a good, if not an exceptional, race-horse. Another son of Eclipse, King Fergus by name (1775), was a fair runner, winning nine or ten good races, but his son Hambletonian (1792) was a more famous horse, and much of his fame was due to the fact that he beat Diamond in a match for 3,000 guineas, run on the Beacon Course at Newmarket, at the Craven meeting of 1799. This match was one of the most famous of all time, and is said to have drawn together a greater concourse of people than Newmarket had ever known before. It was supposed that between two and three hundred thousand pounds changed hands on the race. Hambletonian won many other races, and was a great stayer, and it is rather re- markable that in 1797, two years before he won his great match, he was advertised as a sire, but his subscription not having filled he was put into training again. He was a good, but not exactly a great horse, and as far as one can judge, it was the prestige of winning so important a match which gave him the high place he undoubtedly holds in turf history. Herod's best son, Highflyer, was undoubtedly a great horse, both as a runner and at the stud. He was bred by Sir Charles Bunbury, and was foaled in 1774, and according to Pick he was never beaten and never paid a forfeit, " though it has been asserted to the con- trary." He was undoubtedly the best horse of his day in England, and though he only ran once as a three-year-old, five times (and received one forfeit) as a four- year-old, and si.x times as a five-year-old (including two walks over), his winnings in stakes amounted to £9,336 los., an enormous sum of money for those days, when mam- moth stakes had never been heard of and the bigger subscription races only received a dozen or so of entries. A great horse also was Highflyer's son, Sir Peter Teazle, commonly called Sir Peter. As a three-year-old he was unbeaten, winning the Derby and five other races. BLACKLOCK. From the etiginiing by Win. Smilh, alter the fniiiting by E. Tnmson. 146 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE while he walked over for two other events. As a four-year-old he won four races and received two forfeits, as a five-year-old he won twice and he was twice beaten, and paid two forfeits when six years old. It will be seen that he carried all before him in his first two seasons, and he certainly has claims to be considered a great horse. He was also a great sire, and it is worthy of note that the American line of blood which has lately been in evidence through Emperor of Norfolk, Americus, and Americus Girl, comes from him in the direct male line. Doctor Syntax Whisker, by Waxy, who won the Derby in 1815, came very near to being a great horse, and Doctor Syntax, one year older, was a great celebrity and a very frequent winner, though he was essentially a northern horse in pre-railway days, when racing in the north and south was much more divided than it now is. Doctor Syntax was by Paynator, of the line of Matchem, and he fell in his irrst race as a three-year-old, and was beaten in two succeeding events. He then took up a winning vein, and won at Preston, Morpeth, and twice at Richmond in York- shire. He started as a four-year-old by winning twice at Catterick and once at Middleham. He then won the Cup at Lancaster and the Cup at Preston, but was beaten for the Richmond Cup by the famous Filho-da-Puta, but at the same meeting he was successful in an £80 stake, in three mile heats. As a five-year-old he won at Catterick, again took the Cups at Lancaster and Preston, having in the last-named race his revenge on Filho-da-Puta, who had beaten him at Richmond in the previous year. As a six- year-old he won the Cup at Preston for the third year in succession, but was beaten into second place for the Richmond Cup by The Duchess. In the following year he took a third Lancaster Cup, a fourth Preston Cup, and a second Richmond Cup, and a year later (in 1819) he was successful for the fourth time in the Lancaster Cup and for the fifth time in the Preston Cup, but was once more defeated in the Richmond Cup. In 1820 he won a lifth Lancaster and a sixth Preston Cup, beating the St. Leger winner Antonio in the first-named race. He also won the Richmond Cup again, and other races. In 1821 he was beaten by Reveller in the Lancaster Cup, but he won a seventh Preston Cup and another Rich- mond Cup, while in 1822 he sustained his first defeat in the Preston Cup, but won Cups at Richmond and Northallerton. In 1823, being now twelve years old, he won at Newcastle, Pontefract, and the Richmond Cup again, but was beaten at Doncaster. One is inclined to think that the record of seven Cups in seven years (at Preston) has never been equalled by any other horse, and Doctor Syntax was such a favourite through- out the north of England that his portrait can be found to this day, as the sign of an inn, in many a country district. "The Doctor," as he was always called, was barely fifteen hands, with a high drooping rump and short quarters. He was mouse coloured, and, according to " The Druid," a slight canter would bring out his veins so strongly that he looked as if he was covered with net- work. He had splendid legs, and a strong, muscular head, but could never bear either whip or spur. One of his jockeys, Rob Johnson, always got every ounce out of him by merely stroking and talking to him, while when Bill Scott rode him he used to hiss at him furiously. A Great Race Two horses who came in for more notoriety than was perhaps their due ran a great match in 1816. These were Filho-da-Puta and Sir Joshua. The first-named won the St. Leger, but in the following spring he was beaten by a neck by Sir Joshua in the great match, and according to the turf historians of the day the loser was unlucky. " The Druid " says that Filho-da-Puta failed owing to his rearing suddenly at the post and losing some length which he could never quite make up again, while, according to the late Mr. Prince of Newmarket, who was an eye-witness of the match, " Filho " slipped and nearly fell, coming down Bushes Hill. The race was run in March, during a heavy FAMOUS HORSES 147 fall of snow. Both horses were of the line of Herod, and Sir Joshua died whilst he was still a four-vear-old, owing to an accident caused by slipping up in his box. Blacklock (1814), though he was beaten by a fluke in the St. Leger, was a fine specimen of the big race-horse, and quite the best of his day. He was a great sire, too, but he was not quite an exceptional race-horse, and, indeed, we may pass over the next fifteen years or so in search for something quite out of the common, but may pause at the name of Plenipotentiary, who was foaled in i8ji, and was by Emilius out of Harriet. Wonderful Plenipotentiary Plenipotentiary was a fair specimen of the great race-horse who made no name at the stud, and at the moment he does not figure in the tail male pedigree of any living horse, but his name is to be found in the pedigree of Lord Lyon and Minting, as the sire of the dam of Ellen Home. Yet he must have been an extraordinary performer, for Wildrake. in his " Cracks of the Day," pub- lished in 1843, begins his description as follows : " Here stands the crack of his day, as well as of every other, a horse such as we shall ne'er look upon the like of again, the wonderful and the unequalled, the ill-used ' Plenipo ' ! " Taunton, writing some thirty years later, says this may appear a some- what extravagant summing up of the tran- scendent merits of Plenipo, as a race-horse, but if we take public opinion we find from contemporary testimony that Plenipo occu- pied a station of prominence never before at- tained by any of his predecessors. Childers, doubtless, was a phenomenon, and the wonders of Eclipse have come down to us with higher claims to authenticity ; but if speed be the test of superiority in a racer, then we are bound to draw the conclusion that when such distances as four and six miles were the tests of excellence, power and substance were necessary elements, which do not enter into the breeding arrangements of more recent times. Plenipo, however, was an exception, for he had bone and size enough to go be- tween the shafts of a cabriolet. We have not quoted Taunton's words exactly, but have given the conclusion he arrived at, and this accords with all that was written concerning Plenipotentiary, who was a large horse of such ponderous muscle, and who carried so much flesh that he looked like a fat bullock when in training. Still, it is said that he was greatly admired for his beauty and racing points. Plenipotentiary won the Derby, but was beaten so far in the St. Leger that he was generally supposed to have been the victim of foul play. It is said, moreover, that his constitution was ruined for all time, and it may be that his want of success at the stud was due to his Doncaster experience. Touchstone was a high-class horse and a great stud success. Bay Middleton, who won the Derby in 1836, was another very high-class horse, and Surplice, who took both the Derby and St. Leger in 1848, was probably much above the average classic three-year-old in point of merit, but he was followed in the next two years by horses which were of even better class, in The Flying Dutchman, Voltigeur, and Teddington. The Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur The first-named of the trio won the Derby and St. Leger in 1849, and a year later Voltigeur did the same. Two days after Voltigeur's St. Leger victory he beat The Flying Dutchman in the Doncaster Cup, and this defeat gave rise to the great match which was run between the pair, at York, in the spring of 185 1. In this The Flying Dutchman turned the tables on his Doncaster conqueror, but both were great horses, and whilst Voltigeur did not appear to be a success at the stud for long enough, he eventually became the sire of Vedette, from whom comes St. Simon and his family. The Flying Dutchman's blood has done better in France than it has in this country, but it is worthy of note that Flying Duchess, the dam of Galopin (sire of St. Simon), was by The Flying Dutchman, so that all the great horses of the St. Simon family come in the first place from the union of a son 148 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE and daughter of the two great match per- formers of 185 1. Voltigeur rather lost his form after the match, but he was a great horse when at his best, and so, too, was Teddington, who follows him in the list of Derby winners, and who, like The Flying Dutchman, was successful in the Ascot Cup. West Austra- lian, in 1853, ^^"^s the first horse to win the named was unlucky, because he went amiss before the Derby (won by Teddington), and did the same thing before he took part in the Ebor St. Leger at York. Still, he was a fair horse, and a great stud success, having carried on the line of Touchstone by siring Lord Clifden, Hermit, and others. Stockwell was a greater race-horse than Newminster, and won two of the three classic events in VOLTIGEUR. the engraving by E. Hacker, after the painting by Harry Hall. treble event of Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger, and as the grandsire of Barcaldine his male line lives to this day, in Signorinetta, Bachelor's Button, Marco, and Neil Gow. He was undoubtedly a great horse, and even when St. Simon and Ormonde were astonishing the world by their great performances, there were dozens of York- shiremen who still swore by " The West." Mention must be made also of the two St. Leger \vinners which preceded West AustraHan, for each played a big part in turf history. The horses in question were Newminster and Stockwell, of which the first- which colts can take part, whilst at the stud he was the greatest success of all time with the single exception of St. Simon, and it will always be matter of controversy which of these two is deserving of the higher honour. Stockwell was not a handsome horse in the ordinary acceptance of the term, but he was an immensely powerful one, and he did not come very readily to hand, proof of which is forthcoming in the fact that he was beaten in both his two-year-old efforts. He also suffered defeat at the Newmarket Craven meeting when a three-year-old, but shortly afterwards won the Two FAMOUS HORSES 149 Thousand Guineas and the Newmarket Stakes, and then was beaten in the Derby, being amiss at the time, indeed, he ought never to have run ; at Good- wood he won twice, at York he took the Great Yorkshire Stakes, and he won the St. Leger by ten lengths, the Derby winner, David O'Rourke, being only a moderate third, while the Oaks winner, Songstress, was unplaced. The Newmarket successful sire of modern days, died within the same week. West Australian on Monday the 2nd, and Stockwell on Thursday, the 5th of May, 1870. Stockwell's great merit as a race-horse was proved during the autumn of his three- year-old career, when he was head and shoulders in front of all the three-year- old form of the day. He was too big and heavy to stand a great deal of work, but NEWMlNSlhK. WINNER OF THE ST. LEGER. 1851. From the engraving by B. Httcbtr, njter the painting by Harry Hall. St. Leger, and the Grand Duke Michael Stakes — then an important race — were added to his three-year-old score, but at Ascot in the following year Teddington beat him by a head in the Emperor's Plate (Ascot Cup), after which the loser went amiss. In the following year he beat Kingston for the Whip, and this was his last appearance. As proof of the great estimation in which West Australian and Stockwell were held, it may be mentioned that they both died in the same week, when it was written by a great authority of the day, "The best race- horse the world ever saw, and the most 20 that he was a great horse when he won the St. Leger there can be no doubt, and from the stud point of view it may be said that he and his descendants literally dominated the position until the stock of St. Simon began to be so much in evidence. Earlier, the stock of Newminster had in a rather mild way disputed supremacy with the line started by the " Emperor of Stallions " (Stockwell), but they could never really hold their own, in spite of the stud successes achieved by the Hermit and Hampton lines, and to this day the Stockwells have the best of it. 150 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Thormanby, who won the Derby in i860 and the Ascot Cup in the following year, was a horse of high class, and so, too, was St. Albans, who beat Thormanby for the St. Leger, while Blair Athol and Gladiateur, foaled in 1861 and 1862 respectively, were also far above the average Derby winner in point of merit. Blair Athol never ran until he took part in the Derby, which he won readily enough. He was beaten by Vermont in the Grand Prix de Paris, but he had done little or no work between the Derby and the Paris race, and probably he ought to have won. Anyhow the gallop must have done him good, for he beat a high-class horse in Ely at Ascot, and he won again at Goodwood. At York he sustained a most unexpected defeat, being beaten by a length by The Miner in the Great Yorkshire Stakes, when attempting to give 6 lbs. This race has always been looked upon as one which it was impossible to explain, but two sug- gestions may be made concerning it, one being the opinion of William lanson, the Malton trainer, whose father owned and trained Blair Athol, and the other that of John Osborne, the ex-jockey, who rode The Miner in his York race. Why Blair Athol Lost William lanson told the present writer, when discussing the race many years ago, that Blair Athol was a horse who always wanted one or two rather strong winding-up gallops, and that before the York race he had hardly had sufficient strong work. It was expected that Ely would be the best he would be likely to meet, and he had beaten Ely so far at Ascot (and also in the Derby) that he went to the post just a little short of being fully wound up, and this, in the opinion of his own party, lost him the race. John Osborne, on the other hand, maintains that there was no fluke about the race, and that on that particular day The Miner was a great horse. Blair Athol never ran again, which is a matter for regret, but he was a fair stud success, not so good perhaps as was ex- pected, however. It is true that he headed the list of winning stallions on several occasions, and that he sired a Derby and St. Leger winner in Silvio, and another St. Leger winner in Craig Millar, but his line has not lived on as it ought to have done, and at present it looks like going out alto- gether. Gladiateur's Record Gladiateur had probably more racing merit than Blair Athol, though the French horse did not fall in so good a year. He (Gladiateur) was bred in France, but was trained in England, and the greater portion of his victories were scored in this country. He was big, angular and plain, but was a wonderful galloper and a fine stayer, and had he not suffered a good deal from navicular disease he would probably have won even more great races than he did. As a two-year-old he won one race and was twice beaten, but he was coughing badly on the occasion of his second defeat and ought not to have run. He had only a short pre- paration for the Two Thousand Guineas, and there were four better favourites at the start, but he won cleverly, and after- wards was successful in the Derby, for which the field was that year a very poor one. After the Derby, Gladiateur went to Paris and won the Grand Prix, and later he was twice successful at Goodwood, and then won the St. Leger, though he had been very lame only a day or two before. He was thus the second horse to secure " the triple crown," of the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger. He won a second race at that same Doncaster meeting, won again after that in Paris, came back to England and won the Newmarket Derby, with 9 stone 12 lbs. in the saddle, but failed in very heavy going to secure a place in the Cambridgeshire. In this race he ran remarkably well, however, and it was thought by his trainer, that if Grimshaw — whose sight was very bad — had come along a little earlier than he did the horse would certainly have finished in the first three. As a four-year-old Gladiateur won the Ascot Cup, and a big event in Paris, be- sides taking minor races at Newmarket. U -1 < a; Z ,x O ^• H s < 5 Z ^ Q I Z 2 < = as 5 u . z e; ^ I z ^ < - u I CD s FAMOUS HORSES 151 He was only beaten three times, twice as a two-year-old, and in the Cambridgeshire, and it may be added that in many of his races he showed very great superiority to all his opponents. At the stud he was a failure, and, like Plenipotentiary and other great runners, he evidently had not the power to transmit his own good qualities to his stock. The Famous Hermit Lord Lyon and Blue Gown were average Derby winners, but Hermit, who came in between, was a somewhat famous horse, who, for various reasons, attained a celebrity to which he was hardly entitled on his actual running. He was beaten in the St. Leger and other races, but he was a great sire, his stock winning immense sums of money. In tail male, however, he has been nothing like so successful as he has through his female descendants, except as regards cross- country horses. Here his line has done wonderfullv well, and Ascetic, the sire of Cloister, may be quoted as quite an excep- tional horse as regards his steeplechasing sons and daughters. Nor was Ascetic the only son of Hermit to sire high-class jumpers, for as a matter of fact the calendars of the last five-and-twenty years are brim- ful of the names of steeplechase winners who can claim Hermit as their grandsire or great-grandsirc. Doncaster's Victories Pretender and Kingcraft were moderate Derby winners, and though Cremome, who won the Derby in 1872, took the Ascot Cup as a four-year-old, he was not a really great horse, and he did very little at the stud. Doncaster, who followed Cremome in the bead-roll of Derby winners, was, if not quite a great horse, a very famous one. He was bred by Sir Tatton Sykes at Sledmere, and was sent to the Doncaster yearling sales, named in the catalogue All Heart and No Peel. There the late Mr. Merry bought him for 950 guineas, but he was backward as a t\vo-year-old and could not be trained. His first outing was in the Two Thousand Guineas, when he failed to run into a place, but he won the Derby — turning the tables on his Newmarket conqueror, after having started at the long price of 45 to i. He was beaten ten days later in the Grand Prix de Paris, and in the St. Leger he succumbed by a head to the Oaks winner, his stable com- panion, Marie Stuart, after a desperate race. He then temporarily lost his form, and was easily beaten at Newmarket by horses which he had defeated in the Derby and St. Leger. As a four-year-old he succumbed to Boiard, his Grand Prix conqueror of the previous year, in the Ascot Cup, but had Marie Stuart behind him. He afterwards won the Good- wood Cup, and in the following year he took the Ascot Cup and Alexandra Plate, being afterwards sold for £10,000, and resold for £14,000, his last purchaser being the late Duke of Westminster. Doncaster was a great stayer and a hoi^se who improved with age. At the stud he sired Bend Or (the sire of Ormonde), and though there are those who think that Blair Athol w^as Stockwell's best son, Doncaster has strong claims to the position, and if the after stud career of both is taken into con- sideration, he has the best of it, as his male line is exceedingly vigorous at the present day. Indeed six Derby winners are his direct descendants, and he was the grandsire of the horse who is by many thought to have been the best of modern times. Galopin's Derby Two years after Doncaster came another very famous horse, who made a great mark as a three-year-old, and an even greater mark at the stud. Reference is made to Galopin, who won the Derby in 1875, and who in time became the sire of St. Simon and the grandsire of all the wonderful colts and fillies which have done such great things on the turf almost within the present genera- tion. Galopin was bred by Mr. Teiylor Sharpe, at Baumberin Lincolnshire, and was by Vedette, a county Durham bred son of Voltigeur, who won the Two Thousand Guineas in 1857. Galopin's dam was Flying Duchess by The Flying Dutchman, and it may be here stated that in after days doubts were thrown on the authenticity of Galopin's parentage, 15- THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE it being very freely alleged that the colt was by Delight, and not by Vedette. The two horses stood at the Diss stud in Norfolk, and it is unquestionable that matters were managed in very haphazard fashion at this stud, but Mr. Taylor Sharpe explained the whole position, and stated exactly what occurred, to the present writer, not once but several times, and as a matter of fact the breeder of Galopin does not entertain a shadow of doubt but that Vedette was the sire. Perhaps, however, the strongest argument in favour of Vedette having been the sire of Galopin is that the last named horse favoured the Blacklock family. He had the Voltigeur crest, and reproduced the same peculiarity in many of his stock. He had also the family colour, being a dark brown, and a generation later his son St. Simon sired a great number of colts and fillies — more especially fillies — whose quarters drooped towards the tail. Mention is made of this circumstance because a description of Voltigeur, written in his running days, describes how his qiiartci's drooped towards the tail. Galopin's Defeats Galopin on the day he won the Derby was just a fraction under sixteen hands. He was well knit together, rather round- barrelled and heavy of neck, with sloping, powerful quarters, and his tail set on rather low. He presented a combination of great power with extreme quality, and he always — to us — rather suggested the Arab, as did his son Disraeli, winner of the Two Thou- sand Guineas in 1898. As a yearling Galopin brought 520 guineas, being bought by Prince Batthyany, and he began his racing career with a defeat from a filly named Cachmere, who was, however, promptly disqualified for boring. At Ascot he won twice, and though he was just beaten for the Middle Park Plate he ought to have won that race also, and would have done so readily enough had he not been nearly knocked down when less than a furlong from home. As it was he was catching the leaders hand over hand from the Abingdon Dip to the winning post, but there was not quite enough room, and he was beaten by two heads. At the Houghton meeting a fortnight later he won two races, and as a three-year- old he began by giving 10 lbs. to Stray Shot in a £500 match, over the Rowley Mile, at the Second Spring meeting. After this he won the Derby very easily indeed — though Claremont finished only a length behind him — and was again successful at Ascot ; he next beat Lowlander in a thousand guinea match over the Rowley Mile, and he iinished the season by easily defeating the St. Leger winner, Craig I\Iillar, in the Newmarket Derby. Though Galopin did not achieve the stud celebrity of his son St. Simon, he was a great sire, and was responsible for such classic winners as Donovan, Galliard, Dis- raeli, Galleottia, and Aida, and also for Atalanta, Corrie Roy, Galeazzo, Gantlet, Grafton, Modwena, Pioneer, and a host of others. Kisber's Failure Kisber followed Galopin as a Derby winner and it has often been asserted that he was a great horse. His form in this country, however, does not bear out this idea, for though he won the Dewhurst Plate and the Derby, he was easily beaten in the St. Leger, which was won by Petrarch, and as this horse also won the Two Thousand Guineas, he has strong claims to be considered the best three-year-old of 1876. Isonomy's Great Performances Isonomy was the next great horse ; he took no part in the classic races, being the property of a turfite to whom big handicaps appealed more than Derbys and St. Legers. Isonomy was by Sterling out of a Stock- well mare, and was bred by the Messrs. Graham at the Yardley stud near Binning- ham. He was a big, upstanding horse, who showed enormous power and strength, and had fair quality. At the same time he had not the elegance of outline which such a horse as Petrarch showed, and which was so plain in Bachelor's Button a year or two FAMOUS HORSES 153 ago. He was nevertheless a really great performer, and one of the most genuine stayers of modern times. As a two-year-old he won a single Nursery in three attempts. As a three-year-old he only ran once, win- ning the Cambridgeshire under 7 st. i lb. As a five-year-old Isonomy won the Ascot Cup a second time, and at the stud he sired, amongst a host of other good ones, Seabreeze, Isinglass, Ravensbury, and Galli- nule, so that his blood is doing well at the present day. In other hands Isonomy ROBERT THE DEVIL. lititirg by Harry Hall. Photograph by H. R. Slierborn, Newmarket. As a four-year-old he just failed to give 8 lbs. to the American Parole in the New- market Handicap, but he afterwards won the Gold Vase, and the Gold Cup at Ascot, and in the last-named race he beat all the best long-distance form of the day, including the French horse Verneuil, who had won in the previous year, the St. Leger winner Janette, Touchet, Insulaire, and others. He next won the Goodwood Cup, and in the fol- lowing spring he was successful in the Man- chester Cup, with the bumper weight of 9 st. 12 lbs. in the saddle, this being one of the greatest handicap performances of all time. would doubtless have won the classics of his year ; as it was, he proved himself, when four and five years old, to be an exceptional horse in Cup contests. It is impossible in such a work as this to go into full details of the careers of the great horses of comparatively recent times — horses whose performances have been wit- nessed by the older generations of race-goers, and whose names are household words to the younger turfites. It will be understood that much more space than can be afforded would be necessary, even if we attempted to set forth the more important facts in 154 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE connection with the best of the latter-day celebrities. As it is we have to pass over a great number of high-class horses, and we have also to condense the accounts of those to whose doings we may refer. The Derby winners Silvio, Sefton, and Sir Bevys were moderate, but in 1880 Bend Or and Robert the Devil were prob- ably a good deal out of the common ; and Bend Or not only won the Derby and other important races, but gained great distinc- tion as the sire of Ormonde. Mention of this has already been made when treating of the line of Eclipse, but it may be added that Bend Or and Robert the Devil were a well-matched pair of antagonists, and that whilst Bend Or beat " Robert " by a head in the Derby, the last named had his revenge in the St. Leger, and also beat his Epsom conqueror in the Great Foal Stakes, and again in the Champion Stakes at New- market. Robert the Devil and Bend Or Probably, by a majority of those who witnessed the race, it was thought that Robert the Devil, and not Bend Or, should have won the Derby. Below the distance post Robert the Devil had a lead of quite two lengths, and for a moment looked like running home alone. But when Archer, on Bend Or, took second place, he set to work at once, and quickly began to overhaul the leader. A jockey named Rossiter was riding Robert the Devil, and as far as jockeyship was concerned Bend Or had much the better of it. . Rossiter was undoubtedly flurried, and Bend Or just got up as the post was reached, and won by a head. With the opinion that Robert the Devil should have won we never altogether agreed. We admit the superior jockeyship, but it must be remembered that Robert the Devil was out by himself, that Bend Or challenged, and in his final run made up a couple of lengths. The winner had not held so good a place as Robert the Devil in the early part of the race, but was travelling much the faster of the two in the last furlong. Moreover, in the following year Bend Or won the City and Suburban with 9 stone in the saddle, and six weeks later beat Robert the De\'il by a neck for the Epsom Cup. Robert the Devil and Bend Or met five times, and whereas Bend Or won the first and the last of the five races, he could not stay the St. Leger distance, and most certainly " Robert " was his superior as an autumn three-year-old. " Robert " was un- doubtedly the better stayer of the two, but both were good horses, and Bend Or finished his career by winning the Champion Stakes at Newmarket (in which he had succumbed to Robert the Devil a year before) as a four-year-old, beating, amongst others, Iroquois, the Derby winner of 18S1. Robert the Devil, on the other hand, won the Ascot Gold Cup and Alexandra Plate, after losing the Epsom Cup to Bend Or, but whereas^ as has been shown in a previous chapter — Bend Or became a great stalUon, Robert the Devil was not a stud success, though his son Chittabob would probably have proved himself a great horse had it been possible to train him. Foxhall's Wins The American-bred Foxhall, to whom Bend Or gave 35 lbs. in the City and Suburban, was another great horse, but he did not come to hand very early as a three-year-old. In the autumn, however, he won the Cesarewitch under 7 stone 12 lbs., and a fortnight later took the Cambridgeshire with 9 stone in the saddle, this being the most wonderful per- formance ever achieved by a three-year-old in the race. Foxhall also won the Ascot Cup as a four-year-old, but, like Robert the Devil, he made no great mark at the stud. St. Simon and St. Gatien In 18S3 two great horses made their appearance, St. Simon and St. Gatien to wit. St. Simon has been dealt with in connection with one of the fines of Eclipse, but St. Gatien is deserving of some little description. This horse was bred by Major Brace, and as a two-year-old he won three rather unim- portant races. He did not run again until he took part in the Derby, when he " dead heated " with Sir John Willoughby's Har- vester— the stakes being divided. St. FAMOUS HORSES 155 Gatien next beat that good mare Corrie Roy in the Gold Vase at Ascot, and in the follow- ing October he carried 8 stone 10 lbs. to vic- tory in the Cesarewitch, while a fortnight Liter he took the Free Handicap for three- vear-olds with 8 stone 12 lbs. in the saddle, and the Jockey Club Cup, run over the Cesarewitch course. As a four-3'ear-old St. Gatien won the Ascot Cup, but he did httle good at the stud, being a " single speech Hamilton " style of horse. His only progeny of real worth was Meddler, a colt bred from Busybody by the late Lord Falmouth, who won the Oaks in 1884 for Mr. " Abington " Baird, on whose death he (Meddler) was sold to go to America. Celebrities of 1886 The still living Melton, who won the 1885 Derby, was a fair horse, but not exactly a great one. In 1886, on the other hand, celebrities were numerous enough, as Ormonde was supported by Minting, The Bard, Saraband, St. Mirin, and Mephisto. Of these great horses Ormonde was the greatest, and his successes have already been alluded to in connection with the lines of blood. It may now be added that one constantly sees it stated in print that " Kendal was the only horse which ever beat Ormonde." This is a matter which should be explained, for the statement, in the form in which it is usually made, is very mislead- ing. The Unbeaten Ormonde That Ormonde was never beaten in a race need hardly be repeated, but upon one occasion Kendal did finish in front of him in a home trial at Kingsclere, when both were two-year-olds, and Kendal had been already a most successful one. Ormonde, on the other hand, had not run in public, nor had he ever been previously tried, but according to " Kingsclere," by John Porter, Kendal came in a length in front of Ormonde, and the report adds that the great horse was stripped for the first time on this occasion, and was not very fit. So far so good, but there is also written in " Kingsclere " the following significant remark, " and yet the story of Ormonde's magnificent career may be written in two sentences. He won all his engagements, and he ran practically untried." This, it must be remembered, is the statement of the man who had charge of Ormonde throughout his racing career, and it is difficult to reconcile it with the tabulated account of the trial, in which the names of the horses which took part in it, and the weights they carried, are given. As a matter of fact Porter's statement that Ormonde ran practically untried, and the account of the trial which is to be found in following pages of " Kingsclere," are contradictory, and it is a pity that no clear explanation was given. Ormonde's "Yorkshire Gallop" But John Porter in discussing the subject afterwards explained that the trial was only a " rough up " — what used to be called " a Yorkshire gallop " — that Ormonde had his clothes off for the first time, and that the spin was merely intended to wake him up, and not to ascertain his merits to a pound or two. In these circumstances we are of opinion that those who wrote of Ormonde having been beaten by Kendal are not altogether correct, more especially because Ormonde was not ridden out. Kendal was not, apparently, the trial horse, either, for Whipper In took part in the gallop, and Whipper In was the stable tell-tale, and absolutely reliable. In this often-referred-to gallop, Ormonde, a two- year-old, finished in front of the six-year-old Whipper In at 13 lbs., and this he did with- out being bustled. The second sentence of the famous summing-up by the master of Kingsclere was absolutely true, for Ormonde won everything for which he started, including the three classic races of his year. About the time he won the St. Leger his trainer had discovered that he was undoubtedly going wrong in his wind, and as a four- year-old he was a roarer. Still he did not lose his form, for he beat his old opponent Minting in the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot, and ^Minting was a winner of the Grand Prix 156 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE de Paris, and the hero of the greatest handi- cap performance of modern times — when he, as a five-year-old, was successful in the Jubilee Stakes at Kempton Park with 10 stone in the saddle. This weight is the biggest which has been carried successfully in any first-class handicap of the last or the present generation. Vespasian won the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood in 1869, with 10 stone 4 lbs. in the saddle, but the class he beat — as far as can be judged — was nothing like so good as that which Minting defeated at Kempton Park ; and whereas Minting was inferior only to Or- monde, Vespasian was often beaten by horses which met him on level terms. Minting won the Hardwicke Stakes as a five-year-old, and \\as undoubtedly a great horse, but was a comparative failure at the stud, whereas Ormonde sired Orme, Goldfinch, and one or two others, before suffering from serious illness. ST. GATIEN. AjUi tin puiiUmi; by Piof. Emtl Adnm, in the possession of John Ha Photograph by H. R. Sheiborn, Xa^maikel. lii, Esq , Xiii/waitet. ■'^rapk by H. K. Sherborn. CHAPTER XIII FAMOUS HORSES {continued) IT has been mentioned in connection with the hnes of blood that Ormonde and St. Simon have both been spoken of as horses of the century ; which was the better no one can say. Neither of the pair was ever beaten, but whereas Ormonde came in a great year, and won the treble events of the Derby, St. Leger, and Two Thousand, St. Simon, owing to the death of his breeder, was unable to compete in the classics. Onnonde was a brilliant performer up to a mile and a half, but he went wrong in his wind and never attempted a cup course. St. Simon, on the other hand, was a great stayer, who won the Ascot and Goodwood Cup when a three-year-old, and at the stud he was the greatest success since Stockwell. On the score that he did most good to the turf St. Simon is entitled to even more 21 posthumous merit than Ormonde, but the form of the latter was greatly enhanced because of the style in which he defeated such horses as Minting and Bendigo. Bendigo himself was no bad representa- tive of class. He won, amongst other races, the Cambridgeshire, the Lincolnshire Handi- cap, the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot, the Echpse Stakes, the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, and the Jubilee Handicap at Kempton, in which he carried 9 stone 7 lb. He was beloved of the people throughout his racing career, and yet in that memorable Hardwicke Stakes, in which Ormonde and Minting were first and second, he was beaten by nearly fifty yards for second place. It was indeed their form with Bendigo which placed Ormonde and Minting on so high a plane, and probably if the turf world of the period had 157 158 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE been polled in their running days, public opinion would have put Ormonde in front of St. Simon. Donovan's Winnings After these great celebrities there was — naturally enough — a drop in class, which extended over some years. Merry Hampton, who won the Derby for the late Mr. " Abington " Baird in 1887, was an exceed- ingly moderate horse, and his successor in Epsom honours, the Duke of Portland's Ayrshire, was just a useful sort, who has done pretty well at the stud and is still living. Donovan, who gave the Duke of Portland a second Derby in two years, was a good, but not a great horse. He is, however, celebrated because of the amount of stake money he won whilst he was in training. As a two-year-old he won eleven races worth ;f 16,487 15s., as a three-year-old he won seven races worth £38,666 15s. Total, £55.154 los. Up to this period of turf history no race- horse had ever won so much. The record did not stand long, however, for Isinglass, who won the Derby in 1893, beat the amount by £2,300 los., and to this day that sum stands as a record for winnings achieved by a single horse. Donovan had a doughty opponent in Chittabob, who beat him once, but suffered so much from rheumatism that he could not be properly trained. Sainfoin was a common Derby winner in a somewhat moderate year, and Sir Hugo, who won for the late Lord Bradford in 1892, was not of the same class as Orme and La Fleche, though he beat La Fleche in the Derby, and finished well in front of Orme in the St. Leger. Orme's Bad Luck Orme was an unlucky horse, but a good one. He won the Eclipse Stakes twice, but was unable to run for the Derby, having been poisoned in his stable at Kings- clere. The mystery — for such it was — was never elucidated, but that the horse was poisoned is almost beyond doubt, on the evidence of his trainer, John Porter, who set out the full particulars in his book " Kingsclere." In the St. Leger Orme was ridden contrary to orders, being raced away at the head of his field, with the result that he was done with at the final bend. A Great Mare As a four-year-old he beat La Fleche in the Eclipse Stakes, but the last-named was a great mare, who won, amongst other races, the One Thousand, the Oaks, the St. Leger, the Ascot Cup, the Cambridgeshire, as a three-year-old, under 8 stone 10 lb., and the Liverpool Cup as a four-year-old under 9 stone 6 lb. La Fleche also won the Lan- cashire Plate at Manchester, a ten-thousand- pound stake which had a somewhat short life, and when sold by auction at the end of her career she brought 12,500 guineas, her purchaser being Sir Tatton Sykes. At the stud she soon recouped her purchase money, but she was hardly the great success which had been expected, though her son John O'Gaunt ran second for the Derby in 1904, and at the moment has excellent stallion prospects. The Lazy Isinglass Isinglass and Ravensbury, who were first and second in the Derby of 1893, were good horses, especially the first-named, who, as has been explained, won more money than any other horse in turf history. He was a fine stayer, and won the Ascot Cup when a five-3'ear-old, but he was not an attractive runner, being a very lazy horse who required to be very vigorously ridden before he would do his best. Ravensbury would have won more than he did had there been no Isinglass, but he was a good horse all the same, and the day after La Fleche had won the Ascot Cup he beat her in the Hardwicke Stakes, over the last mile and a half of the Cup course. The famous mare had her Cup race in her, and had just been trained for a much longer course, but all the same the form places Ravensbury in a high position, and to this he was doubtless entitled. Ladas (1894) was a beautiful horse, and most likely a good deal the best of the three Derby winners sired by Hampton, but he was not a great horse, and the FAMOUS HORSES 159 following year was a moderate one, when the Derby winner Sir Visto was probably not so good as Marco or Whittier. In 1896 the two best three-year-olds were exceptionally good. These \\'ere Persimmon and St. Frusquin, a well-matched pair, who were both sired by St. Simon. Persimmon's Record Persimmon was bred and owned by King Edward VII., and as a two-year-old won the Coventry Stakes at Ascot and the Rich- mond Stakes at Goodwood, but was beaten in the Jliddle Park Plate, the race going to St. Frusquin, while Persimmon was only a moderate third. He had gone amiss prior to the race, and this was not his true form. In the following spring St. Frusquin won the Two Thousand, for which Persimmon did not run, and in the Derby the two drew clean away from their field, and after a desperate race Persimmon won by a neck, the \dctory of the Royal colours being re- ceived with the greatest enthusiasm. The two met again at Newmarket in July, when St. Frusquin, in receipt of 3 lb., beat his mighty opponent by half a length. The race was run on the Bunbury mile, and though it is quite probable that St. Frusquin was a good stayer, he never had the chance of prov'ing his stamina, and as the record stands, the short course favoured the smaller horse. After this St. Frusquin won the Eclipse Stakes, and then, unfortunately, broke down, while Persimmon took the St. Leger with apparently a stone or more in hand, and then beat Sir Visto — the Derby winner of the previous year — most decisively in the Jockey Club Stakes. St. Frusquin never ran again after winning the Eclipse Stakes, but Persimmon won the Ascot Gold Cup very easily indeed, beating Love Wisely (who had won the same race in the previous year), Winkfield's Pride, and the Oaks winner Limasol. It was an electri- fying performance on the part of his late Majesty's horse, and it was supplemented a month later by success in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, after which the course was exchanged for the paddock. That Persimmon was a great horse is proved by the fact that he made everything he met, except St. Frusquin, to look like a plater, and that St. Frusquin was his equal is proved by the fact that although he succumbed in the Derby he turned the tables when the terms were only three pounds in his favour. Because he won the Derby and the Ascot Cup, Per- simmon should take higher rank than his great rival in days to come, for St. Frusquin had no more important races to his credit than the Two Thousand and the Eclipse Stakes. "The Horse of the Century" Few racing men had a longer experience than the late Mr. Joseph Osborne, who in his later days wrote very learnedly on the science of breeding. Mr. Osborne was elected a member of the Irish Turf Club when he was only just of age, and when eighty years old he edited the Horsebreeder, a weekly newspaper, written chiefly in the in- terests of breeders, and at the same time was reproducing every second or third year a fresh edition of the " Horse Breeder's Hand- book." He had owned and trained race- horses— chiefly in Ireland — had won the Grand National with Abd-el-Kader, and his opinions were to the last exceedingly valu- able. The last edition of his " Handbook " was published in 1898, and in it he wrote that Persimmon " may fairly claim to be the horse of the century, if we except Hark- away ; for, great horse as Ormonde undoubt- edly was, he never ran a cup course, and it may be questioned if at any time he beat such good horses as Winkfield's Pride and Love Wisely." Harkaway's Greatness Mr. Osborne's belief in Harkaway never faltered. Years before he had written of him that he considered him the grandest and best horse he had seen during his (Mr. Osborne's) long career on the turf. Yet Harkaway only won twenty-five of the thirty- eight races in which he took part, and most of his victories were achieved in Ireland. He was, however, a great stayer, who con- stantly improved ; he won the Goodwood Cup as a four-year-old, and again in the i6o THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE following year, and in England he was also successful in several minor cup races which have long since disappeared from the calendar. Mr. Osborne knew Harkaway from foalhood, and was perhaps rather biassed in his favour. But the fact is that horses which did not win any of the great cup contests, or in some other way prove them- selves genuine stayers, did not altogether appeal to him, and thus to a certain extent he ignored Ormonde, because Minting, Sara- band, The Bard, and others, beaten by the mighty bay, were horses which did all their big things over distances of from a mile to a mile and a half, and which never won a cup race. Love Wisely and Winkfield's Pride, on the other hand, were proved stayers, the first-named being actually that rara avis in these days, a winner of the Ascot Cup at three years old. Mr. Osborne often told the present writer that he thought St. Simon was possibly (his own word) " the best horse of all time," but that the opinion could only be a presumptive one, because he beat nothing better than Tristan, whom Mr. Osborne considered to be much below the average Ascot Cup winner, and not quite a genuine stayer. It may be that too low a view was taken of this horse, who won the Hard- wicke Stakes in three successive years, but critics generally will admit that the high place assigned by " Beacon " to Persimmon was thoroughly warranted. Following Persimmon and St. Frusquin, another very grand horse appeared in Galtee More, who won the triple crown in 1897, ^^d who was sold to the Russian Government for 20,000 guineas. He was a beautiful horse, but he never ran after he was three years old, and in the St. Leger he got home less than a length in front of the Oaks winner Chelandry. He failed in the Cam- bridgeshire, but ran well up, under the enormous weight of 9 stone 6 lb., and he is now doing well at the stud in Russia. He was a good horse, and possibly a great one, but had no real chance of pro\T[ng it. Flying Fox's Close Race Flying Fox was the next great horse to appear, and he also secured the Two Thousand, Derby, and St. Leger of his year, but like Galtee More he never ran after his three-year-old career was at an end. As a two-year-old he suffered two defeats, but in each case he was beaten by what may be called the force of circumstances, rather than superiority on the part of his opponents. His tirst defeat was administered by St. Gris in the Imperial Produce Stakes at Kempton Park, when St. Gris, in receipt of 5 lb., won by a head. The pair ran very wide of each other, and M. Cannon — who was riding Flying Fo.x — was on the stand side nearest the judge's bo.x, and thought he had won. He afterwards stated that he could have got more out of his horse had he thought it necessary, but being of opinion that he was a good head in front during the last fifty yards he did not push his mount as he might otherwise have done. The late Duke of Westminster, who bred and owned Flying Fox, entertained no doubt that he had actually won, and one can safely say that if the number of the Kingsclere colt had gone up instead of that of St. Gris, no one would have been much surprised. At the same time it may be stated that where two horses are finishing very wide of each other, and yet close together on a broad course, no one except the judge can say with certainty which of the two is actually in front when the post is passed. Less than a week later the Middle Park Plate was decided, and there was a terribly strong wind blowing right up the course. As soon as the flag fell Sloan, on Caiman, dashed away with the lead, and it is to be noted that at that day the English jockeys had not by any means made it a general custom to come right through, as they now do in most short races. The upshot was that the American colt secured far too long a lead, whereas Flying Fox never attempted to go after him until the race was more than half over. Coming down the hill, when apparently nearly a dozen lengths behind, Flying Fox made a tremendous eftort, which carried him to within a length and a half of Caiman, but the challenge came too late, there being too much ground to make up. FAMOUS HORSES i6i No pluckier race than this Middle Park Plate was ever seen, and it may be added on the testimony of John Porter, who trained Flying Fox, that the horse was not himself either at Kempton Park or Newmarket. Porter did not wish to run him in either race, and had his advice been taken it is quite be particularly well ridden in the Derby, and no doubt an element of danger was removed when the French horse Holocauste fell and broke his leg, but for all that he was prac- tically unchallenged in the last furlong. In the Two Thousand, M. Cannon made running with Flying Fox, and as a matter ISINGLASS IN TRAINING. Photograph I'y II'. .1. A'i.;n/I. ■certain that Flving Fox would have retired from the turf an unbeaten horse, like his grandsire Ormonde. Errors of judgment on the part of his jockey were, as has been explained, to a great extent accountable for Flying Fox's two-year-old defeats, but after his Middle Park race no more attempts to win by a short head were seen, and to begin with, the Kempton Park defeat was proved to be entirely wrong when the Kingsclere colt beat St. Gris — his conqueror in the Sunbury Vale — by ver\' many lengths at Newmarket. During the following season Flying Fox was out half a dozen times, and won all his races with consummate ease. He did not appear to of fact, the Kingsclere jockey, no doubt bearing in mind what had occurred in the previous year, always adopted a forcing pohcy with this particular horse during his three-year-old career. The upshot was that he showed extraordinary superiority to all opponents which could be brought against him. In the Princess of Wales Stakes (at that time a ten-thousand-pound race) he won so far that he was eased almost a furlong from home. He had in this race his field dead settled before they had covered half a mile, and yet he had much the worst of the weights with everything except the Oaks winner Musa. In the Jockey Club Stakes he beat Jeddah, who had won x6i THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the Derb\' in the previous year, pointless, and in the following spring he was sold by public auction, at Kingsclere, for the enormous sum of 37,500 guineas, his pur- chaser being a French breeder, M. Blanc. Cyllene v. Flying Fox There has lately been a discussion as to which of the recent Derby winners was the best, and as lack of space will not allow of each of them being very fully discussed, \\e may pass over those whose form was obviously moderate. It must be explained, too, that during the last few years certain horses which did not take classic honours were nevertheless of very superior class, and amongst these may be named Cyllene, who won the Ascot Cup in 1899, but did not run in the Derby or St. Leger. It was at one time hoped that a meeting between this horse and Fl3ang Fox would take place, but Cyllene went amiss, and thus the much debated question as to which was the better was never settled. Cyllene won the Gold Cup in great style, and was undoubtedly a very high-class horse, but he hardly showed the great superiority over all his opponents that Flying Fox did throughout his three- year-old career. The Derby ^\inners Cicero, Minoru and Lemberg are sons of Cyllene. Diamond Jubilee, who won for the late King (then Prince of Wales) his second Derby in 1900, was a handsome big horse, and a triple crown hero ; but the next really high-class horse to take Epsom honours was the Irish- bred Ard Patrick, by St. Florian (a son of St. Simon), and this horse's great worth is proved by the fact that he showed himself better than Sceptre, first in the Derby, and then as a four-year-old in the Eclipse Stakes. Sceptre the Extraordinary Sceptre was an extraordinary mare ; she won four of the five classic races — both the Guineas contests, the Oaks, and the St. Leger to wit — but she missed the Derby. Fillies in the Derby week are by no means always trustworthy, and it is quite certain that Sceptre's running in this particular race was all wrong, but the Eclipse stakes of the following year suggested that Ard Patrick had fairly won the Epsom race on his merits, and it need only be added that this horse and Sceptre were both (in their year) far above the average three-year-old in point of merit. In the Eclipse Stakes of 1903 these two drew right away from Rock Sand — the Derby winner of that year — and though the official verdict was to the effect that there were only three lengths between the second and third — Sceptre and Rock Sand — the distance was in reality far greater. Indeed this was fully proved by the instan- taneous photographs of the finish which were taken at the time. " A length " in this connection is generally estimated at from nine to ten feet, and as the Sandown course is guarded with posts and rails of equal length between it was a simple matter to prove that the official verdict was very wide of the mark. As a matter of fact when the point was being argued — • some time after the race — we, being in the neighbourhood of Sandown Park, measured the rails, and having reckoned up the number of uprights in the photograph, came to the conclusion that Ard Patrick and Sceptre finished eight lengths in front of Rock Sand. The last named was an honest little horse and a consistent performer, but he was outclassed by the longer striding Ard Patrick, and by Sceptre — when she was at her best. Pretty Polly's Success The best horse in Volodyovski's year was William the Third, who won the Ascot Cup and Alexandra Plate in 1900, and the next really good one was Pretty Polly, who won the One Thousand, Oaks, and St. Leger in 1904. This mare was a veritable champion, but she was twice beaten, viz. in the Grand Prix de Paris, and in the Ascot Cup as a five-year-old, by Bachelor's Button. Other- wise she went through her racing career in exceptional style, and it will be remembered of her that when she made her debut at Sandown Park, she so quickly established an extraordinary lead that nine people out of ten thought she had broken the tapes and come away by herself in a false start. Though a most consistent performer, and,. FAMOUS HORSES 163 except in the two races referred to, a very gallant winner, it is open to doubt whether Pretty Polly was any better than Sceptre. One cannot fairly compare horses of one day with those of another, and as far as consistent running is concerned. Pretty Polly has much the best of the argument, but her hnes were cast in easier places than those of Sceptre, and she was (probably) never opposed by such a horse as Ard Patrick. Sceptre was one of those fillies whose correct form can only be gauged on her very best running, whereas Pretty Polly can be judged on all her form. Sceptre was ex- tremely brilliant at times, and yet occa- sionally performed almost indifferently. Pretty Polly was a quiet, sleepy-looking, and apparently almost a sluggish mare, while Sceptre was full of vitality, all on pin-wire, and when really at her best almost an electrifying performer. In point of fact her running was more attractive than that of Pretty Polly, and there we may leave it. Since Pretty Polly's day the only other classic winner of really high class (to the end of igo8) was Spearmint, who won the Derby and Grand Prix de Paris in 1906. This horse has claims to be considered one of the very best of the recent Derby winners, and yet it is quite possible that he has been a little overrated in some quarters. Spearmint's Derby Spearmint was on the book a moderate two-year-old, who only won a single race in three attempts. He began his career by winning the Great Foal Stakes at Lingfield, and after that Black Arrow gave him 3 lb., and beat him in a canter by three lengths at Derby. His last outing as a youngster was in the Richmond Nursery at the New- market Houghton Meeting, and in this race he could only finish fourth to Farasi, Queen Camilla, and Chiltern. It is true that he was giving weight away, but Farasi had not more than 17 lb., and Queen Camilla 11 lb., the best of the terms, and to such horses a future Derby winner should have given stones instead of pounds. As a three-year- old, Spearmint only ran in the Derby and in the Grand Prix, and his claims to greatness are chiefly because he beat, in the Derby many horses who greatly distinguished them- selves later. As a matter of fact the field for the Derby of 1906 was a very good one, when judged from the only possible point of view, viz. the number of previous and of future good winners which it contained. It included Gorges, who had previously won the Two Thousand ; Tally, who had beaten Gorges in the Newmarket Stakes, and who in the following year won the Eclipse Stakes and Hunt Cup at Ascot under 8 stone ; Trout- beck, who subsequently won the St. Leger ; The White Knight, who afterwards won the Gold Vase, two Ascot Gold Cups, the Good- wood Cup, and two Coronation Cups at Epsom ; Radium, who subsequently won the Goodwood, Doncaster, and Jockey Club Cups ; and Beppo, who won the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot when a four-year-old. Troutbeck and the St. Leger There can be no disputing the strength of this field, but if we look into the form it is possible that all of them have been over- rated. A horse named Picton was second to Spearmint in the Derby, beaten by a length and a half, and he in turn finished two lengths in front of Troutbeck. Picton never ran again, and Spearmint only took part in the Grand Prix, and then retired from the turf. Thus the two first in the Derby were unable to contest the St. Leger, and Trout- beck, who had finished third in the Derby, easily pulled off the Doncaster race, in which neither Radium nor The White Knight took part, while the Oaks winner. Keystone II., was decidedly short of work. In this St. Leger Troutbeck got home a head in front of a horse named Prince William, who in turn beat Beppo by a head, with Keystone II. close up fourth. Troutbeck and Keystone II. did not meet again, but in the Jockey Club Stakes — three weeks after the St. Leger — Keystone II. gave Beppo 12 lb., and ran him to a length, while Polymelus, a great exponent of handicap form, was unplaced. A few weeks later Keystone II. and Prince William (who had only lost the St. Leger by a head) met in the Sandown Produce Stakes 164 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of a mile and five furlongs, and Keystone II. won very easily, finishing, according to the oflicial verdict, five and a half lengths in front of Prince William. This was fairly conclusive proof that Troutbeck was an exceedingly lucky St. Leger winner, and few will gainsay the suggestion that Keystone II. was really the best of the St. Leger field, or that she would have won had she not been stopped in her work for a time very shortly before the race. Now we come to 1907, and it may at once be stated that Keystone II. could not be properly trained, and never reproduced her two-year-old form. The first and second in the Derby were now out of training ; the winner of the Oaks had gone off, and there were very few five-year-olds of much class. But all the usual weight-for-age races were still on the programmes, and something had to win each of them as they came on for decision. It happened then that The White Knight was the successful cup horse of the year. He won the March Stakes at Newmarket, and in the Coronation Cup at Epsom he very easily defeated Troutbeck, the only winner of the previous year who was then in a position to defend the classic form. Polymelus was also beaten in this race, but his good form was for the most part shown in handicaps and not in weight-for- age races against the best of the year. At Ascot The White Knight won the Gold Cup only after a dead heat with the French horse Eider ; and Troutbeck and Prince William — first and second for the previous St. Leger — were the two last to finish in a FAMOUS HORSES 165 PRETTY POLLY, field of eight. At Goodwood The Wliite Knight also won the cup, but in the Don- caster Cup he could do no better than finish third to Velocity, another handicap horse, but all the same an exceptionally good one. Radium was unplaced in this race, but six weeks later he won the Jockey Club Cup, beating The White Knight. There was no Velocity in this field, however, and in point of fact another handicap nag and ex-selling plater, by name Torpoint, was the only other runner. In 1908 The White Knight carried all be- fore him up to the middle of the season, beating Radium at Epsom and Ascot, but at Goodwood, where Radium had a big pull in the w-eights, he was the better of the pair, and again at Doncaster. Careful analysis of all the races in which the horses beaten by Spearmint in the Derby took 22 part reveals the fact that there was no very strong opposition. The cup races of the following year had to be won, and as the first and second in the Derby were out of training, and the Oaks and St. Leger winners had trained off, it was only natural that horses which had hardly been in the front rank when three-year-olds should come to the front. It may be added that the best three-year-olds of 1907 w^re, from one cause and another, unable to contest the cup contests of the following season. Orby broke down within a few weeks of winning the Derby, Slieve Gallion had been sold out of the country, while Witch Elm and Glass Doll, respectively winners of the One Thousand and Oaks, had both joined the ranks of the unemployed. The one big three-year-old winner of the year, Woolwinder, ran very early in 1908, when i66 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE half prepared, but that was his only appear- ance of the season, for, unfortunately, he could not be properly trained. Therefore, as Tlie White Knight and Radium were still sound and in training, and as Velocity was no longer a possible opponent, the two horses just referred to had a second year of cup running, and between them farmed all the most important weight-for-age, long distance contests of the season. Spearmint, of course, won the Grand Prix de Paris, but it is not an easy matter to get at the real value of the horses he beat, and we are assured by a well-known French turfite that they were not a very high-class lot. Spearmint's Position That Spearmint was much above the average Derby winner in point of merit there is every reason to believe, but he hardly did enough to prove that he was an exceptional horse. He was beaten twice in his three starts as a two-year-old, and he won two races in the following spring, but he only beat Brisecoeur by half a length in the Grand Prix, and Storm, who finished two lengths behind him, made no show whatever in the St. Leger. Neither was there any- thing electrifying about his defeat of Picton and Troutbeck in the Derby, and Picton, who ran second to him in that race, had just previously been beaten by Sarcelle at Newmarket. Neither was this same Picton thought to be a great horse by his connec- tions, proof of which is afforded by the fact that he was quoted at a long price before the flag fell at Epsom. It is true that Spear- mint has the credit of having beaten Pretty Polly in a trial, but it is possible that Pretty Polly as a five-year-old was not so good as she had been, for she was beaten shortly afterwards by Bachelor's Button in the Ascot Cup. Flying Fox's Record Price Flying Fox, on the other hand, showed himself about a stone in front of an\'thing of his age, and in one or two of his races — for instance in the Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket — he had his field utterly demor- alised before half the distance of the race was covered. Ard Patrick- has claims to be considered almost on a level with the best Derby winners of the last ten years, more particularly because of what he did with Sceptre and Rock Sand ; but, as has been suggested. Sceptre was a peculiar mare, and even now it is open to doubt whether she was anything like at her best on either occasion of her being defeated by the Irish horse. But perhaps the strongest argument in favour of Flying Fox is the fact that he was sold for the greatest price which has ever been given for a horse. Ard Patrick was sold, too, but his price was not much over £20,000, whereas Flying Fox made nearly double the amount. This, it must be acknowledged, is very strong evidence that Flying Fox stood higher in the public estimation than did Ard Patrick for after all " money speaks," and in the case of the Kingsclere horse it spoke much more volubly than it did concerning the Irish horse. Flying Fox is, in our opinion, fairly entitled to be considered the best Derby winner since Persimmon, and Ard Patrick may hold a rather higher place than Spearmint, because the first-named horse beat the brilliant Sceptre, while Spear- mint never, in his short career, met any horse or mare of anything like such class. Signorinetta's Surprise Other recent Derby winners hardly demand recognition, and Signorinetta in winning the race in 1908 afforded one of the greatest turf surprises which has ever been known. The Chevalier GinistreUi's filly had, as a two-year-old, been four times beaten, and had won a solitary nursery with no more than 6 stone 3 lb. in the saddle. The average racing man probably considered her a plater, and not even a plater of very high class, but she won the Derby and Oaks, and in the first-named event fairly wore down horses who turned the tables on her a little later in the season. The victories of Signorinetta have since been regarded as flukes by many critics of racing, and at the present time of writing it rather looks as if the contention was true, but it is pos- sible that such a fine stayer may assert FAMOUS HORSES 167 herself at the stud ; and anyhow the Epsom successes of the mare are a very direct encour- agement to the small breeder. The success of the late King's ]\Iinoru in 1909 was most satisfactory, but it is too early to state with confidence whether the colt is a really great horse or not, and already some of the subsequent running suggests that the three-year-olds of 1909 were not much above the average. Famous Mares There is no space in which to discuss the doings of many of the horses whose principal victories were achieved in cups and handi- caps. Even the more modern ones, such as Bendigo, Victor Wild, Ypsilanti, and so forth, must be passed over, and only the briefest mention can be made of the famous mares which have not been referred to hitherto. Mares of the highest class as nmners are not quite so plentiful as horses. When a really good mare does appear she is as a rule almost unbeatable, but it should always be borne in mind that the average mare is more diilicult to keep in perfect health, or rather to keep in perfect condition for running, than the average horse. It is no easy matter to have mares at their best in the spring, and for that reason very few of them are ever to be found in the Derby field. Such races as the One Thousand and Oaks, being confined to mares, will, as a rule, bring out large fields, but the owners of good fillies are shy of running them against colts in April, May, and June, as they may very easily be upset and lose their form in consequence. Only four fillies have won the Derby, and one of these, Shotover, was beaten by another filly, Dutch Oven to wit, in the St. Leger. Yet 1882 was essentially a filly's year, for Shotover won the Two Thousand as well as the Derby, and in the St. Leger the first three places were filled by the filUes, Dutch Oven, Geheimnis, and Shotover. Eleanor won the Derby and Oaks in 180 1, and though one cannot find much written in her praise, it is only fair to assume that she was an exceptional mare. Fleur de Lis, who won the Goodwood Cup in 1829 and 1830, was. according to such evidence as is within reach, a very grand performer, and so too was Alice Hawthorn, who was successful in the same race in 1844, and who afterwards founded a most successful family of race- horses. Queen of Trumps, winner of the Oaks in 1835, was a useful mare, whose name figures in the pedigree of many good horses, and Crucifix, who won the Two Thousand, One Thousand, and Oaks in 1840, and afterwards bred the Derby winner Surplice to Touchstone, was a very great mare, being not only a brilUant but a most consistent runner. Virago's Successes About Virago, who won the City and Suburban and the Metropolitan in the same afternoon in 1854, much has been written, and there are turfites still living who remember her well. She was a cheap mare to begin with, but a great runner, and besides the races already mentioned, she won the Doncaster Cup, the Great Northern Handicap, and the Yorkshire Oaks at York, the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, and other events. Mr. George Hodgman, in his " Sixty Years on the Turf," wrote : " If my opinion were asked I should, after careful thought of all the magnificent fillies I have watched seek turf honours, unreservedly place Virago on the highest pedestal." This was written some years before Sceptre and Pretty Polly had appeared, and was the opinion of a consummate judge who all his life has closely watched the running. Nor has the advent of the two celebrities which have just been named in any way altered Mr. Hodgman's ideas, for he is still strongly of opinion that Virago was the best of her sex which has appeared within the last sixty years. Another great mare was Achievement, whose three-year-old form was especially good, in spite of the fact that she was beaten by Hippia in the Oaks. She won, however, the Great Yorkshire Stakes, the St. Leger, and the Doncaster Cup within a fortnight, and in each of the two last-named races she beat the Derby winner Hermit. Marie Stuart, who beat the Derby winner Doncaster i68 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE for the St. Leger of 1873, was an exceptional mare, and so too was Apology, the Oaks and St. Leger winner of the following year. Then there was Wheel of Fortune, who won the One Thousand and Oaks in 1879, but broke down before the St. Leger of her year, and Seabreeze, who beat the Derby winner Ayrshire in 1889. But a probably better filly than either of these St. Leger winners was La Fleche, who won the St. Leger in 1892, and to whom previous reference has been made. Since La Fleche 's day Pretty Polly and Sceptre have been the greatest fiUies, but there is no need to go at length into their performances, which have been treated of a few pages back. CRUCIFIX. From the engraving by J. K. Scott after the origitial by H. Hall. THE SO-CALLED "FIRST STEEPLECHASE ON RECORD; TUL LARGE FIELD NEAR BILES'S CORNER.' After the dyawing by H. Alkcn. CHAPTER XIV STEEPLECHASING STEEPLECHASING is a much more modern sport than flat-racing, being little more than a hundred years old — though there is a well-founded tradi- tion that a race across country was held in Ireland as long ago as 1752. In the family of O'Brien of Dromoland, there is, or was some time ago, an interesting document which gave particulars of a match over four and a half miles of country. The parties to the match were Mr. O'Calla- ghan and Mr. Edmund Blake, and the course was from Butte vant Church to St. Leger Church. As to what was the amount of the stake or how the race was won no particulars are given, nor is it even known which of the two opponents was the actual winner. Mr. Hore, who wrote a valuable history of Newmarket, says that steeplechasing was known in the time of James I., but there is no really rehable evidence to this effect, and the Irish race referred to — if it actually took place — can fairly claim to be the first of its kind of which there is any record. The course of this Irish race, be it noted, was from one church to another church, and certain it is that the word " steeple- chase " was derived from the fact that — no matter where the start might be — the finish of these early cross-country races was in the immediate neighbourhood of a church steeple. If one thinks of it it is no easy matter to descry an object something hke four miles away, and as all the early steeplechases were 169 170 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE run from one pt)int to another it can be easily understood that a church steeple would be seen — especially if the church were placed upon high ground — when other objects would be hidden from view. It is plain enough that If ags to mark out the course were not used at first, but it is also reason- able to assume that some at least of those who took part in very early steeplechases would have some knowledge of the country they rode over. " The First Steeplechase " Myth The late Mr. W. C. A. Blew made con- siderable research into the records of the past with a view to ascertaining when and where the first steeplechase was run. He was inchned to think that " the first steeple- chase on record " as depicted by Aiken, and constantly reproduced at the present day, was a myth, or a joke on the part of the painter. Reference is made to the set of pictures which show a number of soldiers, with nightshirts over their regimental clothes, and with nightcaps on their heads, riding across country by moonlight. It has in more recent times been claimed that this steeplechase took place in many dis- tricts where cavalry were quartered, and Mr. Blew gave the date — if there ever was a date — as 1803, but the newspapers and magazines of that day are silent as to the affair, and the only reference to it in older sporting literature appeared in the Sporting Magazine many years later. This account was to the effect that the steeplechase was originated during mess at the Ipswich barracks, but the name of the cavalry regiment quartered there at the time was not given. There is, however, a graphic account of the circumstances which led up to the race, but it is quite certain that when the account appeared, the race, if it ever did take place, was a thing of many years before, and the con- versation which took place before it, and which was recorded at length, can hardly have been remembered so that it could be set forth as it appeared in the Sporting Magazine. The evidence, or rather the want of evi- dence, favours Mr. Blew's idea that the whole thing was a myth, and anyhow there had been many cross-country races before 1803, though most of them were matches. The fact is that in the early part of the eighteenth century, riding across country was not much indulged in. Everyone rode, how- ever, and hunting was taken seriously in hand after hawking began to die out. But for long enough the horse was looked upon as a means of allowing the hunter to keep near his hounds, and the pleasures of riding across country were perhaps not thoroughly realised. The country was far more open than it is now, and for hawking an open country where there were no small enclosures was preferred. But throughout the eighteenth century great advances in farming were being made, and many thou- sands of acres of open country were enclosed — which means that they were laid out in fields, large or small as the case might be. Change in Hunting Conditions Hunting folk, in those days the noble- men, squires, parsons, and probably a few of the well-to-do farmers, soon found out that in an enclosed country it was impossible to follow hounds unless the fences were jumped. About this time, too, there began to be a great improvement in the native breeds of hghter horses, owing to the im- portation of a great number of Arabian and other Eastern stallions. The average country horse with a strain or two of Eastern blood gradually took the place of the heavier sort which had been used for hunting in its very earhest days, and these horses of lighter breed were quickly found to be more suitable for following hounds. They had not only much more pace than the heavy horse, but they were more easily taught to jump, and were able to spread themselves, and so negotiate a brook, or any sort of wide jump, in a manner which was probably un- known before the introduction to the country of Eastern blood. It is a fact that the better bred a horse the better jumper he is likely, with proper schooling, to become. An underbred horse, who is not necessarily a cart horse, but who STEEPLECHASING 171 is not far removed from it, will often jump a fair height, but as a rule he cannot cover any great distance of ground when he jumps. Many heavily built, half-bred horses will jump timber, a wall, or anything which merely requires an up and down jump, well enough, but will fail at a fence and ditch, which is wide rather than high, or at a brook which is anything like ten feet across. But once the horses were good enough to cross an enclosed country at a fair pace, and jump all the fences as they came, the spirit of rivalry entered into their owners, and cross-country, or steeplechase matches were made. Early Steeplechases The first steeplechase which was not a match between two horses of which there is any record took place in Leicester- shire in 1792, the competitoi-s being Lord Forester, Sir Gilbert Heathcote, and Mr. C. Meynell, a son of the famous Hugo Me>Tiell who hunted what is now the Ouorn country for a period of about fifty years. The course was from Barkby Holt to Billesdon Coplow and back, a distance of about eight miles, and Mr. Meynell won, while Lord Forester beat Sir Gilbert Heath- cote for second place. In the same year (1792) there was a thousand - pound match in Leicestershire, from near Melton Jlowbray to Dalby Wood, between horses owned by Mr. L. Hardy, and Mr. W'illoughby (afterwards Lord Middle- ton), and at the time hunting what is now known as Lord Middleton's country. Mr. Hardy put up his valet, and Mr. Willoughby his whipper-in, and the valet won, owing, it is said, to his wonderful knowledge of the country. The ne.xt important record refers to Ire- land in 1793, when there was a steeplechase at Ballyshannon on the 3rd of Januar3^ It is said that the stake was £25 each, that four horses started, and that one of the conditions was that there should be a six-foot wall in the course. One of the horses — so the account says — was ridden by a light boy, who when he came to the wall jumped off, got his horse to go over the wall riderless, remounted on the far side, and eventually won. Of the other three one cleared the wall, and two refused, and there was an appeal to the Irish Turf Club as to whether the horse which went over riderless was entitled to the stake — but history does not state which way the decision went. The story may or may not be true, but the height of the wall must, under any circum- stances be taken cum grano salts, for though a high jump of over seven feet has been cleared at Olympia several times, a slanting slow jump obstacle of that height would hardly be more formidable than a six-foot wall in the open country, especially when such a jump was encountered in the middle of a race. The First Course Steeplechase At Bedford, in 1810, there was decided what was probably the first steeplechase over a made course of three miles, in which there were eight fences, built up four feet six inches high, with a strong bar on the top. The race was run in heats, but of the eleven subscribers only two went to the post, the winner being Fugitive, who was ridden by her owner, Mr. Spence. It is worthy of note that Fugitive, and Cecilia, whom she beat, each had a certificate gained by being in at the death of three foxes in Leicester- shire. It is said that this race took place in the presence of a crowd of 40,000 people. Three years later there was a weight-for- age steeplechase in County Roscommon, for a stake of £100, and in the course of six miles were six walls, each five feet high, and several wide ditches. There were half a dozen runners, and a four-year-old named Young Blacklegs was the winner. The St. Albans Steeplechase Organised steeplechase meetings were first held near St. Albans, the organiser being Mr. Thomas Coleman, innkeeper and farmer, who before that had been a race-horse trainer, who had met with a fair amount of success at the country meetings. He still had horses under his care, when he built the Turf Hotel (at St. Albans), on the site of the 172 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE older " Chequers," which he puhed down. Coleman was also a stage-coach proprietor, and the Hertfordshire Hunt Club had its headquarters at his hotel, so that all things considered he was in a good position to secure the patronage of turfites. There is, however, no need to go further into the history of the St. Albans trainer, and it can now be stated that some officers of the 1st Life Guards, when dining at the Turf Hotel one day, conceived the idea of a steeplechase meeting and left all the details to Coleman. The race duly came off in 1830, a field of sixteen doing duty over a course which began near Harlington Church, and ended at the Obelisk in Wrest Park, the winner being Lord Ranelagh's grey horse Wonder, ridden by Captain MacDowall, while Lord Clanricarde's Nailer, steered by his owner, was second. The Grand National The St. Albans steeplechases set the fashion, and a year or two later cross-country races took place in many parts of the country. Steeplechase jockeys, both amateur and professional, quickly came into being, and throughout the 'thirties the sport took strong hold of the people. At Liverpool two steeplechases were decided on the 29th of February, 1836, and three years later the First Grand National took place over the Aintree Course, the winner being the famous Lottery, ridden by the even more famous Jem Mason. There were seventeen runners, and all the horses carried the same weight. In 1840 there was a high stone wall in front of the stands, and this is shown in the first set of pictures of the Grand National — dated 1855 — but curiously enough the artist has made the peculiar mistake of making the lawns between the stand and the course quite empty. The stands are represented as crowded, and on the fiat-race course between the steeplechase course and the lawn is a solitary old gentleman, very probably the clerk of the course, on a white cob ; but the intervening space, which, during the race, would have been black with people, is de- picted as a green sward, with not a living creature on it. In 1843 the race became a handicap, and was won by Lord Chesterfield's Vanguard, with Tom Ohver in the saddle, and in 1848 the race was won by Captain Little's The Chandler, who carried 11 stone 12 lb., and was ridden by his owner. The Chandler was almost as famous a horse as Lottery had been a few years before ; he won races all over the country, and in the Warwick Hunt Cup of 1846, he cleared a distance of thirty-seven feet, the jump being considered to the present day to be the biggest of which there is any authentic record. Peter Simple, who won in 1849, ^^'^ again in 1853, was the first double winner of the race, but he had only accomplished one half of his double event when Abd-el-Kader came on the scene, and this httle horse won two years in succession — 1850 and 1851 — so that he actually completed his double before Peter Simple. When Abd-el-Kader gained his first victory the starters numbered thirty-two, and this number was never equalled until 1909, when the French horse Lutteur III. finished at the head of an equally large field. Abd-el-Kader only carried 9 stone 12 lb., and 10 stone 4 lb., on the two occasions of his winning, respec- tively, and thus it is evident that a different system of handicapping to that which pre- vails at the present day was then adopted. The "Little Abd-el-Kader" Any horse who wins with a low weight at the present time is quite certain to be put up a stone, or even more, and even horses which are placed, or who finish well up with the placed horses are often raised. Yet Abd-el-Kader was only weighted 6 lb. higher in the race which followed his first victory. He was a httle horse, standing under 15-2 hands, and his breeder and owner was the late Mr. Joseph Osborne, of whom mention has been made in an earlier number as a great authority on breeding and pedigrees. Mr. Osborne bought the dam of the double Grand National winner, out of a Shrewsbury coach, for 50 guineas ; she was only a half-bred mare, but she won STEEPLEGHASING 173 steeplechases and bred an exceptionally good little horse, who, if not over-weighted, could stay for ever, and who always jumped like a stag. On the second occasion of his winning, Abd-el-Kader only got home by " half a neck " in front of Maria Day, and a year later he looked very dangerous until he fell when leading between Becher's and ^'alentine's Brooks. They had to jump out of heavy ploughed land, over a rail beyond which was a hedge, and beyond that again a brook six feet in width. Conrad crashed through the timber, and fell into the water, and Captain Becher lay quiet under the fence as the other horses jumped. When all danger was at an end he crept out, remounted, and went on in P^ii.^rv>zw>'vxr^'^^i^^ THE GRAND NATIONAL OF 1855. , engraving, showing the wall in front of the Grand Stand. The question is often asked why the obstacles which have just been referred to were so named, and it may be explained that Becher's Brook was named after Captain Becher, the most famous steeplechase rider of his day, who had an extraordinary escape at this particular fence. Captain Becher won the first Liverpool Steeplechase on The Duke in 1836, but the race was not then called the Grand National ; three years later, in the first actual year of the race, he had the mount on Conrad, and made running over the first half-dozen obstacles. His mount was, however, a rushing brute, and at the particular fence which has since been called " Becher's " he came to grief. 23 pursuit of his field, but the brook has been known as " Becher's " ever since. In these days Becher's Brook is innocent of water, because the water is carried in a pipe under- neath, but it is still a most formidable obstacle, which in every succeeding Grand National brings a certain number of horses to grief. Valentine's Brook is probably so called after a horse named Valentine, who ran third to Jerry, and Arthur, in 1840, and whose owner betted a large amount that he would be first at the wall. The upshot was that in this race the pace was a cracker during the first round, and so many horses were blown that no fewer than four — including the famous Lottery — came down at the wall. 174 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE In 1853, Peter Simple won his second Grand National, and on this occasion Abd- el-Kader finished iifth. " Peter " was an honest horse, and it is worth noting that in this race he beat Miss Mowbray, who had been successful in 1852. Peter Simple ran again in 1854, when the race was won by Bourbon, who carried 11 stone 12 lb. — one of the eight highest weights ever carried by the winners since it was a handicap. In 1858 Little Charlie, who won, was ridden by William Archer, the father of the great jockey, Fred Archer, and of the present day Newmarket trainer Charles Archer, and in i860 Mr. Capel, the owner of Little Charhe, was again successful, this time with Anatis, who was ridden by Mr. " Thomas " — the still living Mr. Tom Pickernell. Alcibiade's Wonderful Win In 1S63 and the following year Lord Coventry won with Emblem and Emblematic respectively, each being ridden by the late George Stevens, and in 1865 another member of the Coventry family rode the winner, a French bred live-year-old named Alcibiade, who carried 11 stone 4 lb., and was the first of his age to be successful in this particular race. Alcibiade, though foaled in France, was brought to England at a very early age, and was owned by one Englishman, trained by a second, and ridden by a third. It is perhaps worth mentioning that twenty-three ran in this particular event, but there were so many falls and refusals that only five finished the course. Alcibiade, on account of his age when he won, must certainly be written down as one of the greatest of Grand National winners. The Lamb's First Win In 1866 the race was run during a snow- storm, and Salamander won from Cortolvin, while Alcibiade failed under a heavy weight. This Cortolvin was undoubtedly a very fine chaser, and in 1867 — the horse having since the previous Grand National been purchased by the late Duke of Hamilton — he won under II stone 13 lb. In 1868 Lord Poulett's The Lamb, ridden by Mr. George Ede, fought out the finish with another somewhat famous chaser, Pearl Diver by name. Alci- biade finishing third, under 11 stone 10 lb., and of Mr. Ede it may be said that he had a wonderful career as an amateur jockey. He began to ride in 1856, was second for the Grand National on the Marquis Talon's Weathercock in 1858, and ten years later won the great race on The Lamb. In 1870 he was killed when riding a horse named Chippenham in the Stortford Steeplechase at Liverpool. In all he won 306 races in fourteen years, and he was also a line rider to hounds, and an excellent cricketer. The Colonel In 1869 and 1870 The Colonel was success- ful with 10 stone 7 lb., and 11 stone 12 lb., respectively, and it is worthy of note that in his first race Alcibiade only just lost fourth place, while in his second race The Doctor was second, only beaten a neck, and this same horse afterwards became a famous hunter, and a few years later was ridden by the ex-jockey Custance in the celebrated " Waterloo " run with the Pytchley hounds. The Doctor carried only 5 lb. less than The Colonel at Aintree, and most certainly this was a big year. George Stevens who had the mount on The Colonel on either occasion of his winning, had previously won the Grand National on Freetrader and Emblem and Emblematic, and is the only jockey who has been successful in the race more than four times. He was killed in June, 1871, near Prestbury, in Gloucestershire, through being thrown on to a heap of stones, but he was merely riding from Cheltenham to his home on Cleeve Hill, and the accident was in no way connected with steeplechasing. The Lamb's Double Event In 1871 The Lamb completed his double event, the first half of which had been achieved in 1868 — he had not run for the race in the two previous years — and in 1872 when Casse Tete won he was fourth, carrying 12 stone 7 lb. He was a little horse for Aintree, who had been bred in Ireland, and it is said that he once changed hands for £300. This may or may not be true, but STEEPLEGHASING 175 Mr. Joseph Doyle of Dublin gave £300 for him, and leased him for his racing career to Lord Poiilett, who won the '68 Grand National with him at the first time of asking. After his second Liverpool victory The Lamb was sold to Baron Oppenheim, and sent to Germany, and his career was abruptly a while another horse came down the hill in pursuit. He was a long way behind, but his rider was husthng him along for all he was worth, and at first it looked as if the jockey of The Lamb was not aware of what was taking place. When he did see the other horse, though BECHER'S BROOK : PhotOfrrapJi by S/'oy! . THE GRAND NATIONAL COURSE AT AINTREE. ended in August, 1872, when he broke his leg during the process of the Grand Steeplechase at Baden-Baden. Of this race the present writer was a witness, and it may be explained that The Lamb, who was ridden by an Austrian (or Hungarian) nobleman, was winning in a canter, when he came to grief. The Baden-Baden course was in those days a peculiar one, and the steeplechase finished round the top of the loop beyond the stands — the reverse way to the finish of the flat races. To reach the race-course the horses came down a short, very steep hill from a higher lying tableland above the ffat-race course, and The Lamb was actually alone when he reached the flat. His rider eased him up round the rather long loop, and after still a long way in front, the rider of The Lamb instantly set about his own horse, and as he happened to be passing through a boggy bit of ground The Lamb's leg snapped hke a carrot, and he, limping in on three legs, was just beaten on the post. The present writer has not been able to find any account of the race to refer to, but if memory serves the winner was a horse named Monarch, and anyhow the whole thing was a terrible fiasco. The bit of boggy ground was far beyond the flat-race finishing post ; and was a narrow strip close to the rails. The horse should have been taken round it, and not through it, and even if his rider had not suddenly urged him he could not possibly have lost the race. As it was he travelled 176 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE VALENTINE'S BROOK: THE GRAND NATIONAL COURSE AT AINTREE. probably more than a hundred yards on three legs, and then was only just beaten. There were no " slings " in those days, or if they had been invented they were not to be found at Iffezheim, so The Lamb stood on three legs all night, and ice and various other things were tried to reduce the swelling ; on the following morning it was thoroughly realised that the leg was broken, and the horse was shot. Casse Tete who won when The Lamb was fourth, under 12 stone 7 lb., was a common weedy mare, and far below the average Grand National winner in point of merit ; but Disturbance, who won for the late Captain Machell in 1873, was a six- year-old who carried the heavy weight of II stone II lb., and was ridden by Mr. J. Maunsell Richardson, who, a year later, won again on Reugny, Captain Machell being again the lucky owner. A cast-off from the flat named Rhysworth (trained in the same stable as Disturbance) was backed at a much shorter price than the winner, but Disturbance actually beat him for speed in the run home, the pair finishing first and second, and victory going to the regular steeplechaser of hunter cut rather than to the ex-flat racer. In 1876 Captain Machell won a third Grand National with the five-year-old Regal, ridden by the present day Newmarket trainer, Joseph Cannon, and in the following year another five-year-old, by name Austerlitz, was successful, ridden by his owner, the late Mr. F. G. Hobson, who threw up his arm — in the hunting fashion of the Mid- Victorian period — at every fence. Li both the last mentioned years Congress was second, in 1876, with 11 stone 8 lb. in the saddle, and in the following year under 12 stone 7 lb. These were notable perform- ances achieved by a horse that was a great performer over the Liverpool country, though his name is not included in the Hst of winners. Shifnal, who won in 1878, was STEEPLEGHASING 177 ridden by the late " Jack" Jones, father of the late King's jockey Herbert, or " Jubilee " Jones, and in 1879, the late Mr. Garrett Moore won on The Liberator, who had finished third to Austerhtz and Congress in 1877. Another five-year-old, Mr. Ducrot's Em- press won in 1880, The Liberator being only beaten by a couple of lengths with the top weight of 12 stone 7 lb., and in 1887 Captain Kirkwood, recently associated with the victories at Ascot and elsewhere of The White Knight, was successful with Wood- brook, Regal this time running second with II stone 12 lb. in the saddle. A year later Lord Manners won the race on his own horse Seaman, and it is worthy of note that in W'oodbrook's year there were only thirteen, and in Seaman's only twelve runners. Seaman beat Cyrus by a head, and as his owner — who has since been Master of the Quorn — had had very little experience of race riding, the victory, like that of Mr. Hobson, on Austerlitz, was a notable one. Another amateur. Count C. Kinsky, won in 1883 on his own mare Zoedone, and in 1884 Voluptuary was successful, and this horse afterwards appeared on the stage of Drury Lane Theatre, being ridden by Mr. Leonard Boyne, in a play called " The Prod- igal's Daughter." After that again he was in the stables of a Newmarket trainer, who used him as a hack on the heath, and the writer rode him frequently some years later, when he was an old horse but a charming hack with perfect manners. Roquefort, the winner in 1885, was, like Voluptuary, steered by Mr. E. P. Wilson, and Old Joe, who took the prize in 1886, was a Cumberland horse, who had been hunted, driven in harness, jumped at horse shows, and had been in fact a general utility nag. Game- cock who won in 1887, is celebrated because he was winning steeplechases until he was fifteen or sixteen years old, but Playfair, successful in 1888, was a cast-off from the flat. To him the Irish mare Frigate was 1 ,ll ^ ^^■MHbk^....^.,^-'-- ' ' - ■ — i<-«*";"J . *,.■■■"' ..>-*»-' ——^ ■ ■rf '".-^il 1 J| THE WATER JUMP: THE GRAND NATIONAL COURSE AT AINTREE. 178 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE second (she had also been second to Vohip- tuary in 1884), and in 1889 this mare won, having made three previous unsuccessful at- tempts. A good horse named Ilex, who hailed from Epsom, was the winner in 1890, and in 1891 Come Away, ridden by Mr. H Beasly, just defeated Cloister, by half a length. Gome Away's Victory This was one of the greatest struggles ever seen at Aintree, and the field was probably one of the best which the race has known. It included previous winners of the race in Ilex, Voluptuary, Roquefort, and Gamecock, and subsequent winners in Cloister and Why Not. In fact, of the twenty-one who did duty, exactly one third are now to be found in the bead roll of Grand National winners, yet curiously enough only six of the twenty-one runners completed the course, and Come Away — Irish bred and Irish trained — got home half a length to the good, and was stopping fast at the finish. The winner carried 11 stone 12 lb. to the II stone 7 lb. of Cloister, and good as Captain Owen (he rode Cloister) was as a jockey, he appeared to be more beaten than his horse in the run home. Though one does not grudge the victory of a good and heavily weighted horse like Come Away it is probable that Cloister was unlucky to lose, because one understands that the decision to run him at Liverpool was only arrived at a week or ten days before the race, after his stable companion Royal Mealh had broken down. That Cloister was short of a gallop or two was well known at the time, but even then he was only just beaten, and Come Away was probably the best tried animal which had ever been sent from Ireland for the race. Cloister's Great Race In i8q2 Cloister carried 12 stone 3 lb., and ridden by ]\Ir. J. C. Dormer — now Mr. J. Upton — beat everything, but Father O'Flynn, ridden by the late Captain Owen ; and in 1893 the most extraordinary sight was witnessed, when Cloister put all previous performances into the shade by winning with the top weight of 12 stt)ne 7 lb. in the saddle. But it was the style in which this great horse won that was so impressive. He took up the running almost immediately, and after passing Becher's brook in the first round was well clear of his field. From that point he sailed away in front, never being approached, much less headed at any subsequent part of the race. He was eight or ten lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer when they jumped the water, and afterwards he went right away, finally winning by forty lengths. This was a long way the greatest perform- ance which the race has known, and it is probable that on that particular day an- other stone would not have stopped the wiimer. Cloister never ran again for the Grand National, but at the Liverpool November meeting of 1894 he won the Sefton Steeple- chase under 13 stone 3 lb., and on this occasion a verdict of twenty lengths was recorded in his favour by the judge. This performance has often been quoted as the biggest thing ever done in steeplechasing, but the field which contested the Sefton of 1894 was nothing like so good as the field which Cloister had beaten in the Grand National of the previous year, and, for example, Mr. Duff's great horse gave Why Not 9 lb., and beat him by about a hundred yards in the Grand National, and that same Why Not was good enough in 1894 — when Cloister was not in the field, to win the great race with 11 stone 13 lb. in the saddle — a weight which has only been twice beaten in the history of the race. Manifesto's Feat Wild Man From Borneo and The Soarer, who won in 1896 and 1897, were of poor class when compared with the best winners of the great steeplechase, but Manifesto, who won in 1897, and again in 1899, was a veritable giant who disputes with Cloister what may be called the championship of the cross-country world. Manifesto carried II stone 3 lb. on the first occasion of his victory, and in 1899 equalled the Cloister's record by winning with 12 stone 7 lb. in the saddle. He also did wondcrfull\- \\cll in STEEPLEGHASING 179 subsequent Grand Nationals, when he carried an even heavier weight, but he did not string out his lield as Cloister had done, and one is inclined to think that the horses he beat when he carried the top weight were not so good as those defeated by Cloister. There is, however, no reason why one should attempt to decide between the merits of Cloister and Manifesto. Both were great horses, magnificent fencers, and wonderful stayers. There were at times training difiiculties in connection with each of the pair, and though they ran on until they were well up in years each in turn had to undergo temporary retirement. Ambush II. In Manifesto's last year he had a great struggle with a young horse named Ambush II., who carried the colours of the then Prince of Wales (King Edward VII.). The horse in question was only five years old at the time, and he was not ridden out when it was found that he could not beat Manifesto. But in the following year Ambush II. won, and had it been possible to keep him in training he would most Hkely have taken very high rank. It was in 1890 that the royal colours were successful at Liverpool, and in the same year the purple, scarlet, and gold was in first place, on Diamond Jubilee, for the Derby, thus completing a double, which was then, and still is absolutely unique. Recent Grand Nationals Grudon, an entire horse, who has since got good hunting stock in the Midlands, won in a snowstorm in 1901, and in 1904 a Colonial bred horse named Moifaa was successful, while in 1906 an American bred horse named Rubio took first honours. This Rubio only cost £15 as a yearling, and was bought for a hunter, but he won the Grand National, after starting at 66 to i, and when a stable companion — who finished second — started at a much shorter price. The winner of 1909, Lutteur III., was a French bred horse, and only a five-year-old, and one is inclined to think that if he stands training he should make a great name for himself, but this seems to be doubtful. Little has been said about very re- cent Grand Nationals, because there have been no real champions since Cloister and Manifesto, and perhaps the most singular feature of the last few years is to be found in what has just been stated — viz., that the race has been won by a Colonial bred, an American bred, and a French bred horse, within the space of half a dozen years. Age of Winners Though the Grand National is much the most important cross-country race in the Kingdom it is seldom won by an entire horse, and therefore the names of Grand National winners are very rarely found in race-horse pedigrees. The fact is that it is difficult to keep entire horses in training until they are eight or nine years old ; they are more difficult to train than mares and geldings, and more liable to go wrong — not necessarily from unsoundness of limb, but in a variety of ways. Another fact in con- nection with this race is that the average winner is from eight to nine years old, and there are instances of the race having been won by much older horses. Why Not, for example, was thirteen years old when he won in 1894. He had won the National Hunt Steeplechase when five years old, in 1886, and eight years later he secured the blue riband of cross-country racing, being then very much over at the knees. It is also to be noted that the successes of Irish bred horses have been very numerous, whilst a fair number of Irish trained ones have also won. It is the custom with certain Irish breeders to put likely looking young horses aside for steeplechasing, and these horses benefit greatly by not being hurried while they are in an unfinished and immature state, and the result is that when they are put into training they are more likely to stand a lot of work than the nags who have been at it since the autumn of their yearling days. All this means that the cast-off from the flat can seldom be made into a high class steeplechaser. There have been exceptions, of course, Congress and Voluptuary to wit, and there will be again, but the best cross- i8o THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE country nags have been steeplechasers pure and simple. Other important steeplechases at the present day are not very numerous, though there is an enormous amount of cross-country racing throughout the winter months. In- deed on the regulation courses at the park meetings, there is hardly a day between the is the running over the faster and easier courses always to be relied upon as far as Liverpool is concerned, for scores of nags have done well in the Grand National, who were much too slow for the park racing. In 1909 for instance, a horse named Caubeen was unplaced — beaten a hundred yards in a little race at Windsor, in the middle of ■ ■ ^1 ^^ ■P^ . m^^KSc^^Sm^^T^ . ^,^^^^^^'. i^Ip^S m - -... -. ll r;i,y S^ort &- Oi-nfml Uh'-stralioin Co. HORSEMEN CROSSING THE SMITE. CHAPTER XVllI HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING THERE is not sufficient space in the present work to go at very great length into the breeding of hunters, but certain facts may be given, so that readers may be able to form an opinion as to what sort of horse is Hlvely to turn out a good hunter. Briefly, then, it may be stated that the average horse to be seen in every hunting-field is the produce of a thoroughbred stallion, and what is generally spoken of as a half-bred mare. But it is also the case that the animals upon which people go hunting take the very widest range, every sort of " Hght " horse being impressed into the service at times. Thoroughbreds — very often cast-offs from the race-course — are often used in the grass countries, especially by men and women whose riding weight is not more than twelve or thirteen stone. Weight carriers are seldom actually thoroughbred, but the best of them have several crosses of pure blood, and have combined much of the quality and vital force of the blood horse with the strength and power which has doubtless come through the mare from a heavier strain. And beyond thoroughbreds and high-class weight-carriers of considerable breeding and quality there comes a slightly lower class, with pure blood on one side, and perhaps a sprinkling of it on the other. Such horses are to be found by the hundred in every hunting district, for on them are mounted the rank and file of every ordi- nary hunt. In the Shires, and in certain other hunts where there is a good deal of grass, the standard of hunters is higher than it is in the provincial hunts, but there are now certain men and women hunting in every part of the kingdom who pay long prices for their hunters, and procure a fair jroportion of the best which may be on the market, and in fact the Shires, though they have a greater number of the good ones, no longer have a monopoly of the best. Indeed, one of the biggest Midland dealers lately stated that a majority of his most valuable horses went into the provinces, and that he had amongst his customers provincial masters of hounds and provincial 219 220 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE hunting men and women who were just as keen on acquiring the very best as were his neighbours in Leicestershire and Northamp- tonshire. It must be understood that horses which are short of speed are of httle use in a grass country, and thus it follows that common, underbred horses are rarely seen in Leices- tershire. Screws one may see, and horses which are not of great intrinsic value even in the most fashionable hunts, but all are able to gallop, or else they would not be there. "Jumpers" In the average provincial hunt, on the other hand, there is usually a small group of well-mounted men and women, but when one comes to look at how the hunt in its entirety is mounted, clumsy-looking, common horses will be seen also : horses short of quality, short of length and liberty, thick about the neck and shoulder, and looking as if they would be more at home in a tradesman's cart than carrying a man to hounds. These are the cheaper hunters of the less wealthy hunting folk, and many of them (the hunters) are really far better than a first glance suggests. It is a fact that all sorts of horses can jump. Many hackneys are excellent jumpers, especially where height is concerned, and many of what are, perhaps, best described as " com- mon " horses are really good fencers. They will not, as a rule, cover a wide jump like a well-bred horse, but they can jump up and down. To give an instance, the best jumper of high stone walls the writer ever saw was out of a cart mare, and had favoured his dam in appearance. Short-Legged Hunters In a hill counti ''. where there is not much fast galloping, a i,.iort-legged horse, which has little quality but is clever, will go on for many seasons if carefully ridden, but the short-legged sort are not much good when galloping on the level at top speed, being very often deficient in pace. It results, then, that men and women choose their horses with a view to their being of the right sort for the country they are intended to hunt in, and scores of people who hunt in less fashionable countries never through a lifetime of sport possess the sort that could Hve through a fast thing in the Shires. At times one sees in a rough country horses of the highest class which are wasted by being hunted where they are, but as a rule, wherever one goes the horse is appro- priate to the country in which he is hunted. Thoroughbreds as Hunters The thoroughbred who has been raced may make a good hunter, but as a rule he requires not only a great deal of schooling, but a lot of experience before he settles down and becomes a tractable cross-country horse. Racing very often teaches horses to fret and pull, to race against any- thing which comes alongside them. Then again the average race-horse when turned out of training is wanted for the stud if he has been a good winner, and if a gelding is often of small value. There are men who always ride thoroughbreds, and are seen to the greatest advantage on them, but such men have made a study of the business, and know where to find the sort of animals they require. They are also prepared to take chances while making the race-horses into hunters, and will take the greatest pains with their purchases. Some people even buy young thoroughbreds which have never seen the inside of a training stable, and keep them to be made into hunters in due course. Then, too, there is the odd thoroughbred who has almost perfect manners, and is what may be called a natural hunter. This rara avis, when he is discovered, is a gem of the first water, and if he continues sound will do an enormous amount of work. Where the thoroughbred horse that has become a perfect hunter beats the half-bred is in the matter of pace and stamina. In an ordinary hunt of medium pace he will not have to exert himself so much as the horses of less breeding, and at the end of a very big day his blood will keep him going long after the average half-bred horse has had enough. O , • 1/2 2 HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING 221 There are, as a matter of course, hunters of every possible description. Some thoroughbreds, even if they have won races, and are good mannered, are of httle use in the hunting-field, whereas there have been, and are still, countless hunters, other than thorough- bred, for whom no day appears to be too long, and no distance too far. There are, in point of fact, exceptions to every rule, and though the good-looking, well- bred horse is in nine cases out of ten the good hunter, there are flatcatchers of this type, too, whereas one occa- sionally meets with what is to all appearances a com- mon horse, but who can nevertheless gallop and jump all day, and recover from a severe bucketing just as quickly as the horse of purer blood. These are the sort of things which experience alone can teach, and which the quick and correct eye for a horse cannot always dis- cover. To give an example : a man who kept harriers, who rode a nice light weight, and who never gave a big sum for his horses, bought a grey cob mare out of a butcher's cart for £13. She was 14 hands 3 inches, but was quite good looking, though somewhat coarse. A year or two after- wards she was mated with a King's Premium stalhon, and in due course she produced a brown foal, which was quickly made a gelding, and which in his early daj's ran out summer and winter, and had only the smallest modicum of corn. He was, in fact, reared on the rough and ready principle, and when four years old he was still unbroken. But he had acquired size, and when brought up and groomed it was soon evident that he had the makings of a very fine horse. Not being sent to the breaker until he was four years old, he took a great deal of " making," but towards the 29 autumn of that year he stood out a very fine horse. Curiously, because his dam was a cob and his sire barely 16 hands, he was, nevertheless, a very big horse, at least 16 hands i^ inches in height, and with a body and frame that were in keeping with his height. He had apparently inherited all the good points of his dam, with none of the bad ones, and had also reproduced in himself much of the quality of his sire. His owner and breeder at once set about making him into a hunter, and though he was very impetuous, and a hard puller at /■/,...',.■'■•»//.■ by G. H. Pn: THE JOKER : A TYPICAL HUNTER. first, he settled down at length. During his first season, owing to buck jumping and pulling proclivities, he was a rough ride, and a big handful, but all the same he was a great hunter, and never sick or sorry after the longest day. He galloped fast, and went on, was a fine bold fencer, whilst he did not rush in the least. £150 was paid for him locally ; for his new owner he has done thirteen seasons, and is still fresh and well. Like all other horses with a long career, he has had spells of idleness, owing to accidents and so forth, but when THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE information concerning him reached the writer he had done two hundred and fifty full days' hunting with various packs of hounds, and was still doing one day a week. No doubt there have been other horses bred in similar fashion who have done equally well, but it is a fact that this horse's sire and dam were mated again for several years, and the cob mare never again bred anything like a hunter, or even a harness horse. All her after-produce were common- looking, underbred, and very misshapen. Some of them had plenty of size, but their points were all wrong ; straight shoulders, unsightly limbs, and a general absence of symmetry being their invariable character- istics. Hunters as Harness Horses Good hunters have been fashioned out of all sorts of material, but the horse with straight shoulders should always be avoided. As a rule he can neither gallop nor jump, and his conformation makes him much better suited for harness work than for hunting. As a rule, too, it is not a good plan to attempt to make a harness horse into a hunter. It is done sometimes success- fully enough, but when it happens it is good odds that the horse has the cut of a hunter, that he is not in his right place in a carriage, and that someone with a good eye for a horse has detected this, and given him a trial. There are, of course, many good general utility horses, who will pull a trap on five days of the week, and do a fair day's hunting on the sixth, but the fact is that nearly all hunters will go fairly well in harness, while it is only the exceptional harness horse that can be made into a good hunter. The general utility nag to which reference is made is, in nineteen cases out of twenty, of hunter cut, and he is only driven in harness because his owner (pro- bably) cannot afford to keep horses specially for hunting. Many years ago a well-known light-w-eight hunting man, who has since been master of the Ledbury Foxhounds, was hunting in the north of England. He lived very wide of the meets of the pack with which he hunted, and for two or three seasons it was his almost invariable practice to drive a pair of well-bred cobs, tandem fashion, to the meets, taking a saddle in his cart, and to hunt one, sometimes both, during the day, and drive them home again at night. Hunters at Coach- Work Another hunting man, for a long period of years, gave his hunters about six weeks' rest at the end of the season, and then brought them up and drove them in a coach all the summer. And in this coach he did not merely exercise his horses with a few miles two or three times a week, but went touring all over the country, often doing as much as forty miles a day with the same team, and a fairly heavy load on the coach. One horse he hunted for ten or eleven seasons, and drove as a leader every summer, and a better hunter never stepped. He was by Homoeopathist, and though he was a curious-tempered horse, very difficult to get to a meet, he was so good when hounds were running that £400 was once offered for him. As it happens, he would not pass the vet.'s examination, and no deal took place, but the horse was only half-way through his career then, and, as a matter of fact, he was as sound as a bell of brass, in spite of some technical objection on the part of the veterinary surgeon. Breeding Difficulties There is possibly a royal road to breeding hunters, but even if horses of the highest class are aimed at, and only very valuable mares are used — of the sort which are nearly thoroughbred, good looking, lengthy, and of fair size — it is nevertheless no easy matter to find such mares as have proved their ability in the hunting-field, and here comes a very difficult problem. The diffi- culty is as follows : all hunting men under- stand that where a good-class thoroughbred is mated with a well-made, roomy mare, who has quality and size, and who has been a good hunter herself, there should be every chance of breeding a hunter, but wherever there is a strain of base blood there is a HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING 223 likelihood of the foal throwing back to it, and thus — as has been explained — a half- bred mare may breed a hunter, or she may produce an animal that is almost useless. This is one difficulty, but the better bred the mare is the less chance there is of its oc- curring. There is, however, another difficulty, which is as follows : if a man owns a mare who is a first-rate hunter he is loth to leave off hunting her as long as she can gallop, jump, and go through a big day in satisfactory fashion. He thinks he will breed from her when he has done hunting her, and he puts her to the horse when she is thirteen or fourteen years old, and is to a great extent worn out. She may possibly breed a good one, or even two or three, but unless she is a mare of extraordinary vitality, with a great deal of good, pure blood in her veins, she is more likely to be a failure than a success at the stud. Successful Irish Method Very many of the good race-horses have been bred from young mares. It is true that race-horses are forced in their early days, but a huge majority of the mares are sent to the stud not later than when five or six years old, whereas the average good hunter mare is not bred from until she is twelve or even older, and after she has gone through an enormous amount of hard work. This it is which causes the average English hunter breeder to turn up so few trumps during his period of breeding, and, probably because many of them are bred from com- paratively young mares, the hunter average is higher in Ireland than it is in this countr3^ By this, we mean, that, as far as can be judged, there are, comparatively, more suc- cessful matings in Ireland than there are in this country, where hunter breeding is concerned. To breed, and to continue breeding, good hunters, mares which are not too old must be kept. An observant hunting man ought to be able to acquire these without much difficulty. He should always be on the look-out for young mares which come to grief and cannot be hunted regularly again, and also for young mares whose value has been lessened by a bad blemish. Such mares, if without hereditary unsoundness, are more likely to breed good stock than older mares who have been kept to hunting until they are twelve and upwards. Our opinion is also to the effect that a thorough- bred sire should be used in preference to the sire bred on the lines of the Hunter Stud Book, unless, indeed, the mare is very light and small, thoroughbred herself, or so nearly thoroughbred as to have sufficient quality to counteract the lack of it which must be present in any hunter sire who is not in the General Stud Book. This, however, is only an individual opinion, and one knows that there is a certain amount of controversy on the subject. The Thoroughbred as Sire It is said by those who favour the hunter- bred sire, who has three or four crosses of blood, but is not thoroughbred, that many thoroughbred sires are apt to get stock which are too light all over, and unequal to carrying weight, and that the heavier half- bred will give additional weight and size. This may be so, but one must speak from experience, and we have seen many big hunters which were bred from light mares, and were by a thoroughbred horse — a good deal smaller than they were. All these horses we have in mind may have been exceptions to the rule, but it is an undoubted fact that scores, nay hundreds, of the best geldings one sees in the hunting-field are bigger all over than either of their parents were. Indeed, it would almost appear that many average size mares of not pure blood will, when mated with a medium sized thoroughbred horse, breed stock that, if given every chance to mature, will be larger all over than their parents. The point need not be laboured, but we have in mind a chestnut gelding by the famous hurdle-racer Hesper (Capt. Machell's) out of a mare that was little more than a pony — a mare who did ride and drive work for a country doctor. She had some quality, and was quite a well-made mare, but barely 14 hands 2 inches high. The doctor had bought her for £20 at a fair, and had no idea THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE how she was bred. To Hesper she bred a chestnut colt, which the doctor sold to a hunting man, and which was made a gelding. The young horse's new owner was careless about horses, and this one was allowed to run out until he was four years old, living entirely on grass in the summer, and never having more than a single feed of corn a day in the winter. Yet he gradu- ally grew until he was i6 hands 2 inches, and, when broken, was found to be a really great performer. He won the first point-to- point steeplechase of four miles ever run in the north of England, by 150 yards, and carried seven pounds more than his oppon- ents as the conditions insisted upon horses ridden by anyone who was not the owner carrying extra weight. Later he won be- tween the flags, and for nine seasons he carried a master of hounds or his kennel huntsman, and the former told the present writer that he had never owned a horse which did a greater amount of work. " No- thing very wonderful in this," the reader may say, but the fact may be emphasised that here was an exceptionally grand hunter, a big horse all over, up to quite 15 stone, possessed of great jumping ability, with a very fine turn of speed, who was out of a little, weedy mare which never stood more than 14 hands 2 inches, and could not under any conditions be described as a hunter. Schooling for Hunters The making of hunters — by which is meant the conversion of the raw animal into the finished performer — is a matter which should only be attempted by the skilled horseman, for it is attended with many risks, and is seldom a very simple job. There are horses who are of such placid temperament that the rider's task is a comparatively easy one, but the rank and file require a considerable amount of schooling, and many of the Irish-bred im- portations are only half broken when they arrive. And here it may be mentioned that it is only the really horsy man — the expert, in fact — who should buy Irish hunters direct. The average hunting man or woman will do far better to procure such animals from the dealer of standing, even though the price be a good deal higher. The dealer has pro- bably had his Irish nags for some months before he attempts to sell them to his regular customers. He has schooled them, and got them into some sort of condition, whereas when they first arrive they are as a rule not only short of schooling, but by no means ready to be put into strong work. Some of them have hard or one-sided mouths, and nearly all have been fattened for sale on soft food, and require very gentle treatment as to their corn and so forth A man who knows a horse, who is prepared to keep him for some months before he wishes to hunt him, and who is a sufficiently skilful horseman to remedy tfie effects of too little or very careless breaking, should not go far wrong in buying raw Irish nags, but those who wish to hunt the horses as soon as they have bought them should not dream of adopting this plan. An Experience With Irish Horses Some years ago a hunting man who was an enthusiast in horseflesh, but a timid rider, built himself a new large range of stabling, and having done so determined to buy raw Irish horses and make them into hunters. It must be understood that several members of his family hunted, and what with attendant grooms and second horses, he generally had from six to eight or nine horses out on every hunting day. \\'ith his stud groom he proceeded to visit several fairs in the south-west of Ireland, and after about a month in the country he came home with a string of twenty young horses. Several of them were very good looking, and, curious to relate, an English veterinary surgeon passed the lot as sound a few days after their arrival. The horses were all fat, and were put on to a corn and hay diet, and ridden about the country by grooms. For a week or two all went well ; but they were probably unaccustomed to a liberal supply of corn, and at the end of a month half of them were sick, while the others were almost unmanageable. Moreover, those of HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING 225 weaker constitution became hopelessly wrong. Their legs swelled, they developed a kind of fever, and wasted away to shadows. Neither did they come right after the fever had abated, for it seemed to leave behind it all sorts of ailments, and even unsoundness. Several were sold for what they would fetch without ha\-ing done a single day's work, huntsman of a well-known pack for many seasons. It is possible that the stud groom did not understand his business, and gave these horses too much corn at first, but the fact remains that only two horses from a consignment of twenty turned out well, and the owner — who used to tell the story against himself — was the loser of over a thousand CHAMPION HUNTER MARE. GOLDEN LEAF. but the hardier lot were persevered with, and in due course half a dozen of them appeared at a lawn meet, all being ridden by grooms. It is probable they had never seen hounds before, for they began to be most unruly before hounds left the meet, and on the way to the covert they all bolted. To cut a long story short, only two of the twenty were ever made into hunters, and for a season or two this pair could only be ridden by a strong, resolute man. Not a single horse of the lot was ever used by the owner or his family, for, finding the two horses just referred to too much for him, he gave them to the hunt, and they were ridden by the pounds on the full transaction, and that in spite of the fact that he had bought all the horses cheaply enough. The English hunter bought direct from the breeder is generally better schooled and in better condition than the Irish horse bought in the same way, and all hunting men should, if possible, buy their horses from the farmer-breeder. At times this is difficult, because the farmer is apt to take too exalted a view of the horse of his own breeding, and ask a longer price than the animal is worth. But — and this is a curious fact — one has known of not one but many horses which had failed to secure the price 226 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE asked by the breeder of members of the local hunt being sold to a dealer at a lower figure, and afterwards bought back into the country in which they were bred at a price which allowed of a fair profit to the dealer. One knows, too, of hunting farmers who never look for a customer at home for horses they have bred, but invariably submit them to dealers after they have been schooled. Home-Schooling a Necessity Time was when great numbers of young hunters did nearly all their schooling in the hunting-field, but in these days fields are so large that the practice is in manj' hunts greatly discouraged, especially when dealers' horses are sent out in charge of rough-riding grooms. The fact is, that in the modern hunting-field there is little room for any except regular subscribers to the pack, and regular hunting folk now seldom bring out horses which have not been properly schooled. The farmer does not like to see grooms riding half-made horses across country, boring a hole in a fence which they have refused half a dozen times, and the master does not care about the hunting-field being utilised in such a manner. Where fences are damaged by members of the hunt it is quite customary for someone appointed by the hunt to repair them within a day or two, but a groom schooling a horse is apt to ride wide of the Une of the hunt, and can do a lot of mischief which may not be noticed by the hunt authorities. All this means that horses are now schooled at home. Every dealer in hunters has a schooling ground, and the farmer or amateur breeder can take his nags on to his own land, where it does not matter if he breaks the fences. Schooling a hunter is often very pleasant work to the real horseman, but there are many ways of doing it, and while some have horses " lunged," or led over obstacles, others will never allow them to learn to jump except when mounted. Much depends on the horse himself. One horse will take to jumping at once, while another will require weeks of practice. What is quite certain is that ever}' horse can jump if he tries, and that every hunter can clear a fair-sized fence, if ne has been properly taught, and properly ridden at it. A Natural Jumper The most natural jumper we ever saw was a thick-set thoroughbred, owned by a racing man who was also a hunting enthu- siast. This horse was slow for the flat ; but he did win a little race as a three-year-old, and throughout the following season he was employed at leading work. When he was nearing five years old his owner thought he might be the sort of horse to win a country steeplechase, and had him brought from Newmarket to his hunting quarters. A day or two afterwards he was taken into a field where there were all sorts of jumps. To a little hurdle less than two feet high he was trotted up — it must be understood that he had never seen a fence in his life — when he stopped short, put his head down, and being gently encouraged by his rider, jumped it from a stand. After five minutes of walking about he was again taken to the hurdle, and this time he jumped twice as high as was necessary. Before he was taken back to his stable he had jumped a higher fence, and a day or two later he could be ridden over the natural fences on the farm. How Jumping is Taught ^^'hen a horse is first taught unridden, and with the lunging rein or rope, he appears very often to take longer to learn his business than when he is ridden, and therf have been cases in which horses have jumped well with the rope, but have refused badly for a time when ridden at the same obstacles. The fanner who can ride his horse about his farm and has the chance of making him handy at gates is more likely to teach a hunter his business than the man who puts his colt or filly through a course of lunging ; but that is perhaps a matter of opinion, and though a great deal depends upon the temperament of the horse, doubtless even more depends upon the man who attempts the training of raw material. There are people who prefer to teach horses to jump in a riding school ; but if the horses are afterwards required to HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING 227 jump the natural fences of the hunting-lield, and are not being schooled with a view to Olympia, and such kindred places, the country education is undoubtedly the better. One of the greatest difficulties the school- master has to contend with is rushing. Horses quickly become very fond of jumping, and many of the highest-conraged are inclined to rush. One has, when schooling horses, seen dozens of them quicken up the moment they saw the fence, and attempt to take it at top speed. When this happens every- thing depends upon the horsemanship of the rider. If he is possessed of good hands and can hold his horse, rushing ought not to be difficult to cure ; but when the horse happens to be a hard puller the case is very different, and there have been many hunters who have gone through a long period of service, and have always had this fault. Such horses can only be ridden with comfort by a strong and resolute man, and are of little value to ladies, or, in fact, to anyone whose nerves are not of the strongest. The Red-Ribbon Horse In the hunting-field one sees many horses who rush their fences, and occasionally an odd one who will rush an open gate as well. In these days such horses are distinctly out of place, and those who own them, if unable to bring about any improvement, should send their nags to a rough-rider ; if that fails they should put them to some lower walk of horse enterprise. The fact is, that all or nearly all hunting-fields are now too large for the unruly horse, for in the crowds which come out such horses are dangerous. The confirmed rusher is almost as bad as the confirmed kicker, and though the last-named may be ridden with the warning red ribbon twisted through his tail, he should not be seen in the field unless his rider is prepared to keep wide of the crowd. The hunting man or woman who goes into a crowd of horses riding a red-ribbon decorated nag is apt to think that he or she has done all that is required, and that, having flown the danger signal, it is the business of everyone else to give the kicker a wide berth. But in a big crowd, especially at a gate, a canal bridge, or in the narrow ride of a covert, this is impossible, for at such times there is always congestion, and many find themselves immediately behind a supposed kicker, but unable to pull back because of those who are pressing on behind. It may be added that the fashion of riding a horse with a red ribbon in its tail is sometimes abused, for some people will fly the signal merely in order that they may secure more room at gates and gaps. The present writer knows of a horse which has worn a red ribbon for seven or eight seasons, and has never been known to kick since the first day he came out, when only a four-year-old. Frequently this horse has been seen hustled and jostled in a crowd, but kept perfectly quiet all the time ; yet his rider sticks religiously to the warning badge. Horses there are, by the way, who will never kick other horses, and yet will lash out at a small pon3^ or a donkey. Some horses, too, are hound kickers, and certain of these it has been found almost impossible to cure. One first-rate little horse, who carried a whipper-in for several seasons, suddenly became untrustworthy with hoimds, and did considerable damage before it was realised that he had lost his manners. It afterwards transpired that when leaving certain stables a terrier had bitten one of his fore fetlocks, and after that he lashed out at any dog (whether a hound (jr not) which came near him. Working Life of a Hunter It is not an easy matter to say what is the average working life of a hunter, for horses vary greatly, and iflness and accident have to be taken into consideration. Then, again, so much depends upon the rider. This man is always " saving " his horses, while his neighbour is always pushing them beyond their pace, or overworking them. Grooms, too, vary in their knowledge and capability. One man will keep a horse which is hardl}' sound on his legs going for a whole season, while in the hands of another the same horse will not last a week. There are hard riders whose horses seldom get through a season with- out an accident, and there are careful 228 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE riders who do not have an accident in half a dozen years. Some horses, more- over, have inlierited unsoundness which does not develop until they are put to hard work ; some, again, have wonderful consti- tutions, and can come out twice a week, while others take longer to recover from the effects of a hard day, and can only be kept going if not worked too often, or too long at a time. Horses there are who thrive on hard work, who gradually grow firmer and harder, and \\ho, the Photograph by Mr H "WELL OVER." years wear on, become a veritable mass of muscle. Such animals, if well done by, do not lose much of their con- dition in the summer, and are quickly got ready in the autumn, but these are what Surtees called the " good tickets," and it is probable that in the long run they are outnumbered by the " bad tickets." Indeed, it is most likely the case that about one-half of the horses which begin hfe as hunters do httle or nothing to repay their owner. A certain per- centage of them go wrong almost im- mediately ; others are so constantly ailing that they can do Httle work, and others, again, are found to be much more moderate than had been anticipated. A horse may look well in a dealer's yard, may jump well over the fences he is accustomed to, but may nevertheless be a shocking bad hunter. There are, in fact, flatcatchers innumerable amongst so-called hunters, and personal experience may be quoted. A very good-looldng and powerful five- year-old went the round of certain shows one summer, and won ahnost everywhere. He was generally first in his class, never lower than second, and his ring-paces were admirable, in spite of the fact that he was a big, rather heavily made horse. He \\as bought by a heaA^ weight who had little time for hunting, but the horse was out regularly with hounds, and the writer was asked to ride him in a "point to point," towards the end of the season. Then came a question as to whether the horse was fast enough, and whether he could stay a four-mile course, and the upshot was that he was sent to a meet where we got on him just as hounds found. The hunt \\'as in a good galloping country, and as there was a strong scent hounds im- mediately began to run hard. For a few fields the big horse went well, but before two miles had been covered he was completely pumped out, and yet he had been gallop- ing on sound, old pasture all the way, and had only jumped some half-dozen ordinary fences. In this case it was probably base blood on the dam's side that accounted for the collapse, but the point is, that here was a grand hunter to look at, who was a flatcatcher of the deepest dye. It must be understood, then, that everyone who buys a fair number of hunters must buy amongst the lot a certain number of flat- catchers, and also a considerable number of horses which, owing to one of many causes, do no good. Wishing for other experience than our own on this subject we apphed to a master of hounds, who is huntsman of his own pack, and who keeps a full record of all the work done by his horses. This gentle- man has suppUed a statement of what liis experiences were between the years 1891 and 1908, and he begins by saying that during that period he had, for his own HUNTERS AND THEIR BREEDING 229 riding, some thirty horses, of which about twenty " \\ere not worth their keep, and had to be disposed of anyhow." The re- maining ten all turned out well, as the following table will show : — Dick . 6 Q 1^0 Fell dead when hunting. Dazzle . 10 6 117 Finished hfe on farm. Daylight 6 3 33 Shot, badly spavined. Anthonv 6 S 116 Finished life on farm. David . 5 10 10; Finished life on farm. Dcrwent . S 14 211 Still at work. Dcrbv . 6 ; 47 Sold. Duke 6 6 8S Finished life on farm. Durban . 6 10 116 Still at work. Duchess 6 8 143 Still alive, has had two foals. From the above table one may judge that the average hunting life of these ten horses was about eight seasons, that they worked (with the owner who has supplied the record) an average of 112 days apiece, that the average life of those which were never hunted except by this particular owner and his friends — viz. Dick, Daylight, Anthony, David, Duke and Duchess — was about a hundred and five hunting days. But we are able to give much fuller par- ticulars, and taking the horses as they stand, Dick was a very thick-set bay horse, up to a great deal of weight, but rather short of quality to loh by Piaoriai Agency MR. A. W. HIGKLINGS FOUR-YEAR-OLD HACKNEY MARE. ADBOLTON ST. MARY. CHAPTER XX THE HACKNEY {continued) IT is a remarkable thing that no official standard of excellence has been laid down by any of the great horse breed- ing societies whose members are pledged to the improvement of the variety they admire. Were there some such pronounce- ment in existence with respect to the Hackney, matters would be made far easier for breeders, and the public would not be indulged by the spectacle of some remarkable decisions in the show ring. As it is, every judge is a law unto himself, and consequently when it happens, as is usually the case, that two gentlemen officiate, it is by no means an uncommon occurrence to find horses of absolutely opposing types winning prizes in the same class. Of course, it could not be expected that any standard 3" of excellence would be applied exactly in the same manner by different judges, as each man would probably give effect to his own particular prejudices to the greatest extent possible ; but at the same time some limit would be imposed upon the exercise of an extreme prejudice for or against certain points. At the present time the tendency of the age is all in favour of sensational action combined with quality. The former is well enough, but the attaching of undue importance to the latter attribute is calcu- lated, as already has been pointed out, to injure the breed, for light-built, flashy animals are Ukely to produce stock even lighter than themselves. Hence, unless more encouragement is devoted to the old- fashioned, more powerfully built class of 254 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE mare, the future of the Hackney as a harness horse for general use is not promising. No horse can possibly continue to hold a position in the estimation of the public unless he is capable of accomplishing something more than moving a few times round a show ring in front of a spider-wheeled conveyance, the weight of which can almost be calculated in ounces. This is not the sort of animal to be of use to a government desirous of breeding artillery and commissariat horses, and the public who require a horse for ordinary work upon the road will not find any use for such a Hackney. Unquestionably a sensational mover will always command a very high price for exhibition purposes, but when it is remembered how very few such animals there are, and the compara- tive worthlessness of the light-boned, weedy misfits of which there are so many, it must be acknowledged that the time has come for attaching more importance to substance in the Hackney of the future. Points of the Hackney According to the opinion of the writer, the head of the Hackney should be of a fair size, not heavy or cumbersome, but larger and squarer than that of the blood horse. The ears should be small and set wide apart, and the neck of good length, and powerful but by no means coarse. A short, thick-necked horse finds it difficult to save himself if he should stumble, and besides this he can never carry his head properly when fully extended. The shoulders ought to be of a good length, and lay back towards the withers, for although a straight shoulder is not so great a fault in a harness horse as it is in a hack, it is usually associated with a slowness and clumsiness of action which is most objectionable in a Hackney, whilst a very short, upright-shouldered animal never gets away properly. It is not necessary that the withers should be as high as they are required to be in a riding horse, as there is no saddle to be kept in its place ; but the back should be short, level and powerful looking — a narrow back is a great eyesore — -whilst the quarters are long and level, and the tail, usually docked short, set on high. The chest should be fairly wide ; but a happy medium should be observed here, for if it is too wide the speed of the horse will be decreased, whereas if it is too narrow there is not sufficient room for the heart and lungs. In order to secure the latter demand the horse should be well let down behind the fore-arms and the ribs nicely sprung — a flat-sided Hackney is an abomination ! The horse should be nicely coupled, the back ribs deep, and the loins very powerful. Mares should be longer casted than stalhons, so as to render them capable of carrying their foals. Legs and Feet The fore-legs should be short and big, with plenty of muscle on the arms, large, well-formed knees, and short, flat cannon bones which measure well, for lightness below the knee is a very serious fault. The pasterns should be of medium length, not long and sloping enough to be weak, but if they are too short and straight they will increase the chances of concussion, and render the horse more liable to fall. The fore-feet ought to be large and round, and they must match in size ; a contracted foot or a diseased one is a serious matter in a harness horse, and therefore the con- dition of the frog and bars should be a matter of concern to a buyer. The hoofs should be quite free from any suspicion of seedy toe, which often attacks a high stepper as a result of concussion. It is perhaps unnecessary to add that the feet should be set on straight, and not point inwards or outwards at the toes, though many good Hackneys of the past, including the sensational trotter Phenomenon, whose achievements we have recorded, displayed the latter fault. The hind-legs should show a good length from the stifles to the hocks, the latter being of a good size and clean. The Hocks Capped hocks are most unsightly, though not necessarily a proof of unsoundness. The hocks should not turn in or out, though some horses which are sent along faster than is natural to them move very wide THE HACKNEY 255 behind ; they should not be set too far back, ior if they fail to come sufficiently under the horse they are unable to sustain the weight of his body properly, and do not afford him the proper amount of pro- pelling power. In short, sickle hocks of this description not merely detract from the appearance of a Hackney, but are a source of weakness and affect his power of drawing a conveyance. The hocks should be well let down, and the hind-legs well proportioned, the feet, of course, being longer than those in front. With regard to the question of height, regret may here be expressed that less attention appears to be paid of late to the production of the 15 hand Hackney. The Cob, in fact, is being steadily merged into the horse on one side, and the pony on the other, and unless encouragement is forthcoming the sturdy little race of fine- actioned weight carriers, for which no day was too long and few tasks too heavy, will become extinct. When this fate overtakes them the gravity of the mistake that has been committed will be recognised, with which opinion those who remember such great little horses of the past as Evolution, General Gordon, Winnal Fireaway, Cicely, Clarionet, Polonius, Lady Ulrica, and many others, will probably concur. Hackneys of the Past The names of the above very famous Cobs suggest the probability that a refer- ence to some of the most prominent Hackneys of the past may be of interest to those in- terested in the breed at the present time. Of the original Shales there is not very much known, as may be supposed; indeed, there are two different sires assigned to him, one being Lord Godolphin's Blank, by the Godol- phin Arabian out of the Little Hartley mare, which was full of Barb and Arab blood ; the other being, as stated at the beginning of this article. Blaze by Flying Childers by the Darley Arabian. There is contemporary proof, however, that the latter is the correct pedigree, but the matter is not one of much moment to modem Hackney breeders, as in either case it is made evident that Shales went back to the Darley Arabian, whilst it may be added that by general consent he came out of " a strong, common-bred mare." His illustrious son Scot Shales, whose dam was a well-bred hunter, probably a half- bred, was foaled in 1762, and was successively owned by one Thomas Jenkin, of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, for whom he served at a one-guinea fee, and by a Mr. Saffery, of Downham Market, Norfolk. Old Shales 's other famous son, Driver, foaled 1765, who was reported to have been a very speedy horse, and to have trotted fifteen miles in the hour, carrying 15 stone, left behind him Fireaway, bred and owned by T. Jenkinson, of Long Sutton, who must not be confounded with the owner of Scot Shales, though their names are very similar, and place of resi- dence the same. This bright chestnut horse is stated to have served in London, Norfolk, and elsewhere, at a fee of five guineas, and to have been sold for 1,000 guineas, at which price he does not appear to have been dear, for the chronicles of his period state that he could trot two miles in five minutes. His son, Wroot's Pretender, was a black, and was foaled in 1788 ; we have already alluded to his close inbreeding on the dam's side. He served in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, and when put up for sale by auction in 1806, it was stated that in three seasons he had earned over £760 in stud fees, and that he had won a two hundred guineas match against a horse called Atlas, upon which occasion he trotted sixteen miles in the hour, carrying 16 stone. This horse in turn was the sire of Stevens's 15 hands 2 inches bay, Bellfounder, who was the sire of Jary's Bellfounder, a bay which stood 15 hands ; his dam Velocity, a Yorkshire mare, is reported to have been one of the speediest trotting mares of her day. Bell- founder, however, was sold in Norfolk, and was exported to America in July, 1822, by Mr. James Booth, of Boston, who pur- chased him, it is said, at Winnold Fair, held at Downham Market, for £300. The follow- ing is a description of this horse, by an American admirer : " A small head, full prominent eyes, and wide apart ; neck medium length, set well from the withers ; 256 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE shoulders deep and oblique ; deep girth and full chested ; fore-legs well apart (not wide) ; short back, round ribbed, and very broad on the loin ; hips wide and well gathered in ; long, full quarters to hocks, and short to fetlocks ; limbs strong and well muscled, broad and flat below the knees and hocks ; THE HACKNEY. EVANTHUS. pasterns rather short ; concave hoofs and open heels ; tail and mane full haired ; had a large star on forehead, with a diamond shape on end of nose or lip ; one hind pastern white, and a little white on the opposite heel." His knee action was likewise described as very attractive and high, whilst an additional recommendation for him as a trotting sire was that he never got off his feet no matter how much he was pressed. Scot Shales's two most famous sons were Hue and Cry — whose record was a mile well inside three minutes, and described as a bright bay with a httle white about him, and standing about 15 hands 2 inches — and Thistleton's Shales — a dark chestnut, who broke his back in the year 1820 at Wisbeach, when he was thirty-four years old, leaving behind him, amongst other sons and daughters, the famous Marshland Shales, whose dam was a granddaughter of Scot Shales. This was another chestnut, and his height was 15 hands, though some authorities state that he was only 14 hands 3 inches. He was foaled in 1802, and was disposed of as a yearhng for twelve guineas, but in addition to proving himself a great sire, he was a very speedy horse ; his best per- formance was trotting seven- teen miles on the Lynn Road with 12 st. 2 lb. in the saddle. The name of Marshland Shales is to be found in many a modern pedigree, which is not surprising, as at one time or another he served in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Esse.x, Cambridge- shire and London. Burgess's Fireaway was a grandson of Jenkinson's Fireaway, and was a 15 hands chestnut roan foaled in 1815. At three years old he sired Norfolk Cob, who came out of a Marshland Shales mare, and in turn sired the great Norfolk Phenomenon. Norfolk Cob was a bay with black points, standing 15 hands I inch, and up to 20 stones, and is referred to as wonderfully good looking, and an extraordinary walker ; when close on twenty years old he was exported to thi West Indies by his owner. Sir W. Codrington. His son. The Norfolk Phenomenon, was foaled in 1824, and was a red roan with dark points, standing 15 hands 2 inches. His breeder was Mr. John Bond, of Cawston, Norfolk. He is described as a big-boned, short-legged horse, with first-rate legs and feet, and wonderful action. After serving for some years in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Lincolnshire, he was purchased by PhotOi^raph by II'. A. Rouch, THE HACKNEY 257 Mr. Robert Ramsdale, of Market Weighton, and so found his way to Yorkshire, where he earned a great reputation as a coaching sire. He eventually died in Edinburgh. Lund's Merrylegs The last of the old Hackney stalHons to be noticed here is Lund's IMerrylegs, a dark chestnut, standing 15 hands 2 inches, who was bred by ^Ir. \V. Lund, of Bielby, York- shire, in 1830. On his sire's side he was a grandsjn of Wroot's Pretender, and on that of his dam by Sportsman, but which horse of that name it was is not recorded, excepting that he was bred by Captain Erie, of Beningbrough Hall, York. The mare, however, had earned a great reputation for herself, and when twenty-two years old she covered two miles two hundred and ninety yards in five minutes forty-eight seconds. Recent Celebrated Stallions Concerning the most successful stallions of the last generation, there is a very great deal that could be written did space permit, but though all cannot be noticed, a few words may be devoted to some of the most prominent winners at the Hackney Society's Shows, the first of which was held in 1885. At this Lord Derby IL was successful in his class, but he failed to gain the champion- ship, which fell to Reality, by D'Oyley's Confidence, a Suffolk - bred horse, who repeated the victory at two other of the first four shows. At the second show the cham- pionship fell to the chestnut Confidence, bred in Yorkshire, whose sire was Denmark and his dam Poll HL, the dam of old Em- press, herself a great brood mare, which strained back to all the best horses of the past. Candidate was of a more rangy type than Reality, and he proved himself a successful sire ; amongst his stock was the very breedy looking M.P., a dark chestnut out of Franchise, who distinguished himself by winning the championship twice. The fifth show brought the Norfolk-bred chestnut Rufus to the fore, and he re- peated his victory twelve months later ; his sire. Vigorous, was placed reserve to him upon the first occasion. In the opinion of the writer, Rufus, who was got by Vigorous, when the latter was only two years old, out of the eighteen year old Lady Kitty by Quick- silver (Jackson's), out of a thoroughbred mare, is entitled to the honour of being regarded as the best Hackney of modern times, for although his sire. Vigorous, was under 15 hands 2 inches, he was a great strapping horse, brimful of Hackney char- acter, and as perfect an all-round mover as man could wish to see. He was sold to go to Yorkshire, where he unfortunately died, not long after his second victory in London ; but he lived long enough to leave some ex- cellent stock behind him, including Cicely, the three year old filly which won the mare championship of the ninth show, and Hedon Squire, the champion stallion of the twelfth. The next champion, Connaught, afforded another evidence of the value of the Denmark cross upon Fireaway mares, as he was bred that way, and then came the turn of another Norfolk horse, namely, M.P. , and a very lucky horse he was. Then the star of Yorkshire again arose, the winner for two successive shows being the chestnut Ganymede, by the Denmark horse Danegelt. At the twelfth show, Hedon Squire was regarded by many as being lucky when he was placed over a number of first-rate horses, including Connaught and Rosador, for the championship, but the last-named great horse was rewarded by victories in the next two years, and con- cluded his triumphant show career by winning the honour again in 1907. Of Rosador, it may conscientiously be said that he has accomplished what no other Hackney stallion ever has, for although the feat of winning the championship of the London show three times was equalled by Reality, Rosador has proved himself the most valuable sire of the day. As the sire of colts he has not shone to such advantage as he has done as a sire of fillies, his successes in that direction having been simply wonder- ful ; his daughters have won the mare championship for several years past, whilst his stock have invariably done well in the competition for groups of three Hackneys sired by the same horse. CHAPTER XXI THE HACKNEY PONY THE Hackney Pony, which is quite a modern creation, is not by any means an easy animal to deal with in an article, as no one seems to know exactly whence he came, and leading authorities are bitterly at variance regarding the respective merits of some of the most successful speci- mens of the race. Of quite recent years, however, the breed has become firmly estab- hshed, and hence the pedigrees of all the leading ponies of the day are well known, whilst the task of breeders has become simpliired by the existence of records, such as the Stud Book of the Hackney Horse Society and the catalogues of the most im- portant shows, which provide more useful assistance in working out their crosses. It was, however, a very different matter five-and-twenty years ago, or thereabouts, when this class of pony began to assert its existence, as in those days the very best of the little horses were more or less good- looking, fine actioned nondescripts, con- cerning whose breeding there was very little known beyond that they were sired by a Hackney stalHon. Pony Character There still remains, moreover, a very serious difficulty for breeders to face, namely the ambiguity which exists regarding the definition of the word " pony." Lexico- graphers, of course, inform us that a pony is a small horse, but this is exactly what those interested in his production declare that he is not. There is a mysterious attribute known as pony character, which must be possessed by any animal classed as a pony, and lacking this he cannot properly be included in the family at all. In short, a small horse need not necessarily be a pony, though a pony must be a small horse, in which sense the compilers of the dictionaries are correct, though they fall short of adding the saving clause " possessed of pony character." They would, however, be very clever men if they could define this to the satisfaction of the public. Pony character, in fact, is an almost indescribable attribute of miniature horseflesh, but to pony judges it is perceptible enough, though they may find it very difficult to explain what it is. It is a general tout ensemble which embodies facial expression, carriage, and character, with smallness of stature, and an indomitable spirit, which all true ponies possess to an extent quite out of proportion to the size of their bodies. A real lover of ponies will recognise pony character intuitively when he sees it, whilst the man who is not similarly gifted will, to the end of his days, be unable to distin- guish an undersized horse from a real pony. It is obvious, therefore, that the paths of those who set out to judge Hackney Ponies, having only an experience of the larger horses, are beset by many difficulties. Hence the very remarkable reversals of previous decisions which are provided at different shows, as it not infrequently occurs that a cup winner under one set of judges may be passed unnoticed a few days after- wards by another set, on the ground that he is deficient in pony character — which he very often is. Hackney Sires The Hackney stallion is undoubtedly the basis of this breed of ponies, and it is from him that the little horses have derived that action which has rendered them so attractive ti) the public, and has resulted in such high prices being secured for the best specimiens. Conspicuous among the sires who assisted in building up this race of Hackney Ponies was D'Oyley's Coniidence, a 15 hands 2 25S ON THE ROAD. From the painting by F. Whiting^ THE HACKNEY PONY 259 inches black brown, by Tice's Prickwillow, a great grandson on his sire's side of Norfolk Phenomenon, and on his dam's, of Brigham's Pretender, who was a son of Ramsdale's Perfonner, in addition to which he possessed a double cross of Jary's Bellfounder, the horse referred to in the Hackney article as having accomplished great things in America in the way of building up the Trotter. Confidence, however, was by no means the only full-sized Hackney that claimed the credit of contributing to the production of the pony, as amongst others who shared the honours with him were Cadet, by Lord Derby II., dam Princess, a London champion, and by Denmark, out of a Fireaway mare, whose son, Cassius, out of Belle, a Confidence mare, proved himself to be one of the most successful and impressive of pony sires. With such blood behind him as Lord Derby II., Denmark, Fireaway, and Confidence, it would be impossible to imagine a better local Hackney than Cassius, and as he came within the pony limit, probably owing to his Confidence lineage, it is not surprising that his services were in great demand. Pony Sires In addition to the horses named above, some remarkably impressive ponies were affording valuable co-operation in the good work of producing the miniature Hackney possessed of pony character. Included in the earliest category of these were such famous little sires as Tuck's Model by Little Wonder, and last, but by no means least, by Mr. Christopher W. Wilson's re- markable Yorkshire pony by Sportsman Harts, by Prickwillow Weatherhills, a grand- sire of Ramsdale's Phenomenon. Sir George was foaled in 1866, his breeder being Mr. William Walker, of Shadwell, Leeds. He was a brown, standing well under 14 hands, and an extraordinarily good-looking pony, as may be imagined when it is stated that he was placed first at the Royal Agricultural Society's show eight years in succession. Sir George as a Sire But his claims upon the gratitude of posterity are based upon the fact that, on being selected by Mr. Wilson as the basis of a very close system of inbreeding, Sir George laid the foundation of a line of Hackney Pony mares the like of which had never been seen before. The method pursued by Mr. Wilson was to breed sire to daughter for several successive generations, so as to reduce the size of the foals, and to impress upon them as strongly as possible the action of their sire, which in the case of a mover Uke Sir George was something quite ex- ceptional. As a further means to keep down size, and also with a view to ensure the survival of the fittest from a con- stitutional point of view, Mr. Wilson was in the habit of turning out the young ones on very poor land, so that there was no encouragement, in the way of over-feeding, for them to grow, whilst the weakly ones died off. Snorer's Romance This system proved most successful, and the first of a long line of magnificent little mares was the bay Snorer, by Sir George, out of a pony mare named The Pet. Snorer's name was the result of a peculiar noise she made when trotting ; probably it was due to some malformation of the nostrils, as she was certainly not affected in her wind in any way. Moreover, she was the heroine of a mild sensation in her very early youth, for being a very puny and weakly foal, orders were issued that she should be destroyed. Mr. Wilson's stud groom, Moffatt, however, determined to try and save her if possible unknown to her owner, so Snorer was taken to his house, where, thanks to assiduous attention, her life was saved,, to the great surprise and delight of her owner, who imagined that she was dead. Snorer in time threw Snorer II., another most successful pony of her day, to her own sire Sir George, and the excellence of this filly quite convinced Mr. Wilson that his views upon the subject of close inbreeding and subsequent treat- ment were correct. Another conspicuous instance of a mag- nificent little mare was Mr. William Pope's piebald Magpie, by Confidence. Magpie 26o THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE GROUP OF HACKNEY PONIES. MARE, BERKELEY LILY IN CENTRE. AND HER SONS (ON LEFT) TALKE WILDFIRE. (ON RIGHT) TALKE FIRE KING unfortunately made no name for herself at the stud, but her merits may be gauged by the fact that she won over four hundred first prizes, including ten successive victories at the Royal, during her show career, and was, in addition, a perfect lady's hack. Returning to the subject of the leading pony stallions of the early days, mention may be made of Winnal George, also known as Disappointment, a bay son of Sir George and Lady Polo by Sir George, who was bred by Mr. C. W. Wilson in 1878, and who, in addition to winning several im- portant prizes, left behind him some excellent pony stock. A still earlier foaled stallion was Lord Calthorpe's brown Don Carlos, by Prickwillow, the sire of D'Oyley's Con- fidence, out of Corinna, who was stated to have been a Welsh-bred mare. Don Carlos was a most beautiful pony, and was good enough to win premier honours at the first show of the Hackney Society, in spite of the fact that he was seventeen years old when it was held. Another capital ponj^ but of quite a different type from Don Carlos — as he showed a great deal more substance and less quality — was the bay Pick Up, by Tuck's Model, who won as a five-year-old at the Hackney Society's Show in 1886. He was a Norfolk-bred pony, and won again in 1888, after which he dropped out of the Hackney world, as he was sent into Hamp- shire to cross with New Forest ponies. In the year 1887, a very smart pony. and a most successful sire, was to the fore, in Pomfret Wonder, by Little Wonder, a famous son of D'Oyley's Confidence and a Welsh mare, the dam of Pomfret Wonder being by Sir George, and it may be added that he was a black, bred by Mr. Wright, of Doncaster, in 1881. Another extremely good-looking black stallion was Lord Nimrod, who took first prize in 1890. He was a Norfolk-bred son of Dr. Syntax by D'Oyley's Confidence, who traced back on the dam's side to Jary's Bellfounder. As Lord Nim- rod was bought by Mr. Burdett Coutts for 400 guineas at the show, he was provided with excellent opportunities for proving his value as a sire, and of these he availed himself well, whilst he further rewarded his purchaser by winning first prize at the Hackney Society's Show of 1893. In the following year the highest position in the pony section of that show was awarded to a little horse which was destined to accom- plish much as a Hackney Pony sire. This was the brown Berkeley Model, by Monarch, a son of Confidence, dam Peggy Sure, by Tuck's Model, whilst it may be further observed of him that he was bred in Norfolk in 1889, andsubsequently became a prominent member of Mr. A. S. Day's stud at Crewe. The above were all undoubtedly most excellent Hackney sires, and each contributed in no small degree towards the good work of building up the breed ; but there was yet to arrive upon the scene a little stalUon which THE HACKNEY PONY 261 was destined to accomplish more for the race than any horse which had preceded him, unless it be Sir George, whose oppor- tunities were far fewer. The pony in ques- tion was Sir Horace, who was foaled in 1891, his sire being Little Wonder II., a brown, bred in 1883 by ISlr. C. \\'. Wilson, and by Little Wonder, out of Snorer, by Sir George. Sir Horace's dam was the famous Dorothy Derb}^ by Lord Derby II., dam of Ware, by Danegelt, and he was bred by Mr. C. W. Wilson. Sir Horace's first victory at the Hackney Society's Show was in 1896, the performance being repeated upon seven subsequent occasions, whilst he has sired more pony winners during recent years than any other horse — either of the past or present — has produced in the whole of his career. With the advent of Sir Horace it may be said that the t3'pe of the Hackney Pony has become fixed, as there has never existed a more impressive sire, great or small. In addition to stamping the strong family resemblance on all his stock. Sir Horace — who, for many years past, has belonged to Sir Gilbert Greenall — possesses a most in- valuable faculty of imparting to his progeny the sensational action which he has himself inherited from his illustrious parents. Meanwhile, whilst the Hackney Pony stallions were steadily improving as a body, a very satisfactory advance was also being made by the mares. At the outset breeders found themselves immensely hampered in their operations by the existing dearth of desirable dams, as most of the animals forthcoming which were good-looking enough to breed from, were either too large in size, or else so deficient in action that it was hopeless to expect satisfactory results from them. Nor was the difficulty in any way reduced by the fact that even the available stallions were either full-sized Hackneys, or else bred from such, there being, of course, a serious risk of throw-backs in the latter case. After a while the stallion difficulty began to be overcome, as experience taught breeders which horses and ponies were the most likely to get small stock, but the ,"/r (•_}■ Pictorial A£cncy. TEN-YEAR.OLD HACKNEY PONY GELDING. MEL VALLEY'S MASTER. 34 262 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE paucity of desirable pony mares continued to exist. In time a supply of some sort — good, bad, or indifferent — was received from Wales, but as in those remote days the pedigrees of Welsh ponies were very badly kept, there was always a considerable uncertainty as to what sized stock a pony mare would throw, even though she was quite a small animal herself. Thanks, how- ever, to the fortunate discovery that the stock of a stallion called Eidwen Flyer usually threw undersized foals, the position became better, and the daughters of this sire were soon in considerable request for the purpose of providing foundation stock. There was some controversy regarding the breeding of Eidwen Flyer, but there is no doubt that his breeding was Hackney, and hence the fillies got by him were bred the right way so far as the wants of the English pony breeders were concerned. Moreover, the success of Mr. C. W. Wilson's operations supplied some extremely valuable informa- tion, and many persons indulged in a quiet course of inbreeding without the knowledge of their friends, and thereby enjoyed a considerable start over the latter. Celebrated Mares The result of all that was going on was the production of a large number of very useful pony mares within the course of a few years, and naturally these contributed in no small measure to an increase in numbers of the Hackney Pony. Nevertheless, the most successful prize-winners were either bred, more or less by accident, from full- sized Hackneys, or from Mr. Wilson's Sir George's strain, and the latter, it may be added, almost invariably threw small stock. Amongst the many good show mares of the earlier days, the majority of which have contributed to the excellence of the modem Hackney Pony, may be mentioned Snorer (already referred to), and her scarcely less famous daughter Snorer H. The latter was bred by Mr. Wilson in 1887, her sire being also her dam's sire — Sir George — and she in her day was a noted prize-winner, and also bred some remarkably good stock. Another excellent little mare, Norfolk Model, was foaled in the same year as Snorer H., and this bay was likewise a beautifully bred one, as she was by Tuck's Model, dam by Little Wonder. The year 1887, in short, appears to have been prolific in high-class pony mares, as in it was also foaled the beautiful Dorothy Derby, to whom reference has already been made as the dam of Sir Gilbert Greenall's Sir Horace. This mare also threw a marvellously good bay filly, in Dorothy Derby II., to Little Wonder II., she being a full sister to Sir Horace, and, as will be seen presently in the remarks concern- ing the sensational sale of Sir Humphrey de Trafford's Hackney Ponies, she realised the great price of 700 guineas under the hammer. As a matter of fact the Snorer and Dorothy Derby blood monopolised the lion's share of the prizes at the Hackney Horse Society's shows a few years ago, and the value of the Wilson blood increased proportionately. Sir H. de TraflFord's Sale At this point a reference may be made to the sensational prices received by Sir Humphrey de Trafford when he broke up the stud of Hackney Ponies which he had got together at Flordon, Norfolk, in 1895. It is quite unnecessary to refer to all the animals disposed of upon the occasion, and therefore only the best prices are recorded. These should prove instructive, as proving the value of Mr. Wilson's theories in con- nection with pony breeding, and they Uke- wise show the worth of first-rate Hackney Pony blood. The following were the prin- cipal lots disposed of : Snorer II., 13 hands 3 inches, 8 years, by Sir George, out of Snorer, by Sir George, 600 guineas. Georgina V., 14 hands, 6 years, by Sir George, out of Georgina II., by Sir George out of Georgina, by Sir George, 700 guineas. Dorothy Derby, 14 hands, 8 years, by Lord Derby II., 600 guineas. Dorothy Derby II., 14 hands, 6 years, by Little Wonder II., out of Dorothy Derby, 720 guineas. Snorer III., bay filly, 2 years, by Cassius, out of Snorer II., 700 guineas. ^ 5 2 " < 5 THE HACKNEY PONY 263 Miss Sniff, bay yearling filly, by Cassius, out of Snorer II., 900 guineas. Such prices, needless to say, created a sensation in the horse world at the time, and doubtless encouraged many persons to embark in the undertaking of breeding Hackney Ponies, as the average of £756 for six mares, one of which was a two-year-old and another a yearling, must be accepted as approaching a record outside thoroughbred circles. It is not probable, therefore, that the figures of Sir Humphrey de Trafford's sale will be repeated, but nevertheless the statement may be made with easy confidence that at the present time the Hackney Pony is as much in demand as any other breed of horse. Prices for Harness Ponies No doubt their qualifications as harness animals have accomplished much in the way of popularising these ponies, as the ring-side at every important show is always crowded whilst they are being judged. Some very high prices have also been realised by eligible Hackney harness ponies from time to time. It is generally believed that £5,000 was the sum paid by Mr. Alfred G. Vanderbilt to Mr. William Foster, of Moseley, Warwickshire, for his extraordinary team of four bays which won the champion- ships at the International Horse Show of 1908. The sum, of course, included the miniature coach and harness, but even then the transaction must be accepted as con- stituting a record price for Hackney Ponies. The team in question consisted of Mel \'alley's Wonder, 4 years, 13 hands 2 inches ; Mel Valley's Wonderful, 13 hands 3 inches, both geldings by Whitegate Swell, by Cassius, dam Sarah Bernhardt, by Don Carlos ; Mel Valley's Wonderful's dam was also by Cassius, so that he was closely inbred to Cadet, than which, as his breeding shows^ no better bred Hackney has ever existed. The remaining members of the team were Mel Valley's Wondrous, 13 hands 2 inches, by Sir Horace ; and Mel Valley's Wonderland, 13 hands 2 inches, by Goldstone. Another very famous Hackney harness pony of recent days was the brown Tissing- ton Kit Cat, by Sir Horace, dam Lady Kate, by Sir George ; and most favourable notice may also be made of Westerham Pick 'Em Up, by Polonius, who was a very pretty gelding and a most brilliant mover. Admir- ation can likewise be expressed regarding the superb action and adherence to type dis- played by Messrs. W. and F. Ferguson's District Sensation, a roan gelding, by Sir Horace, dam Dignity II., by Roan Danegelt, and Mr. William Foster's brown mare Tissington Belief, by Tissington Horace, dam Tissington Belle, by Sir Baldie, who fought out the battle for the pony champion- ships in harness at the 1909 show of the Hackney Horse Society. Colour Before concluding, attention may be directed to the fact that although they are in almost eveiy instance directly descended in tail male from large-sized Hackney stallions, the vast majority of the Hackney Ponies which appear in public are either bays or browns. Chestnuts are rarely seen, but there are a few roans and greys to be met with occasionally. It is an exceedingly difficult matter to account for this condition of affairs ; indeed, it appears a hopeless task to attempt to do so, in the face of the combined facts that some eighty per cent, of the large-sized Hackneys that are exhibited are chestnuts, and that the number of animals of this colour is steadily increasing. The adherence of the ponies to the bay and brown shade of coat is indeed most remarkable. "What is Pony Character?" Finally the opinion may be expressed that, great as the position of the Hackney Pony is at present, he has not by any means reached the zenith of his popularity witfi the public. His claims upon the latter are based upon the fact that he is as a rule an exceptionally fine mover, docile, handsome and extremely hardy. He costs but httle to keep, and is always — provided that he is a pony and not a small horse — prepared to set to work just when many a big horse is beginning to shut up. This brings us back 264 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE once more to the point where we began, namely, the existence of that indescribable something known as " pony character." Without possessing this it may be repeated that no animal can properly be called a pony, nor is he likely to behave as one. He will lack the strenuousness and spirit of determination which is so essentially characteristic of the pony, no matter to what breed he belongs, and he may in con- sequence be regarded as falling very con- siderably short of the high level of pony perfection. When the public begin to appre- ciate the value of pony character at its proper worth — as they cannot fail to do, even if they may not recognise it at first — as their asso- ciations with the race become closer, the popularity of the dwarf Hackney will assuredly subside, and the true pony will reign supreme. Action, of course, will always be a matter of the very greatest importance, but the existence of such ponies as those alluded to, and many others which exigencies of space render it impossible to mention, prove that a magnificent goer can include character amongst his other excellent points. In other respects, the Hackney Pony is similar in his formation to the larger type, and therefore the suggestion given in the Hackney chapter for judging the latter may be applied to him. Hints to Breeders There still remains, however, an ever present danger of an excellent young pony growing beyond the limit of height — 14 hands 2 inches — which is prescribed by the council of the Hackney Society as the maximum. This danger is not merely a result of an inherent liability to throw back to the larger horse, which is likely to be present for many years yet to come, but it is liable to be increased by the high feeding, good housing, and, generally speak- ing, luxurious lives which the best specimens enjoy. Consequently, Mr. C. W. Wilson's example should be imitated by those who have charge of the young stock; the latter must be turned out on poor land, and generally experience a hard time of it if they appear hkely to grow too big. This course may appear a relentless one to adopt, but the laws of nature bear no contradiction, therefore a course of high feeding must infallibly lead to an increase of size. More especially must this be so where animals which descend from large horses are con- cerned, and therefore three golden rules may be suggested for the instruction of would-be Hackney Pony breeders. These are : — 1. Do not overlook the satisfactory re- sults which can be derived from a judicious course of inbreeding. 2. Arrange that the foals are dropped late, in order that they and their dams do not enjoy all the best of the grass, as the better the keep the bigger the foal. 3. When foals are weaned put them on poor land, and do not over pamper them by warm housing. If these rules are attended to size will be kept down ; and although a few foals may be lost, they will be those of weak con- stitution, which, had they grown up, would always have been a source of anxiety to their owner, and no doubt the cause of a delicacy of constitution amongst their stock. All the best of the ponies which have made the history of their race have been reared under a rigorous course of treatment, and hence their hardiness and also that of their descendants. Should the time ever arrive when the latter are indulged with luxuries, not merely will size commence to go up, but the hardiness of the Hackney Pony will be seriously impaired. CLEVELAND BAY STALLION. ROSEBERRY, . old painting in the possession of Mr. F. G. C. Dobson, Stokesley. CHAPTER XXII THE CLEVELAND BAY THE historian of the Cleveland Bay, when he sees the vast mass of valuable information which has been gathered together respecting the thoroughbred, cannot help regretting that so Uttle has been done to preserve the early history of a breed which is possibly older than the modern English race-horse. For the Cleveland Bay had undoubtedly a great influence on the national life, and the history of his early development, which is so lament- ably deficient, would have been likely to afford some good lessons in the science of breeding. As it is, nothing is known but what may be described as " broad outhnes " ; but happily those broad outlines are clearly defined and capable of proof. In 1884, the present writer, in the Intro- duction to the first volume of the " Cleveland Bay Stud Book," advanced the theory that the Cleveland Bay was descended from the horses of ancient Britain ; the horses which drew the war chariots of the Iceni and other pn)minent British tribes, and which cast confusion into the legions of Csesar. The theory was passed by with the remark that at any rate no one could say it was not correct. But during the last twenty-four years much light has been thrown upon the early history and prehistoric annals of horses, and what was practically a theory formed from historic probabilities is now an established scientific fact. Professor Cossar Ewart, whose researches on many subjects connected with horses and horse-breeding have been of inestimable benefit, points out that it is at any rate highly probable that as there were several species of wild dogs in pre- historic times, so there were several species of wild horses. Darwin held that the 265 266 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE domestic horse was descended from a dun- coloured horse with a dorsal stripe. Cossar Ewart points out that if this were the case " crossing members of the different breeds ought sooner or later to result in dun- coloured striped offspring." But this, he goes on to tell us, never happens unless one or other of the parents or grandparents is dun-coloured and striped. The Forest Horse It would certainly seem, in the light of modern investigations, that the horses of the present day had not one common origin, but that they have improved and developed from several originally wild species. Of these the forest horse is regarded by Professor Cossar Ewart as the original foundation of the Cleveland Bay. What he has to say about the forest horse is worth a moment's consideration : "A typical forest horse, like a steppe horse, is of a dark yellow dun colour with black points, but in the forest variety the yellow tends to become light brown or bay rather than red — hence, whilst intensi- fication of the colour of a steppe horse would probably result in a chestnut, a like change in the forest horse would be more likely to produce a bay. Unlike the steppe horse, the forest horse has many zebra-like stripes. There are frequently stripes on the face, neck, and shoulders ; along the back runs a dorsal band which has a width of over two inches as it crosses the croup, and at right angles to this ' eel mark ' or ' list ' remnants of cross stripes are sometimes present as far as the flank feather, beyond which in some cases there are rows of spots. Bars, often as distinct as in zebras, are frequent on the fore-arm ; sometimes they extend below the knee, and are well marked above and below the hock." These markings are very similar to the " black points " which were at one time a distinguishing feature of Cleveland Bays, and which were appealed to as an infallible sign that they were of pure descent. Later on the writer will have something further to say respecting these " black points." It is not worth while entering into any details respecting the conformation of the forest horse. The conformation of the horse has undergone such great changes since the days when he roamed at will in unpopulated wastes, that no practical benefit could result from any comparison between him and his successor as exemplified in the modern Cleveland Bay. But the colour is decidedly of interest. It only remains to add that the forest type was very widely distributed, and was in all probability found in great numbers in this island. The Steppe Horse But another of the old " wild species " had something to do with the formation of the Cleveland Bay breed as well as the forest horse. This is the steppe horse, from which our thoroughbred is descended. The com- bination of the two made something from which the Cleveland Bay may be said to trace direct descent. A theory as to the origin of the breed which seems to be a feasible one is that there was in Britain a breed of horses de- scended from the old forest horses, improved by such means of special selection as the Britons were capable of, which was pro- bably much greater than we are at present disposed to admit ; and further improved by the introduction of Barbs some time before Caesar's invasion. Introduction of the Barb It has been held by recent writers that the story of Carthaginian merchants trading with Cornwall and Devonshire for the 200 years before the Christian era is a myth, but whether the Barb was introduced by Cartha- ginian merchants — which is likely enough if they ever did trade with Britain — there is the strongest presumptive evidence that the Barb was introduced about this time. Professor Cossar Ewart's interesting Intro- duction to " The Horses of the British Empire " may be cited as evidence of this. Says he : " The large size of the cranium, the well-marked muscular ridges for the attachment of the galloping muscles, and the density and form of the limb bones, indicate that the ancient British horses were, as the Romans noticed, alike remarkable THE CLEVELAND BAY 267 for their speed, strength, intelligence, and docility " ; and farther on he states that •' one of the skulls from the Roman fort at Newstead would fit very accurately a Cleve- land Bay standing fifteen hands at the withers. This skull undoubtedly belonged to a tall, long-headed horse saturated with Libyan blood." Libyan is the same as Barb blood, and this skeleton is evidence of the existence of the ancestor of the Cleveland Bay at the time of the Roman occupation. Romans and the Cleveland It is possible that the Roman occupa- tion of Britain did much to establish the Cleveland Bay breed on a sure foundation. The Crispinian Legion was quartered at Danum, the modern Doncaster, for a con- siderable period — we believe, upwards of a couple of centuries — and they were mounted on Barb stallions. The crossing of these stallions with the native mares of the " forest " type would result in the Cleve- land Bay, or in something which was the foundation of the breed which became known as the Cleveland Bay in the middle or towards the end of the eighteenth century. It is noteworthy that there was in the south a breed corresponding in many par- ticulars with the Cleveland Bay of north Yorkshire. This was the Devonshire pack- horse, a breed which is now practically ex- tinct, but of which there were a few specimens to be found a few years ago. With the exceptions that there were no black markings, and that white markings were frequently to be met with, the Devonshire pack- horse was in many respects similar to the Cleveland Bay. He was not quite so tall, nor did he stand over so much ground, but in his hardy character, his activity, his pluck, and his clean flinty bone he resembled the Cleveland Bay. And his origin was very probably the same — the Barb or Libyan cross on the original forest horses. Pro- fessor Cossar Ewart has a theory that possibly the original founders of the Cleveland Bay breed were imported from Spain, whence many good horses came early in our history. It is quite feasible on the grounds that Spain had a great trade with Carthage, and that the Barb and forest horse cross could easily originate there. But against it we have the fact that when Caesar came to Britain he found horses so good that he sent some to Rome, and it is very improbable that such a breed of horses as Cassar describes would be made from importations when the means of transit were so scanty. So we are brought back, after all, to the con- clusion that the war-horses of the Iceni and the Brigantes — of which they had a suffi- ciency— were descended from the forest horses, with a strong infusion of Libyan or Barb blood, and that they in their turn became the foundation of our modern Cleve- land Bays, and of nearly every other British variety of the horse. Other Theories One or two other theories which have been formed respecting the origin of the Cleveland breed may be briefly glanced at. Professor Low, who seems to have taken things very much for granted, held that the breed originated from a cross between the cart-horse and the thoroughbred, a theory which will not hold good for a moment. For it should scarcely be necessary to say that the Cleveland Bay does not resemble the cart-horse in any particular ; and especially behind the saddle he has a distinct character of his own which neither the cart-horse nor the thoroughbred possesses. It is, however, needless to continue the argu- ment, since the question of colour puts the theory out of court altogether. Claims of the "Great Horse" IMartin Doyle, who is a careful writer, holds that the Cleveland Bay is the survival of the great horse, and in this he is pos- sibly right. It may be objected that Sir Walter Gilbey has made out a strong case for the Shire horse in this direction. This is readily granted, but it is quite possible to make out as strong a case for the Cleve- land Bay. For when the great horse — the horse whose rider with his " furniture " weighed something approaching 4 cwt. — fell into desuetude : when the mobility of Crom- well's Ironsides showed that there was 268 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE another use for cavalry than the heavy shock of heavily-armed men, horse-breeding was, and had been for some centuries, pur- sued on scientific lines. The horse-breeders of the Middle Ages knew what they wanted and made a very good attempt at getting it ; and so, whilst the breed was developed in one direction in the South and Midlands and Eastern Counties, it might easily have been developed in another and widely different one in the North. That at the time when lighter horses be- gan to be used for war the great horse was practically relegated to farm work is almost certain. And it was about this time — to- wards the end of the seventeenth century, that is — that better roads began to be made, and that carriages of sorts came into use amongst men of position and means. Attempts at a Lighter Breed So we find Sir Walter Calverley writing, under date January 15, 1670, that when he wanted to use his coach he horsed it with the " hghter mears from the farm. " What Sir Walter Calverley did, other York- shire gentlemen would also do. And what more likely than that these Yorkshire gentlemen would breed from these " lighter mears from the farm," and that, having an eye to future requirements, they would select light sires, and sometimes even thoroughbred or Eastern-bred sires ? In this direction, then, may the theory which Professors Ridgeway and Cossar Ewart hold — viz. that the Cleveland Bay is a result of a cross between the Yorkshire cart-horse and the Barb — be admitted as correct. But it must always be borne in mind that in Yorkshire the cart-horse, as we know him in these days, is of very recent introduction. The writer can remember the time when anything approaching a Shire horse in type was a rarity indeed in north Yorkshire, or, indeed, anywhere in the county. The Holderness black cart-horse was a light horse compared with the modern Clydesdale or Shire ; he was, comparatively speaking, clean legged, and he was remark- ably active. And as much may be written of the Yorkshire cart-horse all over the county. Indeed, in north Yorkshire the Cleveland Bay was almost exclusively the agri- cultural horse of the district. Some further introduction of blood — by which is meant thoroughbred blood — undoubtedly took place during the eighteenth century, though it is difficult to trace it directly. But that it was introduced cannot be denied. In the first place, we have the evidence of that keen observer and famous agriculturist, WilUam Marshall, who, writing some hundred years after Sir Walter Calver- ley, speaks of chapmen's horses (the old name of the Cleveland Bay) or coach-horses, as " tall, strong, over-sized hunters." In- deed, in the latter end of the eighteenth and during the first half of the nineteenth centuries it was by no means unusual to see Cleveland Bays hunted — and going well too — in some provincial countries in the north. One horse that had a real Cleve- land Bay pedigree did well in Leicestershire. He was by that good horse Baylock 372, and was probably an own brother to the stallion Baylock 30. His sire was by Baylock 371, dam by the thoroughbred Brutandorf, and if he was a brother of Bay- lock 30, he strained back to Rainbow 246, by Dart 84, so that there was some more thoroughbred blood on the dam's side. He was bred by Mr. Lofthouse, of Gunnergate, some time in the late 'forties, and was sold to a famous London dealer, who gave a good price for him but stipulated that his pedigree should be changed. Thoroughbred Influence There is, however, direct evidence of a considei'able infusion of thoroughbred blood in the middle of the eighteenth century. One horse that made a great mark on the Cleveland Bay was Traveller, by Partner, dam by Almanzor. He was bred by Mr. Osbaldeston, the father of the " Squire," and was a good race-horse in his time. Then somehow — how, history does not say — he drifted to Yarm-on-Tees, where he served mares at the low fee of los. And at Yarm he would undoubtedly have ended his days in obscurity had not the Duke of Cleveland noticed some good hunting stock 35 2/0 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE by liim, when hunting on the Yorkshire side. He sent Sleighted by All to him, and the result was Dainty Davy, the best horse of his year. Then Traveller was bought for a good sum, notwithstanding that he was twenty years old. But he had done an immense service before he left Yarm, and several of the best of the old Cleveland Bay stalHons strain back to him. It is a curious fact, and one that is worth re- cording, that Traveller's name appears on the cards of several stallions. I do not remember coming across one that gave his pedigree, which would show that at the time these horses were travelling, breeders were regarding Cleveland Bays as a pure breed, and were jealous of any introduction of foreign blood, whatever the source. Is it a Pure Breed ? The late Mr. Lumley Hodgson, who was a fine judge and who possessed a wide knowledge of horses, used to say that the Cleveland Bay was acknowledged as a pure breed in the East Moor Dales before the days of the Darley Arabian and the Godol- phin Barb, and this may well have been the case, for the sturdy dalesmen were proud of the breed, and if their written records were scanty they had plenty of oral tradition to fall back upon. " A pure breed without blood or black," the old men used to tell Mr. Hodgson, and no doubt such a breed did exist. But it is equally true that in the eighteenth century, and even later, a thoroughbred cross was occa- sionally introduced. Curiously enoiagh, though, the Traveller cross is the only one that can be directly traced, and even here it has been in most instances obscured, either by accident or design. Dart 84, Barley Harvest 447, and Farmer's Glory 316 (the Hob Hill Horse) till, in the Cleveland Bay breed, similar positions to the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Barb, and the Byerley Turk. Of Dart's pedigree nothing is known except that he was bv a horse named Rainbow 244, who was by an older Dart (83). Rainbow was the property of Mr. Agar, of Bempton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In his day Mr. Agar was a prominent breeder of Cleveland Bays, and he had more than one horse named Rain- bow. Indeed, the way in which the changes were rung on Rainbow, Dart, Victory, Volunteer, and a few other names, in the early days of the registration of Cleveland Bay pedigrees is most confusing. Of the good horses descended from Dart perhaps the most famous was King George the Fourth, who for the first seventeen years of his life was known as Agar's Rainbow. When seventeen years old he was purchased by ^Ir. R. Thomas, of Eryholme Farm, near Darlington, who changed his name, and by so doing caused nearly endless confusion. The records only tell of King George the Fourth being shown once — viz. at Bishop Auckland, in 1828, when he won in a class of coaching stallions. He was an old horse then, probably considerably over twenty, but there are no dates of the birth of any of Mr. Agar's or Mr. Dunsley's (who owned Dart 84) horses obtainable. The Dart Family The Dart family made a very great mark on the Cleveland Bay during the first half of the nineteenth century, but the line gradually died out, and there are few repre- sentatives of it left now — perhaps none in direct tail male. The last of the family to make a great mark was Master George 203. His sire was King George 160, one of the many King Georges sired by or directly descended from King George the Fourth. His dam was by Barnaby 15, a grandson of the Hob Hill Horse, his grand-dam being by Forester loS, and his great-grand-dam by the Hob Hill Horse. It would be well nigh impossible to find a better pedigree than this in the Cleveland Bay Stud Book. Barnaby's sire was Golden Hero 123, a very famous horse of his day. Of Forester, who belonged to Mr. Ralph Jackson, of Eston, no records are to be found, but his name appears in many pedigrees, and is notably at the foundation of the pedigree of another famous horse in Mr. Dennis's Forester 112, a good winner in his day, and also of Mr. John Welford's No. 39 Depper, who was the founder of a famous family. THE CLEVELAND BAY 271 Master George Master George was a short-legged, wide horse, with very good shoulders, and he was as conspicuous for his quality as his sub- stance. He was also a very fine mover. He was \-ery dark in colour — he has been described to the writer as almost a brown — and he must have been a remarkably fine horse, as well as a well-bred one, to have been used so extensively as he was, for during his life the prejudice against all colours except a bright bay was very strong, and there were plenty of stallions to choose from in those days. He appears in the Stud Book as the sire of twenty-three stallions and the sire of the dam of twenty, and he seems to have been one of those horses whose stallions and mares were ahke good. Of the stallions the two which made the greatest mark were undoubtedly Richmond Lad 357 and Roseberry 260. The former was the property of Mr. W. Hansell, of Castleton, a famous horse owner of his day, but who bred him does not appear. He was one of the earhest of Master George's stock — he was only four years j'ounger than his sire — and he was widely used in the Castleton and W'hitbv district for several years. In- deed, " Auld Richmond Lad " was a name to conjure with, and many famous modern horses trace their descent back to him on the dam's side, notably Mr. \\'elford's Depper family and the late Mr. James Hindson's Star, who was the dam of a great horse in Sportsman 299. Roseberry 260 was bred by, and for a long time owned by, Mr. H. W. Thomas, of Pinchingthorpe House. He was six years younger than Richmond Lad. A big fine horse, he was a great sire in his day, and a prize-winner as well. Barley Harvest Barley Harvest is a horse whose pedigree is wanting, all that is known of him being that he was the property of Mr. Luke Walmsley, an East Riding man, who had two or three stallions that had a vogue in their day, but about which there are no particulars forthcoming. Barley Harvest only appears in one pedigree, that of \'ictory 438, a horse owned by Mr. Lamplugh, of Pockthorpe. He was the direct ancestor in either the first or second generation of several horses named Victory or Volunteer, the changes being rung on the name in most confusing fashion. Indeed, it is quite possible that there were seven or eight horses of the latter name travelling the country at the same time. The most famous of the horses of this name were Ratsey's ^'olunteer 341 and his son Pomfret's Volun- teer 345. Volunteer 341 was a grandson of Lamplugh's Victory 438, and was the winner in a class of twenty-one at Beverley in 1835. As Pomfret's Volunteer was foaled in 1824, \'olunteer 341 must have been thirteen years old at least when he w^on at Beverley, and probably he was fourteen years old or more. Pomfret's Volunteer, who was perhaps the best of the line, was bred by Mr. Petch, of Goodmanham. He was suc- cessively the property of Mr. C. Pomfret, of Wolverton, Mr. John Fawcett, of Stokesley, and Mr. Darley Welburn, of Kirby Moor- side. He made a great mark on the breed, as indeed any horse must do that has the record he has, and travelling the same dis- trict for eleven seasons. He was a prize- winner at Guisborough four years running — \-iz. from 1836 to 1839 inclusive — and in the following year he won at Whitby when he was sixteen years old. Few horses have had the opportunities he had of making a name, fur he travelled in the three districts in which the best mares of the day were to be found — viz. in the south part of Durham, in Cleveland between Stokesley and Whitby, and in the dales marching on Kirby ]\Ioor- side. There is a good bit of his blood still to the fore on the female side, and Mr. John Gill's fine mares are all descended from him. The Hob Hill Horse About the Hob Hill Horse there is little known except tradition, but he lived long in the memories of Cleveland Bay breeders, and men used to love to dwell on his many excellences long after he and his sons had ceased to exist. He had no pedigree — at 272 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE any rate, there is no pedigree of him forth- coming, but it is scarcely hkely that his owner, Mr. John Weatherill, of Hob Hill, would buy a stallion without knowing how he was bred. It is said that he was bought without a pedigree I do not credit, because in the tirst place it was at any rate unusual for coaching or Cleveland Bay stallions to be shown in droves at fairs. Then, as has already been suggested, it was unlikely that CLEVELAND BAY, FAVOURITE. 0/ the Pint Prize at the Royal Agricultural Society's S/:oa', 1848. as a yearling at Yarm Fair, and probably he was foaled in the last decade of the eighteenth century, for a grandson of his, Barnaby 15, was foaled about 1808. That he was a great horse there is not the least doubt. And one of the strongest proofs of this is, that though he was named Farmer's Glory, he was always known as " t'auld Hob Hill horse," and many of his staunchest admirers did not know his real name. There is, so far as I know, no card of him extant, and but three of his sons appear in the Stud Book — viz. Golden Hero 123, Ranter 249, and Charley 380. Tradition tells that John Weatherill once showed him and si:: of his sons at Guisborough, and offered to bet that a white hair could not be found in any of them. The old tradition that the Hob Hill Horse was bought out of a drove at Yarm Fair an experienced breeder would buy a horse for a stallion without inquiring into his pedigree. A far more likely thing to occur would be for his friends arid neighbours to accept his judgment on the score of pedigree and trouble themselves no more about the matter. The Hob Hill Horse lived to a good old age, and his blood is still to be found in the modern Cleveland Bay to a considerable extent. One word more may be raid respecting his pedigree. He came from Yarm, and therefore the suggestion that he descended from Traveller by Partner presents itself. It is, of course, only conjecture, and there is not the slightest evidence in support of it, but it is at any rate possible when we come to consider the great nimiber of mares Traveller left in the country. There are a few more horses of the long THE CLEVELAND BAY 273 ago who should be mentioned, though, so far as can be gathered from the materials available, none of them founded a family in the same way as the three horses that have just been under consideration. Curi- ously enough, there is no pedigree forth- coming of any of them, and the dates v/hen they flourished are likewise in most cases wanting. But most of them were con- temporaries of the Hob Hill Horse, Volunteer, and King George the Fourth — that is, they most of them lived in the early part of the nineteenth century. Foremost amongst these was jMasterman's Skyrocket. " Tommy " Masterman was a farmer who lived near Nunthorpe, a small hamlet be- tween Ayton and Middlesbrough. He was a famous horse-breeder, and had several good horses in his possession, amongst which may be mentioned Forester, Summercock, as a mark of appreciation of his services to horse-breeding, it was with Skyrocket that his name was particularly associated, and Skyrocket was depicted on a glass, as was the fashion of the times, with his owner standing at his head. Skyrocket was also the sign of the inn at Nunthorpe as long as the inn existed, and when the licence was taken away the old sign was lying about the blacksmith's yard at Nunthorpe till it fell to pieces. From the portrait of him on the glass Skyrocket seems to have been a horse of exceptional quality and a little light below the knee. Summercock was another horse that made a great mark, and he was probably the horse that won eighteen first prizes. He was the sire of another Summercock owned by Mr. Thomas Atkinson, of Viewly Hill, Thornton- le-Street, who made a great mark in the CLEVELAND BAY MARE. WONDERFUL LASS (1856). Scrafton or Scrafter (for the name is spelt in both ways), and Tom. Skyrocket was probably the best horse he ever had, for when he was presented with a silver cup of the value of ten guineas by his neighbours Thirsk district. With respect to Mr. Master- man's Summercock it may be added that there was a horse named Summercock by Skyrocket 280 (Masterman's), that was owned by Mr. John Jordeson, of Tollesby 74 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Farm, near Marton. In the Cleveland Bay Stud Book he is given a separate number to Masterman's Summercock, and not- withstanding the fact that there is but a distance of some three miles between Tollesby Farm and Nunthorpe, it is quite likely that they were two different horses. In- deed, the repetition of names of famous horses was so common at that time that it seems more probable that they were two different horses than that they were the same horse in two different ownerships. Even though there was another Summer- cock at the same time, the changes do not appear to have been so frequently rung on the name as they were on Victory and Volunteer. Summercock 304 was a great horse, and his name is to be found in several pedigrees. Cleveland Lad and Wonderful Lad It is necessary to mention twt> more famous stallions, but they are of a much more recent date than those we have hitherto considered. These are Cleveland Lad and his son Wonderful Lad. Cleveland Lad was foaled in 1847 and was by Cleveland 60, dam by Shortlegs 276, grand-dam by Nailor, great-grand-dam Sister to Barnaby 15, by Golden Hero 123. There is no record of who bred him, but his iirst owner seems to have been I\Ir. John Robinson, of Hutton Rudby, a well known horse dealer and breeder in the middle of the nineteenth century. He then went into the hands of Mr. Robert Emmerson, of Stokesley, and when last we hear of him he was in the hands of Mr. Peter Henderson, of Windle- stone. He was the sire of some good stal- lions, and his name is also to be found in the pedigrees of some high-class mares that were flourishing not so very many years ago ; but considering the excellent districts in which he travelled and the great reputation he had, there is but little mention of his name in the Stud Book. The best horses by him were Master Thomas, who was sold at a good price to go into Belgium, and Wonderful Lad, who was bred by Mr. Harry York, of Worsall, a man who had a fine stud of Cleveland Bays, and who was one of the most famous breeders of his time. Wonderful Lad 361 was foaled in 1857. His dam was by Wonderful 357, a celebrated horse that won a hundred-guinea prize at Ripon, dam by Luck's All 178, grand-dam by Summercock 304 (Jordeson's). When he was a yearling he knocked a hip off, and that was enough to prevent his sale to Ger- many, which was then the country with which the principal foreign trade was done. It did not. however, prevent his being shown, and he was a frequent winner in the north, winning, amongst other places, at Stokesley and at the Cleveland Show at IMiddlesbrough. He was a horse that was remarkable for his quality, and there was a prevalent rumour that he was by a thoroughbred sire and not by Cleveland Lad. An objection, followed by a lawsuit, however, put this question at rest for ever. As a sire he was very successful, and many famous sires were by him, amongst which may be mentioned Captain Cook 44, Lucky Lad 190, Roseberry 264, Sportsman 297, Yatton Lad 364, and Whalebone 355. He was also the sire of some very good mares. Fidius Duis Perhaps the most famous of his line in tail male was Fidius Duis 107. whose nis- tory is worth relating. Fidius Duis was bred by Mr. John Porritt — whose unhappy fate a few years after was a nine-days' wonder in Cleveland* — at Guis- borough Park, and was the last colt foal the old Buck Rush mare bred. When Mr. Porritt left the farm the horse was bought by the late Sir Charles Lowther, who had some good Cleveland mares. Cleveland Bays, however, soon went out of fashion ; there was little patronage of Fidius Duis. and he had to take part in the estate work. He was quite equal to taking a ton and a half of bricks as his load, and was never put * -Mr. Porritt left home to buy a cow. He bought the cow but never returned. Some months after- wards, as the Eskdale Hounds were drawing, they came across his body in a very decomposed state in a covert. He had undoubtedly been the victim of foul play. THE CLEVELAND BAY 275 out with it. The late Mr. James Lowther, always an admirer of the breed, had got a few useful mares together and bred from them, frequently using his own horse, and when the boom came in the early 'eighties he was ready for it. Luckily also he had Fidius Duis, who became the sire of many good horses, and whose blood is still to be found in the country, though it is question- able whether he has a descendant in tail male in England at the present time. The Master George mares were much sought after, and many of them were notable breeders, but it would be impossible to trace the careers even of a few of them. They will, however, be alluded to later, when some of the " mothers of the breed " are discussed. Famous Mares Thuugh it wuuld be too much to say that Cleveland Bay breeders trace the pedigree of their horses through the dams as the Arabs do, yet it is quite within the mark to say that they make decidedly more of their mares, and talk more about their mares, than do horse-breeders in England as a rule. When old breeders assembled and got talking on their favourite subject, it was not so much on Cleveland Lad or Sk^Tocket that they loved to dwell as on the old Buck Rush mare. Pearl's Damsel and Darling, Hindson's Star, Codling's Bonnie, and Welford's Depper. They also not in- frequently adopted the plan of inbreeding to the mare instead of to the sire, and though I have never heard any theorising on the subject — Cleveland Bay breeders, on the whole, are practical men, not given to discussing theories — I have seen some notable and very successful instances of it. One in- stance is in the case of Sportsman 297, a high-class horse in whose pedigree the name of Sister to Barnaby occurs twice in the first four crosses. Other instances could be given, but it is unnecessary to multiply them. One of the lamous mares in the middle of the nineteenth century was Mr. Porritt's old Buck Rush mare. Whether she ever had any name gi\-en her it is impossible to say ; if she had it certainly does not appear in any of the catalogues which have been searched. She was one of the best brood mares of her day, and won in her turn, and she was a very successful breeder. Fidius Duis, who has already been referred to, if not the best of her sons, w-as the best known, and had the best chance in England to make himself a name. She bred an own sister to him, which also went to the Wilton Stud and which bred some useful horses. Mr. Thomas Pearl's Mares Mr. Thomas Peart had a famous strain of mares. The tap-root was Jolly, a dark- coloured mare by Admiral 3, dam by Barnaby 15, through whom comes the Hob Hill Horse strain, of which there was another cross through the dam of Admiral 3. Drainer 8g, the sire of Admiral, was one of the Barley Harvest family, being by Victory, and he also had a cross of Masterman's Skyrocket. Jolly was a good mare for her owner, for she bred him fourteen foals, one of which was kept for a stallion and sent abroad. But it is on her two daughters. Damsel and Darling, that her fame as a brood mare rests. Damsel was sold to Mr. John Robin- son, the dealer of Hutton Rudby, for whom he bred some very high-class hunters, and at least one good Cleveland Bay, Mr. Robinson Watson's Sunflower, of whom something will have to be said later on. Darling, however, was the pick of the basket, and she certainly stands out as one of the best brood mares of her breed. To begin with, she was very successful in the show ring, and only once in the course of a long career was she overlooked altogether. She was second as a 3^earling, and won as a two-year-old at the Cleveland Show, where the opposition in her day was always strong. She was first shown as a brood mare when four years old. This was at Guisborough, where she won in a class of twenty. Two years later she won at Stokesley and at the Cleveland Show at Yarm, and a year later she was second in the Cleveland Bay brood mare class, and first in the coaching brood mare class at Stokesley. She won other prizes, but the list is incomplete, and sufficient has been 276 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE said to establish her position as one of the best of her time. The Famed Darling Darhng was a mare with great quahty as well as substance. She had good shoulders, was near the ground, and was a fine mover. And she was a typical brood mare, breeding equally well to the thoroughbred and to the Cleveland Bay. There were many like her — indeed, this is one of the great attributes of the breed ; but as there has not been preserved so complete a history of a great mare at the stud, it may prove interesting to give particulars. Her first foal was a colt by Perion, a thoroughbred, she having missed to Cleveland Lad, to whom she was mated as a two-year-old. Consequently she was sent to Perion, and the colt foal grew into a very good horse that eventually found his way into the stables of a big London dealer at a good price. She bred six stallions — viz. Master Thomas, by Cleveland Lad 69, sold at three years old to go to Belgium for £100 ; Lord of the IManor, by Wonderful Lad, who was sold at three years old to Mr. George Holmes for /200 ; Brilliant, by Wonderful Lad, sold as a yearling to Earl Fitzwilliam for £100 ; Brilliant 42, by Yatton Lad, who displaced his hip joint, so was perforce kept at home, where he became the sire of Sportsman 299 and many great horses ; Captain Cook, by Wonderful Lad, a very successful colt in the show ring, and a useful sire, sold when young to go abroad ; and Roseberry, by Wonderful Lad, subse- quently sold to go to America. There was one pure-bred filly of which record remains — Duchess of Cleveland, by Wonderful Lad. She was a useful brood mare, and was the dam of two good stallions in Duke of Cleve- land 97 and Roseberry 580, and grand-dam to another in Duke of Ryedale 98. Darling's Offspring Darling bred nine other foals, many of them to thoroughbred horses. One of these, a filly by Perion, had an interesting history. She was only shown once as a foal — viz. at Stokesley, where she won in a class of colts or fillies, beating seven colts. Mr. \\'. Dale, of Prissick House, bought her for £15 — a good price for a filly foal in those days — and he sold her to Mr. H. W. Thomas, the owner of Dictator and other well-known race-horses, for £60 when three years old. She had been' stinted to Newport, but carried her foal so lightl}' that she was deemed not to be in foal. She was conse- quently hunted during the end of the season. Notwithstanding appearances, she eventually dropped a fine filly foal, which Mr. Thomas sold to his brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Wilson. He hunted her a season or two, and then showed her in the open hunter class at Redcar, where she won, beating several good horses. She was then sold for £100 to the late Mr. John Harvey, then Master of the Durham County Hounds, whom she carried for many seasons. It says something for a mare, and something also for the breed to which she belongs, that she should breed seventeen foals, amongst them some of the best stallions * of her breed, and some high-class h\mters. Sunflower Sunfiower, who has been previously men- tioned, was by ^^■onderful Lad from Damsel, an own sister of Darling. She was bred by Mr. John Robinson, of Hutton Rudby, and purchased by Mr. Robinson Watson, of Stainton Vale, near Stockton-on-Tees. She had a \ery successful show-yard career, but \\-as not shown till she was six years old, and she was always shown aS a brood mare. Her score for 1868 was four first prizes and one second ; in 1869 three firsts and one second ; in 1870 five firsts and two seconds ; in 1871, eight firsts and one second and a champion cup at Whitby. ■ In 1872 she took six first prizes, one second, and one champion (at Durham County) ; and in 1873 she won eight first prizes, one second prize (at the Royal), and two champions (at the Durham County and Whitby). Her total of thirty- four first prizes, seven seconds, and four champion cups — all as a brood mare— is a \-erv excellent one, especially when the fact * Mr. George Holmes, who was a fair judge, said Lord of the Manor was the finest coacli- horsc he ever saw. He went to India. THE CLEVELAND BAY 277 is taken into consideration that in the 'sixties and 'seventies shows were not an everyday occurrence as they are now. Her principal battle grounds were the Cleveland — then an important show, only taking rank below the verj^ best county shows — the Durham County, and the Yorkshire. It must also be remembered that when she was like a chapter of romance. Mr. Smith, of Long Newton, gave £11 at a neighbour's sale for a filly three and a half years old by Golden Forester 122, dam by Richmond Lad 157 or Grand Turk, who must not be confounded with Hindson's Grand Turk, as the latter was not foaled till 1857, many years after the Grand Turk of this pedigree CLE\tLANU BAY STALLION, BEADLAM. shown at the Yorkshire and the Ro\al it was as a coaching brood mare, and not as a Cleveland Bay, and that she con- sequently had the worst of the handicap. The Royal was at Hull in 1873, and right in the district which was then famous for coaching horses. Sunflower was not lucky as a brood mare. She never bred anything to perpetuate the Ime of which she was a distinguished mem- ber. She was principally mated with thoroughbred horses, but she bred, at any rate, one high-class hunter. A half-sister to Sunflower, but a little older, was Mr. John Smith's Wonderful Lass, whose career reads 36 was in existence. This is, in all probability, a horse of which no pedigree exists ; at any rate, he cannot be traced. Mr. Smith broke his new purchase in and mated her with Wonderful Lad. The result N\'as Wonderful Lass, the only foal she ever bred, so far as can be traced, for a Newcastle gentleman named Bigge saw her on the plough soon after she had foaled, took a fancy to her, and bought her for £^0. Some year or two afterwards Mr. Bigge's establishment was broken up, and the mare sold. In the meantime. Wonderful Lass had grown into a remarkably line mare, and Mr. Smith was anxious to get her dam back. Then 270 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE began a search for her which calls to mind the late Mr. TAnson's search for Queen Mary, but unfortunately not with the same result. Wonderful Lass commenced by winning two iirst prizes as a foal,* and she was also to the fore three times as a yearling. As a two-year-old she was first five times, and as a three-year-old she won four times, was second twice, and won a champion cup. In the fiillowing year as a brood mare she was nine times first and once second, the latter at the Cleveland Show, when one of the strongest classes of Cleveland mares that was ever seen in a show ring was to the fore. In 1861, when five years old, she was sold, after winning at the Royal, for £200. Twenty-four first prizes, three seconds, and a champion cup in five years was a great record for those days. Mr. Stainthorpe's Star It was only indirectly that Mr. Stain- thorpe's Star made a strong mark on the breed of which she was such a distinguished member. She was by Grand Turk 138, dam by Bay Thornton 35. She stood a trifle over sixteen hands, was built on excellent lines, and was a fine mover, and had plenty of substance as well as quality. She won up- wards of thirty first prizes, principally at local shows, such as Castleton, Loftus, Hinderwell, Whitby, and the Cleveland Agri- cultural Society's shows, and once at Whitby she beat Mr. Robinson Watson's Sunflower. She w'as only mated with a Cleveland horse once — the more is the pity — and the result was Wonderful Lady. Wonderful Lady Wonderful Lady was by Wnnderful 359, and was, perhaps, the most successful show mare of her day. At any rate, she was quite in the front rank, as her excellent record shows. She was a late foal — foaled May 18, 1870 — and on this account she * In Vol. I. of the Cleveland Bay Stud Book two more first prizes are given, but these are evidently a repetition. Mr. Smith, speaking from memory, told the writer the mare was foaled in 1855. She was foaled a year later, as shown by the Cleveland Agricultural Society's Catalogues of 1859 and 1S60. had to put up with a highly commended card the first twice she was shown. But notwithstanding this, she won three first prizes as a foal, only being shown five times. As a yearling she was shown four times, winning twice and taking second prize twice. As a two-year-old she won six times, and was second once out of the seven times she was shown, and as a three-year-old she won seven times and was second twice out of the nine times she was shown. \\'hen four years old she was shown ten times as a brood mare, and won eight first prizes and was second once. At Castleton in this year she had a novel experience, as, for the first time in her life, she did not receive any recognition at the hands of the judges. She was to be left out in the cold twice again in the following year, probably because she had been very hard worked when her owner was changing farms, but she made up for this disappointment by winning on the other five occasions of her being shown. In 1876 she was shown ten times, won nine times, and was second once ; and in 1877 she was shown seven times, taking six first prizes and one second. She was beaten by Mr. John Kirby's famous old mare Flora, at Darling- ton, and was subsequently sold to iMr. Kirby for £126 — and very cheap she was. She had a few show engagements, however, and was not delivered till after she had fulfilled them, and between sale and delivery she picked up £38 for Mr. Stainthorpe. Mr. Kirby showed her twice in 1878, and she w(in bdth times. Altogether, she was shown filty-nine times, won forty-eight firsts, eight seconds, and was three times unnoticed. Her colt foal at foot when Mr. Kirby bought her went amiss, and her filly foal by Bay Splen- dour, which she bred when Mr. Kirby had her, was drowned in the River Derwent. So she was not very successful as a brood mare in England, and the only one of her direct descendants that can be traced is 405 Lucy, by Barnaby 18. Lucy and Her Offspring Lucy, by Barnaby, was bred by Mr. Francis Stainthorpe, and she was, we believe, the only one left of the old Star family when her dam THE CLEVELAND BAY 279 \\'onderful Lady was bought by Mr. Olde for the Belgian market. She was the dam of 402 Lovely and of 418 Lady Stainthorpe, and Lovely, who was by Lord Cleveland 627, was the dam of 713 Lady Hillingdon, who was by Lord Hillingdon, a son of Newton 216. Lord Hillingdon was also the sire of Ladv Stainthorpe, and was une of the famous 39 Depper famih", under which he will come in for description. Lady Stain- thorpe and Lady Hillingdon really form the foundatinn of the small but choice stud which Mr. George Elders has formed at Aislab\', for Aislaby Lass, his first purchase, did not do much in the way of establishing it, and may be regarded as a comparative failure. Lady Stainthorpe has been a famous mare, both at the stud and in the show ring. She has twice won at the Royal and four times at the Yorkshire as a brood mare, and she won the Cleveland Bay Horse Society's challenge plate at the Cleveland Show right out. Besides these, she has scored many other famous victories, and one of her latest — at Stokesley in 1908 — was not the least remarkable. She was eighteen years old, and had Mr. Elders not shown her great-granddaughter 1293 Hawthorn Beauty, she would also have won the champion cup. This would have been a fitting event, for Lady Stainthorpe won a special cup at Stokesley some ten or eleven years earlier. Mr. Elders has adopted a wise policy. He would never part with a mare or .filly until he had another mare or filly of the same family. So when 949 Hetty, Lady Stainthorpe's first foal, was a foal, he refused what was considerably more than a market price for her. And wise he was, for Hetty had bred him 1169 Aislaby Beauty, and one or two more, before her dam bred another filly ! Mr. G. Allison, of Haw- sker, and Mr. J. H. Tyreman, of Hinderwell, also have some very good mares descended from Frank Stainthorpe's Star, and bred by ilr. Elders, who is one of the most successful living breeders. The Depper Family Amongst those who have stuck consistently to breeding Cleveland Ba^•s, and who ha\-e ne\-er been led away by any of the passing whims of fashion, is Jlr. John Welford, of Loftus Grange, whose strain has for many years had a world-wide reputation. The original tap-root of the Depper family which has made Mr. Welford's name famous in the horse-breeding world was bred by Mr. John \\"ood, of Skelton Green, and sold by him to Mr. Heslop, of Norton, near Stockton- on-Tees. The original Depper proved too light for the brewer's wagon — or Mr. Heslop and his men thought her so, for it is difficult to believe, when one comes to inspect her powerful descendants or remembers Fidius Duis and his ton and a half of bricks for a load. It may easily have been, however, that she was too keen, and took more than her share of work. However, Mr. Heslop made up his mind to part with her, and he exchanged with ^Ir. \\"elford's father for a horse which was more to his liking, and well it was that so good a mare got into such good hands. "The Old Ottonburgh Mare" She was a rarely-bred mare, being by Ottonburgh 222 (she is frequently spoken of as " the old Ottonburgh mare "), dam by Nimrod 218, grand-dam by \'ictory 337, great-grand-dam by Ralph Jackson's Forester 108. It will be seen that she combined the blood of Barley Harvest and the Hob Hill Horse, of the latter of whom there were three direct crosses. One could scarcely have chosen a better bred one to make the foundation of a family, even when Cleve- land Bays were plentiful, as they were in her day. She was never shown till she was fifteen years old, and three firsts and three seconds out of six attempts make her ex- cellent record. She left fifteen foals, most of which were sold at remunerative prices to London dealers. Four of her offspring have a record in the Cleveland Bay Stud Book — viz. three mares and one stallion, Newton 216, by Sportsman 299. The old mare was twenty-four years old when he v. as foaled. It is, however, on the female side that we have to trace " the old Ottonburgh mare's" descendants. Three mares from her are 28o THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE found recorded in the Stud Book, all of them named Trimmer. The first Trimmer was by Lovely 172, a son of Barnaby 18. She was shown five times, and succeeded in taking two first prizes and three seconds. She was then sold to go abroad, but left a filly behind her to carry on the it impossible to show her any more. This happened when she was four years old. She was a great success as a brood mare, and bred a useful horse in Conqueror 78, by Wonderful 359. The third Trimmer was by Fidius Duis 107, who, it should be said, was the sire of CLEVELAND BAY FILLY, CHOLDERTON BLOSSO.NL line. This was 30 Daisy, by Wonderful 359, who was a useful mare and won her share of prizes, but was not so prominent in the show yard as some of her family. She was, however, a very good brood mare, and many high-class horses trace their descent back to her. The famous brood mare Madam, whose successes in the show yard a quarter of a century ago were so numerous, was a granddaughter of hers, and from her descend Madam IT and Madeline, the latter a mare that was bred by Mr. John Lett, for whom she has won several prizes. The second Trimmer was by Barnaby 18. She looked like eclipsing all her sisters in the show ring, where she was remarkably successful, until an unlucky accident made Madam. Of her it may be said, as of others of her family, that she was a very successful show mare, for she won all over the country, and she fully maintained the credit of her family as a brood mare as well as in the show yard. She was the dam, amongst others, of Lord Hillingdon 986. It may be noticed here that Mr. Welford has been in the habit of inbreeding closely to the mares, and Lord Hillingdon, who was a very successful sire, was an instance of this. He was by Newton, whose dam was 39 Depper, from 105 Trimmer, whose dam was also 39 Depper. The plan has answered well with Mr. Welford's stock, which, it should be unnecessary to say, are of the purest blood, and very rarely is to be found THE CLEVELAND BAY 281 nowadays such a combination of quality and substance as in the 39 Depper family, which, happily, is a pretty numerous one. Mr. J. Gill's Stud It would be impossible, and if it were possible it would be tedious, to give a history of every mare that has more or less founded a line, but no history of Cleveland Bays would be complete without a short account of Mr. John Gill's stud and its foundation. Mr. Gill is an instance of a farmer who has taken pains to preserve the pedigrees of his stock, and he still has descendants of the mares with which he worked his farm three decades ago or more. Mr. Gill's sort are scarcely so powerful as Mr. Welford's, yet they are by no means wanting in substance, are rare pullers, and have exceptionally fine qualitv. Tommy ]\Iasterman's horses are very much at the foundation of the family, Scrafton 428, Forester io8a, and Skyrocket 280, all being found in the pedigrees of Mr. Gill's mares. There is also a cross of Volunteer 345. One of Mr. Gill's best mares was 117 Zee, a remarkably well-bred mare by Bamaby. She was the dam of several good mares, and from a sister of hers Mr. George Mortimer, of \\'esterdale, has bred some good stock. Some of the family found its way into Hampshire, but unfortunately had no chance there, on account of the lack of stalhons. Others, again, went into Cumber- land and bred some good hunters. Mr. Gill does not show much, but at Stokesley and some of the local shows within reach he shows a few fillies, and he is always in the running. His strain is unique, as it is the onl}^ one in which Tommy Masterman's horses figure largely. Further History of the Breed Sufficient has been said of Cleveland Bay families, though much could be added did space permit. The more important of the families have been discussed, and it now remains to tell the history of the breed with relation to the country in general. Up to the end of the eighteenth century the Cleveland Bay flourished exceedingly, and was highly esteemed all over the north of England, at any rate. Indeed, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but chiefly on the eastern side, the draught- horse as we now know him was not to be found. The work of the farm was all done by Cleveland Bays — much of it by mares, who bred hunters as well as pure-bred Clevelands. For the more stylish of the geldings, those that had some quality and that could move, there was a ready market, both in the prov- inces and in London, to draw the heavy coaches which were then so common. Even in those days, though, it is very question- able whether any systematic attempt was made to keep the breed together, or whether, notwithstanding the eagerness with which men would dilate on the excellences of their " auld mears," those same mares were estimated at their proper value. Decline of the Cleveland The Regency days brought in a change of fashion, and the cabriolet, with its tall, flash-looking horse and its diminutive tiger, became all the rage with the bucks who fluttered round Carlton House. For the flash- looking horse standing some seventeen hands high — the higher the better — the Cleveland Bay mare was a famous foundation. She was crossed with a tall, not to say leggy, thoroughbred, and so, it may be said in- cidentally, the Coach Horse breed began. Of course, this wholesale crossing in order to produce the fashionable harness horse of the day had a serious effect on the purity of the breed. Half-bred mares, especially if they were tall enough and flash enough, were bred from, and gradually the pure-breds became fewer and fewer in number. So rapidly, indeed, did the breed decrease that by 1820 it was in danger of becoming extinct, and it owes its survival to the exer- tions of a few individuals in the north and east of Yorkshire and on the edge of the moors, who, recognising its great value, left no stone unturned to keep it pure. Its Revival Then the value of the breed for agricul- tural purposes became recognised, not only in its native dales and the surrounding 2S2 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE districts, but also in the north and west of England. A stallion or two were imported into Scotland, and a Mr. J. B. Lloyd, who fanned in Gloucestershire, wrote a few years later in the Royal Agricultural Society's Journal about the Cleveland Bay stallion he had purchased and the good he had done on the farm. Then undoubtedly about this time there was a certain — perhaps a con- siderable— trade done with Germany and other Continental countries, so that there was a continuous drain upon what, after all, were limited resources. Worse than this, it was always the best that went ; for the best, as it is needless to insist, always bring a little more than market price if anyone is anxious to have them ; and it is to be feared that there was but scanty encouragement meted out to the few who endeavoured to keep good horses in the country. So that when the slump came it was not long before a pure-bred Cleveland Bay was a very scarce animal indeed. The cause of the slump this time was in quite a different direction from that which had taken place some forty years or more earlier in the century. Then it was the demand for a lighter horse for harness ; now it was a demand for a heavier horse for draught. The increase in Cleveland mining had no doubt something to do with this ; perhaps the increased prices paid for heavy horses for railway and town work had more. At any rate, the slump came, and if it had not been for the singleness of purpose and far-sightedness of the late Mr. James Hind- son, Mr. John Welford, the late Mr. G. Codling, and a few of their friends and neighbours, there would have been few Cleveland Bays indeed to supply the demand which came suddenly in the later 'seventies. American Demands The last revival of the interest in Cleve- land Bay breeding was due, in a great measure, to the opening up of the Western States of America, when the country had settled down after the great Civil War, and a general purpose horse of the Cleveland Bay type was greatly wanted. Buyers came over in increasing numbers, and even the commercial smartness of the American failed to disguise the fact that they were eager — nay, anxious — purchasers. At first the horses were difficult to find ; many mares were hidden away on remote farms, and many horses that should have been stallions were geldings. This, however, was made up for when the boom was at its height by many horses being kept for stal- lions. In those days a Cleveland Bay gelding was unknown. Cleveland Bay Horse Society The American demand naturally drew the attention of English breedei's and dealers to the breed, and when, as the result of a meeting between Sir A. E. Pease, I\Ir. J. P. Sowerby, Mr. F. E. C. Dobson, and the writer, at West Moor House, Marton, the Cleveland Bay Horse Society was ultimately formed, the time was ripe for it. There is no necessity to enter into details respecting the history of that society or of the breed since its formation. It is sufficient to say that too narrow a policy was adopted, and many horses that should have been admitted into the Stud Book were rejected. Unfortunately, the expediency of the moment was more considered than a broad and definite policy. Hence came divided counsels where there should have been prac- tical unanimity, and though this did not bring about the decrease in the demand which set in a few years ago, and which has had its effect in diminishing the number of pure-bred mares, it certainly helped to make matters worse when the drop did come. Points of the Breed The Cleveland Bay should stand on a short leg, and should cover a lot of ground. It has been said that good shoulders are not essential, but that long, level quarters are. Good shoulders are, however, as important in a Cleveland Bay, or in any horse, as they are in a hunter or saddle horse, for it is good shoulders which enable a horse to put his foot out and so save a fall when he steps on a stone whilst going d(jwn hill ; indeed, man\- Cleveland Bays THE CLEVELAND BAY 283 haw virv good shoulders, though uut necessarily high and narrow withers. The back should be short and muscular, and the quarters should be long and level. It is these long level quarters which is a distin- guishing characteristic and which gives the Cleveland Bay the stately appearance in harness for which he is famous. Many Cleveland Bays are undoubtedly light in the back rib, but this is not a neces- sary attribute of the breed. Lengthy they must be, and stand over a great deal of ground, but it is needless to point out that though deficient back ribs do occasionally and even frequently accompany length, they are not necessary to it. The head is rather large, and in the head the modern Cleveland would seem to resemble to a considerable extent his remote ancestor, the forest horse. But the head is well set on and well carried, though the neck is not extravagantly arched. The set-on of the tail is an important point in the Cleveland Bay. A low set-on, " \-ulgar " tail is an eyesore, and an almost certain indication of ahen blood. The bone is clean and flat, and there is plenty of it ; the cannon bone is short, the pasterns slope sufficiently, and the feet are well shaped and hard. Dimensions of Mr. Lloyd's Horse The dimensions of Mr. Lloyd's horse may prove of interest. When full grown " he measured 16 hands ij inches high, 9^ inches round the pastern, 10 inches round below the knee, 21 inches round the arm, 15I inches round the knee, and 6 feet 10 inches round the girth. When measured he was in good condition, but not what you would call full of flesh, his legs as clean as a race-horse." It would be difficult — perhaps impossible — to find a horse with such measurements now. Treatment of Mares One thing which has brought about the scarcity of high-class Cleveland Bays which now exists is the haphazard way in which men have parted with mares of good familv and undoubted merit, without first having some females of the blood left in their studs. The men who have stuck steadily to their mares — never having been tempted to part with them until they had at least one daughter left — may be counted on the fingers of one hand. Had the owners of some of the high-class mares which were sold out of the country or to breed hunters adopted the same policy the breed would have been in a much better position at this day. Breeding to Colour It has been claimed for the Cleveland Bay — and with justice — that his long de- scent has thoroughly " established " his colour, and that a Cleveland Bay will sire bays from mares of all colours — even greys. It is also claimed that a Cleveland Bay mare will breed bay foals no mat- ter what the colour of the sire. In the case of horses and mares of long pedigree this is doubtless true, though, of course, there are plenty of instances to the con- trary. Still, if a man wishes to breed a bay or brown from a Cleveland Bay mare, he would act wisely if he did not mate her with a gaudily-marked chestnut. A Chestnut Example An instance of Cleveland Bay mares breed- ing true to colour may be given. This is Colonel Scoby's Lady Cranford. Lady Cran- ford is by the King's Premium horse Wales, from Mrs. Hobground, a well-bred Cleveland Bay mare that has probably a good deal longer pedigree than is given her in the Stud Book, as she was bred by a man who was associated with the breed all his life, as was his father before him. Now, in the first thirty quarterings of Wales's pedigree there are seven chestnut horses or mares. Estella, his grand-dam, was a chestnut by a chestnut horse (Citadel) and from a chestnut mare (Andorra). Citadel was by that impressive sire Stockwell, a chestnut, as was his sire, The Baron ; and there is a Stockwell cross on the sire's side. It is, of course, impossible to say with any degree of certainty how many of Wales's stock are chestnut in colour, but it would be pretty safe to say that at least half of them are — and probably more than half. But neither in colour nor shape does Lady 284 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Cranford show any thoroughbred ancestry. Her shoulders, perhaps, are better than the shoulders of the average Cleveland Bay, but in all other respects she is entirely of the Cleveland Bay type. The Wondei-ful Lad Gross It is the very excellence of the Cleveland Bay that has done much to bring about its scarcity. When there was a big foreign trade it will be noticed that the best mares and the best stallions were parted with in a reckless fashion, which could only have one result. Indeed, if we look back over the history of the past half-century or longer we will find that with one or tvo notable exceptions the horses that made the greatest mark upon the breed were kept in the country only because they met with some accident which unfitted them for the foreign market. Of this fact Wonderful Lad and Newton are notable instances. The value of the Wonderful Lad cross has already been insisted on, but two mares by him were allowed to go out of the country in spite of — or perhaps because of — their great excel- lence as demonstrated in the show yard. Allusion is made to Wonderful Lass, who, for any good she did the breed, might as well have left the country ; and Wonderful Lady, whose value as a brood mare has been sufficiently demonstrated by her descendants in the hands of Mr. George Elders and others. Yet it was only by a Ifuke that any of her descendants are found in this country. Her daughter, Lucy, by a lucky accident was in existence when she was sold, and the great mark made by her descendants shows pretty plainly what would have resulted had Won- derful Lady been kept in England. Breeding with Thoroughbreds The Cleveland Bay makes an excellent foundation for any kind of light horse, and hunters and harness horses of high class have been bred from Cleveland mares mated with thoroughbred sires. A big, lengthy thoroughbred, however, is not desirable, especially if a hunter is the object aimed at. The class of stallion to be selected is a rather small, compact horse, with very good shoulders — that Cleveland mares are not always quite what they should be in this respect needs impressing on the man who would breed a hunter — and a short back and a good barrel and back ribs. Above everything, he should be a high-couraged horse, and he is all the better for being a little under rather than a little over fifteen hands two inches. Perion, who was under fifteen hands, was the sire of many high- class hunters, and the best hunter in Sir Harry Goodricke's stable was by a horse of similar type from a pure Cleveland Bay mare. Adaptability of the Cleveland It is obvious that a breed would have to be numerically strong to stand such a strain, but of late years there has been another strain on the breed — that of crossing with hackneys to get the " snap of the knee " which fashionable people demand. The adaptability of the Cleveland Bay for crossing has led many men to breed hunters and other horses from their Cleve- land mares when there has been a depres- sion in the foreign market. This is natural enough, but many of them seem to have lost sight of the fact that unless the breed is kept pure it will not be there to cross from, and will not be there when it is wanted for a revived foreign trade. It seems curious that hofses which are so eminently fitted for farm work, and so valuable for breeding purposes, should not be more extensively bred. The reason, perhaps, is that they get over too much ground in a day, and that they are too active for the present generation of farm labourers. At any rate, a well-known Cleve- land Bay breeder said to the writer that he should have to sell some of his Cleveland Bays at some price, for he could not get men to work with them. And so, though there is material enough left to re-establish the breed if an attempt were made on sound lines, it would seem that, from one reason or another, one of our most valuable breeds will go by the board. Should this happen it will be little short of a national calamity ! o = X o H ^ H I Q ^ z ^ YORKSHIRE COACHING MARE, JOSEPHINE. CHAPTER XXIII THE YORKSHIRE COACH HORSE THE Yorkshire Coach Horse is so nearly alHed to the Cleveland Bay that much that has been written about the one breed necessarily applies to the other. The Yorkshire Coach Horse owes its origin as a breed to the demand for a lighter and " flasher " kind of car- riage horse which came with the improve- ment in the roads, for though the tall, flash horse of the cabriolet called it into being, that was only a passing fashion. The demand for light and stylish harness horses continued until quite recent times, when the Hackney, instead of a riding horse, began to be looked upon as the fash- ionable harness horse. " The Druid " gave the Yorkshire Coach Horse the happy name of the Howdenshire Cleveland, and he said 37 285 that the nearer they got to York and the south-eastern part of the East Riding, the more " blood " they got — " for every so many miles another cross of blood." Broadly speaking, this is no doubt correct, though it is scarcely so literally. But it must be remembered that at the time when the Yorkshire Coach Horse was springing into existence many high-class thorough- bred horses were serving at very small fees indeed, and that some were even travelling the country. So that the temptation to use an extra cross of blood was great. We have seen that even in the days when the Cleve- land Bay was in its strongest position a cross of blood was occasionally introduced and nothing said about it, many descendants of Traveller figuring as Cleveland Bays, and 286 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE there is no doubt that when the demand was for quaUty thoroughbred blood was hkely to piedominate. Thoroughbred Influence Indeed, if we examine carefully the pedi- grees in the early volume of the Coach Horse Stud Book, we shall find many horses in it who were only just removed from thoroughbred. Of these may be mentioned as instances the brothers Ebor 928 and Paulinus 947. They were owned by a famous Coach Horse breeder, Mr. Burton, of Water Fulford. Their pedigree is given as by Necromancer, dam by Woldsman, grand-dam by Screveton, great-grand-dam by Grog. Now all these horses were thorough- bred, and they are the only crosses given. The probability is that the fourth dam was a Cleveland Bay mare of Mr. Burton's — a mare whose sire in all likelihood had no name, or whose pedigree had never been asked for. It is unnecessary to enter mi- nutely into the pedigree of these two horses, but it is worth mentioning that through one or other of the sires named above they descend from such good horses as Highflyer, Sir Peter, Matchem, Snap, and others, whose names appear close to the top of the pedigree. Of Woldsman, who figures in many of the early Coach Horse pedigrees, it may be said that his dam. Young Rachel, by Volunteer, ultimately found her way into Sir M. M. Sykes' stud, where she became the dam of Lady- Rachel, Rhadamanthus, and other good horses. From this it will be seen that it was a high class of thoroughbred that went to the formation of the Yorkshire Coach Horse. Grey Sires Whatever the reason, early breeders of Coach Horses were by no means particular about colour. Indeed, grey thoroughbreds were used freely in making the original crosses, and the names of Delpini, Young Camillus, Trojan, Grey Hautboy, and White Nose are frequently to be found in the old pedigrees, and some horses in which they occur were so freely used as to be entitled to rank amongst the patriarchs of the breed. If the breeders of the early part of the nineteenth century did not like the grey cross in their stallions for any reason, they were adepts at hiding it ; but it is probable that it was not till the century was well advanced that they became really particular about colour. At any rate, a grey horse named ]Monarch was extensively used in the middle of the century. He was owned by Mr. T. Stamper, but there seems to be no record of him in the Stud Book — pro- bably because he was a grey. Another grey horse that was much used in the 'fifties was Duncan Grey, and another was Robin Grey. Indeed, in 1856, at the Cleveland Show at Stokesley, there were six greys shown in the coaching classes, in which there were twenty-eight entries ; in connection with seven of them the colour was not given. Two out of the five brood mares were of that colour, and, curiously enough, one of them was by Rainbow, dam by Nimrod, both of which horses were bays. Instances could be multiplied, but sufficient has been said to show that greys were numerous in the 'fifties. Then suddenly they ceased ; a grey Coach Horse at a show was unknown, and the Yorkshire Coach Horse breeders were as careful about colour as their Cleve- land Bay breeding friends and neighbours. Much curiosity has been exercised about the reason of this, and various theories have been advanced. One is the peculiar way in which the Cleveland Bay foun- dation breeds true to colour, a modern instance of which has already been given, and no doubt this did do much to pre- vent the colour being " swamped " by grey thoroughbred sires. In other words, when it became desirable to get rid of the greys it proved easier to do so on account of the colour inheritance from Cleveland Bay ancestors. Thoroughbred Progenitors The grey thoroughbreds and their de- scendants have only been touched upon ; it now remains to say a few words about the most prominent of the thoroughbred horses, who may be looked upon as the progenitors of the modern Yorkshire Coach Horse. THE YORKSHIRE COACH HORSE 287 First amongst these is Baj- President, than whom perhaps no horse e\-er did more good in his generation. Unfortnnately, there is no pedigree of him forthcoming, but everything that is known about him is good. He was the sire of Pohtician Presi- dent, a very good horse, and through his son. President Junior, he was the grandsire of another good horse in Bay President 922. The Presidents In A'ohune \. of the General Stud Book, page 128, Bay President is named as the sire of Sancho ; and on page 295 of the same volume Politician is described as a bay or roan colt by President, dam by Soothsayer, her dam by Deceiver, grand-dam by Dragon. This would be the horse known as Politician President, and a careful examination of some of the old cards might have taken the matter out of the realm of surmise altogether. A horse named President — probably Bay President — was the sire of Sir Harry Good- ricke's famous hunter, to which reference has been made. The Presidents were owned by a ]\Ir. Foxton, of Waitwith, near Rich- mond, and it is worth noting that in the year following Sancho's birth a bay colt is registered as Waitwith by Bay President or Politician. Mr. William Carter, who used to Uve at Applegarth Farm, near Richmond, informed Mr. John Osborne that Bay Presi- dent was a plain horse, on the powerful side, and very short of quality for a thorough- bred. He said he was by a horse called President, a very stylish horse with re- markable quahty, and this was all he knew about his pedigree. And here the history of Bay President comes to an end. It is interesting as showing the difficulty which exists in tracing the history of the Yorkshire Coach Horse, and also because Bay President did so much towards the establishment of the Coach Horse as a breed. Runaway's Offspring Another horse that was undoubtedly thoroughbred was Runaway, whose name frequently occurs in the old pedigrees. Here is afforded another instance of the careless way in which the Coach Horse Stud Book was compiled. Runaway's pedigree appears as follows : Sire Escape, dam by Sweet- briar, grand-dam by Misfortune, great-grand- dam by Curiosity. Misfortune and Curiosity are, in the Coach Horse Stud Book, said to be thoroughbred stallions. But no stalhons with those names can be found in the General Stud Book, and Runaway's pedigree should read : Sire Escape, dam by Sweetbriar — Miss Meredith by Cade, her dam Misfortune, by Dux out of Curiosity, by Snap. Run- away, like Bay President, exercised a strong influence on the breed, and was travelhng the country when the thoroughbred was very extensively used. He belonged to Mr. Abraham Dunn, and travelled in the dis- trict of Pakington, in Holderness. The Harpham Turk The Harpham Turk is another horse that flourished about the same time as Runaway. A remarkably fine pedigree is given of him in the Coach Horse Stud Book. He is said to be by Bedalian, dam by Turk 968, grand-dam by Engineer, great-grand-dam by Whitenose, great-great-grand-dam by Grey Hautboy, great-great-great-grand- dam by Makeless, great-great-great-great-grand-dam by Brim- mer, great - great - great - great - great - grand- dam by Diamond. All these crosses, except Turk 968, are thoroughbred. Now Turk 968 is said to have been owned by a Mr. Farthing, and no date is given. His sire is said to have been a horse named Turk, owned by a Mr. Hutchinson. His dam was by Young Cade, grand-dam by Forester, great-grand-dam by the Godolphin Arabian. It is highly impro- bable that a mare with such a pedigree as the dam of Turk 968 would have been mated with a half-bred horse, and if Mr. Hutchin- son, of Skipton, the breeder of Overton Beningbrough, and other good horses, was the Mr. Hutchinson mentioned as the owner of Turk, it is certainly unlikely that the horse would be anything but thoroughbred. He might be Turk, by Regulus — Crab mare, her dam by Childers ; and though this horse was foaled in 1763, it is quite possible that he might be the sire of Turk 968 without stretching probabilities very far. We have not found any record of this horse THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE coming into Mr. Hutchinson's possession, it is true, but this would require more research than the subject is worth. We think it may be taken, therefore, that Harpham Turk was a thoroughbred horse, but part of his pedigree seems very open to question. To begin with his sire, there is only one Bedalian in the General Stud Book, by Beningbrough, foaled in 1804. This could hardly have been the sire of a horse that was travelling in 1811, as he was certainly running late in 1808, but he may have been trained again after having served mares. We are, neverthe- less, confronted with a doubt as to the paternity of Harpham Turk. Then the pedi- gree may be all right up to Engineer, or even Grey Hautboy ; but Makeless, Brimmer (who was out of one of the Royal mares), and Diamond may be regarded with suspicion. The Second Harpham Turk It is greatly to be regretted that no oppor- tunity was taken to verify the pedigree of the Harpham Turks — for there were two of them — when material might have been avail- able. The other Harpham Turk was by Ruler 954, whose pedigree reads by Ruler, dam by Bay Richmond, grand-dam by Hutton's Arabian, great-grand-dam by Blaze, and apparently from the same dam as the first one. He was sold to the King of Prussia for a large sum, otherwise we should have been tempted to think there was only one Harpham Turk, that he was by Ruler, and was the sire of Bedalian, the Coach Horse, as he undoubtedly was. That the sire of Harpham Turk could not have been Bedalian by Beningbrough has been sug- gested. There may have been another Bedalian, but there is no record of him in the General Stud Book. Both these horses — especially the one who figures as by Beda- lian— were much used, and many good Coach Horses trace their descent to the latter. Nineteenth Century Sires Some great horses that flourished after the middle of the nineteenth century were Inkerman Hero, Paulinus, and Candidate, all of whom call for a word here. The oldest of them was Inkerman Hero 237, by Remus 396, dam by Severus 958, grand-dam by Paulinus 947, great-grand-dam by Volunteer 652. He was foaled in 1852, and was probably bred by Mr. W. Burton, of Water Fulford. He was a great York- shire winner at Northallerton in 1858, and was extensively patronised by breeders all over the country. Paulinus was bred by Mr. Beckett, of Deighton. H;? was foaled in 1857, and was by PauUnus 947, to whom reference has already been made, dam by Lambkin (thoroughbred^, grand-dam by Rainbow 385. Like Inkerman Hero, he was a Yorkshire winner, and he also took a second prize at the Royal at Leeds. He was a very famous sire. Candidate 64 was bred by Mr. John Sherbourne, of Newton-on-Derwent, and was foaled in 1872. He was by Omar Pacha 326, a horse that was second at the York- shire when two years old in a class for all ages, or by Omar Pacha 325, a Yorkshire winner in a class of a dozen at Hull ; dam by Candidate 63, a Yorkshire winner at South Stockton ; grand-dam by Inkerman Hero. With so many of his immediate ancestors Yorkshire winners it is not to be wondered at that Candidate himself took Yorkshire honours. This he did when three years old, and nine years later he was sold to go to New South Wales. He did a great deal of good in England, though there was a strong prejudice against him in certain quarters. Yorkshire Coach Horse Society When the writer was compiling the first volume of the Cleveland Bay Stud Book he included the pedigrees of the three horses just named, and several more that were bred on similar lines. The Editing Committee, however, would not have Coaching blood, and some horses were rejected which had certainly more Cleveland Bay blood than others which were admitted. It was this action of the Editing Committee of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society which led eventually to the formation of the Yorkshire Coach Horse Society, which was incorporated 290 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE in 1886, two years after the formation of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society. There was no help for there being two societies, for the Editing Committee and Council of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society were obdurate, and there were many very excellent horses, for which there was a strong foreign demand at the time, which could not be registered in any Stud Book which was then in being. This registration difficulty, of course, had its effect upon trade. Some attempts were made to get horses admitted into the Cleveland Bay Stud Book under Cleveland Bay pedigrees, and some of these were successful. But the great body of Coach Horse breeders stood aloof from these practices, and formed a society of their own. So long as trade was really brisk no great harm was done ; but when the reaction came the position of both breeds was de- cidedly weakened by divided counsels and divided interests. It is useless to go into details now or to criticise more particularly the action of the two societies ; but it may be pointed out that a breed society should be something more than a mere trade protection society, and a Stud Book should be something more than a trade register. It was impossible to make the majority of those interested see this in the 'eighties, and the consequences have been serious. Attempts at Amalgamation It remains to say that two attempts have been made at an amalgamation of the two societies, but both failed. The first was made soon after the formation of the York- shire Coach Horse Society, and on the initia- tion of that society, and a special committee was appointed by each society to confer on the matter. The conference was held, but the committee appointed by the Cleveland Bay Horse Society adopted a policy of noii possumus, and did not make a report. That was the time for an amalgamation, for then the breeds could have been kept distinct, and there would have been no difficulty in forming a powerful association to safeguard the best interests of both. When the second attempt was made a few years ago it was too late. Crosses with Yorkshires The Yorkshire Coach Horse, like the Cleveland Bay, is admirably adapted for crossing, and herein lies one of the great dangers to the breed. The Hackney cross has been incidentally referred to in connec- tion ^^ith Cleveland Bays, and the Hackney cross is a very serious danger to the Coach Horse. It was a principle with the early Coach Horse breeders that there should be no admission of any carting or Hackney blood under any circumstances, and the breeders of half a century ago would as soon have thought of mating their mares with a Shire Horse as with a Hackney. " Old-fashioned," " did not march with the times," say the men of the present day who are using the Hackney cross ; but there was sound sense in the old pohcy. It may at once be admitted that there is a demand for the harness horses bred on the lines indicated, and that good geldings by Hackney sires from Coaching mares meet with a ready sale. But these half-breds should not be shown in Coaching classes, in which they usually win. The men who show them know it is unfair, and, with one or two exceptions, are careful not to give either name or pedigree. Dangers of Crossing Putting aside the unfairness, there is, however, a very serious danger. A gelding can do no harm, we know ; but what is to come of the fillies bred on these lines ? Nay, what does become of them ? Do they by any chance find entry into the Stud Book ? The writer can say that so far as he has seen this has never happened yet, but it is quite conceivable that it may happen. In- deed, it is conceivable that it may happen quite innocently, for some of the horses I have seen that are bred this way are shaped quite on Yorkshire Coach Horse lines, and the great-granddaughter of a Hackney sire might easily get into the Coach Horse Stud Book. It should not be necessary to insist THE YORKSHIRE COACH HORSE 291 upon the danger that would ensue if a system of cross breeding such as this were to be- come possible and were to be sheltered under a society, the ostensible object of which is to preserve the Yorkshire Coach Horse as a pure breed. The greater number of breeders is strongly opposed to the state of things which prevails at some shows, but they seem to let grumbling suffice. At many shows the half-bred is shown as a Coach Horse as a matter of course ; at some a Hackney is shown as a Coach Horse and no notice taken. The Hackney probably wins on action, and everyone sees his name in the paper, and his prize-card shown about ; whilst if he is disqualified — which is by no means certain, for, especially at district shows, points are sometimes very much strained to prevent a disqualification — no one knows of it. It seems that the breed societies ought to take this question up and deal with it in no half-hearted way. They have con- siderable power — quite sufficient power and influence, indeed, to make their protests respected by the executive of any show. Famous Mares Perhaps no history of the Yorkshire Coach Horse would be complete unless a few words were said about one or two of those famous mares of which the Yorkshire Coach Horse breed has had so many. For if these mares have not founded families as have some of the Cleveland mares, at any rate, so far as can be traced, there have been many mares whose individual form has ranked as high as Sunflower or Wonderful Lady, or any, indeed, of the great Cleveland Bay mares that have been treated of. Flora and Patience yiv. Kirby's Flora was one of the great mares of the breed. She was a big, fine mare, with remarkably good look-out and quality and a fine mover. She was bred by ilr. Bilton, of Snowthorpe, and was by The Earl 474, a horse that strained back to the Hob Hill Horse on his sire's side, dam by the Aristocrat 472, grand-dam by Hopeful, a Cleveland Bay. Flora was very in-bred to Inkerman Hero, and the thoroughbred Necro- mancer— hence, no doubt, her exceptional quality. She was a great prize-winner all over the country, and amongst her long hst of victories are two firsts and a second at the Royal, and four firsts, a second, and a third at the Yorkshire. She was a good breeder, and had her eleventh foal running with her when she was eighteen years old. The two stallions she bred were sold young. The best of her mares was Lady Mary by the Cleveland Bay, Leverton. Lady Mary won as a yearling and two-year-old — the only times, we be- lieve, that she was shown — and was the dam of three stallions that sold for good prices. ;\Ir. Kelsey's Patience was another great mare. She was five years younger than Flora, so that when she was in her prime as a brood mare Mr. Kirby's mare was be- ginning to go back. She was Flora's only formidable rival, and in later years when they met she had all the best of the handicap. She was by Cyrus 113, dam by Venture 501, grand-dam by Inkerman Hero 237, great- grand-dam by Faithful, so that she had more Coaching and less Cleveland Bay blood than Flora. She was a very handsome mare, an aristocrat all over, and a fine mover. Her prize record was a remarkable one, as she won five times as a brood mare at the Royal and seven times at the Yorkshire, which is a record. She was a very good breeder, and lived to a ripe old age. Amongst her produce were some excellent stallions, and the last colt she bred — Partners — was a prize-taker at the Yorkshire. Bonny's Record The only other mare there is space to refer to is Mr. Reader's Bonny, and she merits special notice, inasmuch as she is the only one of the great mares by a thoroughbred horse. She was by Cawston, dam by Lord John 267, grand-dam by Candidate 62, great- grand-dam by Necromancer, thoroughbred. She was full of thoroughbred blood, and looked hke it. She was very successful in the show ring, taking 115 first prizes. She was also a great brood mare, and bred for her owner nineteen living foals, which won. 292 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE at one time or another 300 prizes. She was twenty-nine years old when she died. Her grandson, Beacon Prince, by Prince Victor 376 was the best of the family, and the best IMr. Joseph Reader ever bred. He was not a very big horse, but was com- pact and full of quality, and had upwards of fifty prizes to his credit. Two typical stallions of the present day, both of them Yorkshire winners, may be named incidentally. These are Mr. Stericker's Breaston Prince, and Mr. Syl- vester Leaf's Star of Yorkshire. Both are big, fine horses, and typical of a breed that should not be allowed to die out. If activity, combined with power, is of any use as a foundation for breeding, the horse that is wanted and that will be wanted for general purposes — and they are and will be wanted, in spite of the motor-car — would seem to any unprejudiced man to be the breeds which produce such horses as those which have been mentioned. In Breaston Prince, who is quite the old-fashioned type of Coach Horse, there is a lot of Cleveland Bay blood ; in- deed, he is all Cleveland Bay except his dam's sire, who was by the thoroughbred Tynedale ; and it should be remembered that to retain the size and power which are so essential, recourse must constantly be had to the Cleveland Bay. With varying fortunes the Cleveland Bay and Yorkshire Coach Horse have taken a leading part in light horse breeding during the last hundred and fifty years. Nor has this been confined to England alone. In Europe, America, Africa and Australia, the two breeds have done much in the way of improving the general utility horse. They have, indeed, been the foundation of half-bred horse-breeding. Whether their day is done is an open question. The breeds have been at as low an ebb before, and have recovered, and they may do so again. But if they do not, breeders of general utility light horses will, in a generation or two, be met by some problems that will not be easily solved. MR. \V. G. GRANDAGES MARE. WOODLANDS BRION. CHAPTER XXIV POLO AND POLO PONIES SINCE polo became a fashionable game in the United Kingdom many volumes have been published, some of which treat of its early history, while practically all of them describe the game itself. Already the literature of polo has assumed goodly dimensions, and as the game has devel- oped it has become more scientific, whilst its popularity has shown a rapid and continual increase. It now gives employ- ment to thousands of little horses, which are commonly called Polo Ponies, and for this reason it is entitled to recognition in the present work. The ponies used for the game concern us here more than the game itself, but brief mention of the latter must be made, and two important points to be noted are, firstly, that polo is probably the oldest game in the world, and, secondly, that it is the only game played in the kingdom in ^\•hich 38 29. the players are mounted. As to the age of polo it is difficult to speak with cer- tainty, but the game was brought here from the East, and had undoubtedly been played there for nearly two thousand years before it was seized upon and copied by British players. Mr. T. F. Dale, who has written profusely on polo, stated in a book published some four or five years ago that polo was played about 600 B.C. by the Persians, while the late Mr. Moray Brown — one of the pioneers of polo in this country — wrote in the Badminton Library polo volume an account of the game as it was played in Persia more than a thousand years ago between Persian horsemen and Turks. There are in this same volume a copy of a Persian manu- script in the British Museum, showing incidents in a game of chaugan (the Persian name of polo) , and a reproduction of a later 294 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE drawing which depicts the Emperor Akbar playing polo with his courtiers in the six- teenth century. This emperor reigned be- tween 1555 and 1605, and played chaiigan chiefly at a place called Garn'wali', about four miles from Agra. Introduction of Polo to India Long before the date just given, polo, or a game which much resembled it, was played in China, and, indeed, there is evidence to the effect that it was popular in nearly all those Eastern countries in which there were suitable ponies, and w'here horsemanship was considered to be of the first importance. In 1854-55 it was first played in British territory, by the tea planters of the Cachar district, being intro- duced to the British by the Manipuris, who had settled there, bringing with them polo ponies. After the Indian Mutiny the game became so popular that steps were taken to form a club, and the first meeting was held in the bungalow of Captain R. Stewart, Deputy Commissioner of Cachar in 1859. In the plains of India the game was first played in 1862, between officers of the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, and the 8gth Regiment of Umballa. It was then called " hockey on horseback," but shortly afterwards it was generally known as polo, the word being derived from the Thibetan word pulu, meaning a ball made from a knot of willow wood. In Calcutta polo was first played in 1864, when Major Sherer, one of the original members and promoters of the first British polo club at Cachar, brought a team of Manipuris down from the country to show how the game should be played. Polo at once became a prominent pastime amongst Anglo-Indians, and Major Sherer, who has often been spoken of as " the father of polo," was entertained at a banquet, and presented with a handsome silver tankard and salver. Polo in England As to when polo was first played in England there has been some difference of opinion. It has been stated, and some- what widely believed, that it was brought from India by a certain cavalry regiment, which had recently come home from the East. As the game had been played a good deal in India during the late 'sixties, this idea was naturally adopted by those who considered the matter, but Mr. Moray Brown has asserted confidently that the initiators of the game in this country were certain young subalterns of the loth Hussars, who were quartered at Aldershot in 1869. It is said that some of these gentlemen, having read an account of the game, as played by the Manipuris, at once decided to try it. They began on their chargers, using crooked sticks and a billiard ball, and quickly found out that chargers were too big, and a billiard ball too small and heavy. They were not disheartened, however, and having deputed one of their number to go to Ireland and buy ponies, they quickly formulated a game on the lines of that played by the Manipuris in India. First Polo Match The 9th Lancers at once took the game up, and between this team and the loth Hussars the first English polo match was played in 1871 (?), there being eight on each side ; a small ivory or bone ball was used, and ash sticks. According to Mr. Moray Brown, by the way, a game was played in Richmond Park by a mixed team of the 1st Life Guards and the Blues (Royal Horse Guards) against a mixed team of the 9th Lancers and loth Hussars, which the Guards' team won by four goals. The date of the game, as given in the polo volume of the Badminton Library, is probably wrong, though it is quite certain that such a game did take place ; and, in fact, the names of the players were all given. In 1872, on July i6th, a much more important game was played in the Home Park, Windsor, between officers of the Blues and officers of the 9th Lancers, the then Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Teck, and a very fashionable attendance watching the play. This game was duly reported in the POLO AND POLO PONIES 295 Field, and from this account we learn that Lord Worcester (now the Duke of Be.iu- fort), Lord Arthur Somerset, Messrs. T. and C. Fitzwilham, Lord Kihnarnock, and Mr. C. Egerton represented the Blues, and that Lord William Beresford, Captain Claj'- ton, Captain Palairet, Messrs. Moore, Green, and Wheeler did battle for the Lancers. The same account states that the com- petitors were mounted on strong, active ponies, and each man was armed with a hockey stick about four feet long, the handle of which was of bamboo, with the head flat and fixed on at an angle. The ball was little larger than a cricket ball, and painted white to be easily distinguish- able when rolling. The ground marked off \\as about 400 yards in length by 200 yards in width, and consisted of good level turf, a goal being placed at either end with flags. After this follows a gi'aphic account of the game, and the writer con- cludes as follows : " It was certainly the general opinion that the inauguration of the Eastern game as a public spectacle had been a great success, and there can be little doubt that we shall find polo ranking henceforth among established sports, at least among the officers of our cavalry, to whom it is especially suited. We did not observe that the animals ridden in the game of Tuesday were in any way dis- tressed, although they were not changed during the game ; but then . . . they were rested for a few minutes as oppor- tunity offered." Early Clubs This is the first actual newspaper account of a polo match in this country, and in discussing it and other matches of about that date Mr. Moray Brown tells us that hard hitting was then unknown, the game, which was played almost at a walk, con- sisting mainly of dribbling and scrimmag- ing. Neither were the ponies trained to the pitch of perfection they now are, and anything was thought good enough to play on. The 10th Hussars went to India shortly after this game, but the qth Lancers continued to bring polo into prominent notice, and in 1872 Captain F. Herbert, who had just left the regiment, founded the Monmouthshire Pcilo Club, which was the first provincial club to come into exist- ence. About this time, or a little later, a polo club was formed at Lillie Bridge {in London) and niany regiments took up the game, as did the horsy sets at Oxford and Cambridge. A very early provincial club was formed at Newcastle-on-Tyne also, their ground being on the Town Moor, which was then the local race-course as well. The Newcastle Club had a short life, and for many years polo was hardly played in the north, except at York and Edin- burgh, where the soldiers quartered there were frequently imbued with the spirit of the game. Hurlingham and Polo The Lilhe Bridge ground was soon found to be too small, and in 1S74 polo was played at Hurlingham, which place from that date onwards has been the head- quarters of the game in this country. Fresh rules were drawn up, under the auspices of the Hurlingham Committee, and since 1876 the game has been played much more scientifically than it was during the first few years of its English life. Perhaps the most important changes were the reducing of the teams to four, the increase of pace, the substitution of hard hitting for dribbling, the improvement in balls and sticks, the organisation which gave to each member of a team his position in the field and distinct duties, the introduction of the back-hand stroke, and, last but not least, the fact that there was a gradual, but steady increase in the height of the ponies. The changes which have been mentioned were very gradually brought about during the late 'seventies, and for many of them the brothers Peat, and the late Mr. John W'atson — afterwards Master of the Meath Hounds — were responsible. These early players were mainly instrumental in bring- ing the game to its present state of perfec- tion, and Mr. W^atson not only did a great deal for polo in this country, but also in Ireland, where his father, the late Mr. 296 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Robert Watson — -for fifty years Master of the Carlow and Island Hounds — was one of the earliest players, though well up in years when he first took to the game. Size of Ponies It must be understood that during the 'seventies very small ponies were used, many of them not exceeding thirteen hands, but it was being gradually found out that the bigger pony was faster and just as easy to play, and the height rose until the present limit of 14.2 hands was reached. Meantime, civilian clubs were springing up all over the country, and at many of these the game was played in rather slip- shod fashion for a year or two. probably because the players had seen little of the best polo then being played in London, and because of the difficulty there was in pro- curing suitable ponies. The fact is, that dealers were not very quick to recognise the demand, and at first there was little inclination on the part of players to pay the high prices which have since become quite common. At one country club the players got through a season (of sorts) by playing their hunters, and at other places there was at first no hard and fast rule as to height, and beginners took their lessons on any handy mount, whether he was horse, medium sized, or little pony. Then there was a rush for Argentines, Arabs, mustangs, and all sorts of foreign horses ; but by this time it was being gradually discovered that the best English and Irish ponies, of the glorified cob type, made the most useful players, and all sorts of people were on the look-out for them. Growth of Polo In i8go thirty clubs were registered at Hurlingham, of which three were metro- politan— Hurlingham, Ranelagh, and the Middlesex — one or two suburban, and all the others provincial. Only two military clubs were included in the list, but there must have been nearly as many of these as there were of civilian, and the two included were not regimental, but garrison clubs — Canterbury and .Aldershot, to wit. In 1909 the numbers were four metro- politan clubs, forty-five civilian provincial clubs, seven garrison clubs, six private Service clubs, three private civilian clubs, two private grounds, thirteen Irish county or civilian clubs, and one Irish garrison club, which gives a total of eighty-one. There were, in addition, the garrison clubs of Gibraltar and Malta, and twenty-one foreign clubs were also affiliated tn Hur- lingham, so that the number had more than trebled in less than twenty years. This shows how rapid the growth of polo has been, and it may further be mentioned that during the period of less than thirty years in which it has been played in the United Kingdom there have been manj' other clubs which have come and gone — in the natural order of things. An Expensive Game The greatest drawback to polo is that it is an expensive game. It has doubtless cost less in those regiments which have a regimental club with ponies of its own than it has to the individual player who has to provide his own ponies ; but in any circumstances the expenses must be very great, for good ponies in these days are extremely valuable, and those which are short of pace, or awkward to play, are of little use in polo. There have been, and there still are, certain clubs where the standard is not very high and where it is possible for the man of medium means to play ; but in good tournament company fast ponies are imperative, and no matter how well a man plays he cannot do him- self justice if the pony he is riding is short of pace. In these days it is the fashion for a considerable number of the best country players to pass several weeks, if not the whole season, in London, and to play regularly at Hurlingham, Ranelagh, or Roehampton. It need hardly be said that such a programme is not within the reach of everyone, but there are many men who are wealthy enough to maintain a big stable of ponies, and, if they are good enough players, to take part in games all through the London polo season, which lasts from POLO AND POLO PONIES 297 the beginning of May until almost the end (if Inly. Poor players who are not up to the form shown in the average London tournament soon drop out, no matter how good their ponies may be, for nowadays there are so many spectators and so much give an instance. Lord Harrington was born in 1844 and was playing in 1908, when he was temporarily disabled by an accident. The late Mr. Robert Watson was well over sixty when he ceased to play, and many others could be mentioned SIR J. BARKER'S POLO PONY. SANDIWAY. criticism when any important match is played that mediocrity has little chance of escaping notice. At the same time, there are many junior tournaments in which the novice has a chance to distinguish himself, and it is just as easy for polo talent to assert itself as it is for the promising young cricketer to obtain the notice of experts of the game. In fact, there is probably no game in which the youngster is given a better chance than m polo, and thus it is that there are always young players " coming on " to take the place of those who drop out. And in polo, if a man is light and active, and keeps him- self in condition, his period of play can be a very long one. Fair players of sixty years of age are not uncommon, and, to who have played in first-class tournaments after they had passed their fiftieth year. Players of forty years of age and over are common on every polo ground, while, on the other hand, boys are seldom seen in a game, and probably a majority of players have their first lesson either at one of the Universities or as subalterns in the various polo-playing regiments. Nor does the average player arrive at his best form very early in his playing days. Polo requires an immense amount of practice, especially in striking the ball. A clean, hard striker is always a valuable asset to a side ; but clean striking is only arrived at after constant practice, and polo differs from golf in that the striking has to be instantaneous, and the ball is 2g8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE often moving. The golfer can take as long as he likes for swing, and so forth, before he strikes at a stationary ball, hut the polo player has to seize the vital moment and deUver his stroke at a ball which he may be meeting, which may be going from him, or may possibly be lying still. He has, too, very often to race against another player for possession, and, in fact, all polo strokes are the work of a moment, and must be delivered at express speed. The average boy who is horsy and keen on games has little chance of playing polo, and, as a rule, his chance does not come until he is fully grown up, and then only if he is possessed of means and has the leisure time in which to play. All this goes to show that polo will never be a sport of the people ; but, for all that, the game increases in popularity, and at the present day the tournaments at Hurlingham, Ranelagh, and Roehampton are watched by thousands of spectators. Principal Tournaments Some of the principal tournaments are the Hurlingham Champion Cup, the Rane- lagh Open Challenge Cup, the Ranelagh Army Cup, the Ranelagh Points Challenge Cup, and the Roehampton Cup. There are also the Hurlingham Social Clubs Cup, the Ranelagh Hunt Challenge Cup and Hunt tournament, the Ranelagh Subaltern Challenge Cup, the Ranelagh Novices' Cup, and the Roehampton Junior Champion- ship. These are all decided in London, as are such games as Oxford v. Cambridge, Lords V. Commons, and England v. America. Probably everyone knows that the America Challenge Cup is now in the pos- session of an American team, who won it in 1909. This Cup was first played for at Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., in 1886, and was won by England, the players being the Hon. R. T. Lawley, Captains T. Horn and M. Little and the late Mr. John Watson. Two matches were played, both of which were won by England. In 1900 America sent a team over, but only one match was played, England winning by eight goals to two. Mr. John \\'atson again played " back,'' the other members of the team being Captain Beresford, and Messrs. Freake and Buckmaster. In 1902 America again challenged, and three matches were played at Hurlingham, of which England won two and America one. It was the first of the three which went to the strangers by two goals to one, but the English victories in the second and third matches were most decisive, England winning by six goals to one, and seven goals to one. There were no further international matches until 1909, and then the English were badly beaten twice, and at the moment the Cup remains in America. It may be here mentioned that in American polo there is no " off-side " rule, but otherwise the game is played on similar lines in both countries. The County Cup Another very important annual com- petition is the County Cup, which has had an existence of five-and-twenty years. The word " County " in this connection hardly signifies that the members of each team should belong to one and the same county, for as a matter of fact the con- testing teams are drawn from the pro- vincial polo clubs, and the signification of the contest would probably be better explained if the tournament was called the Provincial instead of the County Cup. The All-Ireland Open Cup, played in Dublin, also takes rank as one of the most important tournaments, and at many of the provincial clubs there are, most fre- quently in August, tournaments which draw their players from among the best polo exponents of the day. Polo Associations Mention may also be made of the Polo Associations. There are three in the United Kingdom : the County Polo Association (Great Britain), the Army Polo Committee of Great Britain, and the Irish County Polo Club Union. There is also the Indian Polo Association, and the United States Polo Association, which is the governing POLO AND POLO PONIES 299 body of all States except California. In tiie United Kingdom the Hurlingham Club Polo Committee is the governing body of the game ; and to it are affiliated ;ill the polo clubs of the kingdom. In fact, what the M.C.C. is to cricket, Hurlingham is to polo, and it is from Hurlingham that the Recent Form List was, and the Goal Handicap now is, issued. The Recent Form List is a sort of first class of polo players, compiled by the HurUngham Committee, to which only those who have greatly dis- tinguished themselves in the best sort of tournaments belong. As a rule, there were some five-and-twenty to thirty players included in the Recent Form List, and in many matches played during the season only one, or perhaps two, of these players were allowed to compete on the same side, while in certain junior matches they were excluded altogether. The Goal Handicap has lately been instituted, and takes the place of the Recent Form List. Polo Ponies As polo has become faster and more scientific, so has the Polo Pony advanced, until now the most perfect animals of their inches are used in the more important games. From an original height of some- where about 13 hands, the size has been increased to 14.2 hands, and, according to the Hurlingham rules, no pony shall be played either in practice games or matches until it has been registered in accordance with the rules of measurement. These rules are very stringent indeed. They provide that all measurements shall be made by an official measurer under the supervision of the Polo Committee, that such official measurer shall be a duly qualified veterinary surgeon, and that he shall attend on certain days, both at Hurlingham and at such local centres as can be arranged for. A fee has to be paid for every pony measured, and ponies of five years and upwards can be registered for fife, while ponies under five years can be registered for the current season only. The official measurer is empowered to determine the age of each pony brought before him, and there is a rule that no pony can be registered for life in the months of January, February, and March unless at least two permanent corner incisor teeth are actually through the gum ; and on and after April 15th a pony must have a com- plete mouth of permanent incisors to obtain a life certificate. This, it will be understood, makes it almost impossible for a four-year-old pony to secure a life register, though such things as " freak " mouths are not unknown. Apropos this point, there was, some twenty years ago, an awkward, angular thorough- bred at the now defunct Woodlands Stud, who defied the opinions of many veterinary surgeons. Towards the autumn of his yearling days he stood well over 16 hands, and though an ungainly beast, had great bone and size everywhere. His mouth was so forward that a stranger was always greatly puzzled to decide what his age was, but his general appearance sug- gested a three-year-old who had never been trained, or even broken. One day a foreign nobleman visited the stud, with a view to purchasing yearlings, and brought with him a well-known veterinary surgeon. After the horses for sale had been inspected, the overgrown yearling was brought out, and the " vet." asked to say what his age was. The man looked the colt carefully over, and at last pronounced, " A back- ward four-year-old who has done no work, and with a two-year-old mouth." Tht' colt at the time was just twenty months old, but had grown in such abnormal fashion that he deceived everyone. It may be added that in spite of his size he had no pace whatever, and he was eventu- ally sold to a livery stable keeper for a few pounds. Rules for Measuring Going back to the Polo Ponies, it may be mentioned that the rules with regard to the actual measuring are of a most stringent kind. The standard used for measuring has to be approved by the Hurlingham Club, and a specially erected 300 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE SIR JOHN BARKER'S POLO PONY MARE. SAPPHIRE. WITH FOAL BY SANDIWAY. box, with a level floor, is the scene of the operation. The pony must be held by a person deputed by the measurer, and not by his owner or groom. The head has to be held in a natural position, and the fore- legs from the point of the shoulder, and the hind-legs, from the back downwards, have to be as perpendicular to the floor, and as parallel to each other, as the con- formation of the pony will allow. And though the wither may be shaved, the mane must not be pulled down, nor the skin of the neck or wither in any way interfered with ; ponies may be measured with or without shoes, but no allowance is made if the shoes are on when the measuring takes place. The owner and his servant are not allowed inside the box during the measuring process, and indeed no one except the measurer, his assistant or assist- ants, and members of the Polo Committee — who, by the way, cannot be present when their own ponies are being measured. It will be seen, then, that everything is done to keep the regulation height of 14.2 hands. and yet it is an open secret that many ponies are being played which, though they have been duly registered, are well over the regulation height. The fact is, that a fair number of ponies grow con- siderably after they are five year old, and, again, ponies of the right age are brought up to be measured which have spent most of their youth running out on poor, or poorish land, who have had httle com or good keep, and who are low in condition. Some of these ponies may first have been discovered in the wilder parts of Ireland or elsewhere, and they are genuine five-year-olds who are, neverthe- less, so backward as to be an inch or two lower at the withers than they would have been had they been nurtured on a Uberal diet. When properly cared for and well-fed these ponies continue their growth, and though, as a rule, they do not become much higher, some of them certainly go well over the polo height during the course of the next year. Quite lately a Master of Hounds bought " a POLO AND POLO PONIES ^or registered Polo Pony " to carry one of his whippers-in — a g-stone man who liked little horses to ride. The pony was sold at auction, and had been played for a couple of seasons, but with thin shoes on and fairl}' measv.red he cannot be made less than I5.li hands. Probably his growth after five years of age was abnormal. Polo Ponies, say from ten to twenty j-ears ago, varied greatly in appearance. In an ordinary game would be seen the under- sized thoroughbred, the strong cob, the Arab, the mustang, the .Argentine (at times), the Sjrrian, the Indian country bred (very occasional!}-), and, in fact, any and every sort of horse who was of polo size and able to travel at a fair I'ate of speed. In these davs there is much more uniformity of t3'pe, as anyone who attends the annual shows of the Polo and Riding Pony Society at Islington in ilarch is weil aware. But some years ago it was recognised that the Enghsh or Irish-bred pony, by a thoroughbred sire, and, if possible, with a strain of pure pony blood on the dam's side — either Welsh, Exmoor, Dartmoor, New Forest, or Connemara — was the best playing pony, and on these lines was formed the Polo and Riding Pony Society, with a Stud Book of its own and an annual show at Islington for the last ten years. So far, not a great deal has been done towards breeding this particular class of pony, but the fact is that no very great number of people interested in polo have taken up the idea, and though first-rate results have been obtained at one or two studs, the number of Stud Book bred ponies is at present ridiculously small compared with the number of ponies which is required to mount all the players in any one year. Nor can a distinct breed be POLO PONY STALLION, WHITE WINGS. OWNED BY THE KEYNSHAM STUD CO. 39 302 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE raised in a very short space of time. There must be a certain number of foundation mares, if possible, of, or going back to, some pure pony breed, and the produce of these must be mated, and their daughters mated again, with the small thoroughbred sire before the necessary height and size are forthcoming. The native ponies of dis- tinct breed are, as a rule, much too small for polo, e.xcept perhaps the Connemara ponies of Ireland, and very often the first cross is also far too small. It is, too, not a bad plan to cross the native pony mare with the Arab first, and then to mate the female produce with the English thorough- bred. This gives a return of Eastern blood — the derivative of the English thorough- bred— and makes for strength, constitu- tion, stamina, and other hereditary quali- ties of the best sort. Pony Characteristics Polo Ponies which are to ht dy Ptcloria! ^^-^n SIR J. BARKERS POLO PONY STUD AT BISHOPS STORTFORD. SOME OF THE YEARLINGS. SHETLAND PONIES. CHAPTER XXV PONIES : SHETLAND, HIGHLAND, AND NEW FOREST THE term pony is a wide one, and different men will give widely different answers to tlie question, "What is a pony?" " Nimrod," in his well-known book " The Horse and the Hound," probably comes nearest to the mark when he says " A horse is called a pony when under the height of 13 hands, four inches to the hand." Then he goes on to say : " It is difficult to account for this diminutive breed, unless we believe it to be imported from countries farther north than Great Britain, which appears probable, from the fact of ponies being found in greater abundance in Scotland and Wales than in any other part of the island ; the effect, no doubt, of climate." Wilham Day, in " The Horse and How to Breed Him," tells us that " the origin of some of tlie small and even diminutive breeds has often been ascribed to the poverty of their food, the poorness of the hill pastures on which they are reared, and the damp and biting cold of the climates which prevail in the districts they inhabit." That the weather and the quality of the pasturage have a marked effect on the fauna of any country is, of course, not to be disputed, but one would have thought that practical men Uke " Nimrod " and William Day would have recognised the fact that no amount of roughing it would reduce the hunter or the race-horse to the size of a Shetland or an Exmoor, and their experience should have taught them that no Sheltie or Exmoor, however much he may have been pampered, increased more than an inch or two, and that even then the character was retained. Much progress has been made in equine research, even since William Day wrote 308 PONIES : SHETLAND, HIGHLAND, AND NEW FOREST 309 some nineteen years ago, and thanks to Professor Cossar Ewart, the multiple origin of horses is now thoroughly recognised, and does away with the necessity for these \-ague speculations in which writers of a bv-gone day loved to indulge. It is worth noticing that all the old writers have a word to say in praise of the ponj-, and his surefootedness, soundness, hardy character, and stamina. There is scarcely a writer that has not some story to tell of the speed and endurance of the pony, and he is continually being com- pared with the horse — not to the advan- tage of the latter. Yet it has only been of late years that the value of the pony breeds as a national asset has been recognised, and it is at any rate within the range of possibility that this tardy recognition would not have come when it did had it not been for the popularity of polo, and the establishment of the Polo Pony Society. Our pony breeds make a rare foundation for crossing, a fact which becomes more emphasised every day. It is also recognised that in order to get the best out of them the breeds must be main- tained in their original purity, and not improved out of all knowledge, as has sometimes been the case with our old breeds. The Shetland Pony Of all our pony breeds the best known, and perhaps the most popular, is the Shet- land. His sagacity and his docility arc proverbial, and it would not be too much to say that inch lor inch he is the most powerful of the equine race. It is only a hardy pony that could live and thrive in the Shetland Isles, where, as a rule, vegetation is scanty, and the grass of poor quahty. The spring is a terrible season in the islands, and though in winter the average temperature is higher than on the mainland of Scotland, in summer it is lower. There was a theory that the Shet- land pony is descended from Norwegian ponies brought over by the Norsemen from Norway at the end of the ninth century, but this theory is exploded, for there is 40 c\-idence that there were ponies in the Shetlands long prior to the Norse invasion. The first mention of the Shetland pony as such dates back to 1700, when Brand, the historian, writing of the Shetland Islands, says " They have a sort of little horses, called Shelties, than which no other are to be had, if not brought hither and from other places. They are of a less size than the Orkney horses, for some will be but nine, others ten handsbreadths high, and they will be thought big horses there if eleven, and although so small, yet they are full of vigour and life, and some, not so strong as others, often prove to be the strongest. Yet there are some whom an able man can lift in his arms, yet will carry him, and a woman behind him, eight miles forward and as many back ! Summer and winter they never come into a house, but run upon the mountains in some places in flocks." With the mares running in herds on their native hills, and with the rough and ready system of management which prevailed amongst the crofters, it would be unavailing to look for any historical events of import- ance in connection with the breed ; and if it be true of breeds of horses as it is true of nations, that the breed without a history is happy — a position, by the way, the accuracy of which is at least open to question — the Shetland pony had a happy existence till the nineteenth century was well-nigh half gone by, for it was not until 1847 that he was extensively used in coal mines, and it was twenty-three years later than that before the history of the breed in the modern sense of the term can be said to have begun. Crofters as Breeders Previous to the earlier date, with but few exceptions, the crofters of the islands were the breeders of Shetland ponies ; and their system as might naturally be expected, was a rough and ready one, scarcely meriting the name of a system at all. But it demands a few words, more especially as about four- fifths of the Shelties bred on the islands are now bred bv the crofters. One or two mares 310 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE is the number generally owned by a crofter, though some of them will have as many as half-a-dozen. These are used for carry- ing peat home in summer as well as for breed- ing, and it may be as well to bear in mind that the straw baskets slung over the pony's back, one at each side, were once — and that not so very many years ago — the only means of conveying merchandise in the islands on the north-eastern coast of Scotland. The ponies are run out both in winter and summer ; in the latter on the common- lands, and in the former on the township lands, and when pasture gets scarce they will follow the ebb of the tide and live upon sea drift. Very rarely does ice or snow trouble the islands, and it is only on these rare occasions that the hardy Sheltie gets a bit of hay or a bit of oat sheaf. So it is not to be wondered at that by the time the long, bitter spring has drawn to a close the ponies are thin and somewhat feeble. The plentiful pasturage of the summer, however, soon restores their vigour and their condition, and by autumn they arc in capital case again. Methods of Breeding The breeding is managed on the same happy-go-lucky system. The mares as a rule have only a foal every other year, as the foal is allowed to run with its dam all through its first winter, a plan which the crofter doubtless finds convenient, but which is economically false. In some places stallions are turned loose amongst the mares, and under those circumstances it is said there is a larger percentage of foals than there is when the mares are brought to the stallions for service. The latter plan, however, is the more frequently adopted now, when high prices rule, and when the principles of scientific breeding are every day receiving more attention. A Great Shetland It may be interesting to refer for a brief space to a Shetland pony which made for herself a great name in the early part of the nineteenth century. This was a piebald pony named Beauty, the property of Mr. Richard Lacy, a Yorkshire gentleman. She was eleven hands high, and was imported from the islands in 1824, though at what age, Mr. Robert Brydon, who tells the story, does not specify. She was not broken until she was six years old, and in 183 1, when she would probably be eight years old, her owner challenged anything her own height to trot ten miles for £100 a side. No one accepted the challenge, so Beauty trotted over the distance alone, to show what she could do. Driven by a man weighing II St. 4 lb., she trotted ten miles on the Leaming Lane road in 39 minutes 30 seconds. It is on record that she several times covered a mile in 3 minutes 44 seconds, and on August 3rd, 1832, she trotted 14 miles on the Boroughbridge road in 55 minutes 45 seconds ; and would undoubtedly have trotted fifteen miles within the hour had not a rein broken. Her driver, the same man that drove her on the Leaming Lane road, weighed on this occasion 11 st. 7 lb. The Modern Shetland The modern history of the Shetland pony may be said to have commenced with the foundation of the Marquis of London- derry's famous stud at Bressay. This took place in 1873, and was practically the out- C(jme of the high price of coal which prevailed in the 'seventies. This caused the thin seams to be worked, and it was only the very small pony that could work in those parts of the mines. Lord Londonderry purchased stock all over the islands, and it is needless to insist upon the fact that he bought the best that could be found in Unst, the West of Yell, Whalsay, Bressay, Northmavon, and the District of Walls, which were the principal places to which he resorted for his founda- tion stock. Notwithstanding the care which had been taken, the mares were not a very even lot. At the same time as they were purchased two hundred colts were also bought, and from these in the following year six stallions were carefully selected. Each stallion was placed in an enclosure, and mares which PONIES : SHETLAND, HIGHLAND, AND NEW FOREST 3" were chosen to suit each particular pony were placed with him. This is the first instance on record of careful mating of the Shetland pony, and the result was highly satisfactory. Amongst other things, it showed that the stock of two ponies named Jack and Prince of Thule was much superior to that of any of the others. Jack was a black pony, 10 hands high, full of character, and with big bone. He was especially famous as a sire of stallions, amongst those which have spread his blood all over the country being Lord of the Isles, Odur, Giant, Laird of Moss, and the Marquis, all of them famous sires and notable prize winners. Prince of Thule was a brown, standing a hand less than his stable c(_impanion, and he was most successful as a sire of mares. Those celebrated brood mares Fra, Princess, and Nesta, all of them well-known in the show-yard, were by him. It is needless to point out that Lord Londonderry's management differed in essentials from that of the crofters. The foals were weaned in November, and put on good pasture, and were also hand-fed with hay when necessary. They were also provided with shelter sheds. The mares were also hand-fed when there was snow on the ground, and even when the weather was open in February and March. Lord Londonderry's aim was to reduce height as much as possible, without any loss of power ; to improve the quality of the head and shoulders, and to increase the bone, and in these objects he succeeded. Indeed, so great was his success as a breeder of Shet- land ponies during the years his stud was in existence, that it is no exaggeration to say that there is scarcely a great prize-winner in the country that has not been bred by him, or that is not descended from one of his famous ponies. Other Eminent Breeders Other eminent breeders in late years are Mr. R. 'W. R. Mackenzie, whose Earishall Stud dates from 1891, and is full of Lord Londonderry's blood ; Mr. George A. Miller, at the head of whose stud at Lawmuir is Multum in Parvo, by Lord of the Isles ; Dr. Charles Douglas, whose principal sire is Thor, by Odin, a well-known prize-winner ; ;\Ir. Munzall, of Transy, Dunfermline ; Mr. William Chapman, of Helensburgh ; the Ladies E. and D. Hope, whose purchase of Prince of Thule, and subsequently of Oman and Odin, placed then- stud amongst the most important in the c.- w ~ u s DRIVING AND CARRIAGES 389 not long ago, and probably still is, to be seen in the South Kensington Museum. C-spring broughams quickly followed those of the original pattern, and from time to time there have been various improve- ments tending towards lightness. Broughams were, and still are, made chiefly in three shapes — the single, double, and circular-fronted, and these carriages matter of course, interfered with the bal- ance of the carriage. The modern hansom followed in due course, Mr. Evans, of Liverpool, and Mr. Marston, of Birming- ham, having much to do with its construc- tion, while later the Messrs. Forder, of Wolverhampton, made a great name for themselves by introducing the best materials and workmanship and reducing the weight. MR. JOHN KERR'S LOUDWATER ROB ROY AND DIANA VERNON. r//i dy If. A. Rotich, are not really comfortable with more than two people inside, the back seat, both in the " double " and " the circular-fronted " brougham, being too small, except for children. The single brougham of the pre- sent day is the lightest closed carriage which can be drawn by one horse, and it still retains great popularity amongst those who are not wholly given over to motor- cars. The hansom cab had extraordinary popu- larity as a street vehicle, and only began to lose ground when the much faster taxi- cab became general. The first was invented by Mr. J. A. Hansom, from whom the name was derived; but the driver's seat was at the off side, over the wheel, and this, as a 50 Four-wheeler hansoms appeared some five- and-twenty years ago, and for a few years were fairly common on the London streets ; but they never became really popular, in spite of the fact that they appeared to be much safer than the regular hansom. In all probability, their want of success was due to their being no faster than an ordinary four-wheeled cab, whereas the hansom proper, unless very badly horsed, is im- mensely faster than the cab which is commonly known as a " growler." Phaetons have been made in many shapes, but three have been really popular and far better known than the others. These are the mail phaeton, the Stanhope phaeton, and the park phaeton. The mail phaeton proper 590 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE should be built with a perch and the under- carriage of a coach, and should not lock. It is a sporting, but a heavy vehicle, requir- ing a strong pair of horses to pull it, and is seldom seen in these days. The Stanhope phaeton is to the ordinary undiscriminating eye just like a mail phaeton. It has the same front and back seats, and should have a hood, but it has no coach under-carriage, and can be turned in its own length. Except that it is not such a sporting carriage to look at, it beats the mail phaeton altogether. It is much lighter, can be drawn by one or a pair, and being a short-coupled car- riage is much more easily taken up a steep hill than the ordinary four-wheeled car- riage. We are inclined to think that a pair of horses in good condition will do a bigger and longer day's work in a Stanhope than in any other sort of carriage, and on one occasion we travelled a distance of 120 miles, over hilly roads, with the same pair of horses in three days. They were, as a matter of course, quietly driven, and in first-rate condition to start with, and the load was a light one — the writer, a friend, and a groom, and the smallest possible amount of luggage. For a mail phaeton half the dis- tance, with a single pair of horses, in the same time, would have been fair travelling ; but we know of a pair of horses having taken a mail phaeton from London to Canterbury in a couple of days, and the distance is well over sixty miles, but there are fewer hills and much better roads than those which were used in the Stanhope phaeton journey which has been alluded to. The "Spider" Phaeton What is generally called a park phaeton used to be known in the trade as a " spider " phaeton. It is rather like a Stanhope in front, but has a striped body, like a four- wheeled Tilbury, and has a small seat behind, hung on turned irons, for the groom. With ladies who drive it was, not many years ago, very popular, and a fair number are seen at the present day, driven by men as well as by ladies. Stanhopes and spider phaetons are hung on elliptical springs ; but the spider is perhaps hardly of sufficient strength of build for heavy country roads, and is essentially a vehicle for the town. From time to time other four-wheeled phaetons have been seen, and the writer, when a boy, frequently travelled in one which had a doubled back seat, so that it could hold six instead of four. There were deep panels on the principle of the four-wheeled dog-cart, and either side of the back seat could be shut down. It was, indeed, like a modified char-a-banc, with narrower seats, and three instead of four. Being short-coupled and rather highly hung, it was a most useful carriage in the hilly country where its owner resided. The Four-Wheeled Dog-Cart The four-wheeled dog-cart is very like a Stanhope phaeton with the seats back to back, instead of facing the same way ; but it should have an interior for holding a couple of dogs, and at one time it was greatly used by shooting parties. For long enough it has been very common in the country, but the inside space has in recent years been chiefly used for luggage, the carrying of dogs being no longer necessary in these days of game driving, when sportsmen do not go to visit their neighbours, taking with them a brace of pointers or setters. Re- trievers and spaniels, which have almost entirely superseded the old style of shoot- ing dog, are kept on the premises, so to speak, and the dog-cart may contain lunch and cartridges, but is seldom used as it originally was. Other Four-Wheeled Carriages The sociable, which is probably the oldest four-wheeled carriage, was like a victoria ; but seats of equal size faced each other inside, and to all intents and pur- poses it was very like a barouche, but lighter, and cut out on rather different lines. It is now rarely seen. Low phaetons on the same lines, but without a driving seat, were at one time very common, and in the country are still seen. They are especially well adapted for elderly people and invalids, being so near the ground that they are easy to get into and out of ; but as they are DRIVING AND CARRIAGES 391 driven from the back seat they are not exactly comfortable, unless the seat oppo- site the driver is vacant. The reins rest on a turned piece of iron, which is fixed on a rod and comes up from behind the centre of the seat opposite the driver. Wagonettes and brakes have been made in all shapes and sizes, from the station bus to the little jumped-up affair which is a very tight tit for four inside. Their great advantage over other carriages lies in the fact that they will carry more passengers than the ordinary carriage, while the}' are at the same time much lighter. They are, however, nothing like so comfortable to sit in, the seats, as a rule, being narrow, with rails to lean against. Certain varieties of this carriage there have been, and the late Mr. Harry McCaliuont used to bring one to the New- market race-course which had a landau hood at either side, so that it could be closed in a moment if rain came on. This carriage was deep-seated, well padded, and comfortable, and, in fact, quite unlike the ordinary w^agonette ; but it was heavy, and required a powerful pair of high-class carriage horses. The Buggy The buggy is more generally used in America than in this country, and one often hears much difference of opinion as to what an English buggy really is. The four- wheeled buggy was never common in England, and is, in fact, a carriage of extreme lightness which is generally used for showing horses, for trotting races, and any sort of driving when remarkably fast time is aimed at. Lord Lonsdale used a buggy in his famous match against time, which was decided on a part of the Brighton road, between Reigate and Crawley. This match was made between Lords Lonsdale and Shrewsbury, who backed them- selves to drive a single horse, a pair, a team, and a pair riding postilion fashion, in an hour — he who did the fastest time to win. Lord Shrewsbury scratched at the eleventh hour. Lord Lonsdale walked over, and in doing so accomplished the feat with some- thing to spare. The exact time in which he did it has been matter for some dispute, and in " Fifty Leaders of British Sport," compiled by Mr. F. G. Aflalo, 55 minutes 35+ seconds are given, while in Sir Walter Gilbey's " Modern Carriages " the full time is stated to have been 56 minutes 55+ seconds. Sir Walter gives a tabulated statement of the drive, showing how long was occupied over each stage, and probably this record, though it is over a minute longer than the other, is the more trustworthy. It will be easily understood that it was not a par- ticularly simple matter to time four heats of five miles each on a country road. Warpaint's Record A propos this famous drive, the horse which was driven in single harness was a thoroughbred, who galloped his five miles, and not a trotter. The horse in question was Warpaint, a well-named gelding by Uncas out of Toilette, by Speculum, her dam Vanity by Touchstone out of Garland, by Langar. Warpaint was bred by the once famous gentleman rider, Mr. G. S. Thompson, and did not distinguish himself in his early days. When about four years old he was bought by Mr. Robert Jefferson, of Whitehaven, who was then joint master with the late Mr. Anthony Dixon of the Whitehaven Harriers. Mr. Jefferson bought the horse for a hunter, but he was not big enough to carry him, and he was broken to harness and driven in a gig. On one occa- sion of the writer's visiting Whitehaven he was driven some six or seven miles to the harrier kennels at Rheda behind Warpaint, and was struck with the extraordinary pace at which he could travel with a gig and two fairly heavy men behind him. Some months later he was sent to a North Country trainer, and schooled for steeplechasing, and at the Cartmel Hunt meeting, on June 10, 1889, he won two little races on the same afternoon, Mr. Jefferson having the mount in the second event, which was a Selling Hunters' Flat Race. In the following season he ran four times unsuccessfully, and passed into Lord Dudley's hands, and, ridden by him, won two hunters' flat races at the Salisbury meeting 392 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of 1890. After that he was not so success- ful, but he always ran prominently, and hearing that he had been regularly driven before he became a cross-country horse, Lord Lonsdale bought him for the match. He did his five miles in 13 minutes 42.' seconds, which, it will be admitted, is rattling good time for a thoroughbred on an ordinary English road which was in bad order owing to half-melted snow. The Brighton Coach Record It is said that James Selby, the famous whip of the " Old Times," in his won- derful drive to Brighton and back, on July 13, 1888, travelled part of the distance between Earlswood and Horley at the rate of twenty miles an hour, and it is just pos- sible that such a pace may have been reached for a very short portion of the journey. The Brighton drive occupied 7 hours 50 minutes, the coach leaving the " White Horse " Cellar, Piccadilly, at 10 a.m., and arriving at the Old Ship, Brighton, at 1.56 p.m. Here it was turned, and starting again immediately, reached the original starting point at 5.50 p.m. This, of course, was a great performance, which meant galloping practically all the way, and was up and down hill, whereas Lord Lonsdale's drive was over a fairly flat piece of road. Still, the average pace was very much faster in the latter feat, for twenty miles were actually covered in less than an hour, while the London to Brighton and back trip was ten minutes under eight hours for about 104 miles. Two- Wheeled Carriages Going back to the carriages, the principal four-wheeled ones have been dealt with, and perhaps it is not necessary to go into detail with regard to the many experiments which have been made and failed, or to describe the convertible carriages, none of which have ever really " caught on " with the public. Of two-wheelers there are probably more in use than there are four- wheeled carriages — first, because they are cheaper, and secondly because, if the whole country is taken into consideration, it will be found that a huge majority of the trades- men's carts are two-wheeled. In London the two-wheeler has at times had great spells of popularity, and some twenty years ago a new pattern of " cart " would appear about every second year, and be much used, especially in the Park and West End, until something else became the fancy of the moment. High dog-carts were in vogue through all the middle period of the last century, and tandem-driving was popular amongst young men, perhaps more especi- ally at Oxford. There was for a time a tandem club, and tandems were frequently, and are still occasionally, seen in town ; but in these days horses driven in this fashion can be best seen at the more impor- tant shows, where some three or four men can turn and twist them about at will. Why tandem driving never became general is easily explained. In the first place, it was difficult and dangerous for an inexperi- enced whip, and in the second place the tandem driver who was a close observer became aware of the fact that the leader was to some extent a useless addition. Down hill he could not help to hold the trap back, and along the level he only assisted in pulling what was well within the powers of the leader. Up a steepish hill he certainly allowed of a better pace being maintained, and a really good leader no doubt eases the wheeler in some degree, and thus with two horses in hard condition a few more miles may be covered with a tandem than with a single horse. Tandem Driving But skill in driving tandem is very effective, and thus it has always had its votaries. At the Olympia, Richmond, and other shows of recent years there have been some wonderful exhibitions of tandem driv- ing, and it is worthy of note that the cele- brated show-ring drivers prefer a long trace, and seldom bring a tandem into the ringwhich has the leader's traces fastened to a bar, as was usually the case when tandems were used for work in the country. Many years ago the writer went on a tandem tour through parts of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, the 394 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE team bemg light-weight hunters — a grey and a brown, the last-named a thoroughbred whose name appeared in the Stud Book. These horses were in good condition when they started, and thrived on their work, at times doing thirty to forty miles a day for several days consecutively. They both did their share of work, and though the brown was more often driven in the lead, they were changed at times, so that the work should be equalised. In these days of motor traffic and tramways, tandem driving should not be attempted in or about the large towns, except by an expert of great experience, but in quieter country districts the case is, of course, different. At the same time, there are good four-in-hand drivers who are unable to make a tandem leader go straight, and good coach leaders have occasionally been found that went very badly when driven tandem fashion. The fact is, that in a four-in-hand the leaders quickly realise that they have to work, and each gains confidence from the horse along- side him. The tandem leader, on the other hand, has only himself to depend on, and unless his trotting pace is just equal to that of the wheeler behind him he will shirk his work. A good driver of a four-in- hand never allows the wheelers to pull the whole coach while the leaders trot in front, but in tandem driving this is not so easily done if there is any inequality of pace. To have the wheeler of a tandem faster than the leader is fatal, for then the horse in front cannot get out of the way of the horse behind, and if he is an honest worker he is forced to canter ; if not, the wheeler is trotting over him all the time and he is loaf- ing in front, just managing to get out of the leader's way, but doing no work. It used to be customary to drive tandem in a high cart, but the high cart is almost a thing of the past, and now gigs or dog-carts of ordinary size are used and the driver is much on a level with his horses, instead of being above them. The Dog-Cart The greatest thing to be said in favour of the one-horse carriage is that it costs less to maintain than when a pair is used, and thus it happens that thousands of people keep a carriage or cart of sorts, and a single horse or pony, where there are hundreds who drive a pair. With regard to dog-carts, the great difficulty is to get them well hung. We have seen carts that were beau- tifully made, on very sporting lines, and which looked perfect when standing bright and clean in a coach-builder's shop, and yet which, when a horse was harnessed to them, and two or three passengers got up, could not be properly balanced at any price, no matter how much sliding space had been given to the seats. If four passengers of about equal weight got up, and the front seat was placed as far forward as possible, the fore part of the cart would be a long way higher than the back, and if there were two in front and one behind the reverse would be the case, the back part being too much in the air. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to state that there are coach-builders and coach-builders, and while some firms will turn out a cart that can be properly balanced with one, two, three, or even four pas- sengers, this cannot be said of all coach- builders, and at some of the recent shows horses have been driven round the ring in carts that were jerking forward with a slight downward movement all the time they were going round. It requires a genius to build a dog-cart with a perfect balance, and another genius to detect whether the cart exhibited for sale will " hang " right when there is a horse in front of it. The RalH and other Gars It can be easily understood that with the Ralli car and the panel car the question of balance is a much simpler one, and how rarely does one see any cart of what may be termed square build that is badly hung. In the governess car and the Battlesden car the idea is for the passengers to be near the ground. In the first-named they enter at the back, and the balance can be obtained bv the sitters, who, if the car is not full, can alter their seats until they are on an even keel. The Battlesden car was more like a very low-hung dog-cart than anything DRIVING AND CARRIAGES 395 else, but there was no " boot," or place for dogs, and the vehicle, which has gone quite out of fashion, was a very ugly one. The gover- ness car is handy and useful, but it is not exactly elegant, and the passengers sit sidewavs, facing the inside. The Irish, or jaunting car, has one advantage over all varieties of the English cart, in that if there is a driver's seat it will hold five instead of four — two on either side and the driver on a sort of perch in front. Common as these cars are in Ireland, they have never been popular in this country, and occasional users of them are quite hkely to be thrown off when going fast round a corner, or travelling on a rough road. They would be impossible in the London streets, amidst the traffic of the present day, and very dangerous to the legs of the passengers. Touring Hints The writer has done many driving tours in a two-wheeler, and the best vehicles he ever used were a low-made dog-cart, and a hooded buggy. Both were very smooth-run- ning vehicles, and the dog-cart was so well made that when sold by auction at Aldridge's after ten years' constant service it made within £io of its original cost. In it there was sufficient room for travelling bags, horse-rug, and so forth, and it frequently travelled long distances day after day, and never went wrong. Moreover, it was an easy cart for a cob to pull, being perfectly balanced, with the " draught " exactly where it should be. The buggy, being canoe-shaped, had no real place for luggage, but a couple of leather cases were made to lit under the seat, and thus the difficulty was solved. In these days one hears of few people who tour the country with a pony and cart, but if one takes a little trouble to avoid the main roads there is no pleasanter way of taking a holiday. The pony (or small horse) must be a good one, and in good condition — that is abso- lutely essential ; and it is better to hire an animal that has been in regular work for some time, even if it belongs to a livery- stable, than to buy a horse for the drive that is short of condition, or in the least awkward to drive. The animal should be a hardy beast, a willing worker, not too slow, and capable of covering long distances without unduly tiring himself. The driver, too, should have knowledge of horses and of driving, should know when to ease his nag and when to go along, and should on no account make the stages too long. A rest of a quarter of an hour and a draught of meal and water in the middle of a journey will enable a horse to do a sixteen-mile stage as easily as he would do a twelve-mile one without a break in the middle of it. Then, too, if it is summer time the heat of the day should be avoided. It is better to make an early start, and do fourteen or fifteen miles before eleven o'clock in very hot weather, and then to rest the horse in a cool stable until quite late in the afternoon. In the early morning, too, motors are much scarcer, and there is in consequence far less dust than will be encountered later in the day. Horses in hot weather work better in the morning and evening than they do in the middle of the day ; but, of course, if the weather is ordinary, not very hot and not very cold, all times are alike. It is a good plan to have a little paraffin handy in case the flies are troublesome ; we have tried all sorts of things for the fly nuisance, and have found paraffin the best. It should be rubbed over the horse's neck and ears, and over the harness also — collar, reins, and saddle. Flies do not like it, and a smearing of paraffin will drive away a cloud of these pests, but nothing that we have ever discovered will prevent a few inquisitive ones from annoying horses which are hot. A shoe-pick for loose stones is also useful, and a spare shoe or two may well be taken, for even if one cannot fix up a loose shoe oneself, the spare one will save the time the blacksmith would take in making one to fit. A small bag, or even a packet, of oatmeal, which can be added to chilled water at any public-house, or even at a road cottage, will be foimd necessary now, because there are few travelling carriages, and therefore a small demand, which means that at many baiting places they have to send to the village shop for the meal. In 396 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE these days one of the most important things for the driving tourist is to know the coun- try he is going through. He should study the map very thoroughly if he is in a new localit^^ so that he may be able to avoid the high roads if the dust happens to be thick. In the summer of 1909 the writer drove a cob from Molesey to Horsham, and on and Westmorland, are, to our mind, the best driving ground for the tourist ; but August is now a very bad month, because so many motor parties are also touring, and accom- modation at the hotels, unless engaged before hand, is not always procurable. This reminds us of an experience of a coaching party some fifteen years ago. A A TANDEM DOG-CART: MR. LOUIS WINANS' HOLYPORT HORACE AND TISSINGTON COCK ROBIN. to Hassocks the next morning, without ever being on main roads for more than an odd mile or so. We went by Oxshott and Ranmore Common to Box Hill, and leaving Dorking on the right, travelled by Leigh and Newdigate to Horsham, going two or three miles round, but avoid- ing the dust, of which great clouds could be seen whenever we were near the high road. At the present day the country lanes in many parts of the country are so good that it matters little if one leaves the high road, and here we are reminded that we have had little use for the shoe-pick during the last few years, though at one time such an article was frequently wanted. The Yorkshire dales, and those of Cumberland friend was about to put a road coach on between Scarborough and Bridlington, and arranged during the previous week to take the coach and horses from Newcastle-on-Tyne to Scarborough. There were twenty horses in all, and a party of half a dozen were asked to go on the coach, the idea being that the extra horses should trot on a stage or two in front. Darlington was the stopping-place for the first night, and Helmsley was chosen for the second, the party being due at Scarborough on the third evening. The stud groom had been instructed to write for rooms at the hotels and stabhng for twenty horses. Everything was in order at Darlington, where there is a large hotel. DRIVING AND CARRIAGES 397 but on arrival at Helmsley we were taken down the yard and shown into a great barrack of a place, with a huge dormitory above. One of the party instantly asked why proper rooms had not been reserved, and the landlady answered : " Why, when I got the letter and saw that you wanted twenty horses put up I thought you were a circus, and we always put circuses and such like down the \-ard." Coach Touring Touring with a coach is in some ways a simpler matter than touring with a single horse, for there are grooms with the coach, while the single-horse driver has to depend upon the ostler or look after his own nag. The old race of ostlers who understood how to treat a horse which had done a big day's work is quickly dying out, and now at many inns there are men who know something of a motor-car, but are incompetent where horses are concerned. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the tourist should see for himself that his horse is properly groomed and fed, that he should know whether the nag has " eaten up " or gone off his feed, and here it is that a little knowledge of horseflesh is most desirable. If one sees that the so-called ostler does not understand his business it is far better for the tourist to groom and feed the horse him- self than to leave him to the tender cares of an incapable man. It should be seen, too, that the stable is dr}- and the hay and corn of good quality, and that the horse is well littered up with clean straw. These little things make all the difference between the success or the collapse of a driving tour, and are of far greater importance now than they were when commercial travellers and many others were using the road with horses which were accustomed to long and heavy journeys. We once knew a bay cob which a certain innkeeper used to let out to commercial travellers for long tours. The man was so fond of his horse that he would not sell it ; but he would allow one or two tra\'ellers whom he knew well to hire it for journeys of si.x weeks or more, and it was the owner's boast — -after some years of ownership — that the horse had travelled on English roads the distance between John o' Groats and Land's End twenty times over. No doubt this was true, for the horse went many long journeys in the course of a year, and he was doing this work for many years, and carrying his owner with the local pack of hounds in the winter. The best performance we ever got through was io8 miles in two days, with a I3j-hands pony in a light trap, with two people in it ; but we have known of much longer journeys, and some years ago we re- member a friend driving an even smaller pony from Newmarket to Lichfield in a day. The great thing in touring is not to overdrive the horse. Let him settle down to his work and go his own pace, whatever it may happen to be. To attempt to get ten miles an hour out of a horse whose natural trotting pace is between eight and nine is to court disaster, and to hurry a horse up a hill, unless he is terribly lazy, is also very bad policy. A lazy horse, by the way, should never be taken on tour, for even if he is capable of doing the long journey the effort of driving him will take away all the driver's pleasure. Neither is a hard puller a good horse for touring, as he will probably take far too much out of himself at the first stage of the day, and be slack and unwilling all the afternoon. 51 H.M. THE KING LEAVING THE PARK. CHAPTER XXXV RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS IT has already been stated that the number of riders in this country is not so large as it once was, this being due to the fact that the necessity' for riding has in a great measure disappeared. But, after all, if there are fewer eques- trians to be seen on the high roads and lanes of the country, the ranks of fox- hunters have been enormously swelled, and the increase is at present continuous. Polo, too, has brought into being a new section of horsemen, and here, too, there is a steady increase in numbers. What is lacking are the old-fashioned riding par- ties of the summer time and the hundreds of people all over the country who rode daily, as a fair number of people still do in Rotten Row. No doubt there are many good reasons for the decline, and it is hardly necessary to mention the fact that the motor-car, and the dust which it raises, are serious difficulties in the way of the would-be equestrian ; but it is a fact that long before motors were invented there was a serious falling off, due principally to railways having opened out the country sufficiently to allow of many journeys being made by train that were formerly undertaken on horseback. The wish to ride a horse is, nevertheless, very deeply ingrained in the average man or woman of British or Irish birth, and even at the present day there are few country residents of position who have not ridden 39S RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 399 regularly at some period of their existence, even if they have never hunted. Probably a majority of the children of well-to-do parents, living in the country, are taught to ride ; but many of them do not go on with it, not because they do not like it, but because there are so many other recrea- tions to claim their attention. The Boer War revealed the fact that great numbers of athletic young men who had been brought up in the country did not know how to ride and were in a state of complete ignorance as to the manage- ment of horses. Since that time there has been some reaction, and at present a great effort is being made in many quarters to have men properly taught to ride. That every young man who is in a posi- tion to learn should do so is, one thinks, imperative ; but this is hardly the place for any discussion on the needs of the nation, or the future of cavalry, and it need only be stated that the lessons of the South African War point out very strongly how necessarv it is to have a strong force of mounted soldiers, no matter of what branch of the service they may be a part. Soldiers for horse artillery, cavalry, and even for mounted infantry, can, in times of peace, receive their instruction at the vari- ous depots, but when war is suddenly pro- claimed and an extra force of what are, practically, volunteers is required, then it is that the lack of knowledge of riding and horses makes itself so strongly felt, and this can be, and should be, guarded against. The Decline of Horse-Riding As things are now, a certain proportion of the upper and the upper middle classes know- how to ride ; also past and present officers and men who have served in cavalry, horse artillery, or yeomanry ; a fair number of farmers, some farm servants, a very large number of grooms, and also a limited num- ber of working men who have been engaged with horses, but have left them to follow some other occupation. Time was when nine out of every ten countrymen knew how to ride and manage a horse, while the number of townspeople who rode was very considerable. Now one may stand in the principal street of a country town all day long and not see a ridden horse, out of the hunting season, except a few carriage horses being exercised in the early morning. At Brighton, Scarborough, Harrogate, and others of the more important seaside watering places, there is still a little hacking done, but not a fiftieth part of what there was, say, thirty years ago, and the average townsman never gets on to a horse in the whole course of his life. The Need for Riding-schools It is a somewhat sad state of affairs for what is supposed to be a horsy nation, and yet there are two or three million horses in the country, and, as a natural conse- quence, a quite important percentage of the population must be constantly employed in driving, riding, or looking after horses. About the country children learning to ride, the conditions are as they always were, and those children who incline to horses will quickly learn, and will go on riding, while youngsters who do not appreciate the chances they have will turn to something else. In the towns, and especially in London, the case is different, and now it is almost im- possible for any town bred beginner, whether child or adult, to acquire the rudiments of horsemanship unless he goes to a riding- school. Luckily, there are many first-rate riding - schools in London, where instruc- tion of the fullest kind is given by experts, and an apt pupil can quickly become a fairly accomplished horseman. At one time the riding - school was rather held in derision by the country folk, who strongly favoured a rough-and-ready style of learning ; but as a nation grows older it learns many things, and of late years even accomplished cross-country riders have admitted that " school tuition " is an extraordinary help to finished horsemanship. The " International " Great evidence of what the schools can teach has been afforded at the Olympia exhibitions of the International Horse Show. The show in question was inaugu- 400 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE rated in 1907, and during that year and the three succeeding ones there were a considerable number of competitions in which the school-taught rider was seen to far greater advantage than the man whose practice had been almost entirely confined to riding across country behind a pack of hounds in the United Kingdom. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to state that these school-taught riders were for the most part foreigners — Frenchmen, Belgians, Italians, and so forth — and that their particular kind of horsemanship is regularly practised on the Continent, while it is comparatively new in this country. Yet the fact remains that though a small handful of English horsemen did hold their own with the large number of foreign offiicers and the few foreign civilians who visit Olympia, a majority of our show-ring riders were quite outclassed. Jumping Competitions It must be understood that the English division was not wanting in pluck ; but two things were apparent during the four years of the show ; first, that the English riders had had — we are speaking of the majority and not of the " handful " referred to above — little or no experience of this particular kind of riding ; and, secondly, that a big majority of the English horses were quite unaccustomed to the jumps they had to negotiate in the covered and some- what confined arena at Olympia. It is the case that in most of the European coun- tries show-ring jumping is a serious business, whereas in this coimtry it has until quite lately been looked upon as an episode, in- stituted chiefly as a draw for the crowd. Before the advent of the International there were jumping classes at a majority of the important shows, and at all the smaller country exhibitions of horses. But these competitions were held towards the end of the day, when the more serious busi- ness of the show was over, and in many instances only took place so that the " gate " might profit by them. The horses were, for the most part, broken-down screws of small value, who could jmnp the usual fences, but had no pretensions to go through a long run with hounds. Many were bad roarers, and one very successful horse some years ago had so weak a back that he was invariably ridden by a six-stone boy, who dismounted as soon as his round was over and was never on the horse's back for more than a few minutes at a time. Yet this horse was a fine fencer and a very frequent winner. A Tricky Jump Jumping competitions at English shows ai"e by no means a new thing, and the writer was very fond of taking part in them more than thirty years ago. At that date there was in some localities a natural course to be jumped, and occasionally good class hunters would be entered. The same sort of thing still takes place at Lord Tredegar's show in Wales, and from time to time attempts have been made to make jumping a fence or two imperative with regard to hunter classes — much as the " quaUfied hunter " classes are arranged at Olympia. We remember riding at one show in 1873, at Bellingham in Northumberland, when the hunters had to jump an artificial fence in front of the stand, and then go out of the show field over a natural fence, jump one or two more natural fences, and then return to the show ground. How many of these fences there were we cannot exactly remember, but one was an old thorn fence, which had been strengthened by a post and rails, and had a narrow occupation road beyond, and grass beyond that. The road had been laid with ashes, and was quite black, and two or three of the performers treated it as they might have done a water jump, and flew the whole obstacle, landing on the grass at the far side. Jumping con- tests, however, never appealed to the exhibitors of valuable show hunters, and for many years — except at Lord Tredegar's show — the jumping classes were confined to what may be called the professional show jumper. Improvement in English Jumping At the same time, it is evident that the lessons of Olj'uipia have gone home to a LIEUT. GODFREY BROOKS ON HARRIET. 402 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE large section of the horsy world, for there has been, during the last two or three years, a marked improvement in the jumping at the more important shows. Not only have the fences been better arranged, but a better class of horse has been entered, and at the Richmond Show of 1910 the per- formances were for the most part capital, and in the class for officers, jumping in pairs, very little fault could be found. The Olympia Jumps The show jumps at Olympia are all of them high, but as all are frequently cleared it cannot be said that they are unfair. It is the unaccustomed surround- ings which cause so many English horses to do badly. Horses which can jump a steeplechase course, or are capable of getting over a really " big " country with hounds, will often fail lamentably when brought into a crowded enclosure, where a band is playing and where there is a continuous buzz of conversation. Some of them are frightened by the brightly painted obstacles and the wings thereof ; others, again, do not like the noise and the crowd ; but the chief thing is that horses which have only been jumped in the open cannot, without a great deal of practice, accustom themselves to the nearness of the jumps to each other, and often miscalculate their take-off. One year a horse with a big reputation as a hunter in the Midlands knocked down every jump at Olympia. As a rule, he got far too near the obstacles and hit them in rising ; but this same horse jumped beautifully at Richmond a few days later, when on turf and with the fences a long way apart. We do not intend in any way to disparage the Olympia jumping contests, but merely to point out that it is absolutely useless to take the finest natural jumpers there unless they are thoroughly at home amid the noise of a crowd. Mr. Walter Winans's Jumpers Mr. \^'alter Winans, whose horses have won very many of the Olympia jumping prizes, has at Surrenden Park a school in which his 01\'mpia candidates are prepared. Here he brings the village band, and intro- duces a score of stable lads, who shout, sing, and make a terrible noise while the horse is going through his instruction. The place is lit up by electricity and the jumps placed so that the horse can accustom himself to their frequent recurrence, and get into the way of taking off at the right moment. Foreign Methods All the foreign horses which one sees at Olympia have been schooled in some similar fashion, and no horses are sent over here which are likely to be frightened by their surroundings or to misbehave in any way while they are in the ring. With the horse which is only jumped at the outdoor show this school teaching is not so neces- sary for the horse, but the school-taught rider is at an advantage in any jumping competition, for through long practice he has come to understand how to help his mount and how to act when anything out of the ordinary occurs. Those who have watched the best of the foreign officers going round will understand what is meant ; but it is rather difficult to explain. It is the case, though, that many of the best riders among the foreign contingent sit and grip their horses in different manner from the average English rider. The style of the last-named may be — probably is — the better for riding to hounds, where no two fences are alike ; but in show jumping the foreigners appear to extraordinary advantage, and this not because they have better horses, but because these animals have been more thorcjughly schooled, and because the riders have made a business of what in this country is merely a passing amusement. Necessity for School Training School riding among Continental nations plays a far larger and more important part in military training than it does in Great Britain, and the most successful school riders represent the French, Italian, Belgian, and other armies at Olympia. They are opposed by Englishmen who are fine horse- men, but who have had very little school training — at times none at all — and thus our RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 403 officers have not in the past been seen to great advantage. But certain cavahy regi- ments have taken the matter up, and in recent years officers of the i6th Lancers and one or two from the cavalry' school at Netheravon have fairly held their own. It is entirely a question of practice ; but prac- tice of this sort makes great inroads on time, and if men are playing polo all the summer, they have no great amount of time to devote to the school training of jumpers. The Olympia Fences The Olvmpia fences are, on the whole, fairly natural for an enclosure ; but some are distinctly artificial. The "piano " jimip — as it was frequentlv called — was not seen in 1910, nor the line of dummy soldiers ; but the bank is a silly kind of obstacle, and the wattle hurdle totally unlike anything one sees in the hunting field. The ordinary bushed hurdle, the gate, the double, and the wall are, on the other hand, fairly natural, and all of them are to be met with in the hunting field. Neither can fault be found with the poles, for though such a jump is never seen, it teaches a horse to spread himself. The double is supposed to have a line of rails between the two jumps, and such obstacles are constantly seen in hunt- ing. But they are very seldom jumped, though there are one or two well-known instances of horses getting over them all right. Few of the Olympia jumps are really new, and many of them have been in use at the country shows for several generations. In the late 'seventies we had the laying out of a jumping course, on grass, where the fences included a bushed hurdle, a swing- ing gate — not so high as that used at Olympia, but less readily knocked over — a wall built of dry stones — not wooden blocks — an in-and-out (the fences of which were rails about 3 feet high, and which necessi- tated a horse only making one step between the two jumps, which were about 12 feet apart), a water jump, and a bank. This particular in-and-out was modelled on what was frequently seen in that country — viz. two sets of posts and rails on either side of a young, growing hedge. The bank was also of the pattern to be found in the dis- trict, some 4 to 5 feet high, with a rail on the top and just sufficient room for a horse to land with his fore feet on the bank and go over the rail with a second jump. This bank is very common in the big grazing grounds of the Tynedale and Morpeth hunts, and horses quickly become accustomed to them. At times these banks are stone-faced, and afford very little foothold at the top ; but they are regularly jumped by hunting people — unless the rail has been replaced by a strand or two of barbed wire, and this one is obliged to admit is now very common. Besides the jumping at Olympia, the hack classes offer a premium to good school horsemanship, for many of the hacks which are shown, and all the competing officers' chargers, have been taught a certain amount of high-school business, and at times the performances are remarkably pretty. And in the charger classes English officers more than hold their own with Continental officers, \\hich is evidence that they would also do so in the " round the course " competitions if only they devoted more time and atten- tion to the special schooling which is neces- sary, both for them and their horses. The Horse Shows Horse - showing has become a real busi- ness in recent years, and now during the summer months a great number of people are working in connection with it all day long. Every variety of British and Irish horse is shown, and only during the three winter months is the " business," or pastime — it is not easy to find a suitable descriptive title — in abeyance. The season may be said to commence at Islington in March, and to continue right on tmtil November, when certain shows in South Wales are held. The Islington shows are four in num- ber, and are what may be called breed shows. The first, which occupies four days, is of Shire Horses, and this is succeeded in the following week by the Hackney Show, which also extends over four days. Then comes the show of the Hunters' Improve- ment Society, with which the show of the 404 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE CONFIDENCE TAKING A HIGH JUMP AT RICHMOND. King's Premium sires is affiliated, and this occupies three days. Last of all is the two days' show of the Polo and Riding Pony Society, making thirteen days of horse shows held during a period of three weeks. At these shows stallions, brood mares, foals, yearlings, and two- and three-year-olds are shown in hand, and as a rule the forenoons are occupied with these classes, while later in the day the finished article appears, and is seen in all its glory. Possibly the magni- ficent Shire horses are the most popular with the London crowd, but the Agricul- tural Hall at the beginning of March is not an ideal show ground, for it is draughty, and sometimes very cold. The tan from the ring, too, rises into the air, and troubles the eyes and nostrils ; but everything is atoned for by the grand quality of the exhibits, and economy must be studied, for the public do not visit the place in such numbers as are to be seen at Olympia three months later. The show of the Hackney Society is won- derfully well organised, and, when the time of year is considered, particularly attractive. It must be understood that for breed shows the dates are imperative, for sires begin their annual labours immediately after the spring shows, and would not be available at any other time. Besides hackneys hack- ney ponies are shown in great numbers at Islington ; but the attractive features of the spring show are the hackneys in har- ness, and the championships for stallions and brood mares. It has been explained that all hackney breeders have the show ring in view when making their breeding arrange- ments, just as all breeders of thorough- breds attempt to breed a Derby winner. The hackney being a horse for which there is a special, but somewhat limited, market, must, if he is a good horse, be brought to the notice of breeders, and also of likely buyers, and this is best done by sending him to Islington in the first place, and later in the year to other important shows. We may take it that unless they are temporarily amiss, a majority of the best-looking young hackneys in the country are sent to Islington. RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 4^5 There is a small handful of breeders who do not show, but they are so well known as to need little advertising, and as the names of the breeders appear in the catalogues it is a fairly simple matter to know whether the studs of men who do not exhibit are doing well or the reverse. One most suc- cessful breeder who does not show in these davs is Mr. Burdett Coutts, but the number of great harness prize-winners which have been brought up in his paddocks is extra- ordinar\', and this can be seen by a very cursory glance at the catalogues of the more important shows of the last few years. Harness classes at Islington seem to please the crowd, but the ring is too small for some horses, and a notable instance is ilr. Col- man's Authority, who at two or three Isling- ton shows would not settle down to trot, and yet at Richmond in 1910, in a ring four times the size of that at Islington, he gave one of the grandest exhibitions ever seen at a horse show. The first day of the Hunter Show is almost given over to the King's Premium sires. Twenty-eight of these King's pre- miums are given, each of £150, and the horses which win them are required to stand or travel in certain districts appointed by the Royal Commission on Horse Breeding, and to serve not fewer than fifty half-bred mares at a fee of £2 and 2s. 6d. to the groom. Twenty-eight premiums at £150 means £4,200, and at the moment this magnificent sum is all that is given by the Government towards the horse-breeding industry. The question has, however, roused much discus- sion of late, and many schemes have been prepared. What the outcome of the agita- tion may be it is impossible to say, but we think it necessary to state plainly that hitherto the small horse-breeder has had practically no help from the State, whereas in France, and all other Continental coun- tries, huge sums are granted each year and so cleverly distributed that the small breeder profits very largely. But if the sum of £4,200 is a very small one — it should be ^ 5^^^^ M V^ WKmJL. ^ ^z. ^^ J . ^ \ , ' 1 "i 3. - w*. 9 i^K'^^B E^^^H^H^H wLtH ^ww^ "l /j*C*f .^a^mtJ^lk r^»' —•■ffi^^ ' - f^* ii* •^^ >^^ m W S*sr ''^ '■•->»9 W^ - - " '" .S:^- "TTTWB ir* »?■''>«■ •,*' r""^ ttfjF, „ ^.f ^ *if . <;** Nd ""Vi r ^ ^^ 1 L 1 52 LIEUT. GIORGIO BIANCHETTI ON MONTEBELLO. 4o6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE mentioned that there is also a grant of about £2,000 to Ireland, which takes the form of racing prizes, called King's Plates — it is very wisely distributed by the members of the Royal Commission. The twenty-eight sires are most carefully chosen from a very much larger number. As a general thing, there are upwards of a hundred sent to Islington to choose from, and they are judged by men who are ex- perienced not only in thoroughbreds, but in himter breeding. The prizes are given for thoroughbred stallions only, so that no " hunter bred " horse is eligible. This is a very wise rule, for, as has been stated in an earlier part of this work, the mating of a half-bred sire with a half-bred mare is a very risky business, and thoroughbred mares are very seldom to be found at the farms or holdings of those who avail them- selves of the services of the Premium horses. Selection in Mating The idea of the King's Premium sires is to improve the half - bred stock of the country, and this can be done in no other way than by introducing pure blood. The man who puts a mare to a King's Premium horse in nineteen cases out of twenty is attempting to breed a hunter, for he knows that if success attends his mating there is the chance of his obtaining a fair price for the produce. It is little use mating \'er3' common nags with a thoroughbred, or very undersized ones. A well-made cob mare may breed a hunter, but the alliance of a thoroughbred and a real pony (that is to say, a pony with some real pony blood in it) will probably pro- duce an animal that is too small to be of much value. The Dales ponies in the north-western district of Yorkshire and the western part of Durham were a generation or two ago greatly improved as to size and strength by a mixture of pure blood, derived from The Spy and other horses from the Streatlam stud of the late Mr. John Bowes ; but even then they did not change their appearance after a single cross of pure blood, and are now thicker and stronger than ever, but still very short of quality. Soundness of Premium Sires The above is, however, a digression, and, to return to the Premium sires, every horse which is sent to the annual show at Isling- ton has to undergo a rigorous veterinary examination. Roaring, whistling, ring-bone, unsound feet, navicular disease, bone spavin, and cataract all disqualify a horse, and the board of examiners includes some of the greatest celebrities of the veterinary pro- fession. In fact, it is practically impos- sible for an unsound horse to win one of the premiums, and thus it is absolutely certain that in a limited way — because of the small number of Premium stallions — great benefit must accrue to the country breeder. '^ Moreover, the racing performances of all the candidates are taken into considera- tion. In the catalogue a brief memorandum of these performances must be set out, and though full particulars are not given, the judges, even if they do not remember the horses and their fonn when on the turf, have something to go by. It would be better, no doubt, if these performances were tabulated more elaborately than they are, for, as a rule, the descriptive matter is very vague, as, for example : "In training two years. As a two-year-old placed once ; as a three-year old won once, and placed four times. On the Flat." Or: "As a four-year- old placed second twice ; as a five-year-old won five races and placed 3rd twice. Over hurdles and across country. In training for four years." This style of description gives little information as to what the horse's class was in his running days, and it would be better if it were indicated what races had been won by each horse. At times some very smart performers are among the com- petitors : horses which have won good handicaps, or important weight for age events ; and Curio, who won the New- market Stakes in 1892, and was placed in the Two Thousand of the same year, may be quoted as a high-class race-horse which afterwards won King's Premiums, and has RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 407 been a very successful sire of hunters ; but j-ear after year the Ust is very incomplete in this direction, there being nothing to show which of the competitors was a good class performer and which a very moderate selling plater. At times horses are shown which have never won a race of any sort, and the catalogue always includes a fair number of animals which have never been in training, but of late years the judges have shown marked preference for the good, or fairly good, performers, and a horse which has not been trained must be very good- looking and exceedingly well-bred before he can secure a prize. It is, of course, quite possible that a horse which could not be trained, or was too slow to be a winner, may yet be able to sire good half-bred stock ; but there have at times been great failures among the good-looking horses which had not been raced, and most certainly the chances are that better stock will be bred from a racer of some note than from a horse which was never trained. With thorough- bred mares the case is different, many great horses having been bred from the poorest of platers, and a fair number from animals which had not been trained. Uncertainty of Breeding Results To the small breeder in many districts the King's Premium sire is a great boon, and all over the country high-class hunters have been bred from these horses. There are, as a matter of course, many failures, but these are always occurring in every sort of stock breeding, and the produce, of a sire and dam who have both won the Derby may be a complete failure from a racing point of view. On the other hand, the thoroughbred who is mated with half-bred stock at times sires a fair percentage of smart animals ; but much depends upon the district in which he is located, for in one neighbourhood the mares may be of much better stamp than those in another. King's Premium sires perhaps do best in the Midlands and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire, for hunter breeding ha^s tilways been carried on in those parts, and the farmer and others know exactly what sort of mare to breed from. In other localities we have known of a King's Premium sire being mated with rather common mares, used for gig work or tradesmen's carts, with cobs, light-cart mares, and, in fact, with all sorts of animals which had no pretensions to brood mare status. Not one in ten of the mares sent to a certain horse we have in mind looked like breeding a hunter, and yet the sire in question was responsible for a fair number of hunter-like animals, the best of which were very good indeed. In many districts the average farmer who tries to breed a foal or two every year will use any horse that comes to hand. We once knew the owner of a 15- hand mare, who was driven in harness, ridden at times, and who did a lot of light carting. She was a good breeder, and in four following years her owner put her to a hackney pony, to a cart-horse, to a thorough- bred, and then to a half-bred cob. She foaled to each of them, and when all four were grown up the heights took a range of nearly 4 hands, the animal by the cart- horse being just on 17 hands, while the pro- duce of the hackney pony was only a fraction over 13 hands. The last-named was a capital harness pony, however, and what he lacked in height he made up for in strength and constitution. The filly by the half-bred cob was a useless, under-bred brute ; the animal by the cart-horse had not sufficient bone to carry his big frame ; but the produce of the thoroughbred was a useful hunter for two or three seasons, when he went wrong in his wind. He was a big jumper, and was ridden by a huntsman for a couple of seasons. By the time the breeder had gained a little experience he lost his mare through an accident ; but from that day until quite lately he bred hunters with a fair amount of success. Where the Premium Sires Go The King's Premium sires are sent all over the country. Three are in the Home and Eastern Counties, the district (A) includ- ing Bedfordshire, Bucks, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Huntingdon, Middlesex, Oxford, Nor- folk, and Suffolk. Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland, and Westmorland also 4o8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE have three horses amongst them, this being District B ; while the Midlands (District C) also have three, for the counties of Derby, Leicester, Lincolnshire, Northants, Notting- ham, and Rutland. District D is a very large one in area, extending all along the southern seaboard. It includes Surrey, Berks, and also Kent, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall, as well as the county of \^'ilts. For this big district five horses are allowed, and it will easily be understood that four times the number would not be too many. District E includes the whole of Yorkshire, and has four horses allotted to it ; and District F, which also has four horses, means the Western Midlands and South Wales, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Monmouth, and half a dozen Welsh counties as well. District G — Cheshire, Lancashire, and North Wales — ^has three horses ; and District H — Roxburgh, Ber- wickshire and district — one ; while Fife- shire also has one and Forfarshire one. No doubt the scheme is wonderfully well mapped out, and is excellent so far as it goes ; but it is not comprehensive enough, for twenty-eight horses cannot possibly travel all over the kingdom, and cannot possibly serve more than a very limited num- ber of mares. It is to be hoped that when a Government grant is forthcoming an increase in the number of thoroughbred sires will be made. The Hunter Show The second and third days of the Hunter Show (at Islington) are given over to the hunter in embryo, and the finished article which is ridden before the judges. There are no brood mare classes at this show ; but there is always a class for hunter sires registered in the Hunter Stud Book, and lately these classes have been better sup- ported than they once were. The regis- tered hunter sire, who is not exactly a thoroughbred, but has three or four crosses of pure blood, has made some headway of late, and there are those who think that for many mares he is an improvement on the thoroughbred horse. It is a matter which causes great difference of opinion, and there are hundreds of hunting people in all parts of the kingdom who object very strongly to the idea of using any other sire than a thoroughbred. This is not the place to thresh out the question ; but we may point out that such sires should do well when mated with mares which are really thorough- bred, or very nearly so. but not with those which have only one cross or two of pure blood. The idea of the hunter sire is to give additional size, bone, and strength ; but thoroughbred bone, though smaller than half-bred bone, is much stronger, and thoroughbred vitality is almost essential for horses which have to do eight or nine hours in the hunting field without a rest or a feed. There is no need to pursue the subject farther, but we think it very im- probable that the half-bred sire will ever depose the thoroughbred where the breeding of hunters is concerned. The Produce Class for Hunters A class with which we are much more in sympathy is the produce class for the best group of young horses — one, two, or three years old — by the same thoroughbred or registered hunter sire ; for this always brings out some very smart young stock and gives hunter breeders the chance of com- paring the produce of different sires. In this class in 1910 groups sired by eleven different horses were shown, and the class was a very fine one. Hunter-bred colts, two and three years old ; yearlings of either sex ; two- and three-year-old geldings and fillies ; and, in fact, young hunters of ever}' age are shown, and nearly all are bred in England. Indeed, great country as Ireland is for hunter-breeding, it does not send young stock to the annual show at Islington. In all probability the distance is too far and the expense too great. Anyhow, Irish breeders are hardly represented at all in the breeding classes ; but, on the other hand, a fair share of the prizes in the riding classes go to horses which were foaled on the other side of the Irish Channel and have since been sent over to this country. The riding classes for hunters at Islington are more RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 409 comprehensive than those at many of the shows which come later in the year, and because the Islington show is the leading show of hunters in the kingdom, there- fore its lead is as far as possible followed by other shows. Four-year-old mares have a class to themselves, and so also have four-year-old geldings, and there is, chief object of the society in its prizes for ready-made hunters is to encourage the showing of young stock. Four-year-olds have, for example, three classes to them- selves. There is a class in which five-year- old mares can compete, and three classes, divided as to weight, but in which no horse older than seven years is eligible. The JUDGING HUNTERS AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL SHOW. in addition, a class for four-year-olds of either sex. Then there is a class for mares five years old and upwards, and a class for mares or geldings, five, six, or seven j-ears old, not to carry more than 13 stone 7 pounds. This is fo lowed by a class for mares or geldings, five, six, or seven years old, to carry over 13 stone 7 pounds, and under 15 stone. Lastly comes a class with the same conditions as to age, but for horses up to 15 stone and upwards. There is also a Champion prize for the best hunter in all the classes which have been enumerated. It will be seen from the above that the ^•eteran show hunter is thus debarred, so that young horses may have a chance of dis- tinguishing themselves, and this is distinct encouragement to breeders. It has often happened that many of the prize-winners at this show have been the property of Mid- land dealers, but these people take the trouble to find the really good-looking and well-bred horses, and doubtless have often to pay the breeder a fairly long price. They have also to school and make the nags, get them into show condition, and, in fact, convert the raw' material into the finished article. They are therefore fully entitled to any success they may achieve. Study of 410 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE an Islington catalogue shows that a con- siderable number of the horses exhibited in any one year have been bred in Ireland ; in a majority of instances the pedigrees are given, but the majority is not a very large one, and quite a big number of horses are shown about which no particulars as to breeding are forthcoming. Most of these " unknowns " have come from Ireland, and there would appear to be great carelessness on the part of Irish breeders in the matter of pedigree, or such vagueness that the purchaser will not accept what is given, and prefers to show without particulars of breeding rather than to put forward a pedigree which he knows to be doubtful. Hunters at Islington These hunters are only shown for appear- ance and manners. No other test is afforded at Islington, and capability to go over a country has to be taken as a matter of course. Not that there is any reason for doubt, as, if properly ridden, ninety-nine horses out of a hundred, of hunter type, will go over a country well enough. What the Islington show does is to set the type, so that breeders and owners who wish to exhibit can see for themselves the style of horse which is capable of winning. As a rule, the judges ride all the best in each class, and this is the very best way to test a horse, especially with regard to his shoul- ders. As a rule, the standard at this Islington show is very high, and the horses which win the prizes generally follow up their successes at the later shows. Horses with really bad manners are seldom sho\Mi at Islington — though common enough at the country shows — and really plain horses are never seen, for the man who is inexperi- enced in showing, but ignorant of the class of his horses, chooses another place. There was a time when horse-showing was not the business it has gradually become, when horses of every description were shown. A hunter class would include half a dozen horses of hunter cut, and as many more plain, thiee-cornered, underbred brutes, who had absolutely no pretensions to be seen at even a village show ; but those days are over, and only good-looking, good-mannered nags can get into the prize list at any show of importance. At one time at some of the local shows local men were asked to judge, and very often judges were chosen not because they had great knowledge of horses, but because they were the important per- sonages of a district. We have a distinct recollection of a hunter class judged by two of these worthies, and of a first prize being given to a horse which spent all its life pulling an old lady's brougham. The horse was not a hunter, had never been intended for a hunter, but had been driven for several years. Its owner was abroad, and her coachman entered it for the show and won first prize, beating at least four valuable hunters, which were not only previous winners, but were known to be first-rate performers across country. The Polo Pony Show Immediately after the Hunter Show comes that of the Polo and Riding Pony Society, to which some reference has been made in the chapter which deals with polo ponies. Breeding classes are again very numerous, and brood mares, with foals, are shown, as well as stallions and young stock of every description. There is also a pro- duce class, classes for Welsh mountain pony stallions and mares, and for Shetland stal- lions, mares, colts, and fillies. There is also a class for Eastern sires and for polo ponies bred on Stud Book lines ; while the open classes for ponies fit to be played are divided into light weights and heavy weights. This show is a comparatively young one, having only been established in iSyi) ; but it has done an enormous amount of good, and invariably brings out the best breeding stock in the kingdom. It has special significance, too, because it is far the most important polo pony show of the year, and this is due to the fact that when the summer shows are in full swing polo ponies are hard at work playing polo. Hunters, on the other hand, have nothing to do in the summer, and if an owner cares to get them up for showing there is no inter- ference with their work. Polo ponies, how- RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 411 ever, can be got fit for the Islington show, which is held early in March, many weeks before polo is due to begin, and can after- wards go into training with a view to being plaved. The classes of ponies ridden in the ring, and which have to bend, twist, turn, pull up short, and so forth, are always strong, whereas later in the year there is some difficulty in filling such classes — ■ except at the annual shows at the Hurling- ham, Ranelagh, and Roehampton clubs. Both at the Hunter and at the Polo Pony Shows at Islington there are jumping classes to finish the day ; but these are in a great measure put on the programmes with a view to helping the " gate," and the horses and ponies which take part in them are not the same animals which have competed in the ordinary classes. At the polo show there are also turning competitions, musical chairs, and other games, such as are to be seen at a gymkhana ; but here again it is the " gate," and not altogether the inter- ests of the breed, which is being considered. The Olympia Show Besides the three breed shows at Isling- ton, Londoners now have the International Show at Olympia, and the Richmond Show immediately afterwards. The first-named has outlived the criticism ^^o which it was at first subjected. It is, in truth, a won- derful exhibition of horses ; but its chief aim is to show the very best animals in their most attractive guise. Thus it caters for the finished article rather than the horse in embryo, and its success has been extraordinary. It has many things in its favour, and notably the setting of the picture is so beautifully carried out that the eye of the visitor is charmed at once. There were at first many horse lovers who strongly objected to horses being shown in a garden, but their opinions have been changed entireh% and now one hears nothing but approval of the Olympia methods ; and truly the charming surroundings are vastly more comfortable than the bare and draughty Agricultural Hall, where the spring shows are held. At the last- named place it is often bitterly cold in early ;\Iarch, whereas the Olympia show is held in June, and thus has a big advantage. The huge hall is decorated with great taste, all unsightliness is concealed behind gor- geous scenic effects, and the place is thoroughly comfortable. But the one great point which Olympia has made — and which is impossible at Islington — is that it has taught the public to enjoy an indoor show. Day after day they come in their thousands, pay high prices for comfortable seats, and go away delighted with what they have seen. It has taught the public, too, that horses of every breed were never better than they are just now, and it gives not only Londoners, but thousands of country people, a chance of seeing the very best. It appeals also to horsy people of a lower social standing, for it includes man}' classes for vanners, for cabs (both four- wheelers and hansoms), and for costers' donkeys. It is also, to some extent, a military display, and mounted policemen are not forgotten. Every variety of horse and every class of visitor is catered for, and — which is perhaps most important of all — iidmirable time is kept. At many English shows the judging is terribly spun out, but at Olympia there is a time table, which is strictly adhered to, and yet the judging is, on the whole, just as good as it is else- where. The plan of having three judges for each class is adopted, so that if two of them disagree as to the merits of any particular horse there is always a deciding vote. In other words, there is always an umpire, and this does away with the frequent necessity — which obtains at other shows — of a man being called in from outside. The Driving Classes Barring the jumping competitions, of which mention has already been made, perhaps the driving classes are the most attractive of any seen at the International. In these are exhibited the very best of English and American show horses, and the competitions are stoutly fought amidst great excitement. No such collections of harness horses are ever got together else- where, and probably no better built or 4i: THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE smarter carriages are seen at any other show — in this country, at all events. It happens, as a matter of course, that many of the best horses come into the ring day after day, now in single, now in double harness ; at times driven tandem fashion, and again in the appointment classes. But this is really a good thing, for there are two distinct crowds — one in the afternoon and another in the evening of each day — and this great variety of classes affords the chance of many lots of visitors seeing the greatest prize-winners of the show. Probably the four-in-hand competitions command the best attendance ; but no matter how the show is looked at, the broad fact remains that it has now become one of the great attractions of the London season, and that it draws all sorts and conditions of country people to the metropolis, just as the Dubhn show attracts men and women from every corner of Ireland to the capital. Breeding classes were pretty numerous at the first two shows of the International ; but it was soon discovered that they did not attract, and they have gradually disappeared from the programmes. There has been, on the other hand, a marked increase in the number of riding classes, and this en- couragement of the park hack has almost certainly been productive of an increase in the number of regular riders in Rotten Row. The classes for children's ponies have been increased, too, and are now strong numeric- ally, excellent in quality, and very popular with the crowd. Indeed, the popularity of Ol^TTipia is beyond question, and year after year new features are forthcoming, which seldom fail to " catch on." To Lord Lonsdale, Sir Gilbert Greenall, and to other members of the Olympia executive, the horsy public owes a deep debt of gratitude, and perhaps most of all to Mr. Frank Euren, who is the secretary of the show and also of the Hackney Horse Society. It was Mr. Euren and the council of the Hackney Horse Society who first conceived the idea of the International, and Mr. Euren has visited all the best Continental and American shows with a view to enlarging the scope of Olympia by adopting all the best features of the foreign executives. JUDGING RIDING HORSES AT OLYMPIA. r SUFFOLK HORSFS. From II piiinlmi; In- fhinUifihcr Chirk, R I JUMPING AT RICHMOND : LIEUT. W. MACNEILL ON KITTEN. CHAPTER XXXVI RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS {continued) RICH:\I0ND show, in a manner, holds a unique position amongst Enghsh horse shows. It is a two days' affair, held in the Old Deer Park, and it possesses the largest and best natural show ring in the kingdom. Whether it is actually larger than the ring at the ill-fated Park Royal, where " The Royal " pitched its tents fur two or three seasons, we do not know. The ring at Park Royal was a large one, but we alwa\'s thought the Richmond ring superior, both in form and in affording a better view to a great number of people. As at Olympia, the finished article is the great card at Richmond, and special features of the show are the hunter and hack classes. Of these there is a great variety. In the big ring hunters can be galloped at a rate of speed which is impossible at Islington or Olvmpia. 53 " 4 Thus it happens at times — but not very frequently — that horses which have been beaten at the shows held indoors will turn the tables on their former conquerors, merely because they have more room to gallop in and are able to show their powers better than in the more confined area of the metropoUtan exhibitions. At Rich- mond a judge of hunters, who rides the best of each class, can find out much more about the animals he rides than he can do in a small, tan-laid ring, and for this reason the Richmcjnd hunter classes are immensely popular with exhibitors. In a hack great pace is not a necessity, trotting and canter- ing— especially the latter — being chieiiy taken into account ; but the hacks at Richmond can be better apprised by the public than they can indoors, and year 414 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE after year a very grand collection of these horses is forthcoming. During the after- noon harness classes, coaching competi- tions, and jumping occupy the time, and the same argument which has been set forth about the hunters holds good with the harness classes, perhaps more especially in the pace and action class. Even among hackneys, however, the big ring at times alters previous judgments, and in 1910 there was a notable instance, when Mr. Nigel Colman's Authority won the championship for single - harness horses. Authority at the London shows had " broken " so frequently in his trot for two or three seasons that he had won prac- tically nothing, though a great performer in leather when he first came out. At Richmond, driven by Mr. Butcher, of Bristol, he went in totally different form, laying him- self out on the grass track in a style which many of his admirers thought he had lost, and taking all the single-harness honours. Other Shows Besides the shows which have been men- tioned, there are many others within easy reach of London ; but it is not necessary to mention them all. Reigate has a good ring, and attracts the best hunters and carriage horses ; and there is always plenty of quality at the East Berks show at Haw- thorn Hill. But not many outdoor horse shows stand on the same plane as Rich- mond, the three most notable ones being the Royal, Peterborough, and the York- shire. At these three shows the quality is excellent, and all three have much greater scope than Richmond, having breeding classes, both of hunters and Hackneys, as well as competitions for older horses. The Royal, it need hardly be said, is an agri- cultural show, which, as far as the stock classes are concerned, extends over four days. It is, perhaps, a better show of breeding animals than of made hunters, though the best of the year are generally taken there. But many owners object to having their horses so long away from home, and some even miss the Royal, while showing at Olympia, Richmond, and other places where the show is of shorter dura- tion. As regards cattle, sheep, pigs, and so forth, the Royal show is far the greatest and most important of the year ; but in the classes for horses Peterborough and the Yorkshire are probably quite as good. Peterborough is a three days' affair, and here are seen every year wonderful classes of hunter brood mares and young stock of every age, as well as all the best show hunters. Islington, Olympia, and Rich- mond champions almost invariably attempt to add to their honours at Peterborough, and this applies not only to hunters, but to Hackneys also. Hack classes there are, too, but not so many as at Richmond and Olympia, which shows undoubtedly stand first as far as hacks are concerned. Shire horses also are a great feature of Peter- borough, and the show is much on a par with the Yorkshire, which, like the Royal, is also a movable affair, but confined to the county of broad acres. The Lancashire is another good show, especially of Shire horses, and some of the county fixtures take a high place ; but most of them are agricultural as well as horse shows. Of the latter there are a fair number of one- day affairs scattered all over the country, and one of the best is held at Bath in the early autumn ; while late in the year there is an excellent show at Cardiff. But only those shows which are strong financially, and situated in a breeding district, can cater for breeding classes, which only interest a small proportion of the visitors and do not greatly attract the general public. District Shows There are also in many parts of the coun- try shows of mares and foals, and at times of entire horses — generally the heavy breeds. These district shows are entirely organised with a \iew to improving the breed, and are exceedingly useful. They are small, local, and conducted at little or no expense, and very often are not reported in the news- papers. In 1909 we were present at two of them. At one a local cart-horse society, of which nearly all the members were tenant farmers, offered a prize of £100 for the RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 415 services of a Clydesdale stallion to travel their districts, and the horses had to be paraded and one chosen on a certain day. Some seven or eight horses were sent, and duly judged, in the presence of perhaps 130 people. The whole thing was per- fectly simple, but nevertheless very signifi- cant, for it meant that a certain group of tenant farmers were determined to use a good horse, and by combining were able to command the services of one. The other little show was in connection with a hunt, and the prizes were nearly all offered by a master of hounds. Here there were two classes of brood mares, and two classes of foals — cart mares in one class and light mares in the other. There was no pomp and circumstance in this show, and no ex- pense except that of the prize-giver ; but some sixty animals were brought from the immediate district, and a great success was achieved. Year by year this class of show is gaining in numbers, and it may be said to foma a sort of groundwork of horse showing, for it involves no expense on the part of the exhibitor and yet must do much to improve each particular breed of horse. Hunt shows of many varieties are now quite common and do great good in every district where they are held, and if a new beginner is suc- cessful at one of them he is encouraged to take his animal to a more important fixture. Importance of Shows We have thought it necessary to write at some length on horse shows, because at the present day they play a very important part in the world of horses. Showing horses is not only a business, but a pastime, and year by year it is making great head- way all over the country. At certain studs of Shire horses the show ring is the chief objective with every young animal that is bred. To breeders of Hackneys the same thing applies, and, indeed, it is probable that if there were no horse shows pedigree Hackneys would soon cease to exist. Hack- ney ponies, too, are bred in the first place for fhe show ring, and scores of well-bred hacks would not be so carefully looked for. and trained when found, if it were not for their chance of winning valuable prizes. Record Winnings Enormous prices are now secured for the best of every breed, whether it be Shires, Hackneys, hunters or ponies, and clever men who make a real business of showing can win considerable sums of money at it. Mr. Walter Winans was credited with over £1,365 at the 1910 Olympia show, and at the same show Judge IMoore, of New York, won prizes amounting to £1,332 los. On the same occasion Lieut. Godfrey Brooks, of the 1 6th Lancers, took £.')00 with his jumpers ; Messrs. Crow and Murray, of Toronto, won £325 i6s. 8d., with jumpers ; Mr. W. Foster, £370, with his Hackney ponies ; Lieut. Le Clerc (France), £202 los. ; Mr. Loewenstein (Belgium), £230 17s. 2d., both aggregates being won in jumping prizes ; M. Riant (France), £340, also won with jumpers ; and Lieut. Ripet, £289 i6s. 8d. Broadwood's Winnings At the Peterborough show in 1910 we were told that the champion hunter, Broad- wood, whose owner lives at Harrogate, had been sent to London for the fortnight which covers the Olympia and Richmond shows, and that during that time he won £400 in money and cups. Of course. Broad- wood is an exceptional horse, but he is quoted in order to prove that if an exhibitor is lucky enough to get hold of a really good one he is sure of a fair return for his money. At the moment we have no hesi- tation in writing that Broadwood has won over £1,000, and he is still only seven years old. Such Hackneys as Cokers Rosador and Proserpine have also won an enormous sum in prize money, and some of the winning jumpers at Olympia have big amounts to their credit. As a matter of course, prizes vary very greatly in value, and where one show can afford to give a £100 for a champion prize another gives £20, or even less, but very many of the prize lists have been increased in recent years, for the fact is the public are taking 4i6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE far more interest in horse showing than they used to do, and " gates " are bigger than they formerly were. Where horses are part of an agricultural show the prizes must be regulated with those given for agricul- tural stock, but a show which is only for horses can go on adding to its prize list as long as public support continues to in- achieved by Lieut. Brooks, who took four prizes only, but won a total of £500. This would pay better than running horses in the average steeplechase, and would cost very much less. It can be readily under- stood that now when jumping prizes are of great value at many shows the training of jumpers is becoming a regular business Phoh^^r.i/'h by S/'ort JUDGING HUNTER GELDINGS AT DUBLIN. crease, though, of course, much depends upon the weather. The figures given above as regards Olympia are very instructive. Olympia is, it need hardly be said, the richest show of the year, and naturally far larger amounts can be won there than at the country shows. In- deed, besides the winners which have been given, there were nineteen other exhibitors who took over ;fioo apiece, and two exhibi- tions of four-in-hands were included among them — viz. Mr. E. H. Brown, of Roehampton, who for many years ran the Dorking " Per- severance " coach, and Mr. Alfred Vander- bilt. Mr. Brown won ;£28o in three prizes, and Mr. Vanderbilt /160 in two prizes. Perhaps the most wonderful total was that among certain exhibitors — just as it has been for many years among certain of the Continental nations. And doubtless in time to come there will be an increase of the best sort of English show jumpers, schooled on what mav be termed Continental lines. At present this particular business is in this country confined to a handful of military officers, and to an even smaller handful of civilians. But it is making steady and distinct progress, and as time goes on valuable horses will be apprenticed to it, and, if the results are satisfactory, brought out at 01}TTipia and other important shows. It is certain, too, that the fancy for exhibit- ing high-class harness horses is steadily increasing. As a rule, the exhibitors of RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 417 these animals are possessed uf ample means, or are dealers of high standing, who are wishful of obtaining good prices for horses with st\le and action. But the amateur exhibitor of harness horses is at present in a majority, and he it is who is hkely to increase numerically, there being a great deal of fascination not only in showing grand trappers, but in the preliminary work of matching and training. We must not leave the subject of horse shows without making mention of the great show which is held at Dublin towards the end of August. This is in many respects the greatest horse show of the year, for in the matter of numbers it exceeds all the English shows. But very often it is a case of quantity rather than of quality, a big majority of the entries being sent to the show for sale rather than because they are likely to win a prize. Hundreds of young hunters are brought before the public, and practically all of them are on sale. Glasses at Dublin Some of the classes are enormous, so that the work of the judges is at times very hard, though a quick judge can soon pick out horses which are not up to the mark, and have them sent out of the judging ring. There are at this show various classes for thoroughbreds, and a fair number of harness horses are shown ; but it is more a show of the ready-made hunter than of any other sort of horse, and a great number of these are always bought by the English dealers, and a cer- tain smaller number by amateurs who are incHned to trust their own judgment. Four- year-olds and five-year-olds are generally better than the older horses, and much more freely sold ; the fact is that the agents of English buyers of hunters visit all the Irish fairs, no matter at what time of year they are held, and buy whenever they can. There is, in consequence, a constant drain on young Irish stock, and it is surmised that many of the older hunters sent to Dublin have been submitted to English buyers before, and have failed to change hands. There is some truth in this, and it is a fact that winners of hunter prizes at the Dublin show, if bought by English buyers, frequently do not win much at the best English shows of the following year. Many of them, naturally, go into the hands of men who buy the horses to hunt them, and who do not care about showing. Many, indeed, never see the inside of a show ring again, but others which have been successful have in the following year occasionally been unable to hold their own, and are frequently beaten by Irish-bred horses which had never been to Dublin, but had been bought out of the country by English dealers as four-year-olds. Bargains at Dublin At times, however, great bargains are secured at the Dublin show. A horse may be hunter-like and yet not quite good-looking enough to win a prize. Some of the best, too, may be wanting in manners, and yet having great galloping and jumping capa- bility, and will settle down into first-rate hunters when they have had more practice. On the earlier days of the show large sums are often asked for horses which hardly appear to be first rate ; but as the week wears on prices come down and an instance of a lucky deal for the buyer may be given. The buyer in question was an English hunt- ing man, a very daring horseman, and very powerful. Early in the show he took a fancy to a horse which had shown temper in the ring, and after several days of bar- gaining he bought it on the last day for the very low figure of £36. The owner had sold two others pretty well, and was doubt- less glad to get rid of a horse which was evidently difficult to ride. During the fol- lowing season the horse's new owner gave the nag about three days a fortnight with hounds ; but even then he was hardly tamed, and a course of training made him pull harder than ever. In the spring he won a confined point to point, an open point to point, and thirdly a hunt steeplechase, all within the space of three weeks. Offers to buy him came in, and at £500 he changed hands. His new owner had a lot of trouble 4i8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE with him, however, and tinding he could not hold him, passed him on at a big loss to certain hunt stables, and here for two or three seasons he did the work of two horses. He was a great performer in the hands of a man who could hold him, and though not altogether a satisfactory horse, a wonderful Dublin show bargain. Jump- ing classes are a great feature of the Dublin shows, and in 1910 competitions for military officers were well supported. The Question of Judges One of the difficulties which promoters of horse shows have to contend with is the securing of competent judges. This is by no means a simple matter, for there are no professional judges, and many of the greatest experts of horseflesh do not care about the job. It is not diplomatic to ask horse dealers to judge, and many exhibitors object to veterinary surgeons as judges. In fact, to ensure public respect, the judge must be an amateur who is not likely to be influenced by the surroundings he may find himself in. At all the big shows, or at least at a majority of them, judges who live in a distant part of the country are preferred, and in local shows a strange judge is also chosen when possible ; it is not that local judges are distrusted, but because exhibitors prefer their animals to be judged by a man who has probably seen none of them before, rather than a neighbour, who may be acquainted with every horse in a class. As hunter judges, masters of hounds are in great demand, but it does not follow- that a man must be a good judge of horses because he is a master of a pack of hounds, and there have been cases in which this class of judge has signally failed. The plan of having one or three judges perhaps works better than when there are two judges for each class. The single judge must, of course, have a big reputation, and when this is con- ceded he has only to please himself. Where there are two judges there are, at times, frequent disagreements of opinion, with the result that an umpire has to be called in ; but when there is a bench of three the third man can give a casting vote. In the judging of hacks and hunters it is customary — but not actually necessary — for one or both of the judges to ride a fair proportion of the horses which they consider to be the best in each class, and when this is done a much firmer opinion can be formed as to what a horse's mouth, shoulders, and action are like. Many horses have won prizes after being ridden which would hardly otherwise have done so, and, on the whole, the custom is one which meets with approval. Why Young Judges are Chosen But when judges are being chosen the elderly man of ripe experience is often passed over, just because it is thought that he may not care to ride strange horses in a public ring ; and thus it happens that the average judge of hunters and hacks is, as a rule, a youngish man, and very often a light weight. M'hen there is more than one judge at a hunter show one of the judges should be a big man and the other a light weight, because in judging hunters nine men out of ten are inclined — quite un- wittingly— to go for the horse which they think would carry them best. In a mixed class light-weight judges frequently ignore the bigger, heavy-weight horses, and on one occasion, when two middle-aged, big men were judging a large class of hunters, in which there were no conditions as to weight, all the prizes went to weight carriers, in spite of the fact that there was a horse in the class which had won innumerable light-weight prizes. Judges in Harness Classes In breeding classes older men often officiate as judges, and, when possible, those who have had a good deal of experience in breeding are chosen. Judges of harness horses are most frequently amateurs who have distinguished themselves by winning prizes. Such men must necessarily have the eye that picks out the best, and it is their own success in the ring that causes them to be asked to judge. But only very seldom do we see judges in harness classes who drive the best of the exhibits. At times a judge will take a horse or two round, but RIDING AND HORSE SHOWS 419 it is seldom done, and thus it happens that in these classes some three or four very excellent whips show horses w'hich find their way into the prize Ust time after time. There is a great art in showing horses, and a no\ice, no matter how good a rider or driver he may be in an ordinary way, is often beaten merely because he cannot get the best possible out of the animal he is exhibiting. Many horses have been shown with great success by lady riders, and in the hunter and hack classes at all the great shows the same men and women will be seen showing horses all day long. These riders are experts at showing. Very often they own no horses which are at the show, but they get chances of plenty of riding, and the very fact of their coming in on someone else's horse shows that a good opinion has been formed about that horse, for the expert show rider will not take every chance mount that is offered, and will fre- quently decline to ride a strange horse who appears to have no chance of getting in to the money. At times a famous show-ring winner — either in harness or saddle — will be ignored by the judges ; but, on the whole, there is wonderful unanimity of opinion, and a horse which wins one week in the South will win in the following week up North under an entirely different bench of judges. The fact is, that nine- teen judges out of twenty have the same idea of type in their minds. Quality, combined with make and shape and the right sort of action, is what they look for, and in a huge majority of instances the verdicts given inside the ring are endorsed by the public outside. Moreover, those who are outside, or even in the boxes or stands above, are not in a position to see so well as the judge, who is on the same level with the horse he is judging. The public cannot see whether a horse is a true walker as the judge whom the horse ap- proaches or leaves can, neither can they see much of his feet. Those outside can see whether a horse trots with action or gallops out freely ; but some of the minutiae of the show ring can only be known to those who are on a level with and close to the exhibits, and this is a matter which should be borne in mind by all would-be competitors at horse shows. BATH HORSE SHOW : JUDGING SINGLE HARNESS CLASS. THE HORSE FAIR. From the painting by Rosa Bonheur. CHAPTER XXXVII HORSE-BREEDING AND BREEDS ON THE CONTINENT IN a survey of the present condition of the breeding of horses by Continental nations, it may be appropriate to deal first of all with the thoroughbreds. Every foreign Government which concerns itself closely with the efficient rnounting of its army — and nearly all Continental countries possess excellent organisations for the encouragement of the breeding of army horses — recognises the value of the British thoroughbred. For at least one hundred years the policy of importing high-class English thoroughbred staUions has proved a paying one. They have been placed at the disposal of farmers and other breeders at purely nominal covering fees, and apparently foreign Governments have been well satisfied with the results, as they have never ceased to come to these islands whenever their studs were in need of replen- ishment. It may well be asked, why have not foreigners during all these years been able to establish their own race of thorough- bred stallions which would make them inde- pendent of English blood in breeding mili- tary horses ? It cannot be because England has any monopoly of good racing, by which the merits of thoroughbreds can alone be properly tested. Racing flourishes in France, and to a lesser extent in Germany, Austria- Hungary, and elsewhere on the Continent. How is it, then, that our neighbours have not made themselves free of any further obligation to the thoroughbreds of this country ? That question has worried the best authorities on the Continent, most of whom have been forced to the conclusion that nowhere in Europe is soil and climate so remarkably well adapted for the breeding and rearing of thoroughbreds as those of the British Isles. One wonders how often British breeders of blood-stock have been solemnly warned not to go on selling their good horses to the foreigners. A thousand and one times they have been assured that they will bitterly repent having allowed so much valued blood to pass out of the country. But have British breeders had cause for regret so far ? We think not. On the contrary, the presence every December of Continental buyers at the great Newmarket sales cheers the heart of 420 HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 421 the British breeder who has mares and other stock to sell. He knows that the marketable value of thoroughbred horses here would decline very appreciably if foreign competition were to be withdrawn. In other words, blood-stock breeding in England under prevailing conditions is helped and not retarded by the lucratiA'e foreign market. Now and again our Con- tinental neighbours secure a prize with which we are very sorry to part. Flying Fo.\, for example, proved to be a great loss to the British stud, and a more recent case is that of Cyllene. But occasional gems of that kind apparently serve merely to whet the foreign breeder's appetite, and back he comes for more of a similar sort, bringing with him the gold that helps to place our horse-breeding industry upon a profitable basis. We still have alarmists who view the expatriation of every thoroughbred with concern, but their an.xiety for the future of our stock is to a great extent misplaced. The country is rich enough in thorough- bred horses to continue to stand the strain. A Grave Warning As far back as 1821 Mr. Charles Weatherby considered it his duty to utter a grave warning on the subject of the exportation of British stock. " If any proof were wanting," he wrote in one of the early volumes of the " General Stud Book," " of the superiority of the English breed of horses over that of every other country, it might be found in the avidity with which they are sought by foreigners. The exporta- tion of them to Russia, France, Germany, etc., for the last five years has been so con- siderable as to render it an object of some importance from a commercial point of view. But this advantage, some of our Continental neighbours are of opinion, will not long remain with us. They are fully aware of the source whence we derive our superiority, and are, in consequence, endeavouring to establish races on the English plan, which, together with a more careful selection of stallions and mares than they observe in England, will very soon, they sa3^ enable them to excel us, and they anticipate a day, 54 not very distant, when the English must send to the Continent, if not for speedy at least for sound horses." Since that was earnestly written by Mr. Charles Weatherby ninety years have elapsed. And what changes in the situation are to be observed ? Our neighbours, in truth, have managed to " establish races on the English plan " ; they have, too, mated their sires and mares with all the knowledge and judgment derived from a study of the scientific side of breeding. Yet still they do not " excel us," nor have we to go to them for either speed or soundness. Mr. Weatherby wound up with a note of optimism, as though he feared that he had drawn too dismal a pic- ture. " The hint about soundness," he said, " may be worth attention, but for the rest, with the advantages this country already possesses, and so long as horse-racing con- tinues to be followed up with spirit by her men of rank and opulence, there can be little to apprehend." The Pari-Mutuel One of the most important innovations of modern times on the Continental Turf was the introduction of pari-mutuel betting under Government auspices. A small percentage of the profits have been devoted to the encouragement of hor.se-breeding, and in France especially the funds have been used to excellent purpose. However, there are now unmistakable signs that the pari- mutucl, which by a recent law has prac- tically ousted the bookmaker from French race-courses, is not at all popular with many owners in that country. Several, indeed, "have already given up their racing interests and breeding establishments. It would be strange if the pari-mutuel, expected to be of much value to the breeding industry, should in the long run prove detrimental to it. Of all Continental nations the French have approached nearest to England in their racing. They have, too, been more suc- cessful than Germany and adjoining coun- tries in breeding for the Turf. At Baden- Baden and other Continental race meetings where international rivalry finds a vent, the 422 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE AT THE HARAS DE JARDY : COMING BACK FROM THE PADDOCKS IN THE EVENING. French have consistently done well. Further, from time to time they have sent good horses to take part in English races, and here again their success has not been incon- siderable. In one or two cases English owners have found it not unprofitable to visit the annual yearling sales at Deauville ; while France has had the satisfaction of exporting two ^^30,000 young stallions to the Argentine, thus encroaching, almost for the first time, upon a sphere of commercial activity which English breeders have regarded strictly as their own. It should, however, be noted that both the stallions in question — Val d'Or and Jardy — were sons of Flying Fox, and practically English in pedigree. France enjoyed yet another triumph when Lutteur III. so brilliantly carried off the Grand National Steeple- chase at Liverpool in 1909 ; but again the sire of the winner was an English horse — St. Damien, son of St. Simon. There are breeders of blood-stock in France who may be worthily compared with the leading breeders of England, both in regard to the exceedingly keen interest they evince in their studs and the whole-hearted support they give to the Turf. M. Edmond Blanc may be regarded as the foremost blood-stock breeder in France. He is the owner of the best and largest private stud in Europe. Early in the present century his successes were phenomenal. On one occasion his horses. Quo Vadis, Caius, and Vinicius, filled the three leading places in the Grand Prix de Paris ; and when the first stock of Flying Fox appeared on the Turf all things went his way. Suddenly the tide of success was checked by the outbreak of a malignant type of influenza in his stables. His horses lost their form, and to this day M. Blanc has not fully recovered that place of supremacy among the leading owners which he held previously to the extremely unlucky setback at La Fouilleuse. In 1910 M. Blanc had three stallions at the Haras de Jardy — namely, Flying Fox (1896), by Orme out of Vampire by Galopin; Chaleureux (1894), by Goodfellow out of L'Ete by John Davis ; and Ajax (1901), by Flying Fox out of Amie by Clamart. Flying Fox was purchased on the death of the Duke of Westminster in 1900 for 37,500 guineas, and the man who was HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 423 courageous enough to give that vast sum for a four-j'car-old horse is surely deserving of all the profit the speculation may produce. And it may be said at once that M. Blanc found Flying Fox to be a sound bargain from the first, and he has never had cause to lament his purchase. Chaleureu.x, on the other hand, was picked up for the price of " an old song." Once more M. Blanc's lucky star was in the ascendant, as no sooner had Chaleureux become the French breeder's property than the horse's daughter, Signorinetta, reflected glory on her sire by winning the Derby and the Oaks. M. Blanc's other stallion, Ajax, is of his own breeding, and one of the grandest thoroughbreds it has been the writer's pleas- ure to look over. True, Flying Fox is a sire whose strong lines and beauty of conforma- tion would compel admiration ; but Ajax is lengthier, more raking, and has, in addition, all the extreme quality of his sire. The Haras de Jardy is a model establishment of its kind, and we treasure the memory of a \nsit which M. Blanc kindly allowed us to make when Flying Fox was in the heydey of his success. From the radiance of Paris, overflowing with hfe in its gay and crowded boulevards, a journey of less than ten miles brings one to the quiet seclusion of the Jardy paddocks, bounded by leafy lanes and sheltered by thick belts of young trees. To walk through those paddocks and find such mares as the Oaks winner Airs and Graces, the noted La Camargo, and others equally famous, is a sheer delight to the lover of thoroughbreds. An American sportsman, Mr. W. K. Van- derbilt, is one of the largest and most suc- cessful breeders of blood-stock in France. In igo8 his horses won ;f52,563 in stake money, and in the following season /^46,I27. He has a good deal of English and American blood at the De Villebon Stud, but his three stallions are French, comprising Maintenon, who won the French Derby of 1906 and £31,826 in stakes during that season ; Prestige, who was almost as good as Photoi:>afh by J. D^:!cit. Paris. STABLES AT THE FRENCH MILITARY STALLION DEPOT OF ST. L6. 424 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Maintenon ; and Turenne, a son of Le Hardy. Baron E. de Rothschild's stud at Meautry, near Deauville, is equal in strength to Mr. Vanderbilt's, and very little inferior, indeed, to M. Blanc's. Here many English brood mares are also to be seen, but the five stallions were all bred at home. Another particularly fine stud is that of M. Maurice Caillault, at Nonant-le-Pin, where the visitor will meet such high-class horses as Cheri, Macdonald H., and the Chester Cup winner, Querido. M. E. Veil-Picard, too, has a notable stud at Neaufies, including the handsome Orme horse Cupbearer, purchased in iQoq from Ireland for 8,000 guineas ; while Mme. Lemaire de Villers, who has bought freely at the Newmarket December sales, has a valuable haras at Saint Lucien. These are just a few of the leading French thoroughbred studs. They may be said to exist entirely for the Turf, and they owe their prosperity to the excellent sporting instincts of their respective owners. The French Military System The organisation of the breeding of mili- tary horses in France is particularly thorough, and the question has been asked : " What could not be done in England with a system like that in France ? " Without being in the strict sense a horse-loving nation, France produces probably the finest military horses in the world, and it is all mainly due to the enormous organisation which makes it pro- fitable for every farmer to assist in the vast breeding industry. In Germany the organ- isation is also remarkably good, but the results in France are better, as that country has the advantage of possessing a variety of breeds suitable for all the different require- ments of the army ; from light cavalry remounts to heavy artillery and wagon horses ; whereas in Germany draught horses are not abundant. One cannot but admire most sincerely the energy and perseverance which have been displayed in France in breeding under Government directions. Remember the devastating effects of the Franco-German conflict, and imagine the utter annihilation of the horse-breeding industry that ensued in many provinces of France. Yet it has been possible to recon- stitute the elements lost in 1870-71, to improve the breeds indigenous to the country to introduce blood from England and America with much advantage, and finally to increase the production to Hmits which were not dreamed of in days before the great war. National French Expenditure Money has never been stinted since the National Assembly first put the breeding machinery into motion. Each year the sum expended on horse-breeding by the French Government has increased, until in iqog it reached in round figures the colossal total of ^^840, 000, of which about £80,000 was derived from the pari-mutuel. In 1885 the annual grant amounted to £325,520, so within fourteen years the sum has almost trebled itself. The bulk of the money goes in the maintenance of twenty-two stallion depots, containing in 1909 no fewer than 3,425 sires of various breeds. These horses stand during the covering season in the country districts in twos and threes, and their services are reserved — at a very small covering fee — for mares belonging to farmers and other private breeders. Thanks to this system, the production of horses in France is now believed to be amply sufficient for the requirements of the army and trade. The prices paid by the Government for troop saddle horses in 1909 was from £38 to £51 ; £40 for artillery horses ; £56 to £72 for horses for the riding schools ; and £54 to £yi for officers' chargers. French National Breeding Estab- lishments Apart from these stallion depots, the only regular Government breeding stud is the Haras de Pompadour, in the Department of Correze. Sixty thoroughbred mares are kept here, which are intended solely for the pro- duction of Arab and Anglo-Arab horses. The largest of the stallion depots is that of St. L6, in Normandy, from whence over 400 sires are sent out for service. Another big establishment is the Haras le Pin, in the department of Orne, established in the reign HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 425 of Louis XI\'. " The beauty of the place is striking," says a writer in the " Live Stock Journal Ahiianac " for iqio ; " its gardens and gates compare with those of Hampton Court, and the stables are even more elegant, albeit they are older, than those which the late Duke of Westminster erected at Eaton. . . . There are 300 stallions within its walls." In discussing the methods of the Government, he continues : " The authorities have no objection to paying as much as ;fi,ooo or even £2,000 for a half- bred carriage staUion, with a tinge of hackney blood in him most probably, or £5,000 to £"6,000 for a thoroughbred. If found at any time afterwards to be defective or suffer- ing from any hereditary disease, the stallion is castrated, put aside, and twice a year there are public sales at which such a horse might go for a few pounds. No horse goes out of a stud entire if there is a doubt about its soundness. Old horses, though sound, are killed rather than sold." The same writer reports that at the Haras le Pin there are twenty-two thoroughbred stallions for the use of the farmer-breeder. If the latter has a thoroughbred mare he pays for the sire a service fee of £4 ; and it should be remem- bered that for this he gets the use of a horse like Prince William (who all but won the Doncaster St. Leger, and was bought by the French Government for £5,000), or Frontier, who was bred by the late Duke of Westminster's stud, and cost £6,000. Half- bred mares are served by these fine thorough- bred horses for a nominal fee, while the services of a Norman Hackney or other half- bred stallion may be commanded at a fee as small as three shillings. French Government Supervision In addition to the elaborate system of providing sound Government stallions for the use of breeders, a strict surveillance is exercised in France over all stalhons, the property of private owners, whose services are open to the public. These are examined by Government inspectors, whose duty is to determine whether or not they are afflicted with roaring or intermittent ophthalmia. Only stallions that have been passed free of these blemishes are allowed to cover public mares. Such stallions are registered as " accepted," and between 7,000 and 8,000 of them are passed for service annually. Then there are two other classes of private stallions, namely : — {a) " Approved " stallions, which are recognised as capable of improving the breed of horses, and which receive an annual premium from the Government, varying from £12 to £80. A stallion standing at a higher covering fee than 100 francs (£4) is not entitled to a premium, though accorded a certificate of approbation. [b) " Authorised " stallions, which are judged good enough to maintain the breed of horses, though incapable of improving it. These horses do not receive premiums, but they have an official status which enables their progeny to take part in the shows subventioned by the State. Government Premiums The premiums to private stallions referred to above constitute a formidable item in France's expenditure on horse-breeding, but it is exceeded by the total of premiums given to brood mares, which includes special premiums to thoroughbred mares devoted to the production of Arab or Anglo-Arab horses. The latter are applied to certain districts of the Pyrenees, where the mares are too scattered about for it to be possible to assemble them in a show yard. The premiums in this instance are given on the recommendation of the Government stud officials. The ordinary brood mare pre- miums are awarded at the various shows throughout the country. The show system enters very largely into the French Government organisation, and the most interesting show of the year is that promoted at Paris by the Minister of Agri- culture. Here the finest examples of the best breeds in France may be seen. In iqio the show was held at the Champ de Mars in the middle of June, when prizes to the value of £8,368 were awarded by the State. The horses were divided into five sections. First in the catalogue came the thoroughbreds, comprising English, Arabs, 426 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE and Anglo-Arabs. Section II., the largest in the catalogue, was devoted to half-bred stock ; this included half-bred Arabs (possessing at least 25 per cent, of Arab blood), trotters, Normans (within the limits of the stallion depots of Le Pin and Saint L6), Vendeens and Charentais horses (within the limits of the stallion depots of Ardennais, Boulonnais, Breton, Nivernais, Percheron, and Mulassiere breeds. Finally, there were sections at the show for asses and mules. Thus it will be observed that the whole breeding strength of France was represented at the Champ de Mars, and no more instructive spectacle could have been pro- BLANCS AJAX. Hennebont, Lamballe, La Roche-sur-Yon, and Saintes) ; horses from the midland district of the country (stallion depots of Angers, Blois, Cluny, and Annecy) ; and horses from the northern, eastern, southern, and south-eastern districts (stallion depots of Libourne, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Pau, Tarbes, Aurillac, Rodez, Perpignan, Pompadour, Besangon, Compiegne, Montier-en-Der, and Rosieres). Section III. was a small one allotted to the Postier breed from Brittany. Section IV. was for draught horses, comprising the vided for anyone interested in the breeds of the country. One must fully recognise the importance of the heavy draught horses of France, which flourish most in the northern pro- vinces. But for military purposes the chief breeds are the Anglo-Norman, large, robust, and very active, which is found in the north and north-east, and the lighter Tarbes breed in the south, which, in the opinion of some French military authorities, constitutes the saddle horse par excellence. They are from 14 hands 2 inches to 15 hands in height. HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 427 According to one authority, the horses of the Anglo-Norman type were originally created by the fusion of pure English blood and that blood which is indigenous to the northern and north-eastern districts of France. The proportion of English blood in the Anglo-Norman is reckoned at 50 per cent, for harness horses, and 75 per cent., and even more, for saddle horses. Horses of the Tarbes type are created by the mingling of three bloods — the Arab, the benefit to Irish horses is problematical, but this much is certain ; the breed is highly appreciated by the authorities of Italy, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Switzer- land, etc., for the production of cavalry horses. No Englishman knew more of Norman horses than the late Mr. John Hetherington, and when he gave evidence in 1897 before the commissioners appointed to inquire into the horse-breeding industry in Ireland, he was asked whether any foreign RAVISSANT TYPICAL PERCHERON STALLION. English, and that indigenous to the south of France, itself of eastern origin. Accord- ing to Comte Imbart de la Tour, the normal height for light cavalry in France is i m. 47 to I m. 50, for cavalry of the line from I m. 50 to I m. 54, for the reserve cavalry from I m. 54 to i m. 60, for artillery horses from I m. 48 to i m. 54, and for gendarmerie horses i m. 52. A proposition in 1909 to introduce some Normandy sires into Ireland met with much disapproval from the breeders of the green isle. Whether the Norman blood would be of any Government bought sires from Normandy farmers. " Every Government in Europe buys out of Normandy," was Mr. Hethering- ton's emphatic reply. No doubt the objec- tion of Irish breeders to receiving the Norman blood is based on the fear that it would intro- duce Hackney characteristics. This fear is undoubtedly well founded, for the Hackney blood flows freely in the veins of the modern Norman horse, having been used to give him action. He was formerly a rather heavy but very good-looking horse, yet lacked some- thing in activity. And so the French 428 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE breeders had recourse to the Hackney, with the idea of imparting greater hfe and action to him. The Norman Breed The Norman breed makes its influence fek over so extensive an area nowadays that it may be well to examine his ancestry- Commandant Couste, in his " Stud Book " of the Norman breed, states that the horse is a " half-bred " {un metis), originally resulting from the cross of the English thoroughbred horse or his derivatives with the native mares of Normandy. In tracing the pedigrees of sires formerly used or still being used for covering in Normandy one always gets back to the three great English sires — Matchem, Herod, and Eclipse. The descendants of these horses, many of them half-bred, undoubtedly created the Anglo- Norman breed from the native mares. Then came the introduction of other foreign blood for the pui'pose of securing superior action and swiftness. From 1836 to 1840 the principal towns of Normandy began cautiously to organise their first trotting races. In 1854 was imported The Norfolk Phenomenon, and that famous Hackney seems to have had a greater influence on the Norman breed than any other horse. The blood of Herod is no longer represented in the great trotting families of Normandy, at least in the stallions, and the blood of Eclipse is sustained only by the powerful family of Phaeton and his sons. (3n the other hand, the descendants of Matchem are more and more sought for by the breeders of Normandy, while the descendants of The Norfolk Phenomenon number almost a third of the effective force of Norman stallions. At the present time there are not more than live strains of sought-for blood, viz. : — Family of M.^tchem. The blood of Conquerant. The blood of Normand. Family of Eclipse. The blood of Phaeton. Family of The Norfolk Phenomenon. The blood of Tigris. The blood of Niger. Commandant Couste states : " The Nor- man breed has become one of the most n'markable trotting breeds of the world. In twenty-five years one may say that its speed has improved by one second a year. The energy and power of the sires are largely spread abroad, and have helped to make of the Norman horse what one calls a horse of qualities." The Limousin Among the riding horses of France the Limousin, which came from Saracen ances- tors, once held a great reputation, and his decadence, dating from the time of the Revolution, shows that the love of riding to hounds, never so strongly developed in France as in England, goes hand in hand with the improvement and development of the breed of superior light horses. The Government has made attempts to revive the Limousin breed, but with little success. Other old French breeds which for one reason or another have lagged behind in the march of progress are the Camargue, a hardy race of ponies, generally of a light grey colour, which formerly flourished in the Rhone country near the Mediterranean ; and the Lorraine breed, which used to display unmistakable tokens of an eastern ancestry. Having been badly affected by the w^ars of France, this animal has lost a great deal of his former quality, and is now just a plain harness horse on the heavy side. In Brit- tany there is a stout race which, crossed with the Percherons, make extremely ser- viceable draught horses ; but the hidet and the doiMcs-bidet are perhaps the most typical breeds in Brittany. These are the active cobs and ponies, very powerful for their size, which the Breton men and women ride to market and use for all general work. The Percheron Undoubtedly the best-known breed of France outside that country is the Percheron. The name is derived from the province of Perche. He is probably the most active of all heavy draught horses ; certainly his superior action justifies the description often applied to him — " a grey trotting cart- horse." Long before the Government of France elaborated their present gigantic HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 429 system of fostering horse-breeding, the peasants of Normandy knew the value of the Percheron. They bred him for his supreme utiHty for all manner of draught work. He could do his twenty-five or thirty miles on the road ; he could put in a good day's work on the land. In the old daj's he stood from 15 hands 2 inches to 16 hands, and a typical Percheron of that time has been described as a " blood animal with beautiful limbs and beautiful neck, the tail set on well, and the body as round as a beer barrel." In modern times the Percheron has increased in weight ; he is less of a sharp harness horse than a heavy draught horse. In height he stands from 16 hands to 16 hands 2 inches. Neverthe- less, the clean limbs and neat head which always distinguished him are retained. Years before the motor-bus was dreamed of, the Percheron breed supplied London with many of its best omnibus horses. But for heavier work the Shire horse, the Clydes- dale, and the Suffolk have held this French- man at bay in England. The Percheron in America In America and Canada the Percheron has met his greatest popularity. In the United States especially the breed has successfully rivalled the Clydesdale. The American Percheron Stud Book was founded in 1876, and this blood was mainly responsible for the magnificent team of six greys sent over to England by Mr. Ogden Armour for the International Show at Olympia of 1907, where many Englishmen for the first time saw the remarkable agility and handi- ness of these tremendous horses, including the special favourite of the team, Big Jim. American Percherons show how greatly the breed has changed since the time when the Percherons were the post-horses of France. The breed is nowadays frequently the \ictim of misdescription, the term " Per- cheron " being applied to horses possessing few, of the best characteristics of the race. It should be borne in mind, therefore, that Percheron horses include only the horses recorded in the Percheron Stud Books of France, Canada, and the United States. The 55 General Draught Horse Stud Book of France embraces Percherons and the various other draught breeds of the country, some of which are considerably intermixed ; but only pure- bred Percherons may be recorded as Per- cherons. In the United States no draught horse is more appreciated than the gi-os Percheron, and the premier horse of the breed in America in 1909 was Hoche, a son of the famous sire Etudiant. M'eighing 2,000 lb., he was described as the " sensa- tion " of the Pennsylvania Live Stock Breeders' Association's show at Philadelphia. During the Chicago International show in the same year the Percheron stallion Carnot sold for £2,000 — an indication of the high value placed on the old French breed on the other side of the Atlantic. In Canada Clydesdales are the dominant breed of heavy horses in the prairie provinces, and Per- cherons come next, followed by Shires, Suffolks, and Belgians. A French writer has stated that the Percheron was originally bay or sorrel in colour, but was turned grey because the postmasters, the chief purchasers of the breed, gave better price for grey horses. Now there are signs that the Normandy breeders will eventually revert to a darker shade, in obedience to the dictates of American fashion. A coarser type of cart- horse than the Percheron is the Boulonnais, extensively bred in France for agricultural and heavy van work. He is a very powerful horse, standing from 16 to 17 hands. Then there are the x\rdennais and Nivernais, both good draught breeds ; while a profitable industry is the breeding of mules from the big heavy mares of Poitou, known as Poitevin mulassieres. The German System From France to Germany is a natural transition when the question of horse- breeding is being considered. Both nations are equally alive to the necessity of encour- aging the industry by all possible means. There is one noticeable difference in the methods pursued in the two countries ; whereas France prefers the stallion depot system, planting sires in different villages and agricultural districts, Germany believes 430 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE in the system of maintaining big stud-farms, with many brood mares at each. Prussia has always held her own as a horse-breeding land, and the cavalry of Frederick the Great was unsurpassed. In recent years good progress has been made in other parts of the German Empire. Influence of the Thoroughbred The original stock of horses in Prussia appears to liLive benefited largely by the infusion of eastern blood at the time of the Saracen invasion of Europe, and towards the end of the eighteenth century the English thoroughbred began to do his share towards improving the quality of Prussian horses. This same thoroughbred still plays what is seemingly an indispensable part in the breeding industry of Germany. Sir Walter Gilbey has told us that during the nineteenth century the Hackney blood was widely diffused over the horse-breeding districts, particularly Hanover, Oldenbiug, Holstein, Mecklenburg, and East Friesland. But previously to the introduction of fine- actioned steppers from Norfolk and York- shire, Oldenburg was noted throughout the Continent for its handsome coach-horses, and it is stated that Oliver Cromwell, at the time of his Protectorate, received as a gift a team of coach-horses from the Duke of Oldenburg. Thus the Oldenburg horses may be reckoned among the national breeds of Germany, and the Hanoverians — those handsome creams so often used in English State processions — and the IMecklenburgs may also be included. A writer in the Conihill Magazine points out the coincidence that Germany has the dis- tinction of supplying both the cream Han- overians for our State coaches and the black Drenthe horses for our funerals, the latter being chiefly bred near Osnabruck, in Hanover. German Light Horses Germany's most typical breeds are com- paratively light horses. According to " Les Haras et les Remontes " (Comte de la Tour) Eastern Prussia is chiefly responsible for producing the best cavalry remounts. West- ern Prussia breeds the same type, but to a less important extent. On the shores of the Baltic Sea the horses are of a more substantial stamp, but in Posen again the breed is light. Breeding in Hanover Saxony is now producing a good powerful horse, but the Bavarian and Saxon cavalry for many years have been almost exclusively remounted from East Prussia. In the indus- trial districts on the shores of the Rhine there is little important breeding, and heavy and powerful horses are in chief demand. Hanover is of great importance from the breeding standpoint, and it is suggested that British influence and British taste for good blood are most noticeable there. The depot of Celle has contributed largely to the prosperity of Hanoverian breeding since its foundation in 1735. The most important Hanoverian breeding centre lies between the Elbe and the Weser, and Comte de la Tour asserts that breeders here have happily known how to remed\' " the excessive and too continuous use of English thoroughbred sires, which tends to lessen the size of the horses " by having recourse to the fairly weighty stallions of the country. As a rule, the proprietors of small farms in Hanover keep four or five mares, which are employed in agricultural work, and, thanks to this division, a large percentage of foals are produced in this part of Germany. The use of English thoroughbred sires in Schleswig and Holstein, dating from about 1820, has had satisfactory results in improving the breed, but the choice of stallions has not always been irreproachable. In Holstein, as in Hanover, the brood mares are used in agricultural work. In the so-called " Re- mount Provinces " — namely, East and West Prussia, Posen, Hanover, and Brandenburg — • all forms of State aid for the encouragement of horse-breeding — prizes at horse shows, etc. — are given only for the type of horse required for militarv purposes. The Prussian Trakehnen In Prussia the dominating type is the Trakehnen, which is composed of about 50 per cent, of English thoroughbred blood, 25 per cent, of Arabian, and 25 per cent, of 432 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE native Lithuanian blood, which originally came from the east. French authorities de- clare that this type resembles the Tarbes breed in the South of France rather than the Anglo-Norman. Certainly it makes an excel- lent remount. The Prussian light horse has a delicate head, e.xcellent neck and shoulders, and good quality, clearly indicating his superior breeding. Oldenburg, as has already been noted, produces a special breed of large draught horses (which have many serious defects, according to Count Wrangel), and Wurtemberg is distinguished for the high caHbre of its pure-bred and half-bred horses. Many of the great landed proprietors in Ger- many concern themselves with horse-breed- ing, and turn out high-class horses adapted to military service. One private stud, Herrenhauser, is famous for its white and dun coloured horses. Prussian Government Establishments In spite of the existence of numerous and important private studs, the Prussian Gov- ernment is obliged to intervene so as to foster and direct the breeding operations of the country, and above all to secure an ample supply of remounts for the army. In 1893 it was written: " The Prussian Govern- ment takes most elaborate means to encour- age horse-breeding, but contrives to com- bine efficiency with economy in a manner which appears impossible with English, French, or American officials." In view of this statement the most recent statistics of German horse-breeding are interesting, be- cause they prove that, while the expenses of the Government studs in 1908 were as high as ;{352,7i9, that amount was reduced to less than one half by the receipts, leaving a deficit of £168,128, which in the circum- stances is by no means an excessive burden on the taxpayers. The chief sources of revenue are (a) from the principal stud farms — horses and cattle sold, and farming receipts ; (b) from the rural stud farms — ■ covering fees and foal money. In the five principal studs in 1908 there were thirty- eight first-class thoroughbred stallions, 740 brood mares, and 2,460 colts and fillies. At the rural studs (Landgestiite), eighteen in number, there were 3,438 stallions. These sires were composed of the following types, the list being arranged approximately in order of numbers kept at the rural studs : — I. Heavy riding ; or light draught horses. 2. Heavy draught horses. 3- Light riding horses. 4- German farm horse type. 5- Belgian and Ardennes horses. 6. Shire horses. 7- Clydesdales. 8. French farm horses. 9- Normandy horses. 10. Percherons. II. Shire horse and Belg ian cross. Here is the financial statement of the German studs : — Receipts. Expenses. Deficit. Principal Stu.is. Marks. Marks. Marks. Trakehi [len . . 459.370 1,041,550 582,180 Graditz 486,926 855.817 368,891 Beberbeck . . 103,900 354.870 250,970 Neustadt a. Dosse 49.610 139.555 89.945 Z\vion-( ieorgenburg 141.530 1.241-336 237,720 2,629,512 96,190 1,388,176 Rural Studs {LanJge- Rastenl burg . . 114,540 210,330 95.790 Brauns berg . . S8,50o 189,150 100,650 Georgei iburg 197,380 223.998 26,618 Gudwallen . . 281,760 325.318 43.558 Marienwerder S7.550 193.453 105.903 Pr.-Stargard 82,230 204.370 122,140 Friedr. Wilh. Stud 124,640 268,343 161,700 Labes 107,180 228,060 120,880 Zirke 134.410 204,824 70,414 Gnesen 1=17,700 227,640 69,940 Leubus 123.360 214.342 90,982 Cosel 153.410 167.254 113,844 Kreuz 88,990 217.710 128,720 Traveiithal .. 84,320 265.537 81,217 Celle . 330,200 467.914 137.714 Warendorf . . 98,620 268,040 169,420 Dillenburg .. 71.250 213.440 142,190 Wickra ith .. 124,440 2,450,480 317.152 4,424.872 192,712 1,974,392 Totals lish equivalent 3,691,816 £184.590 7.054.384 3.362.568 Engl £352.719 £168,128 "Country Stallions" At the five principal studs the chief duty is to breed " country stallions," and horses for the Emperor's stables and for the army. The " country staUions " then find their way into the eighteen rural studs mentioned in the above list. A number of English and French thoroughbred sires, as well as German- bred race winners, are also located in the rural studs, and during the covering season they are sent to stations in different parts of the district, each station being set apart for two, three, or four sires, according to local demands. Thus it happens, according HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 433 to a writer in the Sporting Life, that the country studs themselves are empty during the covering months. Here one observes a system very similar to that obtaining in France, only the latter country has but one small stud with brood mares (Pompadour) as against five big establishments of that description in Germany. The Trakehnen Stud The stud at Trakehnen dates from 1732, and covers an area of 10,855 acres. It is under the management of Baron von Oet- tingen, a breeder of wide experience, whose notable work, " Horse Breeding in Theory and Practice," was translated into English in 1909, and was most favourably received bv breeders who study the scientific side of the production of horses. Baron von Oet- tingen has over 1,700 head of horses under his direction at Trakehnen, and the stock reared there is mainly of the hunter type, up to weight, and showing plenty of bone. Of the twenty-one stalhons at this stud in 1909 thirteen were thoroughbreds, one an Anglo-Arab, and the rest half-breds reared at Trakehnen, they having a distinct pre- ponderance of pure blood. A fair example of the thoroughbred sires here is Red Prince H., a son of Kendal out of the Grand National winner Empress. In Ireland Red Prince II. met with great success as the sire of steeple- chase stock. He was an old horse when the Germans bought him, but they valued his blood so much that they did not hesitate to pay £3,000 for him. The Graditz Stud At the Imperial Graditz stud attention is almost entirely confined to the breeding of race-horses, and the latter perform on the Turf in the name of the stud. This, by the way, is a sore point with private owners of race-horses in Germany, who complain that they are forced to compete against the tax- payers' money, which subsidises the Graditz stud. " The contention," says one writer, " is that if Graditz and the other Government studs want the colts they breed to be sub- jected to the race-course test, they should be raced for that purpose only, and not for the purpose of winning stake money." Of the forty-five horses in training belonging to the Graditz stud in 1909, thirty-two were got by English sires and eight by French- bred stallions. Derby Winners in Germany The most notable thoroughbred sires in Germany are undoubtedly Ard Patrick, wh(j stands at Graditz, and Galtee More, who is at Romerhof. Each of these Derby winners is at the command of private breeders at the modest service fee of £15. To appreciate the good fortune of German breeders in regard to these stallions it should be recalled that Ard Patrick cost the German Government £20,000, having been purchased by that high authority on the thoroughbred race, Count Lehndorff. Galtee More was sold to the Russians for the same amovmt, but subsequently found a new home in Germany at £14,000. The most successful German- bred thoroughbred is Hannibal, by Trachen- berg out of Zama, by Hermit out of Sonsie Queen by Musket. He stands at the Graditz stud at the same fee as Ard Patrick. Since 1906 Hannibal has supplied three winners of the German Derby — namely, Herr Wein- berg's Eels (1906), Prince Ed. von Oppen- heim's Seiger (1908), and the Graditz stud's Arnfried (1909). Recent census statements show that horse-breeding is on the increase in Germany. Horses, including those of the army, were returned at 4,345,000 head for 1907, as compared with 3,836,000 in 1892. Swiss Breeding Methods Although operating, of course, on a smaller scale than their neighbours, the Swiss Government gives every encouragement to breeders, and the army remount of the cantons is a well-bred, hardy, muscular horse, who for stamina will compare well with any remount on the Continent. The Swiss Government* undertakes to purchase suitable stallions on behalf of the cantons and pay one-half of the purchase money. The cantons lease these stallions to breeders, and are required to supervise their use under proper conditions for breeding purposes * Journal of the Board of Agriculture. 434 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE during at least six years. After six years the Government may repurchase an animal or declare it unfit for breeding purposes, either with or without compensation, or may grant the breeder an annual subsidy of five per cent, upon its estimated value. In addition, stallions are lent to cantons for short periods from the State stud. In the case of brood mares and fillies, premiums are awarded to animals chosen annually by very young horses was forbidden. But the first great impulse to horse-breeding in Austria was given by a decree drawn up by the Empress Maria Theresa in 1763, and since then the State has continued to encour- age horse-breeding as far as possible. The still existing State studs at Radautz and Fiber were established in 1792 and 1798. These facts are mentioned by Mr. Mansfeldt de C. Findlay in the course of a wholly WALKURE : A PRUSSIAN PONY. judges appointed for the purpose by the Government. The premiums amount to £2 8s. for filhes from two to three years old, and £8 i6s. for mares from three to live years old. Records go to show that the Austrian Government has long had in view the general development and improvement of the various breeds of the country. Its active interest in horse-breeding seems to date from the reign of the Emperor Charles VI. By a decree of 1736 the provincial authorities were directed to provide stallions suitable for getting remounts, and the working of admirable report on horse-breeding in Aus- tria which he wrote during his diplomatic appointment at Vienna. Count Heinrich zir Hardegg, who took the direction of horse- breeding after the conclusion of peace in 1815, was the first to work on scientific lines. He imported at various times a number of pure-bred Arab stallions, as well as English thoroughbreds, and within thirty years he had the satisfaction of iinding his native land for the first time independent of other countries in regard to the supply of remounts for the army. The object of the two State studs in Austria (Radautz and Fiber) is to HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 435 provide sound stallions for use throughout the country. These stallions are first sent to the central depots, and then distributed to the various stations in the country — a precisely similar system to that described in the account of German horse-breeding earlier in this chapter. The Austrian Pinzgauer There are five clearly-defined horse-breed- ing districts in Austria, and the Government takes special care to distribute their stallions so as to suit the existing local conditions. The Pinzgauer is one of the best and most typical of Austrian breeds. It is found chiefly in the .\lpine district, which includes Tyrol, Salzburg, Styria, Upper Austria, and a part of Carinthia. The Pinzgauer is an ideal horse for draught work in hill districts. Curiously coloured, being white or very light dun with dark spots, he is powerful, hardy, free-actioned. The lighter type trot quite well enough, says Mr. Findlay, for heavy carriage work over bad roads. Pinz- gauer stallions are used to cross with the heavy Noric breed, which thrives in Zell, St. Johann, and the vicinity. In the moun- tain districts of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Lower Austria various types lighter than the Pinzgauer are bred, -and to mate with them the Government chooses strong weighty stallions, suitable for the production of a heavy cart breed. Galicia and Buko- wina, where great estates abound, are important centres for the production of cavalry horses. These horses, as a rule, are good-tempered, strong, and more shapely than the cavalry horses of Hungary. In Galicia especially there are many private studs, whose animals, while usually on the small side, are yet thickset, hardy, and good troop horses. The Lippizaner Stallions Then in Dalmatia, parts of Carinthia, and the coast district of Austria are found small hardy horses, largely used as pack animals. To assist in breeding this useful class of animal the State supplies Lippizaner stal- lions. These horses are from the ancient Imperial stud at Lippiza, near Trieste. They have a marked character, and are the result of careful crossing of Spanish, Italian, and Arab stock. Mr. Findlay describes the Lippizaners as long-bodied, short-legged, with good quarters, legs, and feet ; usually grey or bay, with good action, excellent constitutions, and in height from 15 to 16 hands. Handsome, tough, and fast, they make first-class carriage horses. There is a bigger breed of harness horses at the Kladrub Imperial Stud, also descended from Spanish and Italian stock. In colour either black or white, they are upstanding horses of about 17 hands 2 inches, with Roman noses, arched necks, and heavy crests. They are chiefly used in State processions, being very showy, fine actioned, commanding-looking horses. An effort was made to cross this breed with the thoroughbred, but it was not a success. Breeding in Hungary Under the beneficent rule of the Emperor Francis Joseph the horse-breeding interests of Hungary have been practically identical with those of the sister State. There is the same system of stallion depots and covering stations, and the service fees paid for the sires vary from one shilling to fifteen shil- lings. Committees are formed in different parts of the country with a view to encourage the industry by making the farmers acquainted with the object and principles of horse-breeding. This forms a connecting link between the breeding establishments of the Government and the farmers and other private breeders. The income from the pari- mutucl, as in several other Continental lands, helps to provide the Government with the money devoted to horse-breeding. Subsidies are granted for the creation of " common pastures " in the poorer communities of Hungary, and the Government has other equally interesting methods of encouraging private breeders. The Kisber Stud Hungary produces thoroughbred stock in her State studs — viz. Kisber, Babolna, Mezo- hegyes, and Fogoras. The Kisber stud is one of the best-known and certainly one of the finest establishments of its kind in the 436 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE world. Here is a list of the thoroughbred sires advertised to serve at Kisber in 1909 ; — - 1. Admiral Breeze (bred in England) by Velas- quez— Seabreeze. 2. Bona Vista (bred in England) by Bend Or — Vista. 3. Dunure (bred in England) by St. Simon — Sun- rise. 4. Fenek I. (native-bred) by Fenek — Filon. 5. History (bred in England) by Hampton — Isabella. 6. Horkay (native-bred) by Match-box — See Me. 7. Kozma (native-bred) by Balvany — Kishoske. 8. Pardon (native-bred) by Morgan — Petroleuse. 9. Rocketter (bred in Ireland) by Gallinule — Volant. 10. Rother Stadl (native-bred) by Pardon — Aranyka. 11. Royal Lancer (bred in England) by Royal Hampton — Lightfoot. 12. Slieve Gallion (bred in Ireland) by Gallinule — Reclusion. 13. William Rufus (bred in England) by Melton — Simena. Many of the above names will be per- fectly familiar to British race-goers. As a means of conveying to the reader the value at which the best of these sires are appraised by the Kisber stud authorities, it may be stated that Pardon and Slieve Gallion were advertised to cover native mares at 1,000 kronen. Bona Vista at 800 kronen, Dunure and William Rufus each at 500 kronen, and Rocketter, Rother Stadl, and Royal Lancer at 300 kronen. William Rufus was leased by the Kisber stud from Mr. J. Musker, to whom he has since been returned. Horse-Breeding in Italy We have seen at recent International horse shows at Olynipia that the Italian army produces remarkably fine horsemen. The jumpers they brought to compete in the competitions were wonderfully well-schooled animals of the hunter type. Indeed, it would not be surprising to know that some of those fine jumpers were bred in England or Ireland. In any case, it was obxdous that they all possessed good thoroughbred and hunter blood. Breeding in Italy has made undoubted progress during the past thirty years. The Government has sup- plied good stallions, and has spent money freely in endeavouring to improve the native breeds. It has also adopted that system of " approving " private stallions which has been of value in France. According to Colonel Charles Needham, who for a number of years was military attache at Rome, and visited the remount establishments and the stallion depot at Pisa, the great fault of Italian horse-breeding appears to be the tendency to use too much Arab blood. " The native mares," said that authority, " are stout, active, wiry animals, but they have bad shoulders, narrow quarters, and are deficient in substance, all of which defects are predominant in the Arab, except in the very best, and of these there seem to be few, if any, in Italy. The one special attri- bute of the Arab — power of endurance — is already possessed by the native Italian race and it would appear unnecessary to repro- duce it in excess." Italian Government Depots On January ist, 1908, there were 677 stallions in the Government Horse Depots, this comparing with 582 in 1895. For breeding purposes they were divided as follows : — Saddle horses Saddle and light draught horses Trotters Heavy draught horses Total 254 280 57 86 In 1908 there were 686 stallions posted at 498 different stations. They covered in all 35,354 mares, an average of 51.53 mares to each stallion. The following shows the different horse-breeding districts, with the number of stations, stallions, and mares in each : — Name 0/ District. No. of Stations. No. of Stallions. No. of Marcs Servt'd. Crema ■ 70 145 8,425 Reggio Emilia . 48 76 4.488 Ferrara • 65 99 5.452 Pisa . . • 94 106 4,116 Santa Maria Capua 89 103 5.538 Catania • 74 78 3.390 Ozieri • 58 79 3,945 Total . . . . 49S 686 35,354 Efforts are made in the above districts to maintain a decided uniform character in HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 437 breeding. Caie is taken, therefore, to choose stallions which are suitable for the mares of certain localities, and no stallion is removed from his station, unless for special reasons, until he has served there for at least three or four seasons. In most Italian districts the condition of horse-breeding is fairly satisfactory, though in the southern Mediterranean and Adriatic provinces many farmei-s neglect the breeding of horses for that of mules, which is more profitable. A mule at twelve months old, reports Colonel Needham, is worth from £6 to £S, whereas a foal of the same age will rarely fetch more than £4. A three-year-old mule is worth more than ;/,'20, whereas a liorse of the same age can seldom be sold for that amount in the place w-here it is bred. The breeding of mules is also of great import- ance in Sicily, where a quiet and hardy beast of burden is a necessity. Use of the Arab in Italy According to the Director at Pisa there is an annually increasing traffic in light draught or saddle horses, which are purchased by French dealers, and this trade is obviously of benefit to owners who for various reasons have been unable to sell their horses to the Government. In Lombardy stock got by stallions from hea\'y Brabant and Ardenne breeds make the best prices. For the dis- trict of Crema and the greater part of Ferrara, especially along the River Po, the best stallion would probably be the Hackney — stout, strong-limbed, and well-shaped, though private breeders have not acquired many of this breed so far. The most popular type of stallion for Sardinia is the Arab, either pure-bred or cross-bred, and the eastern sires do very well there. In Sicily the Arab is also recommended by the Gov- erimient as a suitable sire, but breeders con- sider them too small, and prefer a larger animal, whose produce realise better prices. The Anglo-Eastern cross, which is somewhat larger than the Arab, is the favourite in Sicily. In Pisa and Emilia the English thoroughbred increases in popularity, and such good sires as Melton, Andred, Melanion, and Workington have done much to improve 56 the breed. During the few years he lived in Italy, Melton did extremely well. His stock won the majority of the best races, and his sons have made successful stalhons. More recently Signorino has been imported into Italy, and this son of Best Man and Signorina promises well. In addition to the 686 Government stal- lions in 1908, already referred to, there were 716 approved sires serving public mares in Italy in that year. These were of the following breeds : 35 English thoroughbreds, I Arab, 3 Anglo-Arabs, 484 half and three- quarter bred sires, 130 trotters, and 63 heavy draught stallions. Belgian draught horses would seem to be most popular among the Italian breeders of heavy stock, as there were 43 stallions of that breed among the private approved sires, as against 6 Bou- lonnais, 6 Ardennes, 5 Brabants, 2 Clydes- dales, and only i Percheron. There is no mention of the use of the Shire horse by private Italian breeders, and only one Hackney was registered in 1908. On the other hand, there were 20 Russian trotters and 10 American trotters. As showing the advance in numbers which the breeding industry has made, the results of the census of horses, asses, and mules in all parts of the kingdom for the years 1881 and 1908 is appended : — FF^""""* . 1S81. 1908. Horses . . • • 297,507 . • 955.031 Asses • • 174.742 • . 848,988 Mules 94.493 ■ . 388,361 Italian Remount Establishments The largest of the remount establishments in Italy is at Grosseto, situated on the Rome- Pisa railway, about 120 miles from Rome. The estate, which belongs to the Govern- ment, consists of about 18,000 acres of pasture and arable land almost entirely reclaimed from the marshes, which extended to the sea. The remount horses are pur- chased between the months of April and June by a committee composed of the officer commanding the depot, the captain attached, the veterinary captain, and a cavalry officer detailed by the Ministry of War. Notices are previously issued to all towns in the district informing breeders of the date and 438 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE place at which horses may be brought for inspection. As a rule, only three- and four- year-olds are purchased, and the price, fixed by the Ministry of War, depends on the amount available in the army budget for the purpose. When Colonel Needham made his excellent report on Italian horse- breeding, the average price was £24 for three-year-olds and £32 for four-year-olds. It is calculated that a colt from the age of carrying substantial burdens and covering long marches. No recent statistics regarding horse-breed- ing in Spain are available. The typical light horse of the country shows plenty of quality, and no doubt owes it to his Arab and Barb ancestry. When Arabian horses were origin- ally brought to Europe the first place they halted at was Spain, and their influence has never been lost. In medi.Tval wars the KOHEILAN I. HALF-BRED ARABIAN-HUNGARIAN. ritolosraph by y Dd three to four years costs £6 for his keep, including all expenses. The ma.ximum num- ber of horses kept at Grosseto is 3,000, and at the end of December, by which time those considered fit have been drafted to their regiments, the number is reduced to 1,200. The minimum size for three-year-olds is 14 hands \ inch ; for four-year-olds 14 hands 2i inches. Colonel Needham points out that the great defect is want of size and sub- stance, while the heavier horses show distinct want of breeding. Nevertheless, the Italian cavalry horses have un- doubtedly great powers of endurance when Spanish jennet breed played a prominent part. " I have heard some of the Span- iards," said an old-time English writer, " to set such praise on their jennets' courage, as they have not letted to report that they have carried their riders out of the field, I cannot tell how manie miles, after the jennets themselves have been shot clean through the bodies with Harquebushes." A heavier breed, the old Spanish war-horse, was the right sort to carry a man in armour, as one may judge by the paintings of Velasquez and other artists of the country. For ages the virtues of the Andalusian horse HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 439 have been extolled, and one authority asserts that the breed was acknowledged to be the best in Europe until the English produced the thoroughbred. Many of the wealthy landed proprietors of Spain still possess beautiful specimens of the ancient breed, which do not differ very materially from the horses which Markham and the authorities of the seventeenth cen- tury eulogised for their value in war and their accomplishments in the manege. Here is a description of the Spanish horse of the best type, written some years ago by an English veterinary surgeon in Madrid : ' ' The Spanish horse stands generally from 15 to 16 hands, with rather a large, bony head, in shape like the Merino sheep ; with full eve and large expanding nostrils, which denote his remarkable vigour and power ; a shortish, muscular neck, strong shoulders, rather narrow in the back, but with magni- ficent quarters — thighs, hocks, and hind- legs placed well under them ; the arms, fore- legs, and feet are as good generally as can be, feet well formed, short cannon-bones, and back tendons strong and standing well out. All elasticity and action in walk, trot, canter — faster than this they should not be asked to go, as at a forced pace they lose their beauty of motion, and appear to be disconcerted from the extravagance of their action. ... In my opinion no horse is superior, either in the park or on parade, to a well-bred and broken Spanish horse of the best breed." Horse-Breeding in Spain Such is the aristocrat among modern Spanish horses, but he is exclusively bred by and used among the higher classes of the country. Some fine examples of the breed may still be seen at the Imperial stud at Kladrub in Austria, as has already been noted. The horse usually employed for riding and pack work in those parts of Spain where the mule does not supplant him is a wiry, good-constitutioned animal, who has been likened to the rapidly disappearing pack-horse of Devonshire. However, mod- ern Spaniards can hardly be considered a horse-breeding nation. Apparently mule- breeding is found more profitable in the country provinces. With good reason has Spain been described " the stronghold of the mule," as it was estimated in 1909 that the country had only 451,000 horses as against 810,000 mules, or as many as all the other countries of Europe put together. It has been remarked that until one has seen a good Spanish mule, with his skin " like black velvet," one has no idea to what perfection the animal may be brought. The Russian Orloff The most distinctive of the native Russian breeds is undoubtedly the Orloff trotter, whose good action and sound qualities are widely appreciated throughout Europe, as may be noted by the presence of Russian trotters in the stallion depots of Italy and other countries. An Eastern horse, called Smetanka, whose skeleton is still preserved in the Orloff museum, is generally reckoned to have been the great progenitor of the Orloff breed. He came to St. Petersburg as a gift from a Grecian breeder, and was passed on by Catherine the Great to Count Alexis Orloff. Crossed with the Friesland breed, whose pace Blunderville described as a " good comely trot," Smetanka sired some remarkable trotters. English blood was used in developing the breed, the classic winners Tartar (St. Leger) and Dasdalus (Derby) being imported into Russia. Within thirty years the race of trotters became a distinct type, thanks to the very careful methods of the Orloff family, whose stud was eventually taken over by the Govern- ment (1845), at a cost of 8,000,000 roubles. Russian Horse-Breeding Russian landed proprietors have always regarded horse-breeding as a duty as much as a pleasure, and in the last quarter of the nineteenth century it was calculated that there were 1,600 private studs in Russia, with nearly 6,000 stallions, and more than 50,000 mares, mostly of the Orloff strain. This breed has certainly not been impro\-ed by crossing it with cart blood, but the typical light Orloff horses have still a good deal of the Arab about them, though their 440 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE JUMPING DISPLAY BY LIEUT. BOLLA. OF THE ITALIAN ARMY. action is quite distinctive. They have great pace and powers of endurance, though the American trotter would probably beat them on the trotting track. Russian sleigh and troika horses are extremely hardy, a harsh climate having doubtless made them com- paratively impervious to rough weather, but after having been driven hard for a couple of years along cobbled streets they naturally show signs of wear. The horses of the Cossack cavalry are famous for their toughness and stamina ; it was once said of them that they will keep in good condition when they can get no more substantial sustenance than the twigs of trees ! In the Caucasus a tough race of ponies is bred. Russia is not less alive than other great Continental nations to the necessity of encouraging horse-breeding, and the ex- penses of the Department of State Studs, as presented in the estimates for 1908, amounted to £196,076, of which £79,300 was devoted to the maintenance of State horse-breeding establishments. That there is no relaxation on the part of the Russian authorities in their efforts to foster the horse-breeding industry may be gathered from the following extract from the Official Messenger of January, 1910 : " A new Government horse-breeding farm has been established in the Kalmytskaia Steppe (Gov- ernment of Astrachan), with an establish- ment of 100 stud stallions. The Duma and the Council of the Empire have sanctioned an expenditure of 3,300 roubles in 1910 for salaries of the chief officials ; 10,000 roubles for building (50,000 roubles was granted for this purpose in 1909) ; 40,000 roubles for the purchase of 40 stallions (35,000 roubles were granted in 1909 for the purchase of 35 stallions) ; 800 roubles for the purchase of stable necessaries, and 400 roubles for the supply of stallions." At the present time there are six horse- breeding establishments {jtimentaries) under the control of the Russian Department of State Studs, and for interesting particulars of these establishments we are indebted to an official report which our Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has courteously allowed us to see. Of the six studs four are situated in the Starobiel district of the Government HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 441 of Kharkoff, and at all of them saddle horses are bred. At the Strielctsky farm the horses are of a light type, their origin being eastern, with a strain of English blood. At the Limarevsky farm they produce half- breds, English and Orloff strain ; while the Derkulsky farm is used for breeding English thoroughbreds, and English and Arab half- breds. At the remaining stud in this dis- trict, the Novo-Alexandrovsky farm, the horses are English half-breds. There is one establishment in the Bobrovsky district of the Government of Voronesh — namely the Khrienovsky farm — which is intended for the breeding of trotters and draught horses. The sires used here comprise Orloff trotters, Ardennes, Brabants, Clydesdales, Percherons, and Suffolks. Finally, in the Konstanti- novsky district of the Government of Siedlice there is the Yanovsky farm for the breeding of saddle horses from thoroughbred and English half-bred sires. The following horses were in these six establishments in January, igo8 : — • Stallions . . . . . . 99 Brood mares . . . . . . 878 Progen}' of various ages . . 1,350 In addition, there are thirty-eight stud depots under the control of the State Department. On the same date these held 5,412 stallions, of which 4,406, maintained at the expense of the State, are devoted to the public use at temporary stations ; whilst the remaining 1,006 sires are distributed amongst the estates of private individuals, and are entirely maintained by the latter. Precise regulations are drawn up for the control of the temporary stations, which are arranged annually in towns, villages, or localities where there is proper accommoda- tion for the stallions with their attendants. Requests for the supply of stallions have to be made not later than November in each year to the nearest Government State farm, the covering season usually extending from February to the end of June. Regulations have also been drawn up for the leasing of A TYPICAL RUSSIAN HORSE OF THE ORLOFF STRAIN. 442 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Government stallions for use at permanent stations. When the applicant is a private breeder he must forward a proper certificate to the effect that he possesses not less than ten brood mares. If the application is made by a peasant society a duly signed certificate has to be forwarded, to the effect that the society applying is in a position to main- tain both grooms and stallions. Breeding in Holland The Kingdom of the Netherlands* (called Holland, as a rule, in foreign countries, although only two provinces have that name) contained about 300,000 horses in 1909, of which 63,376 mares and 640 stal- lions were used for breeding purposes. About 45,000 foals are born every year. Horse- breeding is practised in all the eleven pro- in 1909 : — 7.501 mares. II. 911 2.766 ,, S,002 ,, 9.770 „ 4.263 ,, 2,192 ,, 2,O0S ,, 3.721 „ 7.132 ,, 4.IIO Excepting a few thoroughbreds, the Neth- erlands produce nothing but harness horses of two quite different types — viz. (a) Light harness horses with much quality and high- stepping action in all the provinces except Zeeland and Limburg ; (b) Cart-horses of the Belgian type, the greater part clean-bred Belgian horses, in the southern provinces at the Belgian frontiers. To improve the breed of light harness horses, staUions and mares have been imported in great numbers from Oldenburg. The Dutch horses from this cross get the stateliness and strength with- out losing their high action, their quality, or their manners in harness. At the same time, some Hackney and Norman stallions have been and are still being used to get more dash and still more quality. For * .Much of the account of horse-breeding in the Nether- lands was written by Colonel K. D. Punt, the Director of the Remount Department of the Dutch Array, and is pub- lished by the courtesy of the Department of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade in the Netherlands. ince i on the following scale I. North Brabant 2. Zeeland 3- 4. Limburg South Holland 5- Gelderland . . 6. North Holland 7. Utrecht 8. Overy,ssel . . 9- Drenthe 10. Groningen . . II. Friesland improving the cart-horses the best of Belgian stallions and some good young mares are imported every year from Belgium. Nearly all the breeding horses belong to farmers, who own one to eight brood mares. Hardly any large cultivated properties exist. All horses, brood mares, and the greater part of the stallions included, are used for farm work from the age of two and a half years. That is the reason why Dutch horses are so strong, and show such good manners. Foreign dealers very seldom see a horse in harness before buying ; they know by experience that there is never any difficulty in putting a Dutch horse to harness. The prevailing colours are bay, brown, and black, with few white markings. This facihtates the matching of pairs. Some chestnuts are to be found also, but very few greys and roans. Although many Dutch horses can be used as riding-horses, those of the real, good, blood type are very scarce. All the riding horses for the army (about 450 a year) have been bought in Ireland since about 1884, the artillery draught horses being bred in the Netherlands. All the stallions belong to private breeders or to societies of breeders. The State does not own stallions. Dutch Government Methods Since 1897 the Government has bought twenty colt foals every year. They are brought up in the proper way, on the grass during the summer, and in open sheds with paddocks in the winter time at Bergen Op Zoom. The colts that develop well are sold at the age of three years old under the con- dition that they must be used as stallions in the country. Every man is allowed to breed whatever he likes, but all the stallions that arc used for public service must have a State licence according to the law of 1901. Before that time every province had its special different rules, and every stallion required a provincial licence. Since 1901 the three-year-old stallions have been examined in the months of February and March, the older ones in September and October. Three judges examine the stallions as to their value as stud horses according to their HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 443 special breed, and if thought good enough they are examined as to soundness of wind and eyes by three veterinary surgeons. For the examination of wind the horses are galloped (lunged) both sides every year in suitable covered places, made in about thirty districts all over the country. Stallions over seven years who have proved to be good breeders, are allowed for public service even if they make a noise, if they have been per- fectly sound before that time. The result used is left entirely to provincial com- missions and three Government members for the eleven provinces. Each province has to send in its premium-scheme for the coming year in due time to enable the Government to make necessary alterations. Horses of three years old and older must be entered into one of the stud-books to be ehgible to compete for the premiums ; all the horses are examined before they are entered into a stud-buok at the age of three years old. --^- A RUSSIAN TROIKA HORSE. of this severe yearly examination of all the stallions is that unsound horses are a great exception. Since 1901 Colonel Punt, Direc- tor of the Remount Department of the Dutch army, has been appointed by the Govern- ment to be president of the commission of examination of all the stallions. About 1,000 stallions are e.xamined every year, of which about 640 get a licence. All the expenses are paid by the Government. The sum of 120,000 florins (£10,000) is spent every year in premiums for breeding horses of different ages ; 75,000 florins from the Government and 45,000 florins from the provinces. The way in which this money is The Government money is divided accord- ing to the number of mares served in the year past in every province. In 1908, 646 stallions were serving in the country, comprising 271 cart-horses and 375 of other breeds (322 Oldenburgs and their crosses, 15 Normans and their crosses, 7 Hackneys, 10 Frisians, 4 thoroughbreds, and 17 trotters). The breeding of American trotting horses and French-Norman trotters is increasing in the Netherlands. It is estimated that about 100 mixed galloping and trotting race-meetings take place every year on four race-courses. Breeders have a good oppor- 444 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE tunity to show their horses in hand, ridden, or in harness every year at the International Hague Horse Show, and every five years at the National Agricultural Show. Horses are bred to a considerable extent for exporta- tion, about 11,000 horses going to Germany every year, over 7,000 to Belgium, and several thousands more to England, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. A good climate and splendid grass in the greater part of the Netherlands have made it a notable horse-breeding country from times immemorial. Even in the ancient times of the Bataviers, the Gelderland and Friesland cavalry were renowned, and it has already been noted in this chapter that the Russian Orloff trotter breed was built up with a great many imported Dutch-Frisian mares. These Frisian horses, jet-black, without any white, with nice small head, good neck, very long mane and tail, high-stepping action in front, and pretty fast in short distances, could be found until twenty years ago in the four northern provinces on the German frontiers, but are likely to disappear alto- gether. They are the original breed in this part of the country, but are now only bred in a part of the province of Friesland, where ten clean-bred stallions are still serving. Their particular shape, with low back and dropping hind-quarters, has made it difficult to find a ready market for them. The specimens still bred now go to England, Spain, and Italy for funerals, if they do not remain in the country. The second original breed, the Gelderland horse, was found in the province of Gelderland. He was a sharp, good trotting harness horse, rather like the Oldenburg and Norman, but not so strong. He did not step so high as the Frisian horse, but went better behind ; these horses were bred in the provinces of the middle of the country. The third original breed was the Zeeland horse, a light cart-horse, much like the Flemish horse, and found in the southern provinces. MAJOR DE BACHANT: A TYPICAL ARDENNAIS STALLION. < S: m " H I Q ^ Z i REVE DOR : A TYPICAL HAINAULT STALLION. Pliotografh by J. DtUon, Par, CHAPTER XXXVIII HORSE-BREEDING AND BREEDS ON THE CONTINENT (continued) yi LTHOUGH horse-breeders in the Neth- / \ erlands have been left a pretty free -i- -^ hand in the choice of their breeds, the Government has been responsible for several rules in this respect. Even in the seventeenth century stallions had to be examined in most of the provinces, and in 1799 a law regulated this matter for the whole country. Amongst other rules, this law ordered that Government judges had to examine the stallions and only pass the best. A man who owned only one stal- lion had to have a black or a bay with black points. He who owned more than two stallions was obliged to have two jet-blacks or one black and one bay. The height had to be between 15 hands and 15 hands 2 inches, and sires had to be bred in the country. At the same time premiums were given to the best horses and mares. This law lasted until 1803, and the above men- tioned rules were left after that time in the hands of the different departments. During the Napoleonic wars horses in the Nether- lands became very scarce. This decided the Government to establish two stallion depots, one in Gelderland at Borculo, and one in Luxemburg. For Borculo were bought a good number of brood mares, and stallions were imported from Mecklenburg, Pommeren, Lithauen, and Hungary. Farmers did not quite like these under-sized horses, and so in 1825 and 1827 stallions were imported from Holstein (ten of which were English bred), and also twenty-five Russian horses of good breeding. Later, in 1837 and 57 445 446 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE 1838, twenty-three English thoroughbred horses were added to the Dutch stud. For financial and other reasons this Government establishment was given up in 1841, and the improvement of horse-breeding left to each province. The Brabant or Brabangon horse, undoubt- edly the lineal descendant of the great Flemish war-horse of the Middle Ages, is the most widely distributed, the most valuable, and the most numerous of any breed in Belgium. Light horse breeding in Belgium is insignificant compared with the breeding of heavy draught horses. Possibly it was to some extent from the old Flemish stock that the breed of English Shire horses was built up, and Belgium's mas- sive stallions are still in demand in all parts of the world. The Brabant breed flourishes in nearly every part of Belgium, Luxemburg being the only province in which it is not met with. Belgian statistics estimate the number of Brabant horses (Brabancjons and Condruziens) at 225,000, and the Ardenne horses, a rather smaller breed, at 25,000. Points of the Brabant Horse The Brabant has a well-modelled head, rather light in comparison with the size of the body, with full lower jaw. His strong neck is slightly short, matching his thick-set trunk, and his withers are thick and fleshy. His back is short and wide, his chest full and round, and his massive croup, well but not deeply cleft, is furnished with thick, muscular pads which sometimes make it appear too high in com- parison with the loins. The limbs are power- ful, with wide joints, short but elastic pasterns, and wide, well-made hoofs. This splendid beast of burden draws loads of three tons without any apparent effort, and four tons and even five tons on the flat pave- ments of the quays of Antwerp. The dis- trict for the breeding of the Brabant horse is mainly composed of clay soil, highly fertile. Indeed, he does not do well in less fertile zones. In Germany and elsewhere, the name of Ardenne is popularly applied to all Belgian horses, even to the most weighty Brabants. But, as we have already mentioned, the Ardenne or Ardennais breed is numerically small compared with the heavier Belgian horse, and, what is more, the geographical area he covers comprises merely the province of Luxemburg and some cantons in the province of Namur and Liege. He is also bred on the French side of the frontier. The essential differences of form between the Ardenne and the Brabant horse are gradu- ally disappearing, and often it is only by their dimensions that one can distinguish between the two. It amounts to this, that the light Ardennais of the " good old times " is metamorphosing itself into a Brabancon of small size, and is now simply the lightest form of the Belgian draught horse.* His height is from i m. 48 to i m. 58, his temper good, his endurance extreme. He makes the hardiest of horses for omnibus and tramway work, and it is from the light animals of this breed that the Belgian artillery secures its vigorous, agile, and docile harness horses. Belgian Government and Breeding Some of the regulations concerning the improvement of the native breeds of draught horses in Belgium go back to the eighteenth century, but the system of subsidising the provinces began in 1840. The objects of the provincial councils, acting in conjunction with the Minister of Agriculture, are (a) to discard from use the stallions not possess- ing the qualities desired for the improve- ment of the breed to which they belong ; and (b) to encourage, by means of premiums, the preservation of the best animals, sires as well as mares, of the original breed. Each year, in the month of October or November, there is an examination of stallions of the native breed (Belgian draught horses) designed for the public service of the year. For the purposes of this survey the pro- vinces are split up into departments, making forty-five in all — viz. three in the province of Antwerp, six in Brabant, six in West Flanders, five in East Flanders, six in Hainault, five in Liege, two in Limburg,. • "Le Cheval Beige," by J. Leyder. HORSE-BREEDING ON THE CONTINENT 447 five in Luxemburg, and seven in Namur. " It is to this process of selection, carried out for many years in some of our provinces, that Belgium is indebted for the most part for the possession of a breed of draught horses of quite the premier order," said the Belgian Minister of Agriculture in an inter- esting brochure issued in connection with the exhibition at Liege. In 1886 the Society of the Belgian Draught Horse was founded, and has done a great deal of good for horse- breeding by means of its premiums at shows and its Stud Book. The Government allows the society an annual subsidy of 30,000 francs, this being in addition to premiums to breeders given directly by the State. Danish horses at one time were of high repute, and had some share towards the making of the Orloff breed of Russia, but when Schleswig-Holstein came under German rule, Denmark was deprived of its most valuable pasture land. A useful cart-horse is bred now in Jutland. Danish horses, how- ever, are mainly on the small side, but very strong and hardy, and on the sea-coast a sturdy race of ponies is bred, somewhat similar to those of Iceland. In the course of travels in Norway, and particularly in the neighbourhood of the northern fiords, we have been struck with the excellent breed of ponies produced in those parts. They are from 14 hands to 14 hands 2 inches, and in colour nearly all dun, or what we should call a washy chestnut. These little ponies do splendid service in the mountainous district, and it is a pleasure to ride behind them either in carriole, or stole carrje. Both in Norway and Sweden horse-breeding is mainly in ^the hands of small farmers. In the latter kingdom there are some good thoroughbred and English half-bred sires, but Sweden imports a good many horses for military purposes, going as far as the Argen- tine in recent years for this purpose. In closing this chapter the writer desires to express his thanks to the directors of those foreign Departments of Agriculture who have courteously supplied him with informa- tion for this section of " The Book of the Horse." He is also deeply indebted to our own Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. The authorities of this ably-managed depart- ment at Whitehall Place have been most kind in placing their library at his disposal, and in assisting him in other ways. NORWEGIAN PONIES. nu'U^-raf'lt by IV. A, Rouch. MR. WALTER WINANSS TROTTERS. PRINCELL AND LAKE ERIE. CHAPTER XXXIX AMERICAN HORSES AS, in the popular idea in this country, the American horse is the trotter, ^ I will begin with him. There are all sorts of curious fancies and conventionalities connected with the Ameri- can trotter in England, and they are very hard to eradicate. For instance, if one talks with the " man in the street " about the trotter, the conversation almost in- variably is as follows : Man in the Street : " How many miles an hour can your horse trot?" (never "What is his record?"). It takes a little calculation for a trotting man to be able to answer this question, as he is so used to calling a horse, for instance, a 2.20 horse or even " a twenty horse " without the " two," that it takes some calculation to reduce " a mile in two minutes twenty seconds " into " about 25I miles an hour." Then invariably comes the remark, with a smile : " Quite so ; but how long can he keep it up ? " (as if a horse were a motor- car, and as if anyone asked how long a Derby horse can keep up his gallop). The next invariable question is : " The harder you pull at him the faster he goes, and when you drop the reins he stops, is that not so ? " The following two remarks are assertions, not questions ; they are : " An American trotter cannot pull weight," and " An American trotter cannot trot fairly — he shuffles." Now this last remark is the result of the so-called trotting races in England. In all other countries trotting races are naturally confined to trotters, but in this country " pacers " are allowed to compete in trotting races. As a pacer, price for price, is a very much cheaper horse than a trotter of the same speed (a trotter with a speed of two minutes fifteen 448 AMERICAN HORSES 449 seconds for a mile is a fast horse, whereas a pacer of that speed is quite a third rater), it follows that most of the horses " trotting ! " in English races are pacing, and the public get to think that pacing is " American trotting." As to the doubts concerning the weight- pulling capacity of the American trotter, the Coaching Marathons at the International Horse Shows of 1909 and 1910 have dispelled them for ever. Mr. Vanderbilt and Judge Moore, driving American trotters with a full load in a coach, out-trotted all the other horses, both hackneys and hunter bred, and in the former year Mr. Vanderbilt won the cup. As to the idea that you must pull hard at a trotter, the fact is that the modern trotter has a very light mouth. Lou Dillon, the World's Champion (mile in one minute fifty- eight and a half seconds), used to go with a loose rein, and most of my horses can be " speeded " with the reins in one hand and stopped at the word " Woa ! " The Question of Docking In my opinion, the idea of docking a harness horse also is wrong. There seem to be two reasons offered for docking horses, the first of which is that if a horse carries his tail tucked in, he is improved by docking. Now, as an American trotter does not tuck his tail, nor need a " spoon " under his dock like a hackney, but carries it like a flag, there is no necessity to dock him, but if a short tail is preferred he can be " banged." The second is the exploded idea that a long-tailed horse is dangerous to drive, especially in a low carriage, on account of his getting his tail over the reins. Now I have driven since I was ten years old, and have had trouble several times with horses getting their tails over the reins, and in every case it has been with a short-tailed English horse. The American road and speed wagons, " runabouts," etc., are all much lower than English carriages, so if the idea of a long tail being dangerous were correct, it would be most evident in American carriages ; but the e.xact reverse is the case. A docked horse, who switches his tail and grabs the reins when he gets his tail over them, is dangerous, but the reason he is so is because he has been docked. A horse, if treated kindly, does not mind his tail being touched, or if he happens to switch it over the reins takes it off again, just the same as if he happens to switch it over the dashboard or the shafts. But if he has been docked, he connects, in his mind, the idea of his tail being touched with the agony of being docked, so the moment he feels the reins under his tail he says to himself: "The brute is going to chop another bit off my tail," and naturally kicks for all he is worth, or holds tight to the reins with his mutilated dock, and runs away. I was driving a man with one of my trotters, and he seemed very nervous and at last said : " What would happen if the horse got his tail over the reins? " I said: " This," and leaning forward took hold of the horse's tail and put it over the reins. The horse kept on jogging, and after going a few hundred yards, I, holding the reins still slack in the left hand, swung them to the left, throwing the horse's tail clear of the reins. Description of the Trotter Now to come to the description of the trotter. As trotting races are not looked on seriously in England I will confine myself to the use of trotters in harness on the road. There are two types of trotter ; one the light well-bred horse, full of quality, and looking like a light-weight hunter or almost a thoroughbred. This horse is an ideal one for driving to cover or for pleasure driving, either singly or in pairs, at any speed from six to twenty-four miles an hour. Most of them have perfect manners (as in fact the vast majority of American horses have). If there is a smash the horse does not begin " milling," but stands still till the damage is repaired. This is owing chiefly to the horse having been taught to rely on himself during breaking, not being driven beside a " break horse " in a heavy break with a dozen stablemen hanging on or run- ning beside him. This type of trotter has 450 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE no more action than a thoroughbred, and does not bang his legs. He can be kept on all day at sixteen miles an hour without being hurt. The Morgan Type of Trotter Another type of trotter is the Morgan type, which corresponds to the hackney, but has much more quality, a small blood- like head, high action with great speed, and although very quiet, much more courage and stamina than any hackney. This is the type of horse which won the Marathon coaching race, and with which Messrs. Watson, Vanderbilt, and Judge Moore have won so many first prizes at the Inter- national Horse Show each year, against hackneys. This, in my opinion, is the coming carriage horse of the world ; he can do everything, and do it better, than any carriage horse of any breed can do. He can step, he can pull weight, he can catch a train, and he can be trusted for the owner's wife to drive, or to take the nurse and children out for a drive. He can be driven till he drops dead, without using the whip. The Kentucky Saddle-Horse A type of horse not generally known in England is the Kentucky saddle-horse, but it is one which would not be much cared for in England. It is rather " harnessy " in English eyes, with too much crest. It is what is called " gaited " ; that is to say, that, besides walk, trot, and canter, it can do the rack, single foot, pace, fox trot, and other gaits. " Single foot " is the term given to the action when all the feet are moving independently. Like an extremely fast walk, single foot is like pacing only slightly disconnected, and so on. All these gaits are easy to sit on, no rising in the stirrups being necessary. The horses need a special training on the part of the rider, as anyone using the ordinary " aids " could not make the horse understand them. Polo ponies broken in America do not generally get on with European riders, because, whilst in Europe the horse is turned and stopped by the use of the legs in con- nection with the reins (" school riding "), in America the turning is done entirely with the reins, and this is the reason American ponies are sometimes condemned as un- handy. The above remarks were written by Mr. Walter Winans, who is the best-known owner of American horses in this country, and whose experience of all sorts of breeds — American, British, and Continental — is probably unique. Mr. Winans has experi- mented to an extraordinary extent both with harness horses and jumpers, but his chief fancy appears to be for trotters, and at English shows he has for many years carried all before him with horses, either bred by himself, or imported from America. The best of his trotters are kept in Vienna, where they win a very big proportion of the most important Austrian trotting events, but as, already explained, American trotters are not popular in this country, and few of the best — except those owned by Mr. Winans • — are ever seen at the English shows. Horse-Breeding in the States Brief reference must now be made to American horses generally. And first it may be said that in the United States horse-breeding has for the last hundred and fifty years been carried on in very whole-hearted fashion, and with the very best results. Probably the United States is the greatest rival which Great Britain has in horse production, and in several ways it takes the lead of this country. It is not exactly easy to make a comparison, and it must be stated that all the best breeds in the United States have been built up on a British foundation, but the fact remains that while they have in the States thorough- breds of which the best are as good as our English thoroughbreds, they have also the trotters and pacers, and an enormous number of light horses both for riding and driving. These last-named nags are not strictly thoroughbreds, but they are not far re- moved from it, and one is inclined to think that there has, in a measure, been more attention paid to the breeding of 452 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE ordinary light horses in the States than there has in this country. American Horses in England Some ten or twelve years ago large con- sign nients of these horses were sent to Liverpool, and sold by auction every week. We have no statistics on the subject, but from personal knowledge should say that about £50 was the average price paid for these nags. They were mostly bought by dealers, and were sent all over the country ; the more heavily built ones were used for light van work, the lighter and better bred ones as harness horses, hunters, and hacks. Scores of them appeared in the hunting- fields about that time, many being reputed to be British. They could gallop and jump, and could stand a long day, when they became acclimatised, while they made good coach horses, and were, for the most part, very hard. We have seen one or two that were difficult to ride in the hunting- field, but this was due to the fact that they were high couraged horses, and this was proof that they were well bred. It was said that many of these horses had been reared in Kentucky, but be that as it may there was a big demand for them for a time, and probably the demand only came to an end because of the rapid advance of mechanical traction. Whence Did the American Come ? Professor William Ridgway, in his " Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse," tells us that at the time of the Spanish conquest of America no horses, either wild or domesticated, existed in any part of the country, and that all the thousands of horses now ranging the Pampas of South America are descended from seven stallions and five mares introduced by the Spaniards. Yet it has been proved that in pre-glacial times North America possessed at least nine perfectly distinct wild species of equidce, which varied in size, and so forth. It is not our concern now to discuss the pre- historic horse, but to show how the modern species has been bred in America, and, beginning wiih the thoroughbred, it may be said that the x\merican breed owes its origin to a horse named BuUe Rock, which is said to have been foaled in England in 1718, and imported to Virginia in 1830. The first volume of the general Stud Book makes no mention of this horse, but from advertisements in very early Virginian papers it appears that he was by the Darley Arabian, dam by the Byerly Turk. There are three Byerly Turk mares in the Stud Book, one of which is credited with having bred a filly to the Darley Arabian in a year not given, but probably in 1706-7 or 8, but no trace of a colt bred in this way is forthcoming. Bulle Rock was owned by Messrs. Samuel Patton and Samuel Girt, of Virginia, and was spoken of in the prints of the day as being a horse of the best English (or Arabian) racing family. Though Bulle Rock was the first race-horse — so far as is known — • to reach America, horses had been imported from the earliest days of the discovery of the country. Columbus took horses with him on the occasion of his second voyage to the new country, and it is on record that in 1527 Gabeza de Vaca turned loose certain Spanish horses and mares — these being the animals to which allusion has already been made. Virginia and Horse-Racing In 1609 a stallion and six mares were sent to Virginia from England ; in 1625 certain horses were shipped from Holland to New York, and four years later there was a con- signment of English horses to Boston. All this maybe read in "The American Thorough- bred," by Charles Trevathan, a most ex- cellent book, which treats of American racing from its earliest days, and to whom the present writer is much indebted for information which has been sadly scamped elsewhere. Virginia was the earliest home of American racing, and until quite recent times took the lead in a sport which has since become general all over the United States. In 1763 a horse named Protector was bred by Mr. Vernon, in England, which was by Shepherd's Crab (a son of the Grey Crab by the Alcock Arabian) out of Crazy, by Lath (a son of the Godolphin Arabian), AMERICAN HORSES 453 and was sent to America, and there renamed Lath. This horse is said to have made a great impression on the stock of his time, and it would be interesting tv know if his line still exists in tail male. He was sent to New York rather more than 140 years ago, and by this time, both in the Northern and Southern States, a breed of thoroughbreds, or as nearly thoroughbred as could be ob- tained, was being evolved, just as the same process was going on in this country. Early Races in America The first actual American racing organisa- tion was formed at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1760, the course and club- house being constructed by Mr. T. Nightin- gale, a Yorkshireman by birth. Virginia speedily followed with a Newmarket, a Tree Hill, a Broadrock, and a Fairview course, and before 1776 racing in the Southern States was in full swing, while after the Revolution racing stables were established in Maryland, as well as in Virginia and South Carolina. Long Island was the scene of the first racing in the North, but the Southerners kept the lead in all racing matters imtil the nineteenth century was well advanced. Diomed's Influence The horse which did the greatest good to the American turf was Diomed, by Florizel, the first winner of the English Derby in 1780. This horse was by a son of Herod, and Herod was fourth in male descent from the Byerly Turk. He (Diomed) was out of a mare by Spectator, and was bred by Sir Charles Bunbury in Suffolk, or by Mr. Vernon. The last-named owned the mare before Sir Charles did, but the Stud Book states that the Spectator mare was in Sir Charles Bunbury's possession when Diomed was foaled. It is a matter of Httle con- sequence now, but after Diomed had won, and been beaten in many races, he com- menced stud life in England at a five guinea fee, which was afterwards doubled. Some- how he did not catch on with breeders, and was sold for fifty guineas to go to America. He was taken to Virginia, and there resold 58 for upwards of 1,000 guineas, and stood for nine seasons in the new country. Mean- time, curiously enough, his stock succeeded in England after he had come to be re- garded as a failure, and notably his son Grey Diomed was a great runner and a successful stallion. Young Giantess, by Diomed out of Giantess, bred, among others, Eleanor, who won the Derby in 1801, and Sorcerer, who sired a Derby winner in Smolensko, and whose name appears in the direct line from the Godolphin Barb to West Australian, Barcaldine, Marco, and Neil Gow, the Two Thousand winner of igio. This proves that Diomed was sent out of this country before his stud value was really known, and it is a curious and exceedingly interesting fact that he should have been as successful in one country as he was in the other. In America he sired a host of winners, but there is no space at oiir command wherein to mention them at length, and we shall merely refer to Sir Archy, by whom the line, which exists to the present day, was carried on. Diomed was a chestnut of 15.3 hands, and he died in 1808, aged thirty-one years, having been taken to America when he was twenty- two years of age. Diomed's Descendants From his earliest arrival in Virginia Diomed became the leading stallion of the day. His son. Sir Archy, though bred in America, was of English parentage, being out of Castianira by Rockingham, and bred by Mr. Popham, in 1796. There is a note in Vol. I. of the Stud Book to the effect that the mare was the dam (by old Diomed) of a celebrated American horse, " Sir Archie." Castianira was out of Tabitha, by Trentham out of Bosphorus. Trentham was by Sweepstakes, but there were several horses of that name, and presumably this Sweep- stakes was by an earlier horse of the same name, who was by the Oxford Bloody Arabian. Sir Archy was a big thoroughbred for that day, standing fully sixteen hands. He did not at first assert his supremacy, but after a while he won many important events of 454 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the day in Virginia, and came to be justly recognised as a champion. As in England at the same time, four-mile races were com- mon in Virginia, and Sir Archy proved himself to be a great stayer. At the stud his successes were great, and in fact he did an enormous great was his reputation that in some quarters the possibility of opening races to the world, bar Boston, was discussed. . Among many other winners sired by Boston, Lexington and Lecompte stand out, and these two were said to be far the best animals MR. WALTER WINANS'S CHAMPION ROADSTER. BONNIE VIEW. amount of good to the American turf, especially in Kentucky, where after a time his descendants were exceptionally numerous. His son Timoleon was the sire of a great American race-horse named Boston, who was foaled in 1833, and who being a small colt was not put into training until he was three years old. As a two-year-old he had been bought for >^8oo, and his first efforts in the following year were not altogether satisfactory. He won an extraordinary trial, however, and after that came to wonderful form, winning race after race at two, three, and four miles. Many of his victories were gained in the Northern States, and at one period of his career he won in succession eight races, seven of which were four-mile heat events, and so in training in the United States in 1854. They ran a great four-mile heat match at New Orleans on April 8, 1854, which Lecompte won, but the line of Lexington has been handed down, and is at the present day very familiar to those who study the pedigrees of the American horses which run in this country. Lexington was out of Alice Cameal, by the English horse Sarpedon, and Lecompte out of Peel by imported Glencoe, and was controlled by Mr. Richard Ten Broek, who a few years later was well known on the English Turf. Lecompte only ran seven times, and won six races worth $56,000. Lexington was a bay, standing 15 hands 3 inches, and at the stud he sired the winners of $1,159,321. He had twenty-one sensons of stud life, siring some six hundred AMERICAN HORSES 455 horses, of which two hundred and thirty-six were winners. He may indeed be called the Stockwell of America, for he was not only by far the greatest winner of his day, but his progeny were the best runners of the next generation. Lexington's Progeny Among his early successes was the mare Idlewild, who \vas the best per- former of her day, and from Glencoe mares he sired three famous horses, named Kentucky, Norfolk, and Asteroid, all of whom were big winners in the early 'sixties. Another great son of Lexington was Harry Bassett, who was not a great stud success. Never- theless a majority of the American horses which win in England at the present day have the blood of Lexington in their veins, and yet according to our standard this blood is not altogether pure, for the dam of Timo- leon traced to unknown sources, while the dam of Ball's Florizel, who was the sire of Boston's dam, was also from an impure source. Boston, by the way, was inbred to Diomed, and Lexington had also the Diomed blood through his dam Alice Carneal, who was out of a mare by Sumpter, a son of Sir Archy. The curious blot in Lexington's pedigree is that referred to in connection with Ball's Florizel. This horse's dam was by imported Shark — who was by ]\Iarske — the sire of Eclipse, out of the Snap mare, who goes back to a natural Barb mare, who did not found a family in this country, but whose name is in nearly every American pedigree of the present day. The name of Shark is to be found in Vol. L of the English Stud Book, and no doubt his blood was quite as valuable as that from which a majority of the British female thoroughbred families were founded. In the case of Timoleon's dam the case is different, and she traces to purely American sources. It will be seen from the above that the American thoroughbred has its origin in the English thoroughbred, but to this it must be added that there have been constant importations of British blood to America since Diomed went there. For example, Diomed was imported in 1799, and Lexington was foaled in 1850, and in the pedigree of the last-named there are the names of eleven other imported horses and mares in addition to that of Diomed. The American Race-Horse As to whether English or American race- horses are the better there is no need to argue, but of late years the majority of the latter which have run in England have been more remarkable for speed than stamina, and this is rather curious, because the system of running four-mile heats was maintained far longer in America than it was in the United Kingdom. From America a small pro- portion of stayers have been sent to run in this country, and among them were Parole, who won the Great Metropolitan in 1879, Foxhall, who won the Cesarewitch as a three- year old under 7 stone 12 lbs. in 1881, King's Courier, who won the Doncaster Cup in 1900, and David Garrick, who won the Chester Cup in 1901. These four horses all stayed well, but a majority of the best American winners in England have been milers — such as Caiman or Democrat — or short distance runners, such as Americus Girl — a direct descendant in tail male of Lexington — or many of the best of Mr. Whitney's present-day runners. Americus Girl was bred in Ireland, and was by an American-bred sire out of an Irish-bred mare. In the matter of looks there is not a pin to choose between American and British thoroughbreds. The former have just as much size, and, to our thinking, more quality than the average Colonial horse ; but when compared with the very best English horses they are perhaps just a little lacking in this respect. Their bone appears to be as good as ours, and, horse for horse, the best that one sees over here would compare well in the matter of measure- ment ; but it is possible that the best Americans have not been sent to England, and it is quite likely that in races of not more than a mile their best might beat our best. This is merely conjecture, however, and there can be no real means of com- paring the best of one country with the best of another, when thousands of miles 456 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE separate them and the question of acclimati- sation comes into the argument. During 1910 there were many successes in this country on the part of American bred horses. American Racing Methods American methods of training are some- what different to ours ; but, on the whole, there is little reason for supposing that they are better than those in vogue in this coun- try. In the matter of jockeyship, we have, however, copied the American for some- thing like ten years, and both for and against the now universally adopted American style there is something to be said. Its one great advantage is that races are nm from beginning to end at a high rate of speed. Time was when, in many long distance events, especially weight for age races, half a dozen horses would wait on each other for a mile and a half, and only really race for the last three or four furlongs of a two-mile race. This was not often the case in handi- caps, where light weights were, naturally, ordered to make running ; but it was ex- ceedingly common in other races, and perhaps most of all in cup contests and in the old races for King's or Queen's Plates. The advent of American jockeys to this country altered all this, for they dashed away in front, compelUng their opponents to come after them ; and now that the fashion of coming along all the way has become established the average race of a mile and upwards is much more truly run than it was. On the other hand, it is by no means certain that the American for- ward seat is an advantage. It probably eases the horse in some degree, and it most certainly neutralises the pressure of a heavy head wind ; but before it became the vogue jockeys used to throw their weight forward by standing up in their stirrups in the early part of a race and were only sitting down when the " riding " began in the last furlong or two. The jocke3"s had, when the old style was customary, far more com- mand of their horses than they have to-day, when the forward seat is universal, and most certainly under the present conditions swerv- ing is much more common than it formerly was. And when a horse swerves, a jockey, perched forward on its withers, has nothing like so much power over his mount as the jockey who is sitting down in the saddle. The upshot is that swerves are now not only more frequent, but are of longer duration than they once were, and at times one sees the best horses, ridden by the foremost jockeys of the day, deviate from the straight line at the exact moment when ever so little deviation means the difference between victory and defeat. Condition of Racing in America As we write, racing is in a bad way in America, owing to the action of a certain section of the people. It is not within our province to go into the politics of the matter, but that the sport of racing can be carried on in honest fashion we are firmly convinced, and the average English race- course of the present day affords a scene of enjoyment for thousands of horse lovers, and it seems a pity that in America this should not be recognised, as it is here. We have not suihcient knowledge of American racing to understand thoroughly the ques- tions which are at issue on the other side of the Atlantic, but we may state with con- fidence that the American nation has built up a breed of race-horses which is probably equal to the breed, of any other country in the world, and that therefore it is matter for great regret that the horse lovers of some portions of the United States are at present unable to carry out their favourite pastime. There are just now a fair number of American horses racing in this country and in France, and in addition American yearlings are frequently sent to this coun- try to be sold. During the last season or two many of these have been sold cheaply, and have turned out great bargains to their purchasers. Colts and fillies by Watercress, Meddler, Hamburg, and one or two other sires, have won a great number of races in this country, and in 1908 the Grand National Steeplechase at Liverpool was won b}' Rubio, an American-bred gelding, who had been sold at Newmarket when a yearling, ten years before he scored his AMERICAN HORSES 457 memorable victory at Aintree, for the ridiculous price of fifteen guineas. The American Trotter Probably to the average Englishman who does not happen to be an expert in turf matters the idea of the American horse is usually associated with trotters, and as regards this particular breed America stands alone, in spite of the fact that trotting at the high rate of speed which the best Ameri- can horses arrive at is altogether artificial. It is probable also that even now the trotting horse appeals to the average American more than the thoroughbred does, and this is only natural, for trotting is an especially American sport, while the racing of thorougli- breds is only a sport copied from another country. The horse to whom the American trotter owes his origin is Messenger, who was by Mambrino out of a daughter of Turf, and a mare by Regulus. Mambrino was by Engineer, Engineer by Sampson, Samp- son by Blaze, and Blaze by Childers, a son of the Darley Arabian. Thus as the present lines of American thoroughbred blood go back to the Byerly Turk through Diomed, so do the best lines of trotting blood go back to the Darley Arabian through Messenger. Of the horse first named the Stud Book says Messenger was sent to the United States ; but the date of his being foaled is not given, and we only know that his dam was born in 1774. He arrived in Phila- delphia in 1788, and according to American authorities he was four years old at the time. He had won races in England, and was a very good-looking grey horse, and he had twenty years of stud life in the Northern States, and was held in such great estimation that at his funeral military honours were paid him and a volley of musketry fired over his grave. Great Trotting Matches As can be readily understood, his imme- diate offspring were raced on the turf, and as a matter of fact trotting races of the kind now in vogue are of comparatively modern date, the first public race of the kind only having taken place in 1815. This race was the outcome of a bet that no horse could trot a mile in three minutes. Accord- ing to Porter's " Spirit of the Times," the horse about whom the wager was made was a rat-tailed, iron-grey gelding named Boston Blue. About his pedigree nothing was known, but he accomplished his task and was afterwards taken to England, where he trotted eight miles in 28 minutes 55 seconds, winning a wager of £100. In 1825 the New York Trotting Club was organised, and in 1828 the Hunting Park Association, in Philadelphia, was formed " for the encour- agement of the breed of pure horses, especi- ally that most valuable one known as the trotter." In 1829 Topgallant, by Hamble- tonian, a son of Messenger, trotted twelve miles in harness in 38 minutes, and three miles under saddle in 8 minutes 31 seconds, and it was stated that when nineteen years ot age this horse could trot a mile under 150 lb. in 2 minutes 45 seconds. About the same time a mare, named Betsy Baker, by Mambrint), like Hambletonian a son of ^Messenger, beat Topgallant under saddle, carrying 150 lb. over a three-mile course in 8 minutes 31 seconds. It is said that this mare could trot twenty miles within the hour. Here it may be stated that there has been a great want of originality in the naming of these early American trotters. The student of pedigree will find constant repetitions of the names of Mambrino, Messenger, Hambletonian, and others, and though some of these have a prefix it is not always easy to ascertain which of two or three horses of the same name is meant. " The Emperor of Horses " Trouble, by Hambletonian, trotted two miles in 5 minutes 25 seconds, and Sir Peter, by the same horse, three miles in harness in 8 minutes 16 seconds, while about the same time Screwdriver, by Mount Holly (another son of Messenger), trotted two three-mile heats in 8 minutes 2 seconds and 8 minutes 10 seconds. This horse was another great favourite, whose obituary was as follows : " The Emperor of Horses is no more : Screwdriver is dead." He died in 458 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE 1828 at Philadelphia, and was probably the best trotter which had appeared up to that time. From 1830 onwards trotting was the most popular horse sport of America, but there is a table of statistics which dates from a much earlier period. This applies to the time in which a mile has been covered, and it begins with a horse named Yankee, who trotted a mile in 2 minutes 59 seconds in 1806, and brings the record down to Lou Dillon, who trotted a mile in less than 2 minutes, nearly a hundred years later. This table emphasises the fact that it has taken a hundred years to reduce the time for the mile from 3 to 2 minutes, but it may be stated that very few of the very best trotters can do level time, and yet that there are scores of 2.10, 2.13, and 2.20 horses in every trotting community. The famous Maud S., who held the record for several years, did the mile in 2 minutes 8j seconds. Her record was beaten by Nancy Hanks who cut off 4I seconds, and this mare in turn had her record lowered by a quarter of a second, when Alix did the mile in 2 minutes 3I seconds. This was in 1894, and six years later half a second less for the mile was credited to The Abbot, who in 1901 lost his record to Crescens, the last- named doing it in 2 minutes 2| seconds. Lou Dillon brought the figures down to 2 minutes in 1903, and since to i minute 585 seconds, a record which seems likely to stand. Lou Dillon Lou Dillon is directly descended from Messenger through Sydney Dillon, Sydney, Santa Claus, Strathmore, Hambletonian, Abdallah, and Mambrino, the last-named a son of Messenger. The blood also comes from the Charles Kent mare, who was by the imported English Hackney, Bellfounder, out of One Eye by Hambletonian, the son of Messenger. The Hambletonian first men- tioned in this pedigree was Rysdyk's Hamble- tonian, who was by Abdallah out of the Charles Kent mare ; and it may be added that the pedigree of the mare just referred to has Deen questioned, but is nevertheless generally accepted. Besides the line of blood we have mentioned there are many others, and as a matter of fact the best trotters of the present day are almost as well bred and of as long pedigree as the thorough- breds. They are almost thoroughbreds to look at also, but perhaps a trifle longer in the body. Most of them carry great quality when they are in training, and a majority are wonderfully docile and well-behaved. The Staying Power of the Trotter No doubt the fast times have been greatly helped in recent years by the light tackle and the excellence of the tracks ; but the general result has been that a breed of horses has been evolved of which the best can trot at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour. And that they can keep up their pace in wonderful fashion is also a fact, though in this country little is known as to their ability to cover a distance of ground. The horses used by Mr. A. G. Vanderbilt and Judge Moore, of New York, in the Marathon competitions, certainly travelled over sixteen miles an hour with a heavy coach and a load behind them, and a few years ago we sat in a light gig behind quite an ordinary American horse, who covered seventeen miles of country roads in Cheshire in a few seconds under the hour. There were milestones on the road, and these he passed at intervals of from three to four minutes, according to the nature of the road. He needed no whip on the journey, and pulled up at the end quite fresh. There were no steep hills on the road, but plenty of undulation, and the horse pulled steadily all the time, increasing his pace when the ground was in his favour, and slowing up just a little when there was an ascent. This horse had been trotted at the trotting ground near the Liverpool race-course, and though his pace was not great enough to put him in the front rank of such trotters as are seen on the English tracks, he could stay for ever, and was very powerfully built. There are great numbers of good riding horses in the States which are not exactly thoroughbred in the English sense of the word, but whose breeding has neverthe- less been carefully attended to for many AMERICAN HORSES 459 generations. These horses have been bred for saddle work, and in this country would probably be hunted, or used as hacks. There is a breed called the Morgan horse, to which Mr. Winans has referred, and an- other descended from a horse named Den- mark, the latter chiefly located in Kentucky. Denmark was introduced into Kentucky some sixty or seventy years ago ; he had been raced, and was by an imported horse named Hedgford — probably Hedgford by Filho da Puta out of Miss Craigie, by Orville, who was foaled in 1825. About the breeding of the dam of Denmark there seems to be some doubt ; but Denmark's son, known as Gaines' Denmark, was a great stock-getter, who was mainly responsible for founding the breed of riding horses which is known as the Demnark. True Morgan horses have capital action, great constitution, and are very neatly turned. The breed has, per- haps, not been so well maintained as it should have been, but it still exists, and, according to Mr. Winans, is used by the coaching men of the United States. Morgan horses are not very big, but have a wonder- ful combination of activity and power and a great deal of pace. As regards the purely American paces, the running walk, the rack, the fox trot, and so forth, it is urged that teaching these gaits has had a beneficial effect on the Kentucky saddle-horse, and that the discipline in training which the teaching involves has had a wonderful effect on the disposition and temper of the pupils. DREW ONE OF THE FAMOUS MORRIS CLYDESDALE TEAM. Photograph by W. A. Roiioh ROTTEN ROW. Fhotograph by S/oi CHAPTER XL THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES INTRODUCTORY.— Much of the law- relating to transactions in which horses are concerned is generic, and is not specifically confined to those chattels ; the broad principles which dictate it could, mutatis mutandis, be analogously applied to transactions relating to other animals and also to inanimate goods. There are, on the other hand, situations which, for all practical purposes, relate only to horses and the uses to which they are put, such as livery stabling and the principles which govern it, horse sales and horse warranties, and the rule of the road {pace, motor traction as a latter-day rival to the horse). Carriage by rail is not exclusively confined to horseffesh ; at the same time, it is probable that the law would not have intervened so readily, if at all, to limit carriers' liability in this line but for the fancy values which attach to some horses, especially race-horses, coupled with the prac- tice of invoking the aid of the rail to con- vey them to various sporting destinations. Then there are rules of the road and of traction and of general responsibility of owners for their horses' performances ; and, lastl}', comes a class of situations to which, though not exclusively confined to transac- tions resulting from the use of horses, may be said to be due to the bulk of those leading cases from superior courts that deal with such contingencies to the existence of horseflesh ; to wit, disputes and claims which arise out of gaming transactions. By far the majority of these have their origin in matters relating to the Turf. For practical purposes, as regards the 460 THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 461 normal lay reader, the more important departments of la\v relating to horses will be, firstly, that which deals with sales of such animals (and thence frequently with (juestions of warranty as to their condition and qualities when sold) ; and, secondly, that which relates to responsibilities on either side when a horse is on hire, or on trial with a view to possible bargain and sale thereafter ; and, thirdly, the general duties of owners of horses towards fellow Sales Wliaf is a Sale P — A sale of a horse is governed by the 1893 Sale of Goods Act, and especially by section 4 thereof, which requires, if the price is /lo or more, certain condi- tions to make the bargain binding. These can be : — 1. Acceptance of the animal by buyer. 2. Acceptance by seller of purchase money or part payment as " earnest " money. 3. Some written memorandum signed by the parties. 4. Signature of (a) the buyer or seller, or (b) agent thereof. Under the statute there can be two classes of contract of this nature : the one a sale, the other an " agreement to sell." Action can be maintained upon either. An Agreement to Sell. — An agreement to sell (and hence also to buy) occurs when, by the terms of the bargain, delivery of the horse does not take place off-hand, but is arranged to take place at or before a certain date. When, in such a case, the respective date arrives, and all conditions requisite have been fulfilled by the party claiming under the agreement, the precedent " agreement " becomes a " sale," conferring on the one party the property in the article sold and on the other the title to the purchase money. The Statute of Frauds requires w-ritten memoranda of any contract of sale which has more than a year to run before com- pletion ; but for all practical purposes this provision does not affect normal horse- 59 dealing. It would only be operative under the rarer situations of contract to supply horses (as for army or other purposes) at certain prices and for prolonged periods. A deal for less than £10 does not require the above technicahties. It is sufficient if the parties say " Done ! " in effect, and each shows that he is ready (by tender, direct or indirect) to hand over, respectively, horse or cash. Acceptance and Earnest Money. — As to " acceptance" in deals higher than £10, " earnest money," as part payment, ac- cepted, binds the seller : one halfpenny earnest money may suffice ! * The buyer, on the other hand, binds hin.self by " cons ructive" as well as by actual Lcceptance of the horse. Constructive acceptance would be illus- trated by situations such as the buyer saying, seeing the horse : " All right ; I will send my man to fetch him on [that day or on a later day]." The vendor in such case would become the agent for buyer, to take care of the animal till sent for ; and, as agent, would be in possession on behalf of his principal, the buyer. f On the other hand, if a wrong horse, resembling the intended purchase, were delivered to the buyer and unwittingly received as the true article, that would not bind a deal for the substituted animal ; but, on the issue of fact, much would depend upon how soon, after discovering error, the buyer claimed redress. (The old-fashioned market and fairs prac- tice in many rural districts of a shake of hands to bind a deal is not technically binding under the Sale of Goods Act as regards deals of £10 and more.) Memoranda of Deal. — As to \M'itten memoranda or signatures, as required by Sale of Goods Act. Letters, signed respectively by the parties, will operate ; so will a brief memorandum, merely initialled. So long as it unmistakably refers to the deal alleged, as expounded by other (possibly oral) evidence, an invoice, bill-head, with description of the article * Bach V. Owen, 5 T.R. 409. t EUnore v. Stone, i Taunt. 45S. 462 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE sold, can be effective ; still more so a specific joint memorandum, initialled on both sides. As to auction sales, see later. There must be clear evidence as to who are the parties dealing — e.g. a document pur- porting to bind a deal between A and B cannot be saddled upon C. But even if the document does not specify the parties, their identity may be proved from extrane- ous surrounding circumstances. Special Conditions to be Recorded. — If there are any special conditions attached to the deal, any written memoranda to bind the bargain must specify them, as instance : — 1. Date of delivery if deferred. 2. Date of payment if deferred. 3. Contingencies, such as on future wins, if any, in racing. 4. Trial allowed, and for how long. 5. Veterinary certificate. 6. Warranty generally. Verbal Explanation. — Where such or analo- gous conditions are attached to a deal, no verbal evidence, to import others not thus in writing, is allowable ; but verbal evidence is admissible to explain the reference of a condition ; as instance, A sells to B a " brood mare, also a hunter subject to veterinary certificate of soundness." Oral evidence is admissible to show that the veterinary qualification refers only to the hunter. Correspondence after a Deal. — Corre- spondence which has taken place after the deal is admissible to bind the deal, or to explain and to be read in conjunction with prior memoranda that were contemporane- ous with the bargain ; as instance : C, as agent, bought a horse for B from A, and wrote later to B, mentioning the sale and asking for the money to pay with. B replied to C, promising to remit. Later, B tried to repudiate the deal. B's letter to C was evidence against B's contention that there had been no sale.* Effect of an Amending Condition. — If correspondence discloses on one side or other an introduction of some further con- * Gibson v. Holland. L.R. i C.B. i. dition, any offer contained in a preceding letter can be waived and withdrawn. As^ instance: A offers £60. B replies: "Make it guineas." A's offer is absolved, and can be withdrawn. Similarly, if stipulation for trial, war- ranty, or other condition is made in reply to an offer to sell at a given price. But if the reply to an offer is, in effect : " Done ! " I agree," the bargain is clinched. Again, A offers to sell at a price, giving till Tuesday for reply. Tuesday passes : nO' reply. A is no longer bound by his offer. Postage Evidence. — Postage of a letter, proved, is evidence of delivery of the letter to its destination, in absence of speci- fic evidence to contrary — e.g. destruction or spoliation of mail en route. If a would-be buyer writes an offer and! says : "If I hear nothing further I shall! consider that the horse is mine at so much," this binds him, but not the owner of the horse, who is under no obligation to reply " Yes " or " No " to the bid.* Signature to Memoranda. — In order to make either of the parties chargeable under the Sale of Goods Act, his signature to the statutory memorandum (or its equivalent) is necessary. The authorised signature of an agent will also bind a principal, and such agent need not have his authority in writ- ing from his principal. (See also hereto as regards sales by auction, later.) It was ruled in Sweet v. Lee (3 M. & Gr. 452) that mere initials, not setting forth the surname of the party implicated, would not suffice. But it would perhaps appear that this old ruling was based on the possible contingency of initials only not being fully understood by the person addressed. If there were evidence that A or B had been in the habit of initialling only communica- tions to each other, and that the hand- writing and initials were respectively well known from one to other, it would seem that such abbreviated signature would bind. " John Smith, his mark X " is binding if duly identified. Also a printed stamp or usual (rubber) signature of a firm or other party holds good. Where only one party » FfUhani v. Bindley. 3c. L.J. C.B. 204. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 463 thus signs the document upon which a claim is based, that document should, on the face of it, clearly express the individual to whom it is addressed. Mere allusions to " \'ou " or to " Dear Sir," deficient in personal identification of an addressee, are inadequate for the purpose. Sunday Deals. — Sunday trading, in the ■" calling " of a subject, is forbidden by the almost obsolete statute of Charles II. But it has been held by the Courts that this statute still has force to vitiate any Sunday horse-trading contract by a horse-dealer, so far as the latter may be seeking to enforce that contract. This, because horse-dealing is his " calling " and " business." Also, if a non-horse dealer knowingly deals with a horse-dealer on a Sunday, he cannot enforce the contract, but otherwise if he is not aware at the time that he is dealing with a professional. If neither party is a horse-dealer, their Sunday deal holds good.* Auction Sales. — When horses are sold by auction, the auctioneer is the agent of the seller until the hammer falls. He thus becomes the agent for the buyer so soon as the latter has admitted (by himself or his representative) that the final bid was his ; and, as such agent for the purchaser, the signature of the auctioneer to the catalogue and to conditions of sale bind the buyer to the deal. Also, where conditions of sale entitle a buyer to return a horse within a specified period— in event of some misdescription or breach of warranty — and meantime the purchase-money has been paid, the auc- tioneer holds the deposit as agent for the buyer subject to the sale conditions being fulfilled, and must not part with it to the seller until the buyer's period of grace has expired. Conditions of Sale. — An auctioneer has no " implied " authority to warrant. If a seller tenders a warranty in his instruc- tions for sale, and the auctioneer embodies it in his catalogue, he does so as agent. Moreover, at the bulk of horse repositories * Fennel! v. RuUer. 5 B. & C. 406S. * Bloxsome v. Williams, i Taunt. 135. auctioneers are in the habit of wisely abstain- ing from inserting allegations of warranty further than such statistics as may at once be verified from official publications, such as age of horses in the Stud Book, engage- ments, or records of races won. Conditions of sale which figure on the catalogue of the day are binding on parties. Where conditions, instead of appearing in the catalogue, are posted up for public reference in the auctioneers' premises, it becomes a question of fact whether the notice of a buyer was reasonably drawn to those conditions before he made his bid.* Wilful Misdescription by Seller. — If a seller wilfully and fraudulently misrepresents his property to enhance its value at auction, and the auctioneer, deceived thereby, re- produces the misrepresentations in cata- logue or rostrum, and a deluded buyer discovers the fraud before the seller is paid, the auctioneer should annul the sale ; the fraudulent seller has no claim on him.f Reserve at Sales. — Sales without reserve are now specifically regulated and controlled by the Sale of Goods Act, sec. 58, sub-sees. 3 and 4, which enacts that, imless conditions of sale stipulate that there is a reserve, or that a seller shall be privileged to bid for his own goods, he may not so bid, nor may the auctioneer bid for him. All such bidding to raise prices then becomes fraudulent and is actionable. This enactment, in effect, makes statutable the earlier Exchequer ruling in Warlow v. Harrison (29 L.J. Q.B. 14), which laid down that in a sale without reserve the last genuine bidder is entitled to the property at the price, and if after announcing sale without reserve the auc- tioneer accepts a bid from the seller, and especially a final bid which outbids the genuine buyer, he is liable to the latter for damages. Later there was a case — Rainbow v. Haw- kins (91 L.T. 149, and 73 L.J. K.B. 641) — before Mr. Justice Kennedy. The auctioneer had reserve orders, but forgot them and announced sale without reserve. A buyer bid, and the lot was knocked down to him * Mesnard v. Aldridge, 3 Esp. 771. ^Stevens v. Legh, 2 C. L. R. 251. 464 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE (li pony for 15 guineas). No sooner had the hammer fallen than the auctioneer dis- covered his oversight, put up the lot again for sale, and it was bought in for 17 guineas. The genuine bidder sued the auctioneer for the pony, or damages for breach of condi- tions of sale. The learned judge decided against plaintiff, on the ground that there was no " signed memorandum " of the sale to satisfy the Act, and that the auc- tioneer had " refused " plaintiff's bid, and therefore had not created any contract between buyer and seller. It would seem therefrom that the judge held that the fall of the hammer did not " accept the bid," and that written entry of the sale in office books was further required in order to constitute " acceptance " by the auctioneer of the bid. It looks as if here there was equitably a miscarriage of justice. The auctioneer became buyer's agent so soon as the hammer fell ; he failed in his duty as agent by omitting to book the sale and so to satisfy the statute. Had he been sued for negligence as the agent, he might have been held to be liable. Still more so if, so soon as the sale was reopened, the buyer had formally demanded to be allowed to sign the book or catalogue, as buyer at 15 guineas, on refusal of the auctioneer to book the sale to him. It would, in our opinion, be risky for auctioneers to rely too much on this ruling, if they conceal orders to sell with reserve and thereby delude genuine bidders and oust them after the hammer has fallen. Owners' Names in Catalogues. — A state- ment in a catalogue that a horse is the pro- perty of X is a representation that may affect the price bid. If at the hour of sale, even if X was the true owner when the catalogue was compiled, there is another owner whose repute might not have enhanced the price so much as the repute of X, a buyer can, on discovery of the misrepresentation, repudiate the sale if he desires. This was ruled by Lord Alverstone in Whurr v. Devenish* The doctrine is important. It acts as a check upon a previous not un- common practice of putting in third parties' * 20 T.L.K. 385. horses into a sale by an owner of repute, in order to enhance their value. The dis- persal of a noted stud carries a prestige ; but animals not belonging to the stud should not be allowed to cruise under its colours. Market Overt. — It is a general rule that a seller cannot convey to a buyer the property in a chattel which he professes to sell unless he is the lawful owner thereof. Therefore the owner of a stolen horse can I'ecover it from an innocent purchaser. But there is the exception of " market overt." In the City of London market overt e.xtends all the year round as regards goods perfectly exposed for sale by a person who trades in goods of this nature, and who exposes them openly in his " shop " and not in a back room or yard in the rear of his premises. In the country, market overt only exists on specified days in the year, and at certain places authorised for such class of market, either by charter or by long usage which presumes the former exist- ence of a charter. Sales at such markets pass the property to a genuine (not to a collusive) buyer. Not all " Fairs " are market-overt ; they depend upon their history, titles, and usages. Innkeepers and Horses An innkeeper is liable for the safe custody of a horse entrusted to him by a guest. The 1863 .^ct, which limits liability for valuables of a guest at an inn, exempts his animals, and specifies horses as being still under the old law. The innkeeper is bound to take in a tra- veller's horse, so long as he has stable accom- modation for it (or even pasture), and he has a " lien " upon it to detain it until charges incurred are paid up. It is an undecided question whether a traveller's horse can be thus detained for more than its stable expenses, or can be the subject of lien for the guest's board and lodging also ; but judicial opinion indirectly favours the view that all property of the guest, in stables and in dwelling-rooms of the inn, is subject to lien for all food and shelter supplied to him. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 465 If an innkeeper trades also as a livery- stable keeper, and horses come under his care in the latter capacity, and not as guests' beasts of burden, no lien exists, and the custody is only that of livery stabling (which see, infra). Rights of Sale. — By the 1878 Innkeepers' Act the quondam lien of an innkeeper is extended. Previously he could detain, but not sell or use, a horse for impaid stabling and forage. Now he can, under certain conditions as to notification of sale (one month) and subject to holding the sur- plus, if any, to the credit of the defaulting owner. Innkeepers' Rights. — If an unauthorised person brings a horse to an inn and the owner traces and claims it, he must repay the innkeeper the interim cost of its forage.* It is doubtful whether in such a case a further charge for shelter can be maintained. The principle is sound : otherwise A, by collusion with B, might get his horse foraged meantime, gratis, at the expense of C, the innkeeper. Lien of an innkeeper extends to vehicles stabled with him as well as to the horses which draw them ; and right of sale, under the 1878 Act, supra, includes carriages and other effects. Farriers and Livery-Stable Keepers A farrier has a lien for cost of shoeing a horse ; but if he shoes the horse, say in ;\Iarch, and gives credit, and shoes it again later, the [March score remaining unpaid, his lien is limited to the price of the later shoeing : he abandoned his March lien. A farrier has no statutory power of sale for unpaid lien such as conferred on inn- keepers by the 1878 Act. A farrier is, prima facie, Uable for damages for injury from faulty or negligent shoeing ; but if an employer presses the shoeing smith to take on a job out of hours and in a bad light, it becomes a question for a jury f whether the unreasonable demand of the owner does not absolve the farrier. A livery-stable keeper has no lien for unpaid stabling, as the very essence of * Robinson v. Walter, Pop. 127. t Collins V. Rodi'ay, 14 " Veterinarian " 107. the contract between him and the owner of the horse is a right to take the horse out for daily use if wanted. Similarly, a trainer of race-horses, deli- vered to him to train generally for prospec- tive races, has no lien on the like principle. But supposing a race-horse, with no engage- ments, were delivered to a trainer to see if any good could be made out of the animal — e.g. a yearling unbacked, or a horse un- schooled at fencing, to be taught steeple- chasing — it would seem that the principle of lien as regards such education of the animal and e.xpenses incidental thereto might be held to be applicable.* Liability of Railways Railways are common carriers of horses, but are further regulated by the 1854 Railway and Canal Traffic Act, which enables a court to override, as " unreason- able," any too onerous conditions which their practical monopoly of such locomo- tives might otherwise enable them tyrannic- ally to impose to the public detriment. By statute, railway companies enjoy limited liability for damages for injury to any horse that may be entrusted to them fin- conveyance. That limit is £50. If the owner consigns a horse of greater vah;e, he must insure it for such sum in excess of this £50 as he considers will represent its value to him. Whether the premium per cent, which the company charge for insur- ance is " reasonable " is a question for the court in which a claim, if any, is made. Up to date the opinion of the bench appears to be that a percentage of 2i is reasonable, as such the figure usually stands in railway traftic. Autocratic conditions, such as declara- tions by the company that they will not hold themselves liable unless a claimant can prove " wilful misconduct " on the part of their employees, are practically bnita fuhnina, and any court will over- ride them as " unreasonable." Where a horse is consigned, and the con- signor, whether owner or agent, signs the consignment note, it is assumed that he has * Fotlh V. Simpson, i8 L.J.Q.B. 260. 466 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE consented to the terms in it ; but, as afore- said, any unreasonable condition dictated by the autocracy of the rail and its mono- poly is subject to revision and rejection by the court. Railway Negligence. — Railway companies are responsible for injuries which are the outcome of defective repair of their trucks or horse-boxes,* or from defect in other apparatus of their carrying machinery, as a bridge to a landing-stage, f or for failure to provide horse-boxes contracted for to com- plete a journey to an auction sale .J Railway Fences. — Railway companies are by statute required to fence their lines securely against the live stock of owners and occupiers of adjoining lands and against stock on highways abutting on the line. Where horses escaped from their owner's land, and got on to a highway crossed by a railway, or level crossing, and one of the level-crossing gates was open, and the horses thereby reaching the line, got killed, the company was liable. § But where stray horses entered a station yard, and thence got on the line, and were killed, the company was not responsible.il Rule of the Road Owners and users of horses have duties and responsibilities as regards pubhc safety on highways. They must observe the " rule of the road," as expounded in the 1835 Highway Act, sec. 78, which applies to saddle and harness horses alike. Each party, meeting, has to keep to the left ("near") side; when overtaking, the slower mover keeps to the left and the overtaker passes on the right (" off ") side, provided there is traffic room for so doing at the moment ; but if another horse (C) or vehicle be approaching, to meet the overtaken (A) and overtaker (B), and is in possession of the road — in that C would arrive abreast • Comhe v. London & S.W.R.. 31 L.T. 613. t Willoughby v. Horridge, 22 L.J.C.P. 90. J Waller v. Midland Great Western Raiheny, L.R. 4 (I. Irish) 376. § Fawcett v. York & North Midland Railway, 20 L.J. Q.B. 222. II Manchester, Sheffldd & Lincolnshire Railway v. Wallis, 14 C.B. 213. of A sooner than B would pass A — then A should wait and defer to C, till C's passing has left space for B to overtake A. Negligent Drivers. — If an accident occurs when one of two parties (A) is on the wrong side and the other (B) on the right, such situ- tion is prima facie evidence of the wrong- side passenger being the negligent cause of damage. But this may be rebutted by specific evidence of the circumstances, especi- ally of those immediately prior to collision. If it appears that B could have avoided contact by giving up his rightful berth and crossing to the other side, A may be exonerated as regards damages to B, while at the same time, independently, he may be open to conviction under the Highway Act for violating the road rule or for furious or dangerous driving (sec. 78). Led Horse. — It is under this interpreta- tion that the led horse is allowed to take passage on the wrong side, where exigency requires it. Pedestrian's Rights. — The pedestrian is not bound by sec. 78 of the Highway Act. He has as much right in the main (carriage) road as the horseman. Drivers are liable, civilly, if they injure him, unless he contributes by his own gross negligence to catastrophe ; and as regards criminal proceedings for injury to a subject of the Crown, it is no defence that the injured pedestrian was obstructive or drunk, so long as the rider or driver could have avoided him. Unsound Gear. — It is no defence to urge that reins were rotten, brakes ineffective, or horse restive or hard-mouthed, unless it can be shown that the person implicated had no possible or reasonable opportunity of being aware of such defects till the hour of collision revealed them. Restive Dispositions. — Chief Justice Erie said * that the " mere fact of restiveness is not even prima facie evidence of negligence." But this should be taken as implying that the person using the horse had no prior knowledge of such disposition in the animal, and that this ignorance of the horse's temper must be specifically in evidence. If a man has lately bought a strange horse, * Hammack v. While, ii C.B. N.S. 5S8. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 467 with no information as to its antecedents, and without any preliminary trial of it in a safe region, proceeds, offhand, to use it, and in a crowded thoroughfare, such reck- lessness might warrant any jury in finding that he was " negligent." (It is doubtful whether the modern bench would accept Chief Justice Erie's dictum, without some qualification as suggested herein.) Caution. — The nder or driver of a strange and new purchase may be willing to take risks for himself, but is not ex officio justified in saddling those risks on his fellow-men. Contributory Negligence. — " Contributory negligence " puts an injured party out of court. A plaintift" must come into court with clean hands. Pure Accident. — If A injures B by " pure accident," A is not Hable, as when a lady holds a pony, and a travelling-show alarms it and the pony bolts, causing damage.* That is, if a jury believe the defence (which they did not in the case referred to). Unsound Highway. — If a highway is left in a dangerous condition, and a traveller, using all reasonable circumspection, is injured thereby, the highway authority is respon- sible. Vicious Horses. — An owner must not place a vicious animal that has propensities to attack people in a field where there is right of highway. Straying Horses. — So, if his horse strays into another field, he is responsible for damage if it attacks persons or other ani- mals, even though in the invaded field there is no highway, and even if he was not aware of ferocity in the horse ; and, as all owners of stock are responsible for restrain- ing them (by fence or tether), he is respon- sible if his horse kicks or bites a neighbour's stock, through an imperfect fence, though not actually passing through the fence to the next field.! But where a horse strayed on the high- way and kicked a child, and there was no evidence of any knowledge by the owner of • Goodman v. Taylor, 5 C. & P. 410. t Fills V. Loftus Iron Co.. L.R. 10, C.B. 10. vice in the horse, it was held that the owner was not liable.* Riding to Hounds There is no common law for the right to ride to hounds. Formerly, in forest days, and when the land was infested by " no.xious beasts," it was held that to chase and slay a beast of prey justified the trespass. Even then it did not warrant intrusion by mere spectators of the chase (the modern " field " with hounds), but only exculpated hunts- man, hounds, and hunt servants. This old theory may now be considered to be obsolete with the advance of civilisation, and any occupier of land may warn off a hunt and its field, and may obtain injunc- tion if the warning is disregarded. A M.F.H., thus warned off, would be liable for injury done by his " field," as having tempted them to follow and copy his trespass. Individual Liabilities (Hunting). — Indivi- dual members of a field, if identified, can be sued for damages, such as for gates left open or broken by them, especially if thereby stock becomes injuriously mixed or sent astray. As a rule, sporting tact and purse obviates such causes of social friction in hunting countries, but, for form's sake, the letter of the law is here recited. Warranty The matter of warranty is one which is constantly involved with transactions in horseflesh, and is perhaps more productive than any other concomitant of litigation and misunderstandings. The subject may be examined from two standpoints— the one, the abstract legal principles which constitute warranty, or its avoidance ; the other, those veterinary and stable doctrines as to what is or is not unsoundness or vice in a warranted animal— which have obtained official recog- nition in courts of law, and which may be accepted as orthodox creed in such matters. Warranty as regards a horse may be given verbally as well as by writing. Warranty, however given, must be- * Cox V. Burbid'e, 32 L.J. C.B. 89. 468 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE specific as to the qualities or capacities thereby guaranteed by the seller (or his agent) . The bare expression : " I warrant the horse," is meaningless, unless in conjunction with that utterance other remarks have passed between the parties which throw light on what is supposed to be warranted. As, for instance, if a buyer inquires : " Is he sound ? " or " quiet in harness ? " and then the reply as above would constitute warranty as regards the matter inquired. " Puff " not Warranty. — Mere " puff " is not warranty. To say : "I never saw a better horse," " He's as clever as a cat," " I'd back him to, etc.," are empty phrases, and do not affect a contract of sale. They may be dishonestly conceived and uttered, but they do not constitute legal fraud or misrepresentations to void a bargain. " Caveat emptor " is the principle which must guide all purchasers in the absence first, of warranty, second, of reliance that the seller, if he warrants and the warranty fails, is a man to be trusted to make good. Implied Warranty. — Warranty can be im- plied, though not specified, in certain situa- tions ; as instance, in all sales, save market overt, there is iniphed warranty that the seller has the property in the right to sell. If it should turn out that the seller has been himself victimised by dealing \\ith a stolen horse, that does not exonerate him as regards the purchase from him. The same principle would apply if the seller were in unlawful possession of the horse, as per an illegal distress, or by erroneous delivery to him from an auction of a wrong lot. Breach of Warranty. — When a buyer, under a warranty, has accepted and paid for his purchase, it is too late to repudiate the sale as void. The remedy then is to claim damages for breach of warranty, if any. Financially, this should be equivalent to annulment of the deal, if the seller is not insolvent or a fugitive from law. It the seller disputes the breach, the usual and soundest resource is to re-sell the animal at the earliest reasonable oppor- tunity, by auction, and if it fetches less than the sale price, to credit the contuma- cious seller with that amount and to sue for the balance as damages. Limit of Claim. — The buyer in thus claim- ing compensation is limited to recovery of his purchase money and any minor conse- quential expenses, which would be evident and in contemplation of the parties at the time of the deal (as keep and rail transit to and from buyer's abode). But he is not entitled to special consequential damages for loss of a profit on the bargain which would have accrued if the warranty had been good — e.g. A buys under warranty from B ; re-sells to C under warranty and at a profit ; C discovers unsoundness and returns the horse to A, who loses his profit on the deal ; he cannot claim that profit from B, but only the original purchase price.* However, judging from judicial dictum (Lord Denman) in Cox v. Walker (which was settled and did not reach appeal), it would seem that if some or all of the enhanced price at which A sold to C could be ear-marked to care and skill bestowed by A on the horse in the interim, A would then be entitled to claim that amount of lost profit from B. Since, statistically, the prospect of im- proved value through skilful treatment developing during the period of non-discovery of unsoundness would be extremely remote, Lord Denman's contingency does not seem very material. Repository Conditions. — In most horse repositories and auction yards the terms of sale usually fix a limit of time within which any claim that a purchase does not con- form to warranty must be lodged. Limits of Time to Notify Breach of War- ranty.— Usually such sale conditions further require return of the misdescribed animal by a specified date. However, if the return of the animal is physically impossible within the defined period, it will suffice to notify the breach of warranty and to mention the inability to move the horse. Such dis- ability may arise from interim injury to the horse with no negligence of buyer, or illness of the animal, or (semblc) stress of weather. In such cases the buyer must, till * Clare v. Maynard, 6 A. & E. 524. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 469 removal is practicable, take the same care of the hoise that a reasonabli' man would of his own property.* Wriftcii Warranty Best. — It is always ad\'isable for a buyer who relies on a war- ranty to require the same to be reduced to 'a'ritiiig. Alleged verbal warranty ma\' be producti\-e of contradictory hard-swearing. A seller who shirks writing his verbal war- ranty should be avoided. Writing v. Parol. — If written warranty be given parol evidence to qualify or extend it is not admissible, but may be admitted to explain references in the warranty ; as instance, " \\"arranted sound for one month " may be explained as referring to the period of grace during which purchaser was free to discover unsoundness, if any, which had existed at the date of sale, but not to an\' guarantee that the horse would remain sound for that period. Representation v. Warranty. — Represen- tation and description need not amount to warranty, especially if the term " war- ranty " is applied (and in writing) to some details of description and not to others — e.g. : " Sold for £ — , a bay mare, six years old, warranted sound in wind and limb." This sale note does not warrant the age : only the soundness. As to age, purchaser, if he doubts, can call in a " vet." to examine the mouth. A warranty may be implied and construed from correspondence passing between the parties, and if that correspondence is ambigu- ous, parol evidence may explain its context and references. A warranty may be coupled with a con- dition, such as right of return in event of discovery of breach within a specified date. Written Terms Over-ride Verbal Warranty. — If a seller makes verbal statements which, if left alone, would constitute warranty or bargain, but, later, buyer and seller agree in -writing as to sale and terms, and the writing does not embody some or all of those prior statements, it is assumed that they have been waived and eliminated from the conditions of sale. The like as to an}' prior verbal stipulations by buyer. * Chairman v. Withers, 57 L.J.Q.B. 457. 60 Duration of Warranty. — A warranty, as to vice, does not last for ever. If a horse is sold as quiet in harness, and confirms to this for several weeks, and then discloses restive- ness, it is open to a jury to believe that the animal's temper may have been aifected in the interim by the manner in which it has been driven or harnessed or groomed, and so on. Similarly as to warranty against crib- biting and wind-sucking : such vices may develop after sale. Agent's Warranty. — When an agent war- rants, in principal's absence, and there is no evidence to show that the principal was aware of the agent's allegations, the ques- tion then arises whether such agent, as viewed from general principles, or from past dealings with the same parties, had authority to warrant. A groom's assurance behind his master's back would ordinarily be worthless in this line ; whereas a foreman who had been in the habit of conducting sales for a dealer in the latter's absence might be reasonably assumed to speak in his master's name and with authority. Groom at a Fair. — But if a groom is entrusted to take a horse to a fair, and to sell for his master, and to accept the cash and give receipt, it may be reasonably assumed that such agency by a groom would include authority to warrant this or that quality in the horse. If, on the other hand, the groom is simply sent to show a horse to a prospective buyer, there being time for buyer to communicate with seller, it will not be reasonable to assume that the groom has authority to warrant, or even to make abatements in price, in the absence of clear information on the subject from the em- ployer. Veterinary Certificate. — Where conditions of sale agree that some paid veterinary surgeon is to report as to soundness, and the report to be accepted by both parties is truly descriptive, that report operates as warranty. Veterinary and a Bribe. — Provided that it is bona fide, for where there was evidence that a " vet." thus employed had accepted a 470 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE douceur from the seller (independent of any fees earned by the examination),* the buyer was held to be justified in stopping his cheque and declining to ratify the sale. The court held that it was immaterial to consider whether or not the veterinary sur- geon's mind had been prejudiced by the briber. The mere acceptance of it disquali- fied him as an impartial arbiter. Patent V. Latent Defects. — Warranty applies to qualities which are not patent to the eye, especially of a non-expert. It does not guarantee against patent defects, which cannot reasonably be unobserved under the circumstances of the deal. As instance, if a horse has an eye visibly removed at the time of sale, no breach of warranty will lie as to unsoundness in sight, though other- wise loss of any eyesight constitutes un- soundness when not within buyer's means of cognisance (as in a sale contract by letter). Sale " With all Faults " Safest. — If a seller sells " with all faults " he exonerates him- self from any imputation of warranty. This is the wisest course for the unwary to pursue, in default of consent to abide by a specific veterinary certificate. Misrepresentation and Its Effects. — Mis- representation is not of itself warranty ; but if it is fraudulent it may \itiate a deal. It is fraudulent if (a) it is knowingly false, or (b) is made at random and without grounds. Mere " puff," as already stated, is no war- ranty ; but if an owner of a horse that is presently going to be sold by auction elects falsely to describe the horse's qualities and thereby induces the auditor to buy where otherwise he would not have done so, he is liable for damages. t If a misrepresentation of such nature is made, but is bona fide, and not wilfully false, damages will not lie ; but the burden of proof of bona fides rests with the story- teller. Fraud entitles a party hoaxed by it to void a contract, but does not of itself void the bargain if the hoaxed buyer is, after all, content with it. * Shipway v. Broadwood, i Q.B. 373. t Bardell v. Sfiinks. 2 C. & K. 646. Bad Cheques Where payment is by cheque, and the cheque is bad, the buyer does not obtain property in the horse he has professed to buy. The seller need not sue on the bad cheque ; he can claim restoration of the horse. A deal with an imbecile or a hopelessly drunken person can be set aside in Equity. Hiring or Borrowing He who hires (or borrows) a horse (or horse vehicle) is responsible for damage thereto if injury accrues to the chattels, through any neglect of duty, either in omission or commission on his part. He would not be responsible if the horse were struck by lightning, or attacked in the road by a mad dog ; but he would be liable if he put a hired saddle-horse into harness, or put a hack to hunting duty, and thereby the animal got injured. He also is responsible to the hirer for injury done by his servant to the hired article, even though that servant may be acting in actual contravention of his duties. On the other hand, if the same coachman had done mischief with a horse belonging to his employer, and under circumstances disclosing distinct violation of duty, the owner would not be responsible. To illus- trate : A hires horse and vehicle from B for a period. A's coachman, in disobedi- ence of standing rules, takes out horse and trap for a spree of his own. He collides, injuring the hired property, also injuring what he collides with ; and there is no doubt that in the collision he was solely to blame. Here there are two parties injured by A's coachman's wrong-doing. But A is liable only to the man from whom he hired. He is not responsible for the mischief done, in disobedience, by his coachman to the other party in the collision.* If a horse is hired (or borrowed) for a specific purpose or journey, and is used without owner's consent for another, and is injured, it becomes a question of fact for the court whether the deviation from the original agreed intent of use in hiring is * Coupi Co. V. Maddick, 2 Q.B. 413, and Saundderrax. V. Collins, 0 L.T. 243. THE LAW AS REGARDS HORSES AND THEIR USES 471 sufficiently " material " to account for the mishap. Serious over-driving, as to distance or reasonable speed, would be actionable ; also a hiring to drive from X to Y along a good country road, and a deviation into a rough road or moorland, breaking a spring. But to meet with an accident involving no negli- gence by hirer, while deviating half a mile on good road to call on A en passant, though not arranged for in the original hiring, would not be hkely to be interpreted as " material," and as making the hirer liable. The lessor of hired horses or vehicles is responsible that they are fit for the class of work contemplated by the hiring. If the vehicle breaks down the lessor is respon- sible, and if the horse goes amiss, from no fault of hirer, the cost of curing him and bringing him home falls on the owner. Stealing Hired Horses. — To sell and frau- dulently convert to hirer's or borrower's use the proceeds of a hired article is " larceny as a bailee." A coachman's livery is pre- sumed to notify him, in reasonable situa- tions, as his master's agent. Therefore, if the coachman runs up an unauthorised forage bill, a jury may hold the employer liable, even though the coachman has mean- time been convicted of stealing and selling his master's surplus forage. An owner of horse, harness, and carriage hires a driver from a livery stable, where he keeps his horse. He puts that driver into his own livery. The driver is negligent, and causes injury to third parties. A jury is justified on such facts in treating the driver as servant to the owner of horse and vehicle, and as such saddling the last-named with the damages. It is a pure question of fact, interpreted from all surrounding circum- stances.* Borrowing and Hiring. — Borrowing and hiring are on much the same footing, on broad principles. One allows the use of the property for goodwill, the other for money. The former must deal with the property as any reasonable person would and should deal, under such circumstances ; and the lender alike must not lend a dangerous • Jones V. Scu'laril, yg L.T. 386. article without clearly informing the bor- rower of the defect or other quality which is an element of peril. Warranty and Unsoundness In relation to warranty, where soundness, absence of vice, or capacity for specified equine duties are guaranteed, a category of recognised breaches of such warranties may be useful. Unsoundness exists where there is any disease or alteration of natural structure which at the time impairs, or is prospectively capable of subsequently impairing, the use- fulness of the animal. Vice is a tendency, not natural in the horse, to commit acts which render him less fit for his duties. To catalogue recognised unsound- nesses : — Any disease of the eye or injury to it which is calculated to impair vision — cata- ract, inflammation to wit, whether arising from innate disease or from some external injury. Broken knees are not an unsoundness, though they are a blemish. Blood-spavin and bog-spavin are ble- mishes only, unless lameness accompanies them, or they are attended with evidences of inflammation which may in time produce lameness ; but it is risky to certify as sound when thus afflicted, and special war- ranty is wisest. But bone spavin is at all times unsound- ness. Broken wind also, and all wind diseases, as roaring, whistling. A cough is unsoundness, while it lasts. It may vanish and leave the animal sound, but till cured it is unsoundness. A capped hock may be mere blemish, and may be unsoundness. If there is no lameness, no evidence of pain at the touch, the animal may be sound with it ; but in any certificate it is advisable to specify its existence and to state the opinion formed as to its effects, present and prospective. Contracted foot is on a like basis. It may or may not be unsoundness at the moment. It is always suspicious of future 472 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE disease. It is best to be specified in any veterinary certificate for buyers' edification and judgment, even where there is no heat or apparent lameness. (Such specifications are called special warranty.) Corns are unsoundness. Curb is unsoundness. At the same time, it need not produce lameness. It should, in such case, be subject to special war- ranty in any certificate, like capped hock and contracted foot. Cutting, or specdicut, is not of itself un- soundness, but is the result of malforma- tion ; it may, by injuries from cutting, produce eventual unsoundness. It is advis- able to have it specified if there are evidences of the tendency. Dropsy is, of course, unsoundness, whether of skin or heart. Glandular enlargement, enlarged lioek, lampas, fistula, lamitiitis, and navicular are all unsoundness. A " nerved " horse that has been operated on by neurotomy may go sound for the rest of his days ; but such a horse and his operations should always be described there- in under special warranty, if any. Grease and Craeked Heels are unsound- ness, while extant. Thrombosis, evinced by premature exhaus- tion, is unsoundness. Sand-crack is unsoundness, but as it may spring up at an hour's notice its first appear- ance very soon after a deal does not vitiate warranty. Stringhalt is an unsoundness, for though not producing lameness per se, it tends to wear out the system, and may develop to excruciating convulsion of action at starting. Qttittor is unsoundness. Pumiced Feet also. Ringbone also, when once in evidence or incipient. Thrush is controversial, but it is best to specify it, if existent, in any warranty. Nine veterinaries out of ten would, we think, rank it unsound. Splint is a question of fact, whether or not it chafes a tendon, or is likely to do so. Many horses go sound ad lib. with a splint, but special warranty, if any, is best adopted where there is splint. Any disease of internal organs is unsound- ness. If not detected at date of warranty, it becomes an issue of fact whether the evil, though latent, existed at date of sale. Suspensory Ligaments, if weakened or ruptured, are, of course, unsoundness, though a fired horse may work sound ad lib. Thickened Sinew is suspicious, but not absolute proof of unsoundness ; a contusion may have caused it, and it may subside. Special warranty, specifying, is best in such a case. Overreach is analogous to spcedieid ; it is an outcome of faulty construction and action, but not unsoundness per se. Inflamed Gums and faulty teething are un- soundness, while they last. Vices. — Crib-biting, wind-sucking, and kicking in stable are vices which are well calculated to produce unsoundness, but need not absolutely produce such effect by date of sale. Jibbing, backing, bolting, and rearing are vices. Ferocity generally is a vice ; also restiveness under shoeing or grooming. As to warranties of quiet in harness, or saddle, disputes hereon are mainly issues of fact ; it is always possible that, if some reasonable time has elapsed after sale before discovery of restiveness, the fault may have meantime developed under injudicious treatment or from natural causes. " Quidding " the food is a vice, but not per se an unsoundness. The writer desires to acknowledg: the valuable assistance which he has derived, in compiling this brief epitome, from the latest edition of " Oliphanl on Horses," as edited and revised by Mr. C. Elphinstone-Lloyd. Barri~ter, in the matter of chapter and verse for reference to leading cases to illustrate the principles enunciated. VETERINARY SECTION CHAPTER 1 DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS CATARRH. — Many horses die through ignor- ance on the part of owners who continue to work them when suff ring from catarrh. " Only a cold," they say, and expect a horse to get well while pursuing his ordinary business, just as the man himself does. Thej' think that he ouqht to get well, and not have to lay up for such a trifle as " a bit of a cold " and running at the nose, which is chiefly objectionable because the animal cannot use a handkerchief. We would strongly urge upon the owner the need for rest and nursing, because horses are peculiarly liable to rapid and serious complications which may end fatally in a few days, or leave the patient permanently unsound and depreciated in value. Among the after consequences of neglected cold, when fatal comphcations do not ensue, may be mentioned roaring, thick wind, whistling, broken wind, and other sequela which will be alluded to in their respective places. The symptoms of catarrh or common cold in man are so familiar that they would need no description in the horse were it not for the import- ance of early diagnosis, before the discharge from eyes and nose has declared to the novice what is the matter. It is through working the animal in the early congestive stage that many cases of pneumonia, pleurisy, and congestion of the lungs occur, which would have been avoided had the owner or attendant recognised the rigor or shivering fit which ushers in any inflammatory disease. Before a cold is developed, the horse will show what is called a " staring " coat, which means that the hairs stand up and feel harsh, when they should lie flat and feel silky. This is equivalent to the cutis anserinus, or " goose flesh," of the shivering bather who has stayed in the water too long, and whose skin more or less resembles that of a plucked bird. The horse may arch his back somewhat, and stand upon less ground, by the approach of hind and fore feet, and shake or shiver. This condition — which, we have said, is called rigors — is one the horse-keeper should never disregard, as it 471 474 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE may indicate a cold or a more serious illness approaching, and then is the time to endeavour to restore circulation. If at this time the old- fashionecl " fever drink " is given it may make the whole difference between a moderate degree of catarrh and a fatal case of pneumonia. There will be veterinary agnostics, who have imbibed many theories but seen little practice, who will give this statement but a grudging or qualified endorsement ; but the amateur will do well to lay it to heart. If the temperature is taken by introducing a clinical thermometer into the rectum (or the vagina of a mare) during the shivering, it will be found to register from two to six, or even more, degrees of fever. It is when a man or horse shivers or " shudders down the back " with cold, that his temperature is up ; not when he complains of a burning skin and generally hot surface. The temperature should be 98.5 to 99 deg. F. in a horse in health, but immediately after severe or sustained exertion it often runs up without illness. Then, how- ever, the rigors will be absent, and the animal will not have refused his food, as he will have done during the feverish fit or rigor. The ears and legs are apt to be cold or variable. Treatment. — Clothe the body and bandage the legs. Pull the ears and wisp the neck and other uncovered parts to pron\ote surface warmth, and withdraw blood from the central vital organs where congestion is to be feared. Give a stimu- lant, such as an ounce or more of sweet spirit of nitre, with half an ounce of tincture of ginger ; or an ounce of compound tincture of cardamoms ; or, failing the advantage of a drug store within easy distance, give a gill of whisky in a quart of water, and prepare a hot bran mash, to be offered a little later. Such early measures may turn the scale and save a serious illness. If the early symptoms have escaped notice — they may occur in the night, or when no one is present to observe them — the congestive stage of the membranes will have given place to a discharge of watery fluid from the eyes and nose, or perhaps from the nose only, when the tear ducts permit of rapid running off of the fluid from the con- junctival membrane. Good hygienic conditions rather than medicaments are then chiefly to be sought. Pure cold air is better than warm, apart from the difficulty of getting it warmed without vitiating it, and in this connection it may be mentioned that many dealers in the cheaper kinds of horses turn them out to grass in weather that is not warm, as they find by experience that the pure cold air is a tonic to the respiratory membranes, and that feeding from the ground favours drainage of matter which is soon thick and tenacious, and unhke the watery fluid which was first noticed. Better than turning out, is the airy loose box and moist- ened food in a receptacle placed on the floor. ■ The return of health and ability to resume work will soon follow when the nasal discharge dimin- ishes in quantity and becomes yellow, only being occasionally observed when the animal snorts or blows it away, as he experiences tickling in the passages. As a cold produces debility, the con- valescent should not be asked to do a full measure of work at first. Nasal Gleet Following on catarrh, influenza, strangles, and, as a result of debility, a lasting discharge varying in quantity, in character, and in its offensive odour as it issues from one or both nostrils, is the disease known by the above title, or as chronic nasal catarrh or ozoena. High up in the nasal passage the membrane has become permanently inflamed, and reacted upon by its own products : a chronic low form of inflammation ensues. It is recognised by its long endurance ; by its smell ; and the somewhat different nature of the discharge from that present at any stage of a common cold which runs its course in a normal manner. So long as it is confined to the lining membranes of the nasal chambers or passages, curative measures are hopeful, but when it extends into the cavities of the face, the so-called sinuses, then it is beyond the reach of topical remedies, and usually incurable. Treatment. — Tonics of the mineral class, as iron, copper, antimony, arsenic, and such vege- table ones as quinine, gentian, calumba, and other barks and roots ; fumigation by means of hot liran mash in a nosebag with carbolic acid, sulphurous acid, turpentine, eucalyptus, and other germicides and antiseptics. Syringing with solutions of zinc, iron, and copper sulphate often prove beneficial, and insufflation with powders of iodoform, chinosol, alum, and the sulphates previously mentioned, made less caustic by dilution with innocuous powders like starch, flour, and fuller's earth. Pure air, feeding from the ground to promote the discharge, and nutritious food of a kind easily assimilated, and only moderate labour are advised. DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS 475 Bleeding from the Nose Much alarm is felt when a horse bleeds even moderately from the nostrils, and it may indicate a very serious condition of the lungs or a merely local relief to congested membranes in the face or sinuses, as often witnessed in children, and followed by no c\-il consequences. Whether the membranes, the lungs, or the stomach bleed, the escape will be from the nostrils. Without per- ple.xing the amateur with the technical terms by which these hasmorrhages are distinguished, we may describe their chief differences. If the bleeding is from the membranes of the nasal tract, the blood is rather dark in colour (venous) and unmixed with any great amount of mucus ; it trickles quietly away, or is blown out from the nostrils and soon clotted. No distress is exhibited by the animal. If from the lungs, where vessels hav^e given way, the blood is bright red and mixed with froth and air bubbles, and disposed to come away in little jerks or spurts ; and if from a large vessel, as when a race-horse breaks a blood vessel while galloping, the pumping out of blood will be synchronous with the contractions of the heart, and soon prove fatal from the loss of blood and from the flooding of the lungs, and suffocation. If the haemorrhage is from the stomach, from the rupture of a vessel, or a morbid growth, the blood will be mixed with more or less partly digested food in a fluid condition, or contain finely comminuted portions of the last meal. From the foregoing remarks it will be gathered that bleeding from the nose is not necessarily a disease of the respiratory tract, but that it is important to note these differences in order that suitable measures may be taken. Treatment. — This is directed to arresting the flow by cold douches to the head, by a bag of powdered ice over the part affected, by the in- jection up the nostrils of astringent solutions, as alum, tannic acid, acetate of lead, or sulphate of iron ; where one nostril only is affected, plug- ging with cotton wool may be cautiously at- tempted. Solutions of gallic acid, of lead, and of iron given internally have the effect of arresting hcemorrhage where topical applications are in- admissible : as where the lungs or stomach are the seat of the mischief. Perfect rest and absolute quiet should be imposed, and when the patient has apparently recovered, caution should be used in putting him to work again. Horses subject to haemorrhage from the nose should never be worked with a full stomach, or overfed. Coughs. In dealing with catarrh or common cold the reader was asked to consider such a condition as always dangerous because of its seqticlce, or possible after consequences. This remark applies with equal force in regard to coughs and sore throats : at the head of which stands laryngitis, .\nyone who has but the remotest acquaintance with racing will know that, when a " favourite " is reported to be " coughing," there will be persons more concerned than if they had read of an earth- quake— anywhere beyond their own premises. Any cough, any irritation of the larynx, may result in thickening of its membrane, in whistling, roaring, wheezing, thick wind, or other permanent damage to the parts which will reduce the horse's, value from a thousand pounds to a thousand or a fewer number of shillings. An ordinary cold may be followed by a cough as the inflamed nasal membranes extend their condition to the region of the larynx, and set up variable degrees of irritation. Whether the discomfort is in the throat, in the lungs, or their coverings (the pleurae), or a stomach derangement is reflected to the nerves common to the respiratory and digestive systems (pneumogastric nerve with many branches), the desire to cough is felt in the throat, and coughing is done to relieve it. A tickling, stringy mucus within the larynx may be coughed up and immediate relief obtained, but the animal will cough if he has minute parasites deep down in his small bronchial tubes, a yard distant from the larynx. Irritation of any portion of the respiratory tract is more or less felt in the larynx, just as hunger is assigned to and felt in the stomach, although the tissues generally are in need — not less but more than the stomach, which will be ready to do work as soon as something is put into it. It is the muscles, or the brain, accord- ing to the work done, which cause the feeling of hunger (resulting from waste of tissue), but until the trembling or faint stage is reached, hunger is felt in the stomach. So is any con- dition of the breathing tract felt in the larynx, although pain may be experienced in other parts in addition. This rather long preamble, or pre- liminary canter, as our sporting readers might call it, is given for the purpose of leading up to such a simple description of coughs as will enable the horse owner to distinguish between the cough 476 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE in the throat and that arising from the lungs or the stomach, as it will be obvious that putting mustard on the throat wiU not influence broken wind due to indigestion, nor will the apphcation of medicaments to the sides of the chest have any beneficial action on a cough due to larjTigitis, Do not seek for a niisiura mirabilis under cover of a hybrid Greek name, but endeavour to under- stand the cause of cough and remove it. Sore Throat. — The back of the palate, the top of the gullet, and the area around the larynx which is closed by the little trap door called the glottis (except when we get a crumb the wrong way and discover its extreme sensibility) is commonly called the throat, and this when inflamed makes a horse swallow his food with difficulty, nod his head frequently, and cough with more or less evidence of pain when he does so. This sore throat is to be distinguished from laryngitis, and is of common occurrence. It may be the sequel of catarrh or a symptom common to other respiratory diseases. There is more or less tenderness to the touch from out- side. Treatment is generally successful if prompt, and consists in counter-irritation to the skin by mustard and vinegar, which need not blind the operator by being mixed with hot water, or reduced in potency by employing water that actually boils at the time, as it will act just as well if used cold. A rapid diversion is usually effected, and there is swelling between the skin and throat which gives relief to the more sensitive parts within. Whatever medicaments are chosen, they should never be given in the form of balls, as these may induce spasm, or be coughed up into the nasal chamber. What are known as electuaries are best for sore throats, as they have first a local soothing action, and afterwards produce their effects through the medium of the circulation. A dram of chlorate of potash ; a dram of nitre ; a dram of extract of belladonna, and sufficient honey or glycerine to make a soft paste to be spread upon the arch of the tongue, is a favourite formula for a sore throat, and may be repeated every six or eight hours during the acute stage. A horse with a sore throat should be offered no dry or dusty food, but encouraged to take linseed mashes, hay tea, scalded bran, and crushed oats, and if soon disgusted with these things he should be tried with carrots, apples, or green meat, or whatever of the kind is to be had. The ammoniacal atmosphere of a badly ventilated stable wiU frequently cause sore throat, and always retard recovery, and a loose box with pure, if cold, air is preferable, making up with clothing of the body and a hood over the head and neck. CHAPTER II DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS (continued) LARYNGITIS.— This is inflammation of the larynx, chiefly its lining membrane, J but involving deeper tissues in some cases, and presumably in most chronic ones, where permanent defects are left. This malady may be so acute and the swelling so great as to suffocate the animal by narrowing the aper- ture, or it may subside into a chronic form, leaving a settled irritation, chronic cough, and difficulty of breathing. The same causes which lead to catarrh and sore throat induce laryn- gitis, and country horses brought up from grass and compelled to breathe the bad air of close town stables are the most subject to it. It may be a sequel to influenza, strangles, or that disease painful paroxysmal cough follows which it is possible for a horse to endure, or a horse lover to listen to. The cough is so extremely painful, so hard and ineffectual yet compelling, that the poor beast makes every effort to suppress it, and labours under great excitement and dis- tress ; he gets no relief, but only aggravates the soreness each time he yields to the tickling sensation which makes him cough. The diffi- culty of swallowing referred to in connection with ordinary sore throat is intensified in laryngitis, and food is altogether refused, or dropped from the mouth when the effort has been made to eat it. The nose is poked out, as breathing in this attitude is less painful ; a roaring or hissing of the blood called purpura haemorrhagica, or sound is emitted which may often be heard at big head. In rare instances it has been caused by lodgment of foreign bodies. The early symptoms are not very dissimilar from ordinary sore throat and cold, but with the development of the disease there is heightened temperature, quickened pulse, and the most a considerable distance. But for short intervals of relief the patient must die of distress, and during these short periods a few moments' sleep are snatched while the horse is standing. The imperfect aeration of the blood when breathing is so shallow that it reacts upon the system, and 61 477 478 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE ARNOLD'S TRACHEOTOMY TUBE. the membranes of the eye and nostril are a dark red or livid colour, the pulse full and hard, and the legs cold. During the paroxysms of pain the more irritable temperaments shake the head and paw the ground and break out into patches of sweat, as horses do when suffering from certain forms of colic. Treatment. — It is of the utmost importance to have pure air and a stable free from dust, there- fore we should forbid moss litter and sawdust as bedding, and if the straw is not bright and good, the water-pot with rose should be employed to sprinkle the surface. If the animal can be led into another stable while the floor is cleansed he will avoid the bad smell, so injurious in this complaint, when the litter is taken up. Mustard or a mild cantharides blister is used by some, but greater advantage is claimed by others for the practice of continuous poulticing with linseed meal and bran, suspended by means of the leather head-collar. A bronchitis kettle, so arranged that the patient cannot interfere with it, will afford much relief, or, faihng this, buckets of boiling water may be introduced in order to disseminate steam in the apartment. If inhalations are attempted they should be given on scalding hot bran at the bottom of a nose- bag, strapped a long way from the muzzle, or the animal's diffi- culty in breathing may be aggra- vated. Friar's balsam is a sooth- ing remedy which may be poured over the bran. Where this form of treatment is adopted a person should remain in charge of the animal until the bag or apparatus is removed, lest he should get into trouble during a paroxysm of coughing. The agony of laryngitis may be so speedily abated by making an opening in the windpipe that the practice is frequently resorted to, and we have known bold amateurs to succeed, and rarely induce any bad results, if they observe the rule to make their incision about half-way down the neck, where the trachea has least muscular covering. In emergencies, an incision in the skin two inches long may be made ; the cartilage should be cut in the same way, and the opening ma;intained by stitching back the tissues. When the crisis has passed, the wound heals without difficulty, and need not leave any serious blemish if properly treated. Colonials, and others far from professional aid, may save the animal's hfe by operating in the manner described, but no one would undertake it if a veterinary surgeon were available. It is the after consequences of laryngitis that are most dreaded by the horse owner, as ulcera- tion, or one of the " wind " troubles previously mentioned is so apt to follow even a mild attack of this malady. Some of the worst consequences may be avoided by a course of iodide of potassium and mineral tonics, commenced after the acute symptoms have subsided. The electuary advised for sore throat is the most suitable form of medi- cation so long as the irritation remains. Bronchitis Inflammation of the membrane lining of the bronchial tubes is known as bronchitis, whether acute or chronic. It may occur as a primary disorder, or as a sequel or complication of other diseases, such as neglected cold, debility, old GIBSON'S TRACHEOTOMY TUBE WITH VALVE. age, or previous attacks. The usual causes are those mentioned in connection with catarrh, sore throat, and laryngitis. The early symptoms are those of catarrh or common cold, and the distinction is not obvious DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS 479 until the peculiar cough and rattling sound nuu'ks the seat of the trouble. When the larger tubes are involved the sound emitted is much louder than where the lesser ones arc chiefly- concerned, but there is always a rattling sound, as of air passing over a roughened surface, and later, through much mucus, which is diagnostic, and probably familiar to most persons in the human subject. The horse suffering from bron- chitis is reluctant to move, the ears and legs are of variable temperature, or cold. The cough is spasmodic, and shakes the animal severely tluring the early congestive stage, but later, when the mucus is secreted in abundance, he suffers from its accumulation in just the same way as his master, but fails of as much relief for want of expectoration, which some chronic human subjects reduce to a fine art, only ex- celled by American tobacco-chewers. Horses do, of course, expectorate in a way, but it consists only in coughing up the phlegm and either swallowing it, or allowing it to drop from the nose, into which it is coughed through the back passage (posterior nares). By placing one's ear against the trachea and at the sides of the chest a good deal of informa- tion is to be gained as to the extent of the malady : a practice (auscultation) which will be alluded to in connection with other chest affections. Treatment. — Besides those hygienic conditions prescribed for all respiratory troubles (see C.A.T.\RRH, etc., page 474), the treatment in bronchitis is more particularly directed to relieving the distress by promoting the flow of mucus, or reducing its viscidity by expectorants. If the disease is early recognised, the attack may be cut short by bold doses of chloral and iodide of potassium, together with stimulants. When established, no cutting short can be hoped for. Mustard may be applied to the throat all down the course of the windpipe to the chest, and again on the sides immedi- ately behind the elbows. Clothing, including a hood, and bandages to the legs, should be emplojed to keep the surface warmth up, and tne vapour of hot water from a kettle, or V essels containing boiling water, should be utilised to soothe the air passages. Inhalations of euca- lyptus, of camphor, and of friar's balsam are also of service. Expectoration, or the casting off of mucus, is promoted by tartarised antimony. camphor, ipecacuanha, squills, nitrate, and chlor- ate of potash, but we are somewhat restricted in our choice of drugs, because we can give no very volatile substances or administer balls or drenches — our medication is necessarily in the form of electuaries, for the reason previously given (see Sore Thro.\t, page 476). The soft and laxative foods, such as linseed and bran mashes, carrots, and green-meat, should also have the effect of preventing constipation, to which animals are prone when suffering from any disease accom- panied by high temperatures long maintained. No purgative more drastic than linseed oil should be administered, and this will very likely be accepted with a feed of crushed oats, without having to elevate the head or give it forcibly as . a draught. The con- valescent must not be exposed to draughts or hardship, and his re- turn to work should be gradual and pro- gressive, or a relapse mav be feared. BRONCHIAL TREE OF HORSE. A. Erarterial. B. Hyparterial ventral (v) ; d. hyparlerial dor- sal bronchi ; p a, p v, pulmonary artery and vein (after Aeby). Chronic Bronchitis As a sequel to the acute form, rather than as a senile disease, such as men and dogs suffer from, the chronic thickening of the tubes and tenacious secretion of the membranes give rise to cough of a less severe but more persistent variety than that already described. Atmospheric changes aggravate it, and dusty fodder gives rise to coughing fits. The subjects of chronic bron- chitis arc bad thrivers, and easily fatigued, and, therefore, of little value, although in the hands of a careful and considerate person they may be made to yield useful service for years. Much benefit is experienced by the administration of powders in the damped even- ing meal, consisting of nitre, antimony, guaia- cum, and arsenic. Stockholm tar and linseed oil are found to give relief, but there is some little difficulty in getting horses to take it in food, and the ball or drench may be re- sorted to in chronic cases where tlicse forms of medication would be quite inadmissible in 4So THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the acute disease. Very much may be done by dieting {see Broken Wind, page -183). Congestion of the Lungs There is a very great distinction to be niade between horses and men in the use of this term. The pubhc, or their medical attendants, speak of congestion of the hmgs as of some condition just falhng short of inflammation of the substance of parenchymatous tissue of the organs. In the case of horses it means engorgement of the lungs with blood sent there for aeration, but stagnating in the great pulmonary vessels and unable to make the circuit. Our meaning will be clearer if we take the example of a hunter indifferently con- ditioned, or prepared by regular and in- creasing exercise, taking part in a prolonged chase, and coming to a standstill, pumped out, with heaving flanks and dilated nostrils, and evincing great distress. This horse was in per- fect health a few minutes previously, but owing to want of heart power (due to the absence of preparation before mentioned) the excessive quantity of blood brought to the lungs for aeration has congested. The pump (heart) has failed to send it through. If the rider has pulled up in time and turned the animal's head to the wind and administered the contents of his pocket flask, it is quite possible for the heart to get just enough energy to overcome the stagnation ; otherwise the animal is smitten with a con- gestion which is extremely likely to prove fatal in a couple or three days. The good horseman knows the value of condition or training, as the animal so prepared will accomplish with a light heart the task that proves fatal to such an one as we have above imagined. Any other sort of work in an unprepared state, such as harness or quite moderate riding, may bring on congestion of the lungs. A cold, or the period of incubation of one, as a sequel to influenza, strangles, or any other debilitating malady, may result in con- gestion of the lungs ; and besides these predis- posing causes (see Catarrh and Common Cold, page 473), there is a peculiarity about horses known as metastasis, or sudden transference of disease from one organ, or set of organs, to another. Suffice it to mention one or two examples. A horse with fever in the feet may be found one morning much relieved in the feet, but blowing, and in great distress, from congestion of the lungs. A mare after foaling will show symptoms of congestion of the lungs, and then in the course of a night perhaps have the trouble " drop into her feet," as it is said. Tlie syiiiptoius are such as to call urgently for attention, even to the untrained eye, which will detect something very seriously wrong, as it notes the blowing or rapid but shallow breath- ing, the bloodshot eyes, and distended nostrils, the hanging head, and icy-cold extremities. The animal generally stands all the while, poking his head into a corner where the air is worst, while we should desire him to breathe the purest and coolest. Occasionally the pain which accom- panies the disease prompts the horse to go down, as one with colic, but the position is soon found to be even less tolerable than standing, and he rises again with a groan. A torpidity gradually overtakes him as his self-poisoned blood fails to afford vitality to the brain and other organs. The labouring heart can be heard by pressing the ear to the side of the chest, and a crepitating sound, as of one crumpling tissue-paper, may be distinguished from the harsh bronchial noise which accompanies it. Unless the stagnation is overcome, there is rapid decomposition, and the animal dies with lungs found to be absolutely impervious, and black with congealed blood. Treatment. — From what was said in describing the nature of the ailment, and the case of the hunter, the main line of treatment has already been indicated : at least for first aid. The nearest stable should be sought, or, in the case of passive congestion following on some other malady, an airy loose box chosen. Bleeding from the jugular vein has doubtless saved many a life when undertaken at the right moment, which is early, and a few minutes after giving a rousing stimulant, as half a pint of whisky, or two ounces of sal volatile in water, or sweet spirit of nitre for choice ; but any alcoholic stimulant will call forth the latent energy in the heart and assist in making the blood flow. There is then less volume of blood for the heart to deal with, and smaller doses of ammonia, of ether, or the popular forms of alcohol, may be given at intervals, to avoid reaction after the first big dose. Digitalis and ammonia are given in this disease with a view to increase the force, and diminish the number of the heart's contractions. Some difference of opinion exists among veterinary surgeons as to 482 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the utility of bleeding, and as to counter irritants applied to the sides of the chest ; but the majority of experienced practitioners are in favour of the latter, if the same cannot be said of taking blood. The application of mustard to the walls of the chest is often followed by great relief in a very short time, and is the turning point in the case. If the animal does not respond to the sting of the mustard his prospects are dark indeed. Strong liniments or hot packs are preferred by some, their object being the same — namely, to bring blood to the surface and withdraw it from the lungs. Good nursing and unremitting care are necessary for the convalescent, who is more likely to make an absolute recovery from the point of death, without any bad effect remaining permanently, than is the horse with a simple sore throat or common cold. If constipation be guarded against by oil and sufficient laxative food, we are permitted a wider range and choice of eatables in congestion of the lungs than in those other diseases of the respiratory system already described. Plenty of time should be allowed for absorption, and com- plete restoration of deep breathing power before asking a patient to work ; indeed, a run at grass will repay the owner in the end and renew the legs as well as the lungs, if the subject happens to be a " stale " one. Inflammation of the Lungs If the reader has not already perused the section on congestion of the lungs (page 4S0), he is advised to do so before considering what is said here on inflammation. Inflammation of the lung sub- stance may arise from sudden chills, east winds, and other climatic conditions, or be associated with bronchitis, when it is called broncho- pneumonia ; or with pleurisy, when the name given to it is pleuro-pneumonia. Neglected colds, influenza, strangles, and other debilitating dis- eases predispose to it, and in badly ventilated stables and horse-ships a septic or infectious form causes the death of many horses. Foals suffering from joint ill sometimes develop a septic pneumonia. The symptoms of pneumonia are not so defined as those of congestion of tlie lungs, and it is not easy to tell the exact time of the invasion, because it is more often a secondary disease or sequel to a common cold (see page 473). The membranes of the eye and nostril do not display the dark congestive appearance described in connection with true congestion of the lungs, nor are the respirations so distressful at the beginning. A dull brick-red colour of the eye and nose is more characteristic of pneumonia, and the skin and extremities are colder than normal, but do not impart that icy coldness to the touch which has been described in pulmonary congestion in the over-ridden hunter (see page 480). There is constipation, loss of appetite, high-coloured urine, cough of the kind associated with bronchitis in its looser stage (see Bronchitis, pages 478-9), with a discharge froin the nostrils less copious than in common catarrh, and becoming stained later with a reddish substance suggestive of brick-dust, and accompanied with a very dis- agreeable odour. The chest sounds (detected by pressing the ear to the animal's sides) are at first louder, but the consolidation, or filling up of the air cells with the products of inflammation^ reduce these to little crepitations, which only the expert can be expected to distinguish from those other sounds described in connection with bronchitis and congestion. It is not, however, difficult for the horseman to diagnose, if he v>'ill bear in mind the rapidity with which congestion of the lungs declares itself, and the noise made in laryngitis, and the rattling in bronchitis, and if in doubt up to the time of the red tinged dis- charge, he can be so no longer. It comes on more slowly, and does not reach an early crisis ; moreover, it takes a much longer time for the animal to recover from. Relapses are not infrequent, and too often fatal. Just when the animal seems to be picking up he falls into a feeble state, and appears to be self-poisoned by the absorption into the circulation of the morbid material in the lungs. Treatment. — No hard and fast line of treatment can be laid down, as the condition of the animal at the time may vary from the weakened invalid brought low by influenza to the full-blooded young horse fresh from pasture and needing depletion. Bleeding from the jugular vein may be excellent practice as regards the latter, but calculated to devitalise the former. The best hygienic con- ditions arc of the first importance : pure, if cold, air ; and the bodily warmth must be con- served by clothing which is to include bandaging the legs. The sides of the chest may be stimu- lated with mustard, or a strong liniment, or con- DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS 483 tinuously poulticed or steamed by moans of a wet pack frequently renewed. A plan that can be put into operation anywhere is that of apply- ing first a sheet wrung out in hot water, with a rug placed over it, and then ironing over all with the domestic flat-iron. Asthma The sudden paroxysms and distressful breathing which denote this malady, and its equally sudden disappearance, point to a nervous origin, and it is believed to be due to spasmodic contraction of the bronchial tubes. Its causes are rather obscure, but it is known as a sequel to bronchitis, and is observed to occur in badly ventilated stables, and where there are irritating gases from chsmical factories ; also as a result of prolonged digestive disturbances : in the latter respect having an analogy to broken wind, which is referred to in the next column. The cough may best be described as a choking one, in which the patient seems overwhelmed with difficulties, and at the point of suffocation ; the act of expiration is more difficult than that of inspiration, and the mucus, or matter expector- ated, is uncertain, the paroxysm often returning when it seems to be almost gone. The temper- ature runs up, and the expression is anxious. These symptoms by their acuteness distinguish it from broken wind, which it somewhat resembles. Treatment. — The success attending the adminis- tration of sedatives is one of the arguments in favour of the disease being of nervous origin, but an aperient of oil, preferably linseed, should be given first. We may choose between chloral and the bromides of potassium, sodium, and ammonium, and such drugs as camphor and belladonna, and the combination known as chlorodyne. To obtain the best results we may ring the changes, not persisting in any one too long, although it may give the desired result, because all sedatives have a tendency to " wear out." If the periods of freedom from attack are lengthy, and medicines are not given con- tinuously, it will not matter if the same remedy is resorted to on each occasion. It is important to avoid all dusty food ; during the illness food should only be given wet. Linseed, boiled or scalded, or in other forms, is the food par excel- lence, as it possesses medicinal as well as nutri- tive value. Kibbled oats with bran scalded, and small quantities of carrots, or other " roots " and green-meat, may be given, but it is important to keep down bulk, as any distension is provoca- tive of spasm, and a return of the paroxysms- The inhalation of warm vapour is helpful in some cases, but not all, it being noted that some asthmatic horses are best in damp weather, when the air is loaded with moisture, and others when it is dry. Broken Wind, or Emphysema of the Lungs A dilated condition of the air cells of the lungs, with consequent enlargement of the lungs them- selves, and impaired elasticity, which gives rise to difficulty of breathing. It was formerly said that the cells were actually rui^tured into one another, but this does not appear to be the case, or only in exceptional instances. The causes are not very clear — the proximate causes, that is to say ; but the contributory ones are well known. That it is strongly hereditary is agreed, and broken-winded mares should there- fore be objected to for breeding purposes. Nature herself interferes in tliis matter, rendering the majority of such animals sterile, but the popular tradition that all are barren is not consistent with the facts. That it is intimately associated with the digestive system is agreed, also that the majorit)' of cases occur where bulky and innutritions food has been long provided, or where damaged fodder has been supplied, such as over-heated hay or musty oat or barley straw, foxy oats, and those which have been kiln-dried alter suffering from rain in the stook. That farmers' horses should be more often broken- winded than others is reasonable to expect, having regard to the fact that farmers cannot sell badly got hay, and must needs use it on the holding. Symptoms. — The cough " gives away " a broken- winded animal directly, as it is different from all others in its prolongation. If the flank be watched it will be seen, in a pronounced case, to contract twice where it should act but once in the expulsion of the breath — a double act of expiration, in other words. In less developed cases the rapid mo\-cments of the flank are only such as are commonly associated with exertion or excitement. When the animal is at rest he may not cough or show any distress, but on taking a drink of water, or commencing to eat, he will be likely to do so. As time goes on the chest grows rounder and the abdomen becomes more distended, and there is frequent flatus from the rectum. The capacity for work is diminished. 484 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Treatment. — It may be said at once that a broken-winded horse will be useful or not, accord- ing to the man who looks after him. If the food is given damp, and linseed forms a con- siderable part of the ration, if water is sparingly offered and never given within two hours of going to work, and bulk generally kept down in favour of nutritive value, the animal may continue to do good service for years. The non- observance of these rules will soon render it practically useless. If space permitted, one might tell many funny stories in connection with this subject. It is a fact that the wind may be " set " — that is to say, the symptoms of broken wind may be temporarily removed so as to deceive the very elect. It is also a fact that the secret of doing it has been kept, and tliat among a class of persons often to be seen in their cups. The most potent libations have never proved effective in drawing it from the few men, chiefly of the gipsy breed, who are masters of this accomplishment. Many a young veterinary surgeon has been deceived, if he has not made the suspect cough by pinching his larynx — a performance which the low-class dealer is on his guard against, and which is none too safe to perform in the fair or market, where the veterinary examiner is anything but a first favour- ite. Horses have been purchased and slaughtered in order to find out what remedies have been used, and large quantities of tallow and gun-shot have been found in the stomach, but these things do not constitute the whole secret, and the veterinary surgeon is still in ignorance of the method of isettmg the wind. If it were due to sedatives in large doses we should expect a depressed creature, with hanging head and listless manner, but, on the contrary, he appears to have indulged in a genuine cock-tail. Pleurisy, or Pleuritis Inflammation of the membrane which covers the lungs and lines the chest is called by the above names. One side only may be affected, or both, and the disease may be a distinct one, or complicated with pneumonia, when it is called plcnro-pneumonia. The causes are the same as those enumerated in connection with common cold (see page 473), but a cutting wind against the side of a heated animal when kept standing is perhaps a more frequent cause than any other, especially in the unilateral form. Symf'toms. — Shivering and elevated tempera- ture ; quick, short, painful breathing, accentuated at the moment when the lungs are most dis- tended, and causing the animal to give vent to a sharp grunt or groan, as if stabbed in the side — a feehng described by persons who have simi- larly suffered. Pressure of the knuckles against the ribs, or between them, shows that the horse is intensely sensitive. If made to turn, the patient groans with acute pain. " Too sore to cough " is the common verdict, and this opinion is confirmed when the patient is compelled to do so. It is a short, suppressed cough, differing in the extreme from broken wind, and the more acute coughs which have been described under other respiratory diseases, and to which the reader is again referred for comparison. After a variable period, the tense congested serous membranes become moist, and the sound as of rubbing pieces of paper together, which might have been heard at first when listening at the side of the chest, gives place to others not less diagnostic, such as dropping of water, or splash- ing, bell-like tinklings in the distance, due to the fluid which is being rapidly secreted from the serous surfaces of the pleurae. The hard and frequent pulse which characterises the attack undergoes a softening, and feels less in volume as the moist period is entered upon and the pain is less severe. In pleurisy alone among the chest diseases or respiratory troubles is the peculiar symptom present of a tucked-up line along the belly, or ridge extending from behind the ribs. This occurs in the act of expiration more par- ticularly, and is more and more marked as the " water on the chest " accumulates, or the cavity fills with a fluid of variable quality. Flocks of lymph appear later and attach the lungs to the sides of the chest, and are often to be observed as old adhesions in the knackerman's yard. If the filling up of the chest goes on the animal usually dies, despite the surgeon's efforts to reheve pressure by puncturing the chest and withdrawing large quantities of fluid — a practice which gives immediate but only temporary comfort, the disposition to secrete more fluid seeming to be excited in some instances. A successful result now and again is perhaps suffi- cient justification for performing the operation, but it should be regarded as an off-chance. Treatment. — In no other disease of the chest may we expect such good results from counter- DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS 48: irritation, since tlic membranes affected are so near to the outer surface as to be vesicated by mustartl or strong liniments. A marked change for the better is often observed in half an hour, or as soon as the distress of the application itself has passed oli. If the patient is fat and full- blooded, bleeding from the jugular vein is advised, to aid iu absorption of the effused fluid, and to build up the elements of the blood. Roaring and Whistling In the article on common cold (catarrh) and other diseases of the respiratory apparatus. SKELETON OF A HORSE. A. Head, or skull. B. Loner iaw. C. First bone of the neck, or atlas. D. Second bone of the neck, or axis. E. The seven rvical vertebrae. F. Spines of the withers. G. Bones of the back and loins (dorsal and lumbar vertebra;), m. L Tail-bones, or coccygeal verlebriE. J. Shoulder blade, or scapula. K. Arm bone, or humerus. L. Fore- !. M- Knee, or carpal bones. N. Trapezium. O. Cannon, or metacarpal bone. P. Large pastern bone, or os amoid bone. R. Small pastern bone, or OS gropiE. S. Coffin bone, or os pedis. T. Ribs. U. Hip bone, femur. X. Slitle bone, or patella. Y. Tibia, or leg bone. Z. Hock bones, or tarsus. a. Hind cannon, or le. b. Large pastern bone. c. Sesamoid bone. d. Small pastern bone. e. Coffin bone. f. Elastic ligament of k bone. 2. Eye, or orbital cavity. 3. Nasal bones. 4. Incisor teeth. 5. Molar teeth. 6. Shoulder ioint. ilder. 8. Hollow of the shoulder blade. 9. Cartilage at the upper end of the shoulder blade. 10. Tuberosity of diu Q. neck bone H. Croup, sulfraginis. V. Thigh bone. 01 large metatarsal bt the necli. 1. Che 7. Point of the shoulds the humerus H. EI posterior angle of iliui tuberosity of the tibia. o.v bone. 12. Cartilage of the ribs. 13. Haunch, 1. 15. 16. Large and small trochanter of the femur. 19. Calc s, or point of hock. 20. Small bone of the leg. r anterior an; 17. Joint betM of the ilium, n the femur a H. Point t.f hip, or id tibia. 18. Superior but not in the case of old horses, or where pleurisy has followed upon some other malady. A dry and roomy well-littered loose box should be given, so that the patient may have every inducement to lie down. The body should be clothed and the legs bandaged, and hand wisping practised to keep up surface circulation. The diet and general management recommended in other chest affections should be the same. Convalescents benefit bv alcoholic stimulants, quinine, and gentian. A course of iodide of iron is thought 62 much emphasis has been laid on the risk of ill consequences following neglect, and the reader has been urged to regard " a bit of a cold " as always serious, because it may leave the animal a roarer or whistler, or a " bull," as a certain class of dealers have it. " Makes a noise " is a mild form of confession in a catalogue that the " lot " is unsound, and must not be described a.s " good." There are horses to be found with everv degree of impediment to free respiration, and a variety of terms are employed to denote 486 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE them, the choice depending much upon whether the vendor, or some less interested person, is speaking of the particular horse in question. A little thickening from a cold may result in a slight whistling sound when the animal is pushed at a hill, and be scarcely audible in harness, although noticeable when ridden. So slight an impediment will not seriously interfere with the usefulness of the animal, but will predispose him to further thickening and increased trouble whenever he may get a chill. If an otherwise desirable horse is to be sold, the buyer should not be tempted by a record of his past perform- ances, but give no more than a " screw " price, on the chance of his getting worse. It is true that some horses will remain about the same for several seasons, but the tendency is to get worse, and should be discounted in purchasing. Every degree of thickening is possible, and rough- ened eminences give a rasping sound. When the trouble is in the larynx the noise is greatest ; it is literally " roaring," and easily distinguishable from the " thick wind " noticed as a sequel to bronchitis. It must not, however, be supposed that roaring is never encountered save as a con- sequence of some illness, such as we have men- tioned ; on the contrary, it is well known to be hereditary, and more so in race-horses than others. Had this fact been recognised earlier, the horses of to-day, both thoroughbred and others, would have been much less subject to this form of unsoundness. Roarers whose per- formances have brought them fame have been put to the stud regardless of the probability of transmitting the trouble to their progeny, and it is difficult at the present time to find a thorough- bred whose ancestors were free from the defect, or whose progeny have wholly escaped. The preliminary symptoms of respiratory trouble may be so slight as to go unobserved, and a rested horse, or one put away for a time, may come up a roai'cr if the disease is hereditary. The market is instantly depressed when a horse in training is reported to be " coughing," as the cognoscenti expect to hear next that he has been "scratched," or his engagements cancelled. When roaring has existed for some length of time — or become chronic, that is — there is wasting of the dilator muscles of the larynx, and this is believed to be caused by failure of nerve supply, but the most careful microscopic exaniination of the suspected branch has hitherto failed to afford any information. The left recurrent branch of the pneumogastric nerve in some way fails to innervate the muscles on the left side of the larynx, and they waste away. That no patho- logical changes should be observed is only con- sistent with our general ignorance of nerves, it being usual to find nothing, although fits and paralysis in man and beast are obviously due to imperfect current. The symptoms of roaring would need only to be described to a deaf man, but what we wish to know when the animal is still is, if he will make a noise when put to his paces. If we can see the hunter extended, or the chaser galloped, we shall probably hear quite enough ; but vendors do not always invite such examinations, and if, as previously stated, the rules of auction marts compel the seller to admit " a noise " on the part of his horse, the buyer must endeavour to ascertain by such symptoms as are here given to what extent the animal suffers, and the auctioneer whether he is offering as sound an animal that is a roarer. In a restricted space, where the above tests cannot be applied, it should be noticed if a horse grunts when a feint is made at his flank \\ith the fist, or a stick such as dealers carry. Cute dealers ma^' be seen with a suspect against a wall, threatening him with blows which never descend, but which cause a groan or grunt from the frightened horse, and if permitted they will " cough " him, which means, pinch the throat over the larynx with finger and thumb, whereby the animal is made to emit the characteristic cough which accompanies roaring, more or less, at other times. This is but a rough and imper- fect test, the symptom being absent in many subjects of roaring when not much advanced, and some horses would seem to have been pinched so many times that they have learned to set the muscles of the neck, and resist the pressure that would otherwise provoke coughing. They are not old rogues conspiring with the seller to get a better situation, as has been suggested, but have learned the noble art of self-defence — or shall we call it passive resistance ? The stick and the coughing trick are not reliable for another reason, and that is that some highly nervous horses, which are quite sound in wind, will grunt or groan when so treated. There is a form of roaring which comes on very suddenly, is ex- tremely loud, and evidently painful. It is due to spasm of the larynx, and, as might DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS 487 be supposed, passes ofif again with the sub- sidence of the spasm. An opposite form of roaring to that last mentioned is paralytic. It is gradual and progressive. Treatincnl. — This is not very hopeful, as the reader will have gathered from studying the chief causes, because irremovable ; but we need not despair of all alike, and in the early stages it will be worth while to attempt remedial measures, if they- do but palliate or retard the malady. Blistering the skin outside the throat will often excite considerable absorption of the thickened deposited substances which give rise to whistling or wheezing. Repeated mild appli- cations of iodine, in one form or another, appear greatlv to benefit other cases. The adminis- tration of iodide of potassium and iron has a marked influence, and in the paralytic variety good results are believed to attend the use of nux vomica, or its alkaloid, strychnia. The dieting which has been advised for broken wind {see page 484) proves helpful in other respiratory troubles, and roarers restricted to the best of oats and sifted chaff, carefully damped, with a portion of linseed in each feed, will be capable often times of leaving sound horses " pounded " in a difficult country. In the hands of an unskilled person they will rapidly grow worse ; mow-burnt or dusty forage is as poison to them. There is a poison we may mention that is remark- ably beneficial to roarers and to broken-winded horses, and it is arsenic. In what way it acts is not clear, but that it does lend wind power, and cause the animal to thrive, is beyond doubt ; but, as in the case of the Styrian miners and the mountaineers of South-Eastern Europe, the drug habit once acquired must be continued, or rapid loss of condition follows. The dose is from three to ten grains daily, and is best given in combination with an alkali, as bicar- bonate of soda, which facilitates its solution and entrance into the bod}'. Roarers should not be turned out, or let down in condition, as any distension of the digestive organs immediately affects the wind prejudicially. High Blowing Some horses make a peculiar sound with their nostrils — a vibrating or fluttering sound, which is not exactly a snort, but a preparation for greater effort and wider expansion. Animals with thin skins and easily compressed false nostrils. as the wings or ate arc called, often make this noise during a preliminary canter, but nothing of the kind is observed in the gallop — indeed- it has been remarked by so great an authority as Professor Axe, that " high blowers are con- spicuous for the soundness of their breathing organs and endurance under exertion." This peculiarity then must not be mistaken for roaring ; nor should the inexperienced be led to believe that a roarer is merely a high blower. The roarer will make a different sound, and even the man who does not recognise it will be able to remember that the high-blower ceases to blow when the roarer's difficulties increase. Tube in the Neck — Tracheotomy Tube When from any cause in the upper portion of the respiratory tract obstruction or difficulty of breathing exists to a dangerous extent, or from the excessive and distressing noise made the horse is deemed too bad for service, resort is had to the tube as an immediate and effective means of stopping it, and rendering respiration perfectly free and easy, through the artificial opening. It is a simple operation, and horsemen who are not veterinary surgeons have performed it successfully in cases of emergency {see L.\ryn- GiTis, page 478). The good surgeon will incise the skin, cut out a circular piece of the wind- pipe the exact size to accommodate the selected instrument, and excite so little haemorrhage or irritation that the subject of operation will be allowed to work in a day or two. As a rule, one does not find a man ride more than one or two seasons with a tube in his horse's throat ; not that that instrument fails of its purpose, but because he cannot stand the attention it e.xcites, and, worst of all, the impertinence of ignorant persons who declaim against the " cruelty " of a merciful provision for the animal's comfort and usefulness. This interference from elderly ladies — for the most part " unappropriated blessings " who have no knowledge of the subject but who succeed in collecting a little crowd round a carriage horse with a tube in his throat — is too much for most folks' tempers, and they sell out. Thickening from granulations around the orifice of the wound naturally results from the presence of the tube and the blind efforts of Nature to repair what we wish left undone, but these may be easily suppressed where it is desired to keep on a horse upon which trache- otomy has been performed. CHAPTER 111 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM THERE is no portion of the digestive system immune from disease, from the lips, with which the horse pre- hends his food, to the terminal portion of the canal from which he extrudes unprofit- able waste. It should never be forgotten that horses seize their food by means of their mobile lips, operated, however, by powerful muscles, and that when these are injured the animal is liable to starve, unless suitable aliment is provided. Hunger teaches him to suck up liquid or soft moist foods such as gruel, milk, beaten-up eggs, and other foods, which are more fully described in the cliapter on invalid foods and nursing. The Lips Wliether a disease of the lips is local, or arises from some constitutional disorder, as stomatitis, it should receive careful attention. Abrasions from rough objects and eruptions from within, thorns, prickles of dried thistle in hay, and vesicles from "nosing" a limb that has been blistered, are among the lip troubles from which horses suffer. Sometimes nasty cracks follow on injuries from nibbling mangers that have previously amused crib biters. The angles of the mouth may be irritated by rusty bits, or by an ignorant breaker using a vesicant to a hard mouth, and making it harder, as a consequence, when the soreness has passed. Inside, too, the mem- brane and deeper tissues may be injured from falls or blows without, and be cut against the teeth. Treatment. — Is usually easy and successful, as the patient assists us if he has not an aversion to moist foods — a very trying peculiarity met with in individuals, who will show disgust when a couple of bran mashes have been taken, and refuse linseed in every form. No dry food what- ever should be given, but scalded and crushed oats, bran, linseed, carrots, green-meat, or roots in winter. So far as medicaments are concerned we have almost a specific in alum for the inside of the mouth, a strong solution of which may be sponged daily over the sore places. The natural dryness of the skin outside makes us prefer a five per cent, glycerine lotion with three or four per cent, of boric acid, which hinders cracking and is not objectionable if licked by the patient. A few indolent sores (ulcers) may need sharper remedies, such as a touch of lunar caustic, or a crystal of sulphate of copper. Inflammation of the Mouth (Stomatitis) An inflamed mouth, in which the tongue and cheeks participate with the lips, is often due to an acute digestive disturbance of the stomach, and is reflected, or secondary, to that trouble. It is known as stomatitis. Similar troubles are experienced as the result of mistaken adminis- 488 STOMATITIS ERUPTIONS. DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 4S9 tration of liniments, or of medicaments improperly prepared, the stings of wasps inadvertently taken into the mouth ; from changes in the teeth of the j'oung, and sharp edges in those of the old. The symptoms should attract the merest tyro in horse management, as there is a slimy mouth, filled to overflowing with ropy saliva, having a very ill odour. When opened, the mouth is found to be swollen, tender, and reddened, and soon after disposed to peel. When drinking, the animal dwells with his muzzle under water, as this affords him temporary relief. His cautious manner with food, turning his " quid " from side to side and very likely dropping it, may be the first indication to the unobservant horse-keeper, and then he is reported as " quidding," this being an accepted stable name for it. If it extends backwards there is cough. Treatment. — This will depend much upon the cause, which should be ascertained ; or, failing a definite diagnosis, emollients and astringents, such as have been mentioned in treatment of the lips ; or if the stomach is the seat of the mischief, as will be ascertained by signs of indi- gestion, constipation, diarrhoea, or bad-smelling dejections, a course of bicarbonate of soda or potash with calumba, as powdered root, damped and mixed with the food, or as an infusion, will be given. The mouth sores may be soothed by an eiectuary composed of a dram of extract of belladonna, and an ounce each of glycerine and treacle, with which the parts should be mopped two or three times daily. The teeth should always be examined in cases of inflamed mouth, as rasping or removal may be necessary. Aptha Resembling the mouth troubles ah'eady desci4bed is the aptha of young foals, but distinguished from it, if observed early enough, by white patches upon the tongue and other parts. The monthly nurse would recognise it as thrush, which infan- tile malady it exactly resembles, and is probably- due to a similar microscopic fungus (Oidium albicans). As with the human infant so with the equine, thrush may pass backwards down the alimentary tract. Generally, however, it passes away without producing much trouble. Treatment. — If a foal is observed to shake his head and drop his ears in disappointment while seizing the teat, he should at once receive atten- tion, and the greyish white spots upon the mem- branes be dressed with borax and glycerine, than which no dressing is better calculated to destroy it without risk to the patient. The teats of the mare should be sponged with a five per cent, lotion of carbolic acid, or re-infection may ensue when the foal sucks, although his own mouth may have been cured. It is a good plan to give a dose of castor oil, and follow it with a few tea-spoon doses of fluid magnesia diluted with water. Inflammation of the Tongue Hitherto we have spoken of the surface troubles of the tongue, in which only its covering mem- brane, or at least the tissues immediately under- neath, are involved, but there is a dangerous disease of the substance of the tongue itself, which the reader is doubtless aware is composed of muscles arranged to give it great mobility and in every direction. Inflammation of the tongue may be caused by infection of a triifing wound, or result from serious injury from the bit, or by biting it when falling on the muzzle ("peck- ing," it is called by hunting men). Diseased teeth, or food retained for lack of a toothpick between them, undergoes decomposition, and produces the septic material with which the tongue may be poisoned if there is an abrasion, although the intact membranes will permanently resist such deleterious influences. This immunity on the part of sound mucous membranes explains why the world has not been depopulated by tuber- culosis, if, indeed, it is proved that the bacillus in milk enters the system through such abrasions. The writer has seen savages gorging with the flesh of animals that have died, and without any subsequent inconvenience to themselves ; but the man who gets a sphntered bone in his hand, or a breach in his mucous membrane, will be easily poisoned by what would be innocuous over sound surfaces. If his companions note without indifference his inability to follow the tribe, they are more likely to credit his illness to having failed in making a suitable present to the local fetish than to a custom they have practised from time immemorial. The symptoms of inflammation of the tongue are increased size of the organ, the extent of the swelling sometimes threatening suffocation 490 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE by involving the tliroat. At first red, it soon becomes purple, is hot, hard, and very sensi- tive to the touch, and is unable to deal with food. A foul-smelling thick saliva falls from the angles of a mouth which is held forward as the least painful attitude. Treatment. — This should begin with an aperient, but a ball of aloes may be difficult to give after the first stage, and the animal may be then induced to take sulphate of magnesia (Epsom salts) dis- solved in water. This drug, the bitterness of which precludes its more general use in domestic medicine, is not much objected to by horses when given with their food, and this may be accounted for by the vegetable bitters in their natural aliment. All the ranunculaceae are in- tensely bitter, and the most careful feeder will be in the habit of taking more or less buttercup in his hay if he feeds all round the coarse stems when at pasture. When a horse has inflammation of the tongue his sense of taste is so debauched that he will aid us in this form of medication, as he is eager for drink. Punctures made in the tongue with a clean lancet give relief to the extreme tension by blood-letting, and the mouth should be syringed with an antiseptic, such as per- manganate of potash, boric acid, carbolic acid (three or four per cent.), and, later, with chlorate of potash and alum, when some subsidence of the swelling has taken place. Nourishment should be offered in the form of eggs beaten up in milk, and if it cannot be taken it may be given per rectum with a syringe. The use of meat essences is now adopted in such cases, and they are found to afford temporary sustenance of much value, although very few graminivorous animals can be persuaded to take them voluntarily. From milk and eggs to fine oatmeal gruel, hay- tea, and sloppy mashes and boiled roots, there is an easy transition, but all dry food must be withheld until convalescence is fully established. Recovery is usually complete and permanent, and it is quite remarkable from what very serious injuries the tongue may be restored. There is another disease of the tongue of an anthracoid nature which will be considered under specific or constitutional diseases. as it generally manifests itself from chills or catarrh, and the invasion or spreading of maladies connected with the breathing organs, but there is an inflamed throat (pharyngitis) connected with fevers and teething, and foul air acting upon this sensitive portion of the organism. Sore throat may be caused by strangles (see Strangles, Chapter VIII.), or by infective organ- isms and abscesses formed in the guttural pouches. For this type of sore pharynx or throat, weak solutions of chlorine, of permanganate of potash, of chlorate, and nitrate of potash are employed, together with glycerine, honey, and other soften- ing agents, calculated to soothe irritability and relieve coughing. Abscess in the Throat The lodgment of a splinter or thorn, and occasionally a needle, has been known to cause abscess in the throat. The rapid swelling and formation of matter is a natural cure, for, as a rule, the discharge carries away the offending body. It may happen that the unfortunate animal is choked while this is proceeding, and we should endeavour to discover the cause of sudden distress and outward swelling and tender- ness, which point to such accidents, when we may be able to gag the patient and remove with fingers or forceps the cause of the trouble. It is rather remarkable that such cases are not more frequent, having regard to the forage con- sumed in semi-dark stables, and in mangers where the horse trusts entirely to the senses of smell and touch, and not to vision. Salivation, or Ptyalism Excessive secretion of saliva of a morbid character is known as salivation, and the symp- toms have been frequently referred to in con- nection witli mouth and tongue troubles. Any irritant may set up salivation, or bad teeth or irritation of the stomach from nests of worms in its lining membrane. Salivation as under- stood in human medicine, and arising from mercurial poisoning, is very rare in horses, and need not be considered in this connection. Inflammation of the Throat In the list of diseases of the respiratory system (page 476) will be found an account of sore throat Inflammation of the Parotid Glands (Parotitis) In its outward appearance this resembles " the mumps " in human beings, but is not. DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 491 like that disease, a specific contagion communi- cable from one subject to another. The parotid gland, which occupies so large a space under the car of the horse, may be injured by the throat lash, or through the strap being too tight, or other forms of external violence, which result in inflammation, but the commonest cause is bv the extension of strangles or influenza. It shoi't and preventing suppuration or abscess ; or the application of a strong liniment may arrest the disposition to form pus. Failing this we continue to poultice, in order to bring the abscess to a point and release the pent-up matter by the use of a clean lancet or sterilised knife. Linseed gruel and moist foods should be offered. Roaring sometimes follows on parotitis. POINTS OF A HORSE. I. Lips. 2. EnJ of nose. 3. Nose. 4. Forehead. .S. Hollow above the eye. 6. Forelock. 7. Ea 10. Nostril. 11. Upper part of neck, or poll. U". Neck. 12. Parotid gland. 1,^. Ridge of neck, furrow. 15. Breast. 16. Withers. 17. Back. 18. Side, or ribs. 19. Girth. 20. Loins. 21. Croup. 24. Flank. 25. Belly. 26. Sheath. 27. Testicles. 28. Shoulder and arm. 29. Elbow. .TO. Fore- 32. Knee. 33. Cannon, or leg bone. 34. Fetlock ioint. 35. Pastern. 36. Cor net. 37. Foot. 38. 40. Thigh, or hind-quarter. 41. S ifle. 42. Buttock, or point of hip, 43. Leg. 44. Hock. 45. Chestnut. 46. Canncn bone. 47. Fe lock joint. 48, Fetlock. 49. Pastern. 50. Coronet. 51. Foot. •s. 8. Loner jaw. 9. Cheek. 14. Hollow of neck, or jugular 22. Tail. 23. Anus and deck, irm. 31. Ergo\ or chestnut. =oot. or fetlock. 39. Harnch. may take an acute course resulting in abscess — which eventually breaks and reUeves itself — or become chronic, and leave permanent enlarge- ment, and more or less diminished functional activity. There is little difficulty in diagnosing a case. The horse pokes out his head and makes short nodding movements with more or less snoring or noisy breathing, and shows difficulty in eating and drinking. If the abscess breaks inside, a whitish matter will come down the nostrils and relief immediately be experienced. Treatment. — Continuous poulticiig is advised. This has often the effect of cuttin,? the inflammation Fistula of the Parotid Duct An opening in the cheek giving rise to a watery discharge near the lower border of the jaw may generally be traced to an injury of the parotid duct, which allows the escape of the salivary fluid intended to be discharged into the mouth to aid digestion. It is a state of things calling for the assistance of the skilled veterinary surgeon, and not to be trifled with or its treatment delayed. Salivary Calculi Calculi, or stones, sometimes form in the salivarv ducts, notably in the one above referred 492 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE to. A surgeon should be consulted in such case. They are recognised by a bulging of the lower border of the jaw ; the substance feels hard, though surrounded by the salivary fluid it has danimed. Choking This is a comparatively rare accident in the horse, but is attended with greater risk than with cattle, as the gullet is small in proportion to the size of the animal, and his nervous tempera- ment throws him into a state of alarm, which adds to the difficulties of treatment. Whole apples that have slipped past the grinders and got beyond control of the tongue, portions of carrots or other roots, and, strange as it may appear to the novice, onions and hen's eggs are i FEET PROBANG the chief things by which horses get choked. All but the last two articles are eaten voluntarily, and if the former are given in unsuitable form the patient is at least guilty of what lawyers call contributory negligence. Perhaps this charge ought not now to be made, since no such dis- qualification exists in regard to servants credited with more intelligence, even if they do not always display it. Whether the horse gets choked with an apple or the two-legged ass with his artificial teeth, the master is equally liable. Whole eggs and onions are credited by some grooms with producing a fine glossy coat, with less demand upon the sudorific glands of the attendant, and their cost can be charged to the master. Among other causes of choking may be mentioned imper- fectly masticated hay, swallowed by greedy in- dividuals, and pieces of stick and wire. The obstruction may be anywhere between the throat and the last inch of the gullet, before it reaches the stomach (cardiac orifice). The symptoms are modified somewhat accord- ing to the position of the obstacle. The nose is poked out as in sore throat, but repeated, painful, and spasmodic efforts to swallow dis- tinguish it. There is a peculiar convulsive movement of the muscles of the neck and depression of the chin at the same time, when the " choke " is in the neck. Dribbling of saliva and anxious countenance, sweating and trembling and, of course, refusal of food, mark the choked horse, and if water is bottled down him some of it may go the VvTong v/ay and bring on a burst of ungovernable coughing. A bulge may often be seen and felt when the obstruction occupies a site between the pharynx and half way down the neck, but the gullet winds over the windpipe at the latter place, and the sub- stance may be lodged in a position from which no assistance can be given by pressure outside. If relief is not obtained, the tissues of the neck first swell with gases and later the whole body, and the animal dies. Treatment. — \\'hcrc there is doubt as to the position of the obstacle, the mouth should be opened and the back of it explored, as the object may be within reach and re- movable. If ascertained to be in the neck, small quantities of linseed oil should be given from a bottle, and then quiet efforts made to move the body up or down the gullet. Movement either way may result in riddance, as the substance is often no bigger than could be swallowed, but its lodgment has paralysed the muscular tube at the part where it has been pressed for so long a time. Manipu- lation that is carried on without " flurry " will often result in breaking up the obstacle and so enabling the horse to gulp it down, or render it pervious to further doses of oil, which will so soften the mass that it will presently be swallowed. When these methods have failed, resort must be had to the probang, or choke rope, which is passed rapidly over the tongue and gently down until it reaches the obstruction, and from thence, with but moderate force, continuously pushed until it reaches the stomach. Too much force is likely to rupture the gullet and end dis- astrously. If the object cannot be moved at all with moderate pressure from the choke rope, it is better to withdraw the latter ; the canal should then be oiled again and an interval allowed to elapse before a further attempt is made. The second is often successful, as the first has enabled the oil to get further round the obstacle, and success rewards the man who \\-ill " hasten slowly " or adopt the motto of the Drummonds and "gang warily." A fast of fifteen hours or so. save for a little thin, warm gruel, is desirable after choking, that the oesophagus may regain DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 493 its normal tone and the lining membrane recover from the local irritation. Vomiting The majority of "horsy" men believe that horses never vomit, but this is not the case. When they do, it is too often due to ruptured stomach or midriff (diaphragm), and a fatal termination may be looked for. Some few cases of vomiting are due to distension with indigestible food and the presence of gas, and are relieved by the act. The writer had an old mare that used to get choked with hay and relieve herself by vomit- ing, after which she went on very well for a month or so. and did it again. Not wishing to keep a record breaker, she was sold. Acute Indigestion The acute forms of indigestion in the horse, such as result from engorgement with unsuitable food, produce effects upon the brain which, in stable language, are not inaptly described as stomach staggers, sleepy staggers, and mad staggers. Mountain and moorland ponies, and such horses as endeavour to make up in bulk what is lacking in quality, are the special sub- jects of this maladj". Idle and gluttonous animals, and those which sink to the level of their masters, and eat merely for the sake of eating and not to appease hunger, are also to be counted among the victims, as unlike the biped glutton they cannot resort to somebody's family pills to mitigate the consequences of excessive indulgence at the manger. Restricted in their choice also, they must continue to eat constipating food, if the groom does not observe the necessity for a laxa- tive, and this adds to the risks of acute indigestion. Familiarity with the sour dyspeptic who has " an eye to which all order festers, all things here seem out of joint," would lead the novice in horse-flesh to suppose that some earlier sign would be observed prior to the head sj-mptoms, but, such as they are, they frequently fail to attract notice. The symptoms depend somewhat upon the degree of distension and paralysis of the stomach and duration of the trouble, which may not be known with horses at pasture away from observation. The stabled animal may be observed to show some little uneasiness in the belly, looking round dreamily at his side and pawing slightly, and presently lying down in a 63 manner much less excited than in colic {see page 496). These e\idences of abdominal pain may either precede or follow on the b'ain sv.'uptoms of sleepiness, during which the horse stands with his head pushed against the wall in front of him, or hangs it down as if too heavy to be lifted. In horses at grass we have seen them walk with the head down between the knees — a most comical attitude, and once seen can never be mistaken to indicate any other disease. The belly enlarges by the accumulating gases, caused by decomposition of food. Belching of gas and the bringing up of some digested food, scarcely amounting to vomiting but suggestive of it, will give slight relief, very much more being afforded where wind is broken off behind ; but this relief is rare. Trembling of the limbs, patches of sweat, unsteady or rolling movements, will perhaps precede rupture of the stomach, or delirium, which is what is meant by mad staggers. " Nature cures " occur by reason of abstinence from further food, and by the resulting irritation and gases evolved acting as a purge. In these cases the comatose condition may endure for several days, the lips hanging pendulous, the ears drooping, and the animal standing asleep — a sleep from which it is difficult to arouse him by ordinary means, and if shaken up he lapses into the same condition immediately. The breathing is slow and accompanied by more or less snoring. Little or no faeces are passed, and these are covered with a shiny coating. The urine is highly coloured, and its yellow tinge indi- cates a disordered liver. Treatment. — A bold dose of aloes should be given at once, and this is one of the few diseases in which it acts better in solution than as a ball, for its rapid diffusion over the stomach is secured, instead of having to wait for the bolus first to dissolve in an organ incapable of dealing with solids. An ounce may be given with ginger and peppermint, or dill water, and if the colicky pains mentioned are present, an ounce of sal volatile will be a desirable addition. As much water as the creature will drink should be allowed. The rectum should be "back raked," as the operation of unloading it with the greased hand is called. The resistance of the sphincter muscle controlling the anus is considerable at first, but soon tires, and gives way to the pressure a man can exert with his fingers ; followed up with hand and arm until the object is attained. Solutions 494 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of salt, syringed up the bowel every three or four hours, assist in releasing the contents. For the brain symptoms, whether "sleepy" or "mad," there is no remedy so prompt as bleeding from the jugular vein, from which a large quantity of blood may be safely taken. Powdered ice in bags applied to the back of the head (poll) also ameliorates the excitement of delirium. Unless there is a repetition of the causes a permanent restoration to health may be expected. Chronic Indigestion Errors of diet, of course, account for indigestion in horses as in men, but there are individuals who from conformation and heredity are prone to dyspepsia, besides those whose livers have become impaired by town life and contmuous feeding upon stimulating food, without an occa- sional return to grass and natural conditions. Hard water and changes from one district to another sometimes account for indigestion in horses. Symptoms. — The less observant among stable attendants fail to see anything wrong until a loss of condition makes itself apparent, as an unthrifty or staring coat, hide-bound, grinding of the teeth, licking the walls, variable appetite, an occasional short cough, sour smelling ordure, constipation, or diarrhoea. Brittle feet are fre- quently due to chronic indigestion, but this is not generally known to horse-keepers. Slight pains, sufficient to cause the animal suddenly to cease feeding and look round, attract attention ; especially is tliis tlie case wliere the subject does not resume his meal. This may be a habit witli some horses, but they will be found to be of the " washy " or badly conformed tjqje wliich never thrive and carry a good barrel, and of wliom it may be said that their digestions are never really good Treatment. — An examination of the teeth and condition of the tongue and oral cavity generally, of the evacuations both solid and fluid, and a full consideration of the food supply, must precede any prescription for the cure of indigestion. In the young, dentition troubles may be the hin- drance ; in the old, ragged edges of the grinders, or interdental spaces in an unhealthy condition from accumulations of food, which have decom- posed and set up inflammation of the gums, and possibly of the bone. The presence of worms in large numbers, hard water and badly harvested food, must be eliminated before resorting to those restorative remedies which, in certain circum- stances, seem to lend digestive power. The greedy feeder may need to have more dry short chaff with his corn, from which he cannot pick out the oats or swallow in the mass without more insalivation than he has been giving. As a matter of experience this suggestion has more often to be made than any other in cases of in digestion ; the opposite but seldom, and then only do we prescribe crushed oats and soft food not needing much grinding for the old, or those who cannot use their own " mill stones." The reason for this will be obvious to the reader who remembers that digestion begins in the mouth, and that the ferment (ptyalin) contained in the salivary fluids must be introduced into the food during slow mastication. The more quicklv food is swallowed the less digestion takes place in the mouth, and the more labour is thrown upon the glands of the small intestine. Indigestion should be cured chiefly by judicious dieting. We can, however, give considerable assistance, and reduce the time required by first an aloetic purge, then a course of alkaline bicar- bonates and calumba root, or of acids and gentian and nux vomica (see Table of Doses). The water question is one of greater im- portance than is generally recognised. Some animals never learn to take sufficient when the bucket is offered them, and exception should be made in their case, a receptacle being kept always supplied by their side. The writer was called upon to arbitrate between two hunting friends who had fallen out over a horse lent by the one to the other, and rapidly reduced to a " dis- graceful " condition. The borrower had treated the animal well, but had not discovered that he was a sipper who would only take about half a gallon at a time and then turn his head away. With a bucket of water placed beside him he was always found to have emptied it on each return visit to the stable, and in a few days dropped his belly and recovered his condition. A reconciliation was easily effected. Watering before feeding is now recognised as the best method. Gastritis Gastritis is inflammation of the lining mem- brane of the stomach, varying in intensity accord- ing to the cause. This may be engorgement {see DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 495 Acute Ixdigestiox, page 493), lodgment of foreign bodies, the swallowing of irritant poisons, the presence of worms, or a result of specific fevers, etc. Since weed-killers have been generally employed more accidental cases of gastritis have occurred, the arsenic in such preparations finding its way into forage by being upset over it. Arsen- ical sheep-dips, too, have caused gastritis and death, for they are mixed with alkalies and have a fatal attraction for horses and other live-stock. The symptoms are those of continuous abdominal pain, without the intermissions usually associated with colic. The breath- ing is hurried, and the facial expression very anxious, the white of the eye and lining mem- brane of the nose being greatly reddened, the animal looking round with a half angry ex- pression at the scat of pain. In the case of arsenical poisoning, frothing and dribbling of saliva from much swollen lips occur. If caused by eating yew, collapse and nervous prostration accompany the other symptoms of gastritis. Treatment. — If known to be caused by an irritant poison the recognised antidotes should be obtained with the least possible delay. If from the other causes mentioned, demul- cent foods, as milk and barley water, linseed tea (see Foods for the Sick, Chapter VIII. ). The e\ident pain in the belly may be more or less relieved by warm compresses or sheets dipped in hot water {see Pleurisy, page 48.1.) and applied over the region involved. The most valuable drugs are those given to "stale drunks," or those persons who have in- dulged in an alcoholic debauch and failed to partake of food — the most frequent cause of acute gastritis in the horse's master. These are bismuth, bicarbonate of soda, and hydro- cyanic acid. The two latter are chemical in- compatibles, but their medicinal effect is entirely satisfactory (as part cyanide of sodium). Great care in diet is necessary until the injured organ recovers its digestive power. Chronic Gastritis This is more common than the acute, and shows the same symptoms, but in less aggravated form — occasional attacks of colicky pain and a disposition to diarrhoea, to weakness, and loss of flcsli. A variable and unsatisfactory appetite accompanies this chronic stomach trouble. Treat- ment on the lines suggested for the acute form and careful dieting offer the best hopes for recovery and, if the season be favourable, a turn out in good pasture. Ruptured Stomach A ruptured or burst stomach is rarely the result of external violence, but is not altogether unknown, nor is it an accident that often occurs in the young, but as a result of chronic dis- tension and weakened walls brought on by habitual indulgence in too much food. Horses with stomachs so weakened undoubtedly go on in apparent health for a long time, the climax being reached when a hearty meal is followed by a deep draught oi water and excessive exertion. CJ'>'^ INNER I \( I 01 Ilir \S VLI 01 THE STONHiCH OF IHb HOKM a, Cardiac ; b, Pyloric sac ; c. duodenal 1 (after Chauveau). Symptom s. — There is no one diagnostic symptom of broken stomach, although vomiting, as mentioned elsewhere, has been observed in connection with it. This symptom, however, is rare. The acute abdominal pain is indistinguishable from that of colic (see page 496), but is followed by a quiet period in which the patient stands with anxious countenance and his extremities bscome in- creasingly cold. The pulse is what is known as a " running-down " one, becoming imper- ceptible after a while. The shallow breathing is succeeded by staggering, and presently the animal falls, never to rise again ; some horses appear actually to die on their feet. Before the end comes, sighing and sweating may occur. These, however, are not invariable symptoms, and none of them distinguishes ruptured stomach from ruptured diaphragm or bowel. They all point to the giving way of some abdominal organ and a fatal ending. Nothing could, of course, be done if a positive diagnosis could be made. 496 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE The only thing that remains is to destroy the animal when the fatal collapse is definitely shown. Colic, Gripes, Fret Modern veterinarians recognise quite a variety of colics, but the chief distinctions still hold good, and for our present purpose it will be sufficient to describe spasmodic and flatulent colic as the chief types. Spasmodic colic is the result of sudden and intense contraction of the muscular structure of the bowel. Flatulent cohc is induced by distension with gases eliminated by the undigested contents of the gut. The tradition still lingers among stablemen that colic is '' in the water," and nothing but post- " ~ .. ^ '"..t"*^''? HORSE ATTACKED WITH COLIC. mortem evidence will convince many of them. With the relaxation of spasm, urine is generally passed, and effect is mistaken for cause. " Only get him to stale and he will be better," says the groom. Both kinds of colic have their chief cause in indigestion. Because deep draughts of well water, or water below the temperature of the atmosphere, will bring on spasmodic colic, an erroneous view of watering horses was held for a century or more, and not until watering before feeding was adopted in the Army and in some large private studs, with a great reduction in the number of cohc cases, was a rational system generally accepted. A fair draught of water when a horse is hot and tired is now found rapidly to restore him and promote appetite by providing the necessary saliva with which to chew his food ; moreover, slaughter a few minutes after drinking proves that the fluid taken passes rapidly out of the stomach and into the caecum or water-gut, and does not dilute the gastric juices and hinder digestion, as was supposed when it was not known that digestion is only to be provoked by the presence of something to digest, and that if the juices were always being secreted in the intervals of feeding the stomach would dissolve itself. The tired and hungry horse compelled to choke down his food with no more than a mouthful, or single " go- down," of water, and then given a bucketful when digestion has commenced in earnest is more hable to colic than even the excessively watered one. Certain springs and wells have a reputation for producing colic, and particular ponds may be drunk from ad libitum, as " there isn't a colic in the whole pond," the people will tell you who have lived by it all their lives. Stones and other concretions, worms and " odd- ments," such as wire nails and other things which find their way into chaff and corn, and ara taken even at pasture, may give rise to cohc. Symptoms. — Colicky pains are frequently re- ferred to in connection with the different diseases of the digestive organs, and even show them- seh-es when pleurisy and lung troubles affiict the horse, but the downright attack of spas- modic cohc cannot well be mistaken ; the other colicky pains are but mild imitations, and are referred to merely as having a resemblance. Spasmodic colic comes on quite suddenly. The acute pain with which the animal is seized causes him to trample and stamp the ground, paw with one foot and then another, strike at his belly with a hind foot, sweat, lay back his ears as when angry, crouch, throw himself down, roll to one side, then to the other ; then on to his back, shake his head, half rise and go down again, get up and down almost instantly, or enjoy a short remission of pain, during which he seems quite well, and perhaps returns to an unfinished meal. While the food is in his mouth ho will be seized once more with agony, and go through all the performance described, but with variations. With the first symptoms of pain the dung in the rectum will often be expelled, and this deceives the unobservant attendant, who will assure the veterinary surgeon that the horse's bowels are acting well, whereas he has but emptied the small round shiny balls that were in the terminal portion of the gut and is constipated the while. There may be quite a sharp line between some dry undigested food in the bowel which is causing the trouble and some soft green-meat or mash since taken, so that the evacuations should be watched and a judg- DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 497 ment should not be formed upon a single mass expelled. During the paroxysms of pain the breathing is accelerated and the pulse quickened, but the temperature is not increased unless the malady continues for some time. It is a favour- able sign when intervals of case are of longer duration and the return of pain less severe. The converse conditions portend danger. Treatment. — For spasms, anti-spasmodics. Alco- holic stimulants of great variety are employed and with more or less success, but if one could choose from a well-stocked pharmacv, essence of ginger, aromatic spirit of ammonia, spirit of nitrous ether, and peppermint or dill water would be preferred for a first dose. If the case proves more serious, chlorodyne, or tincture -of opium, or other direct anodynes or narcotics, are prescribed at intervals. Turpentine in linseed oil is a simple and often valuable medicine. There is some difference between town and country practice with regard to treatment of cohc The carriage horse or the cart-horse, where good management is the rule and mash- ing regularly carried out, is not so likely to have colic from impaction of dry and inferior forage, as the farm horse, to whom hay and corn are given which are not quite up to the standard of the corn merchant ; besides which there is not that individual attention and careful observation that we look for in the best 5tuds and in establishments boasting of a horse- keeper. On the whole, then, we commend the old practice of first giving an aloetic or " physic " ball, and proceeding with anti-spasmodics without regard to the ball ; but where it is given the linseed oil must not be added or too much subse- quent purging may be set up (see Super-purga- Tiox, page 499). The aloes will be getting to work and will remove an inrpaction which the spirituous drenches would not affect, although allaying pain. Many bowel concretions and hard stones are passed as the result of a "physic " ball, whose presence has not been suspected [see Stones AND Concretions, page 501). Without a laxa- tive of some kind, the repeated doses of opium often prescribed have resulted in obstinate con- stipation and even defeated the object of the prescriber. Flatulent Colic. — In this form of the malady the large bowel is distended by gas resulting from decomposition of the food. It may follow on spasmodic colic, or arise from obstru.tions in some other portion of the canal. The causes are unsuitable food, too long abstin- ence, gluttonous feeding, imperfect mastication because of bad teeth, or failure of the digestive organs to do their part. Stones, concretions, and growths interfering with the free passage of the ingesta are also responsible for cases of flatulent colic. Horses that have been long .iccustomed to dry feeding and then turned out into succulent grasses are apt to eat too fast, and fermentation quickly takes place, with the result above described. Syiiiptojiis. — The diagnostic feature of this form of colic is the tympany or drum-like distension of the abdomen. Pain comes on less suddenly and is continuous (it is intermittent in spas- modic colic). Horses suffering from this disease vary greatly in their behaviour, some being deeply depressed and only pawing feebly and looking round uneasily at the flank, while others show tlie violence described in connection with the spasmodic form, but without the disposition to throw themselves down upon the ground, rather choosing to wander round a loose box or enclosure. When weary and desiring to lie down, the manner of doing so is careful, and the animal stretches out on its side at full length, with only an occa- sional glance backwards. The pressure on the under-side naturally distends the upper one, and the blown appearance is aggravated, although there is good reason to believe that this pressure enables the patient to break off wind and so obtain a measure of relief. Flatulent colic may endure for an hour or two. or even two or three days, but is always to be considered dangerous on account of liability to rupture of the bowel. Treatment is directed to breaking up or forcing out the gas. Massage over the abdomen, straw wisping, kneading with the knuckles, moving the horse at a walk, also disposes to breaking off wind. The most prompt method of releasing the gas is to puncture the flank with a trocar and canula (see Pleurisy, page 484), a practice of comparatively recent years, as veterinary surgeons had an exaggerated fear of peritonitis following. If the instrument be sterilised by boiling, or other means, there is scarcely any risk. The gas rashes out and the belly goes down like a pricked balloon ; immediate ease being experienced. Medicinal agents calculated to de- compose the gas already present and prevent 498 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the elimination of more are to be chosen. Among those best suited for the purpose are aromatic spirit of ammonia (sal volatile), carbonate of ammonia, ginger, cardamoms, and other aro- matics which assist to restore the contractile power of the over-distended gut. Linseed or olive oil has the effect of masking gases and of preventing their development, and many cases of colic arc cured with no other treatment. Sweet spirit of nitre or tincture of ginger are better given with oil than ammoniacal prepara- tions, as the latter, to some extent, saponify the oil. It is not possible in all cases to say what the composition of the gases may be, but car- bonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen predomii.- ate, the latter being easily recognised in the flatus. Small doses of carboHc acid, as fifty to one hundred drops in linseed oil, or a dram of chlorinated lime (so-called chloride of hme) in a pint of water, form suitable draughts where decomposition is manifest. Turpentine and laud- anum given with Unseed or olive oil have also been found beneficial. A very helpful perform- ance is that known as back-raking, and pre- viously referred to (page 493). The oiled hand should be inserted in the rectum at intervals, both to remove accumulations of sohd matter, and to aid the escape of gases during its artificial distension. If death does not take place from rupture of the bowel or of the diaphragm (midriff, an abatement of the symptoms and recovery is usual, and great care must be taken in diet for a few days, small meals of easily digested food only being given until tone has been restored to the parts affected. Constipation When the undigested remains of the food are unduly retained, are too hard, or expelled with difficulty, we describe the condition as constipaticn. Causes. — In the new-born foal, accumulations of meconium plugging the rectum, and needing to be removed by an oiled finger or soap enema. In working horses, continued dry fodder and insufiicient attention to mashing with bran or other laxatives at stated intervals. In forest ponies and other horses seeking a living upon rough, poor pasture, the consumption of much innutritions woody fibre. Besides these common causes, there are animals whose secretion of bile and other digestive fluids is imperfect, and either constipation or diarrhoea is habitual. The syiiif^toiiis of straining will attract the attention of the most careless, but a groom who is worth his salt will observe the state of the evacuations daily, and if disposed to be small in size, hard, or having a surface at all glazed, will give laxative foods before any greater con- stipation follows. The behaviour of the voung foal is somewhat different, for even the act of defaecation has to be learned, and he does not know how best to posture for the purpose, but arches his back and strains in a way that leads the inexperienced in such matters to think that he is unable to pass urine. Treatment. — This will be modified to suit the case ; the young foal as already suggested, by mechanical relief, the corn-fed, sluggish-livered horse by an aloetic ball, and the habitually dry and inoperative with Unseed oil over the food, and by small and frequent doses of sulphate of magnesium (Epsom salts) in the drinking water, or mixed with the manger food. It is important in all cases of constipation to trace the cause and remove it, rather than have resort to medicines which after a while fail of their purpose unless increased in quantity. The debility, or loss of contractile power, in the bowels of old horses, is often best treated by a course of nux vomica and gentian or calumba, to restore function. Diarrhoea Should not be considered as a disease in itself, to be stopped as one would staunch blood or plug a leak in a boat, but, as Professor Axe says, as "the expression of an irritable condition of the alimen- tary canal, sometimes resulting from an excess or deficiency or impaired quality of one or other of the digestive secretions." It is often Nature's plan of ridding the canal of materials prejudicial to the animal's welfare, as when colts scour on unsuitable food or cow's milk when left orphans, or are too early weaned and compelled by hunger to take more solid food than their digestive organs can deal with. Nature then sets up diarrhoea as a curative measure, and the good practitioner takes the hint and assists with a small warm dose of castor oil, after which he selects remedies calculated to soothe irritated membranes and restore them to health. Of these bismuth and chalk, and opium, catechu, kino and alum, are drugs with a reput- tation. Some horses scour from nervous excit- ability. Some of the most famous trotters have had this disability, and many horses famous for DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 499 nothing else will begin to purge as soon as the harness is put on them, continuing throughout a journey and needing intervals of two or more days before they can be used again with safety. The causes of diarrhoea, then, being so many and diverse, no single line of treatment can be advised but a careful inquiry into all likely causes and their removal. Super-purgation This is quite distinct from diarrhoea, which has already been considered. It is an arti- ficially induced diarrhoea by the administra- tion of too much aperient medicine. It most often occurs by giving a second aloetic ball too soon after the failure to operate on the part of one pre\-iously administered. When a "physic " ball is given on top of dry food, and without any preparation in the way of bran mashes, its action is often delayed, but it is quite unsafe to give another within a week, lest super- purgation should be set up. The symptoms need not be described beyond saying that the purging is more severe than in a natural diarrhoea, and that pain and collapse and a fatal termination are not by any means a rare sequel. It will sometimes happen, when the purging ceases on account of emptiness, that fever in the feet will follow {see Congestion of the Lungs, page 4S0, and reference to Met.\st.\sis, page 4S0). Treatment. — The exhaustion, loss of temper- ature, and running down of the pulse, indicate the need of surface w-armth being maintained by clothing, hoods, bandages, and hand wisping, pulling the ears, and the administration of stimu- lants. A quarter pint of brandy beaten up with eggs and milk and horned down may give a turn to a bad case if taken in time. Chlorodync, with further small quantities of alcohol, should be given to sustain the animal, and when he has rallied from the worst point of threatened collapse he should be offered boiled rice with white of egg in it, cornflour and arrowroot, and from such simple astringents pass on by degrees to a normal diet. A good deal of time must be allowed before asking a horse to work which has suffered from super-purgation. Dysentery This disease differs from those purged con- ditions of the bowels previously described in that the lining membrane undergoes a destructive inflammation, with general illness or constitutional disturbance. It has some resemblance to typhoid in the human subject, and will probably be traced to an organism of similar type, if not infective, in the sense of being communicated from one animal to another. It may follow on other bowel troubles, and is noticed when the drinking water is bad from the presence of decaying animal matter, and where factories discharge waste into streams. The symptoms at first resemble diarrhoea, but remain and grow worse, and are reflected in the animal's condition. Hide-bound, wasting of flesh, colicky pains, a dejected countenance, an irrit- able pulse and indifference to food, the passing of jelly-like masses of blood-stained mucus and shreds of membrane are common, and long bands or casts of bowel mucus come away and are mistaken for worms. The smell of the evacuations is well nigh intolerable to any undisciplined nose. Thirst, exhaustion, increasing pains, and collapse, with temperature subnormal, indicate the end. It is generally a long-drawn agony, lasting over weeks, and therein differing from all other bowel affections in horses, which commonlj' terminate fatally in a short time unless restored to health. Treatment. — Not very much is to be looked for from the administration of drugs. If a specific organism had been identified as the cause, a phagocyte might be bred to fight it. At present we know not what we are trying to neutralise, and can only ameliorate symptoms. Most hope is to be found in good hygienic con- ditions, such foods as have been suggested for cases of diarrhoea and super-purgation, and the use of the astringent and anodyne remedies which arc found to alleviate the acute conditions. Enteritis Inflammation of the bowels. This is the most fatal of all the bowel troubles of the horse, and affects either the large or small bowel — frequently both. The large intestine is its most frequent situation, commencing in the lining membrane and extending to the other tissues of which the bowel is composed. Causes. — Very many have been suggested, but the most careful investigations have failed to account for so many cases in the common ex- perience of veterinary surgeons that we can only regard them as speculations with a degree 500 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of probability, or perhaps as contributory or favouring the elimination of a toxin or the pro- duction of bacilli. Colic, impaction of the bowels, swimming when heated, sudden changes of temperature, exhaustion after hunting or ex- cessive labour, these and other exciting causes have been suggested as possible. Symptoms. — It is probable that fewer fatal cases would occur if the symptoms did not resemble a mild attack of colic, and to some extent disarm the suspicions of the groom, who postpones send- ing for the veterinary surgeon, whose services should be sought immediately in a disease so serious. There will have been rigors or slight shiverings, with some standing up of the coat, although it may not have been observed. Loss of appetite is succeeded by depression of spirits, accelerated breathing, small evacuations of dung, and a pulse small and wiry and quite different from the pulse of colic, which is only quickened during the paroxysms of pain. In this disease the membrane of the eye and nostril is reddened, the little vessels standing out and showing quite a different state of things from that of colic, where these febrile symptoms are not present at first, nor is the rise of temperature that which characterises enteritis. The hot and clammy mouth in itself distinguishes it from colic, although a peculiar condition of the belly sometimes deceives the tyro. It is not distended or blown out as in the flatulent colic described elsewhere, but is flattened from below and pushed outwards. A variable period of extreme depression and languor and refusal of all food is followed in most, but not all, cases by stamping and pawing the ground, and looking round as in spasmodic colic, but there are no intervals of ease, or restor- ation to a cheerful countenance. Despite the high temperature persistently maintained, and evidence of thirst found in the sticky mouth, the animal does not drink ; but animals in a state of fever do not drink copiously like men. Throughout the illness the patient will often lie down, but it is with caution, and unlike the passionate abandonment which is seen in spas- modic colic, and the attitude of extreme extension described in connection with flatulent colic is not adopted in enteritis. " I am very ill and in much pain," the animal seems to say, and only when the stage of delirium is reached docs he throw himself down or become violent. He is then near the end. Hot and cold patches of skin, cold ears, legs alternately cold, and finally imparting to the touch a sensation of being dead — not such coldness as exposure or other causes can bring about, but a deathlike sensa- tion. With ears lopping and a hopeless stare which sees nothing, the trembling animal finally staggers and falls, death putting an end to its sufferings. Treatment. — Although the proportion of fatal cases is so great there is sufficient encouragement in the number of recoveries to cause us to per- severe in treatment while any hope remains. The application of warm compresses [see Pleurisy, page 484) to the belly, the administration of bold doses of opium and belladonna, or of morphine by the hypodermic syringe, control the pain, and give the patient a better chance of weather- ing the storni. Some veterinary surgeons give half an ounce of calomel with an ounce of opium, believing that the calomel does not in this case act as a purgative, but, conjoined with opium, has a specially sedative effect, and later on pre- vents obstinate constipation. Warm glycerine per rectum is soothing and gently laxative. Doctors and nurses both have often stumbled over the continued constipation, and in con- valescents have caused a fatal relapse by giving an aperient. It is better to wait for the natural peristaltic movements of the bowels to come back than to give an5rthing that excites them. Bread and milk and other soft foods should be offered in small quantities, and time allowed for the invalid to be fully restored to his normal condition before calling upon him to do any- thing. Rupture of the Intestine or Broken Bowel The term rupture here is not that commonly understood by persons who describe hernia in their own persons as rupture, but means broken, burst, or rent, as was said of ruptured stomach (see page 495). The causes are much the same — namely, distension by gas, by habitual over- loading, by chronic disease, and by falls and outward \-iolence. If not previously weakened by disease, the bowel is capable of great strain without a rent resulting — the form in which rupture all but invariably occurs. The giving way or rupture of the bowel is certainly fatal, and our interest in it ceases if known to exist, but here is the difl&culty, even with the most experienced practitioners. DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 501 The symptoms are not definite ; there is nothing to enable us to differentiate between rupture of bowel, of midriff, or of stomach with certainty, although there are a number of signs which, taken together, point to the one or the other. The rent may come on suddenly, as when a horse with full stomach makes a supreme effort to start a heavy load uphill, or it may follow on colic, impaction, or a fall. When it occurs suddenly and from strain or concussion from without, there are signs of extreme anxiety — an expression of countenance which men quite ignorant of surgery and medicine know and rightly describe as "marked for death." It is a peculiar haggard look, impossible to describe, but denoting any fatal breach of a vital organ and, therefore, distinguishable from the mere expression of pain as seen in its acutest form in spasmodic colic. If it follows on a bout of colic of either variety, the exact moment when the rent takes place cannot be told ; indeed, there is often a giving way stitch by stitch, so to speak, as evidenced by post-mortem examination ; there are to be seen, also, partial breaches which have healed, for it is possible for the outer envelope to break without a fatal termination, so long as the con- tents of the bowel never escape {see Rupture OF THE Liver, page 505). Rupture of the bowel is distinguished from mere colic by the con- tinuity of the pain, by the pulse running down and failing to respond to stimulants. The subject of this accident is more likely to display resigna- tion to his fate than to be violent, and to remain on his feet until he drops and dies. This period of calm has often deceived the novice, who reports the patient as " much better, only that he won't eat and doesn't take much notice." In a few cases delirium comes on before the animal suc- cumbs. Obstruction of the Bowels Besides those causes which interfere with the proper functions of the bowels already described, there are to be reckoned twists during spasm, concretions or balls which form in the canal, and stones built up on a nucleus and referred to in another place. The symptoms are not distinguishable from those of acute and persistent colic in its worst forms, and a twist is always in the mind of the vet. when colic does not yield to treatment (see Colic, page 496). The reader who has perused the article on impaction and distension of the stomach, etc., will understand that there are many causes of obstruction of the bowels which arc capable of removal, and it is, therefore, advisable to treat all obstructions as hopeful until any dung ceases to be passed, and the running-down pulse and indications of collapse described in connection with ruptured stomach and bowel place the case beyond hope. Some owners will hesitate to slaughter even then, as "while there is life" there is said to be " hope," and the vet. will not urge slaughter lest the owner might afterwards think that a sporting chance was thrown away. Treatment. — Consists in giving laxative medi- cines and frequent injections per rectum, of salt dissolved in tepid water, and mixed with olive or linseed oil, alternated by introducing neat glycerine. Some dread of aloes was formerly held, but where one horse is killed by too early resort to a bold dose of this drug, a dozen probably die for need of it. Frequent small doses of linseed oil, or of sulphate of magnesium in large volumes of -water, are also calculated to remove obstruc- tions. Pain is controlled by chlorodyne, laudanum, and other anodynes as advised in colic {see page 497). When an obstruction has been success- fully treated, a careful diet table should be adopted, and the animal's evacutions habitually watched. Calculi, or Stones and Concretions Incidentally, we have referred to stones and concretions as causes of colic, obstruction, and other intestinal troubles. They often exist with- out being suspected and pass out in considerable numbers as the result of an aloetic purge. The hard ones are called "stones" quite fairly, for they are not less tough than many kinds of stone. When sawn through they show a nucleus — perhaps of nothing harder than an oat-hair or little bit of grit, or maybe a splinter of wood, a broken nail, or other object in itself hard. Around this a deposit takes place of ammonio-phosphate of magnesium, phosphate of lime, animal matter, soluble salts, fatty substances, etc., and show in concentric circles like a section of a tree of the exogenous division. These stones take the shape of the bowel as they repose in saculations of it, and presumably remain for long periods making steady growth until some disturbance occurs from worms or ferments in the food when their shifting is liable 64 502 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE to endanger the bearer. It is always in the large gut that they are discovered, and with facets quite polished from contact when a number exist together, as is more usual than to find a single large stone. They sometimes attain to enormous proportions and weigh over half a hundredweight. The horses of millers and bakers were more frequently the victims of stones in days prior to the use of improved machinery by which all that is foreign is now removed from offal and meals. Millers' horses are quite commonly more sleek than their neighbours, and presumably through feeding more upon meals and bran, and " sweep- ings," which might find their way to the pig- tub more properly. Fragments of metal are now seldom found in the forage of good estabhsh- mcnts. and calculi are decreasingly rare in such stables. Concretions of great size and often playing the same fatal role as stones (calculi) are dis- tinguished by their external rough and irregular surfaces, by being more nearly spherical, and relatively soft. They consist of vegetable and earthy matter agglomerated together, and differ in density z& well as composition. When mixed concretions are soft and of but recent formation, they are known as dung balls, and contain the same salts as calculi, only loosely held together with chaff, straw, husks of oats, etc. They are much darker in colour than stones or than oat- hair concretions, which more nearly resemble stones, in many cases by having a smooth outer coating of the same material, but easily dis- tinguished by their lightness and softness when cut through. They are composed for the most part of the fine downy hairs that invest the oat kernels, and not the beards as commonly stated. Why these things should form in some horses and not in others is not known, nor is there any breed or type predisposed to them, or, on the other hand, immune or exempt. When they become wedged in the bowel and cause impaction or obstruction, a fatal ending is frequent, but there is abundant evidence of their dislodgment in numerous instances, great numbers being passed when the treatment recommended for olistruction has been successfully carried out. Inversion of the Rectum, or Eversion of the Rectum Tills alarming accident occurs as the result of straining, some portion of the bowel, from a few inches to two feet or more, being extruded with the mucous lining on the outside. In the violence of labour pains this happens to mares, but is not unknown to other horses when enfeebled by age or habitual constipation {see Constipation, page 498), or in the agony of colic and obstruction of some other portion of the gut, or inability to pass urine. The great mass sometimes everted offers every opportunity of injury in the excite- ment and fear which the accident induces, and while the animal is going round the box. At fnst of a pink colour, it rapidly passes to a deep red or purple, by engorgement of the vessels, much swelling takes place, and the gut later appears black from infiltration under the mem- brane. Treatment. — If the accident is observed, the animal may be secured and prevented from doing irremediable damage ; the extruded gut should be carefully bathed with a warm anti- septic, and with a hand similarly prepared be reposed with as little delay as possible. If. as frequently happens, the gut has come out in the night and suffered in the manner referred to above, it cannot be replaced in its engorged state, and it should be pricked at several points with a clean lancet to permit some of the serum to escape and reduce the volume to be dealt with. A flannel soaked in a warm disinfectant may then be used as a gentle compress before attempting to return the gut with the hand. This is an operation less difficult than it appears, provided the indi- vidual is neither fearful nor rash, and the sub- ject not vicious. The hand, anointed with carbolised oil, is to be pushed slowly but continuously, and with moderate force, until the object is attained. Getting it back is not so difficult as keeping it there when re- turned. During the effort to repose it, the animal invariably strains against the operator, and adds to his difficulties, and, when it is returned, immediately makes expulsive efforts. The hand should be retained within the rectum for a short time, the tail held down forcibly, and as soon as possible a large dose of mor- phia subcutaneously injected, or, failing such appliances as hypodermic syringes, a bold dose given by the mouth. The patient should not be left a moment for at least twelve hours, and only small quantities of laxative food, as bran mashes or carrots, allowed until there DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 503 is reason to suppose that the danger of a recur- rence is past. Diseases of the Liver The artificial hves of stabled horses and the iiabitual stimulation with highly nitrogenous food with a view to obtaining the greatest amount of muscular force, give rise to liver troubles un- known to the grass-fed animal, and is of less frequent occurrence among the animals employed in agriculture and more generally kept under natural conditions. Congestion of the Liver. — A superabundance of blood in the vessels of the organ is known as congestion. ^lore than is needed for its own nutrition and for bile formation constitutes excess. Causes. — The most general are too high living, impure air in the stable, and, in the case of horses kept for pleasure, too long spells of idleness with- out corresponding regulation of the diet. Diseases of the heart and lungs also induce congestion of the liver by interrupting the outflow of the blood. As a result of strangles and influenza we often meet with liver congestion. Symptoms. — These are not so marked in mild cases as to make diagnosis easy to the horseman, but he is likely to have observed certain signs of indigestion by which the true cause may be sought. These are impaired appetite, sour breath furred tongue, constipation or diarrhoea, accom- panied by a very unpleasant smell. In more severe cases the visible membranes undergo a yellow discoloration akin to jaundice. There may be tenderness on the right side when the knuckles are pressed against the animal, and flatulence distending the belly, or frequently ex- pelled as flatus from the rectum. Lameness of the right fore limb has apparently been due in some cases to liver disturbance. Treatment. — Better results are obtained from the continuous administration of small doses of salines than from a ball of calomel and aloes, which is sometimes prescribed in the more urgent cases, for horses whose owners are too anxious to get them to work again. One to three ounces of sulphate of magnesium and an ounce of bicar- bonate of potash daily in the drinking water, or mixed with food, is found a useful combination. and this may bo changed for sulphate of soda a little later. On no account should linseed, croton, or other oily aperients be given. The acute cases which give signs of tenderness over the region of the liver may with advantage receive a dressing of mustard and water, or a strong liniment to produce counter-irritation. Surface warmth should be kept up by clothing, and the food should consist of green-meat and carrots, bran and hay, with very little corn, and no lin- seed or fatty foods. Convalescents may be helped by daily doses of nux vomica. Jaundice, Yellows, Icterus. — .\n accumulation of biliary matter in the blood gives rise to the yellow staining of the membranes which is called by the above names. Causes. — These are not very clearly under- stood, as many disorganised livers from struc. tural changes, tumours, parasitism, and other interferences with its functions do not result in staining with bile, and, on the other hand, comparatively slight disturbances may give rise to jaundice. Symptoms. — The prominent one of yellowness is well known, but may be easily overlooked if the horse-keeper has not learned to turn up the eyelid and note the colour whenever anything is amiss. The urine, too, is often stained a saffron colour with the passing of bile products. The diversion of bile into wrong channels leaves the dung pale and ill-smelling, as it is one of the functions of bile in the intestinal canal to act as an antiseptic as well as to stimulate the peri- staltic movements by which the ingesta is carried on through its course. The evacuations are always pale, often coated with mucus, and at intervals watery or thin. Headache, shown by hanging the head down : nausea, by curling the lip and indisposition to feed ; a mouth dry and clammy, bad breath, harsh feehng of the skin, and " staring " coat are among the general symp- toms noted in any but light cases of jaundice. Treatment. — An aloetic ball, followed by salines, as advised for congestion of the liver. The absence of biliary fluid and its ill consequences may in a measure be supphed by mixing ox gall with dry linseed meal, and giving in the form of balls until the natural secretion has been induced to enter the canal again. Small doses of nitre and gentian with calumba, or dilute 504 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE mineral acids with gentian, particularly phos- phoric and nitro-hydrochloric acids, prove bene- ficial. Inflammation of the Liver, Hepatitis. — Acute inflammation of the liver is rare outside the tropical belt and in those regions is thought to be due to some infective organism similar to yellow fever in man, which is introduced by the bite of an infected mosquito. The cases which occur in our own country are due to falls and other forms of violence, exception being made in the case of foals whose livers suffer acute in- fective inflammation through the open navel. Abscesses are disposed to form as a result of septic poisoning. Syiuptoins. — The symptoms described in con nection with congestion of the liver are aggravated in the case of acute inflammation. A very dark coloured, ofiensive urine is passed, which precipi- tates a dirty deposit on cooling. The causes are generally reniote rather 1 han direct, such as the infection by ulcerated bowels or stomach Treatment. — A blister over the right side, frequent administration of saline aperients and ipecacuanha, which promotes the action of the skin and removal of bile from the liver. A period of abstinence from all food for a day and night is advised, after which a soft but restricted diet only should be allowed. Chronic Inflammation of the Liver, Cirrhosis. — 1 his is the liver trouble most common and only diagnosed with certainty when it is too late — namely, when the animal is examined after death. We may make a very good guess as to cirrhosis during life, as the sufferer has indigestion which we fail to cure, or only temporarily relieve. Constipation at times and diarrhoea at others, with naany of those symptoms described in con- nection with congestion of the liver and jaundice (see page 503), indicate functional derangement, without showing us the actual degeneration which has been going on, as in a drunkard's liver, for this is the special disease of the organ which afflicts the victims of habitual alcoholic excess, and is known as " gin liver." Its true nature will be understood when the reader is reminded that the liver cells whose offlce is the making of bile are held together by a network of connective tissue, and that this latter takes to growing thicker and thicker, until it squeezes out of existence the true liver substance ; it follows, then, that the liver may be enormously enlarged and at the same time less efficient. The fact that horses get cirrhosis is proof enough that alcoholism is not the only cause of it in human beings, as horses do not often acquire the alcohol habit, although the writer once had a pony that would not pass a particular public-house, where she had been accustomed to take a glass of beer in her teeth, and, raising it slowly, drain the last drop and " hand " the glass back. She always did a sprint, too, on the strength of that "liquor up." Out of respect to her memory, it should be said that she formerly belonged to a sporting publican who had enabled her to acquire the taste for excisable liquors. In horses the disease may generally be attributed to long indulgence in rich food and lack of work. Treatment. — As with men, so with horses, life may be sustained and work carried on with but the remnants of a liver in action, and as we cannot gauge the extent of the degeneration, we use remedies and think we prolong the useful life of the patient. These are salines (see Congestion and Jaundice, page 503), followed by mineral acids and vegetable tonics, and, if the season of the year permits, the Nature cure ("Dr. Green" and "Dr. Time") often does wonders for horses with cirrhotic livers, apparently arrest- ing the degenerative process, or at least retarding it, while giving special activity to the unimpaired portion, so that they come up again from grass greatly improved in health and able to resume work. Fatty Liver. — There is always fat in the liver, but the disease to which we refer is an infiltration of fat in excessive quantity, or else an actual conversion of tissue into fat (fatty degeneration). The distinction is important, as will be seen in connection with the heart and other organs when circulatory diseases are considered. Fatty liver is not the result of hard work and poor fare, but of idleness, indulgence in high living, and the use of condiments. Fatty hver often pre- cedes rupture of the organ. There are no early diagnostic symptoms of a positive kind, but a plethoric condition w-ith a disposition to flatulence, distension of the abdomen, and the evacuation DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM of pale-coloured faeces are suggestive of this con- dition, as of those other disorders previously' referred to, and the same depletive measures are recommended if this infiltration with fat is suspected. Rupture of the Liver. — A burst or ruptured liver is a frequent cause of death in pampered animals {see Fatty Liver, page 504), and the symptoms at first are those of colic (see page 496), followed by collapse, blanching of the membranes of the eye and nostril, sighing, trembling, cold extremities, perhaps patches of sweat about the body, a " running down " or imperceptible pulse, and some degree of tympany or distension of the belly. The facial expression of horses when the liver or intes- tine is ruptured is peculiarly painful and haggard, and persons with no acquaintance with disease in horses will often say that the animal is " marked for death " or " doomed to die," as this indescribable look is noted. When. howe\'er, a horse is collapsing from a ruptured bowel there has generally been some previous pain and colic, heightened pulse and respiration, and in sympathy with these things a more or less injected or reddened mucous membrane, which has been often re- ferred to in the veterinary section of this work as indicating fever and serves for a "con> plexion " in animals whose faces are hairy, but afford the expert quite as much informa- tion as the human physiognomy. In the case of sudden rupture of the liver while at work, the symptoms are those of internal haemorrhage and deadly fear, such as we have mentioned. The patient usually tries to keep on his feet until he falls and dies. There are other cases, more nearly resembling colic, in which the capsule of the liver is not broken, and the haemorrhage is presently arrested and the breach repaired. Many such cases are treated as colic and recover, but on post-mortem examination show the scars resulting from former breaches in the substance of the organ. Wlren the capsule itself is broken, the haemorrhage into the abdominal cavity is always fatal. Treatment. — If the symptoms of internal bleed- ing are associated with yellow tinged membranes, and the liver is suspected, it may be worth trying to arrest the haemorrhage by dram doses of gallic acid, or half drams of sugar of lead, or ounce doses of spirit of turpentine or of tincture of iron. Dropsy, Abdominal Ascites An accumulation of the watery portion of the blood or of straw-coloured fluid within the abdominal cavity is known as dropsy or ascites, and is found in animals of all ages and arising from various causes. In the young, on poor pastures and exposed to inclement winters, there is a disproportion between the fluid and solid elements in the herbage, and dropsy may then be regarded as a disease of poverty. A so-called pot-bellied colt may be expected to recover on good food, and the excess of fluid will be absorbed. The constant pressure of the gravid uterus of bi^ood mares upon the great veins is another cause of dropsy of the abdomen, which, if it does not wholly disappear with a cessation from foal-bearing, is generally so decreased as to have no ill effect, albeit the perfect "figure," as ladies would call it, is never again resumed. More serious, and often fatal, is the filling up of the belly with fluid as the consequence of heart disease, of liver degeneration, or obstruction and inter- ference with the portal circulation. Derange- ments of the liver account for much the largest proportion of cases of abdominal dropsy in horses, other than those alreadj'' mentioned. The syinpto)us do not at first differ from ordinary' distension by bulky food, but are followed by loss of animation, a staring coat, hidebound, weak- ness, and wasting of the loin and neck muscles, with a more and more pendulous and enlarged belly. Palpitation of the heart is noticeable when weakness follows on dropsy, and a startled colt will have it so badly that the heart can be heard at some distance for a few seconds. All the symptoms of indigestion may be present, and the reader is more particularly referred to those mentioned in connection with liver diseases {see pre- ceeding pages). Splashing may be heard when the ear is pressed against the flank, and tapping with the knuckles fails to yield the ordinary sounds. Treatment. — When merely due to po\crt3-. a course of good feedmg and tonics, as iron and gentian in dram and four-dram doses respectively, will do much to restore the patient. If the liver is suspect, calomel and aloes may be given first and followed up by salines {see Congestion of 5o6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE THE Liver, page 503). Above all, it is necessary to place the animal under good hygienic conditions, and stabled horses will gain by turning out to grass. Even those with degenerate livers will for a time profit by a return to natural life in the field. Spasm of the Diaphragm The expansion of muscle and tendinous material which separates the chest cavity from that of the abdomen, and called by anatomists by the COLT WITH TRUSS FIXED FOR UMBILICAL HERNIA. above name, is subject to spasm, which shakes the entire animal, and is commonly mistaken for violent palpitation of the heart. It may easily be distinguished by the pulse, there being no common time, as is necessarily the case when the heart is irregular. It seems to be due to some disturbance in the current of the pneumo- gastric nerve, and is quickly subdued by the administration of alcoholic stimulants, as a gill of whisky in a pint or more of water. Hernia or Rupture Surgeons speak of any protrusion of an organ or part of it from its proper place as hernia, and they use the word rupture to mean a rent or breach, as when the liver is ruptured (rent), or the bowel broken by distension. The lay pubUc more often understands the term rupture to apply to such things as protrusions of the gut. Foals are liable to what is called congenital hernia,^ when a knuckle of intestine protrudes through the umbilical opening, or into the scrotum. Adults may suffer from accidental or acquired hernia as the result of straining to pull a load, or in the case of hunters when jumping. Simple ruptures or extrusions may often be reposed, but the strangulated kind are commonly fatal. These occur within the abdomen as the result of spas- modic colic {see Colic, page 496), or from external injury ; the gut may protrude and by swelling become irreplaceable. The latter form of rupture is a common result of goring by bullocks when horned stock are turned out with horses. Treatment. — The veter- inary surgeon should be asked to treat such sub- jects, if possible, but the circumstances in which many horse owners are placed render first aid essential, or the patient will acquire fatal lesions before professional aid can be obtained. Exomphalus or umbili- cal hernia is not usually an urgent matter, and often disappears spon- taneously about weaning time, when the small intestine leaves its position on the floor of the abdomen and passes to its permanent place in the flank. For this reason it is well to wait, and if operation is necessary, any time during the first year will be soon enough. Treatment. — The application of a blister often effects a cure by the swelling of the adjacent parts causing a pressure in the least line of resist- ance, by which the soft bowel is pressed into the cavity. Some plastic material is thrown out, and this forms a binding or plug by which the gut is permanently retained inside the belly. If this fails it may be necessary to cast the foal upon his back (see Methods of Restraint, Chapter XIX.), and put on a clamp. The animal is fasted by way of preparation, and it is found easy then to push back the soft parts within, while taking up a bunch of skin and applying the wooden DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 507 or metal clams with such pressure as will keep back the gut while exciting sufficient inflammatory action in the parts above the instrument as will produce plastic matter and seal the opening ; the pinched-up-sldn will presently slough off, and a strong scar or dense fibrous tissue result, which adds strength to the binding material produced within. It looks a clumsy performance, but is really a very good operation, needing judgment as to the degree of pressure to be put on, as too little will fail of its purpose, and too much may slough off the skin before the desired effect has been gained, and then the bowel will escape and a fatal result follow. Ranchers and others in out-of-the-way situations venture on these opera- tions with a large amount of success and, of course, acquire the knowledge of how much " squeeze " to employ- Another plan is to run metal or wooden skewers through the uplifted skin, and wind round a figure of eight of string, but the principle is the same. Inguinal hernia, similar to the form from which men most often suffer, is comparatively rare in the horse, although stalhons arc not exempt. Treatment. — Efforts should be made to release the imprisoned portion of gut. After unloading the I'ectum with a greased hand, the arm should be inserted until the hand can grasp more or less of the bowel under it, and gentle traction will not infrequently reduce the rupture. Failing tliis, the patient should be cast and chloroformed. With the animal placed on his back, the position favours the return of the gut. While one man presses upon it from the outside, the hand of the more experienced performer is employed within the rectum. The hand will reduce the amount of ingesta and release gas and thus facilitate the return of the escaped portion of bowel. If valu- able time has been lost, these methods will not succeed, and the skin must be cut through and the connective tissues, and the protruding bowel be pushed through the opening with gentle but firm and continuous pressure. The patient must be kept under the influence of chloroform for some time after the operation is complete. It is in the act of rising that most danger is feared, the disposition on the part of the gut to come out again being great. If antiseptics are employed throughout and stitches put into the skin with a good " hold," the case will probably go on well. Subsequent swelling outside is to be wel- comed as forming a pad and gning needed com- pression. Hernia into the scrotum is treated by traction as recommended in inguinal hernia, but the dis- position to return in old stallions generally necessi- tates castration, which is a permanent cure- Ventral hernia. — When the abdominal wall is rent from violence of any kind whatever, and the gut obtrudes, it is called ventral hernia. The majority of such cases are fatal, and if the animal is to be saved it will be by early attention, first, to the securing of the patient and prevention of further injury by his struggles ; next to the cleansing with antiseptics in warm water ; and thirdly, to the return of the bowel before in- flammatory changes make it impossible or invite peritonitis. A sheet soaked in carbolised oil or water or other suitable antiseptic should be placed round the body, while preparations are made for throwing the animal and getting him on his back. Chloroform will greatly aid the operator by reducing the straining against him. In its absence he may still attempt the reposition of the gut, keeping his finger steadily pressing the bowel back, bit by bit, avoiding injuring it and never yielding to the outward expulsive efforts which are involuntary on the part of the poor beast. A surgeon will sometimes take the risk of enlarging the orifice, but if it is possible to return the viscus without this it should be done. Once returned, there will be leisure to review the situation and consider how best to suture up the wound and bind and bandage it over, before the horse is allowed to rise. The longer he is kept down the better, as subsequent swelling will be in favour of retention of the gut. Where a large volume has escaped, or any injury to the gut has taken place, the prospects of recovery arc very small, the animal almost always suc- cumbing to peritonitis or other complications. From the sketch we have given of diseases and accidents which interfere with digestion, it will be seen tliat there are many causes, and these may be in the mouth, or in any of the organs concerned in the complicated process of conversion of food into living animal tissues. Irregularities of the Teeth and their Diseases In Chapter XX. the reader will see how the changes in the teeth which take place with age 5oS THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE enable the horseman to judge of the youth or advanced period of hfe to which the animal has attained, and in this section of the work therefore it will only be necessary to refer to some of the diseases and equine disabilities which accom- pany them. Shedding of Molars. — Febrile disturbances occur during the shedding of the grinders or molar teeth, especially between the second and third year, and there are sometimes difficulties in feeding, owing to the temporary tooth or the crown of it being wedged and sticking up above the level of the others, thereby making it wellnigh impossible to DENTITION OF THE ADULT HORSE. (a) iQcisors. (b) Tushes, or canines, (c) Interval called the bar. (d) Molars. crush and insalivate hard and dry substances. The mouth should be examined whenever a horse of any age is observed to mumble and drop his food, or slaver at the mouth. The offending tooth may often be removed with no more difficulty than can be overcome by a pair of pliers deftly employed ; or perhaps lifted out by a well-directed blow upon a punch, provided the animal is securely held. As with children, there are sometimes too many or too few teeth. If crowded, one or more need to be extracted. If too few, a troublesome accumulation of food may take place and cause soreness of the gums through the decomposition of food. If such horses could use a toothpick the\ would be relieved, but not being made that way, we must exercise constant supervision over those with defective teeth, remove accumulations, and dress with some simple antiseptic wash. Disparity of length is another trouble, particu- larly in the aged, and these overgrowths must be filed or chipped away with a special chisel. Rough edges to the teeth wound the gums and hinder mastication. They should be rasped from time to time. During the cutting of the front teeth — nippers, or incisors, as they are called — the gums are not infrequently swollen and in- flamed, and the lancet may be employed to make a few pricks in the most prominent and spongy places, but the horse-owner should set his face against the barbarous and illegal practice of "burning the lampas," as practised by ignorant farriers. Broken teeth need to be extracted, or the fissure admits food which ferments and causes disease of the alveolus, or socket, and this is the common origin of caries of the bone, giving rise to an offensive odour and when occurring in the upper jaw may lead to ozaena, the worst form of nasal gleet. The absence of a tooth in the upper jaw permits excessive growth of the corresponding tooth in the lower one, and cases have been known in which the growth of the latter has con- tinued until the bones of the face have been pierced. This continuous growth of the teeth is an important factor in maintaining them as grinding stones, and one that is not so generally known as it should be. Decayed teeth in horses are not so common as in their masters. The disease most often commences at the neck and through some of those putrid conditions of the gum alluded to already. Parrot Mouth. — By this is meant the pro- jection of the upper row of incisor teeth beyond the level of the lower ones. It is disfiguring and objectionable when exaggerated, as a horse so formed cannot graze properly, although he may feed well enough at the manger, using his lips for prehension and his grinders for the real work of mastication. Crib Biting (see Stable Tricks and Vices— Chapter V.). — This practice has the effect of wear ing down the tables of the incisor teeth and bevelling them in a manner which "gives away " the horse to the expert. Wolves' Teeth. — These are small supernumerary molars or pre-molars, supposed to be a reversion in part to the time when horses had seven molars. These vestigial remains are credited with causing horses to shy, and their removal is said to effect a cure. As they are quite useless and easily extracted, they may well be njmovcd m deference to the superstition of the attendant. IhM^rufhbyt. lU: CHAPTER IV DISEASES OF THE URINARY AND GENITAL APPARATUS IF we were to accept the dictum of the average groom, we should credit the urinary organs with more than half the troubles to which horses are subject, for no sooner does an animal show pain or fail to thrive than his kidneys are suspected, or there is said to be "something wrong with his water " (see Colic, page 496). As a matter of fact, urinary troubles are not very common, although the kidneys are frequently appealed to in efforts to relieve a variety of maladies. One reason of this is their willingness to act vicariously for the skin, and when the latter is chilled and fails to do its work, thick urine is often passed. In like manner, bile- stained urine is caused by failure of the liver to perform its task, and again the kidneys are called upon to pass out waste products which should have been eliminated by other channels. Thick or discoloured urine does not indicate diseased kidney or bladder so often as their ability to aid other organs which have temporarily failed in their work. It is important for the horse- owner to bear this in mind, as no other class of medicines is so much abused as diuretics or kidney stimulants, and the cause of thick urine should be sought and removed rather than medicines given to act directly upon emunctories already overtaxed. Upon the efficient discharge of their func-tion the health of the horse largely depends, the chief office of the kidneys being to carry away worn-out tissues. Urine differs greatly according to the food consumed, and may be healthy although thick and profuse in quantity when a horse is put on green-meat, or comparatively high-coloured and leaving a sediment on the stable floor when corn-fed. An excessive quantity voided at short intervals and colourless is much more indicative of disease than the other states which we have alluded to, and which concern the average groom and induce him to administer nitre, sulphur, resin, or other diuretics. The presence of albumen. 65 509 510 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE of mucus, cf casts of the urinifcrous tubes, of pus, or of blood may indicate grave disorders. Diabetes, Polyuria, or excessive staling Popularly called diabetes, but not containing sugar, which constitutes true diabetes, an irritable condition of the kidneys, with an excessive amount of fluid of low specific gravity, is frequently met with in horses, and is accompanied with thirst, rapid loss of flesh, staring coat and general debility. It is often associated with indigestion and chilling of the surface of the body in freshly- clipped animals, but is more often traceable to some unsuitable food, which acts as a nerve irritant to the branches supplying these organs, such as hay that has been fired in the rick — mow-burnt, as it is called — "foxy" oats which have been badly harvested or kiln-dried, an excess of roots, or other improper feeding. In addition to the symptoms already mentioned, there are a weak pulse, snrall and frequent, a hidebound condition, the membranes are pale and the appetite im- paired ; the animal easily sweats and is quickly tired with less than his usual task. Treatment. — The so-called diuretics, or kidney stimulants, should on no account be given, but a small aloetic dose : a half to two-thirds of the amount usually prescribed as a purge, and followed up with daily doses of one dram of iodine crystals with the like amount of iodide of potassium for a few days, after v.'hich similar quantities of iodide of iron and half-drams of nux vomica and quinine may be helpful. If rapid progress is not made, a change to half-ounce doses of dilute nitro-hydrochloric acid and half pints of infusion of calumba may be tried. If the cause is removed and the animal given demulcent foods, such as linseed tea and the best oats scalded, with broad bran, and placed under good hygienic conditions, he will in almost every case recover. Those animals which continue to waste away despite such treatment are generally found, after death, to have other complications. Bloody Urine or Haematuria It is not always possible to ascertain the cause or the exact seat of the mischief, but there are three principal ways of locating the trouble. If haemorrhage is from the kidney, the blood and urine are uniformly mixed. If from the bladder. it comes last, by the final expulsive effort, blood being heavier than urine. If the canal leading from the bladder is the seat of mischief, the blood will come when the first portion is passed. The causes are various, violence being the chief, as from falls in the hunting-field or in the shafts. Calculi or stones in the kidney itself, in the bladder, or in the urethral canal, where they become lodged and lacerate the walls, form another cause, and in a few cases structural changes in the organs lead to haemorrhage. Treatment. — When due to falls, or other forms of violence, the loins may be poulticed with a pillow of steeped hops or bran, or, in the absence of such things, pulped turnips or mangels. Warm enemata may be injected into the rectum, and contain a dram or more of extract of belladonna and five per cent, of glycerine in water. The bowels should be kept lax with linseed and bran mashes, carrots, or green-meat if in season, and absolute rest imposed. If the bleeding is the result of kidney disease, cold cloths applied to the loins and small doses of nux vomica, as half drams of the powder, and like doses of gallic acid are advised. If caused by stones (calculi), a surgical operation is necessary, and this is quite beyond the amateur horse-doctor, who must be content to wait until a good surgeon is avail- able. Sometimes, when a stone has passed down the canal, and the poor animal cannot pass urine except in dribbles, the horse-owner may feel it in the penis from the outside, and if the situation seems desperate had better cut down upon it, choosing the upper surface so that urine will not subsequently prevent it from healing by con- stantly passing through the wound and irritating it. The smallest wound that will enable the operator to pass the stone through should be made, and the incision should be cut by a single stroke of the knife, held in one hand, while the suffering member is held by the other and the stone pressed against the surface to be incised. After any operation of the kind, only the smallest quantity of water should be allowed for a few days, but all food in the meantime nray be supplied in a moist condition. Inflammation of the Kidneys (Nephritis) This is not such a frequent malady in the horse as his master, and for the reason that horses are all teetotallers and that alcoholism is the DISEASES OF URINARY AND GENITAL APPARATUS 5" most frequent cause of kidney trouble. The chief causes in horses are exposure to inclement weather when heated, as when the clipped horse, made warm by fast work, stands still while my lady is shopping, or the hunter hangs around the covert side when a check occurs. It has also to be stated that cases of inflammation of the kidneys are brought about by the foolish practice of giving cantharides to wearied stallions or barren mares to provoke sexual appetite. The abuse of that class of remedies which promote the secretion of urine, and previously spoken of as diuretics, is also an occasional cause of in- flammation. Cantharides (Spanish Fly) blisters are sometimes absorbed and cause kidney in- flammation, and this is one of the reasons why it has given place to other agents (see Blistj£rs AXD Blistering, Lameness, etc.. Chapter XIX.). Mares blistered during the period of oestrum are more susceptible than others. The sy}iiptoins are frequent ineffectual attempts to urinate, or but very small quantities of high- coloured and scalding fluid escapes. The penis is frequently protruded and withdrawn, and the clitoris of the mare exposed as when at oestrum, and ineffectual posturing as if in expectation of passing water. Thick, muddy urine or stained with blood {see Bloody Urine, page 510), or containing pus, or broken-down tissues, is expelled when the effort is successful. Great tenderness over the loins is evinced when the hand is pressed upon the region, the pulse is quickened, and in the later stages of the disease the temperature is high, the mouth hot and clammy, the mem- branes much reddened and the facial expression pained and anxious. Treatment is best commenced with a purga- tive of aloes, as this is found to make a diversion, as well as to reduce the temperature, relieve pressure and influence the character of the scalding urine. Opium and belladonna in small but repeated doses {see Table of Doses, Chapter XXII. ) tend to relieve the acute pain, and large poultices over the loin afford comfort to the sufferer ; as do enemata of belladonna, glycerine and warm water, alternated with linseed tea strained free from seeds. Stallions and geldings may receive these enemata per rectum, as the anatomical arrange- ment permits of much soothing influence from such treatment. Bran as a mash with some linseed tea is the most suitable food. The poultices may, in certain unavoidable circumstances, be replaced by ammonia liniments, but no turpentine or Spanish fly should be employed, for the reason already given. Inflammation of the Bladder (Cystitis) The lining membrane is the usual structure affected, but it may extend to the other layers. Causes. — The abuse of diuretic medicines, the administration of cantharides, or the absorption of that drug, or of turpentine when employed externally, the presence of stone (calculus), and urine long-retained, or obstructed. Mares may have inflammation of the bladder as a result of straining with a big foetus during parturition. In\-asion from the kidney or contiguous structures may cause it, and it has followed on influenza and other diseases. The symptoms are much the same as in inflam- mation of the kidney {see page 510). In mares the vulva is everted by spasm, horses extrude and withdraw the penis frequently and straddle as if to micturate. A hand passed into the rectum and pressed against the bladder provokes pain, which is shown by the animal looking anxiously round at the flank. The urine is thick and perhaps blood-stained and contains detached mucus from the Uning of the viscus. A small quick pulse, rapid shallow breathing, and brick-red mem- branes mark the progress of the disease, and the countenance wears an anxious expression. Treatment is directed to the reduction of pain, the alteration of the character of the urine in the first instance and restoration of function. Removal of the contents of the bladder by means of the catheter will be undertaken by the veterinary CATHETER. surgeon and afford much relief, but this is not to be expected of the amateur doctor, who is deprived of the full benefit of injecting soothing remedies in the place of the abstracted fluid. A purgative dose of aloes should be given early, as a loaded bowel presses upon and provokes pain in the inflamed structures. Soothing 512 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE injections of warm soap and water, of glycerine and belladonna extract, etc., may be syringed into the bowel (see Inflammation of the Kidneys, page 510), and demulcent foods, as white of eggs beaten up with milk, and linseed tea, given in small quantities and at short intervals. Warm poultices over the loin soothe the pain, and dram doses of extract of belladonna and opium by an inconsiderate person compelling an animal to continue his course when desirous of an oppor- tunity to discharge the contents of the bladder. This lack of knowledge or " horse-mastership " in our raw levies in the South African war led to many losses. The young fellow from a big city would be cluttered up with loot and never realise that his horse's falterings were mute A A. Abdominal aorta and branchei URINARY ORGANS. B. Right kidney. D D. Ureters. nd G. Sections of right kidney. may be given as balls or drenches during the acute stage. There is a disposition to a return of the malady in those horses which for any reason retain their water unduly. Retention of Urine Inability to pass water is a distressing condition, whether partial or complete, and one the horse- owner should be ever on his guard against, as it is not infrequently caused, in the first instance. appeals to stop and stale, and finally, when the opportunity came, the poor beast could not reheve himself. Long retention causes paralysis of the muscular coat of the bladder, and it be- comes necessary to pass a catheter and draw off the fluid. Enlargements of the prostate gland in old stallions and the descent of small stones into the canal are other causes of retention, and spasm of the neck of the bladder in con- nection with foaling, and where there hns been difftcult parturition, is another. DISEASES OF URINARY AND GENITAL APPARATUS 5^3 The symptoms of retention are those of other urine troubles already described — namely, strad- dling to urinate and inability to do so ; grunting or groaning while making the effort ; some arching of the back and leaking involuntarily of a few- drops at a time rather than successful discharge of fluid. As this straining sometimes occurs when an injured bladder is empty, it may be well to unload the rectum and pass in a greased hand, when the distended organ can be distinctly ft'lt if retention is the trouble. Treatment. — In the absence of a catheter and the knovv ledge of how to use it if at hand, a gentle pressure may be exerted upon the bladder by the hand within the rectum, as the resistance is often but small, and such pressure may succeed in starting the stream. Pain and excitement should be kept down, and for this purpose a dose of two to four drams of camphor may be given as a ball, or as camphorated oil further diluted with linseed oil. Dram doses of extract of bella- donna rubbed down with hot water and given as drenches have a soothing effect upon the parts distressed, as do fomentations to the loins, or bags of hops moistened with hot water. The will is not wanting, although repeated efforts have failed, and every inducement should be offered in the way of deep straw bedding, a loose-box with the door shut, and no person near enough to excite the patient, while whistling, to encourage the animal with the familiar sound he has learned to associate with freedom from inter- ruption at such times. Some horses will not urinate in harness or "ask " for an opportunity, while others will come to a standstill and almost insist on relieving themselves. This should be made clear to beginners in horse-keeping .and its importance pressed home. Incontinence of Urine An opposite condition to that previously described is the leakage of urine or inability to control it. Paralysis of the neck of the bladder, the presence of stones, growths or injuries, are among the chief causes. Treatment may be successful when the cause is a calculus, which can be removed by operation, or pushed back into the bladder by means of a catheter, or powerful syringe containing warm water. Xux vomica will sometimes have a beneficial effect where paralysis exists, but such cases are not very hopeful, and protection from scalding by means of lanoline, or other suitable unguent, may be all that can be done to render the animal useful in some humble sphere of employment. Stone in the Bladder In considering the other diseases of the urinary organs frequent reference has been made to the stones, or calculi, which may form in the kidney itself, in the bladder, or be found as escaping from the latter and lodged in the passage (urethral canal). They are composed chiefly of calcic carbonate, and in order to understand their forma- tion we may for a minute consider the variable composition of urine from which they crystallise or deposit upon a nucleus. The horse's urine varies from a pale, almost colourless fluid, to a brownish yellow. It is of specific gravity between 1.015 and 1.50, and contains besides mucus, urea, hippuric acid, uric acid, soluble and in- soluble salts. The sediment consists of 80.9 to 87.5 of carbonate of lime, 8.5 to 12. i of car- bonate of magnesia, and 4.3 to 7.0 of organic matter. These varying constituents are loosely held in solution at the temperature of the body, and separate when cooled outside. The abnormal conditions which excite the formation of calculi are not very well understood, but an excess of solids may easily afford a nucleus of crystalline matter, mixed with mucus from an irritable surface, and, as in the bowels (see Concretions, page 501), when a beginning is made there is a disposition to accumulations both of salts and of other matters. In certain forms of indigestion an excess of oxalate of lime is found in horses' urine, and some of the stones taken from the bladder have been found to consist almost wholly of that substance. It would be supposed that limestone districts would be more fruitful of stone than others, but such docs not appear to be the case. The symptoms of stone in the bladder are not imiform and are often mistaken for slight colicky pains in the bowel, but in more advanced cases difficulties in urination lead to a suspicion of their presence — ^intermittent discharges of urine, some grunting and evident pain, which is more marked after rapid mo\-ements, as if the stone caused irritation by rolling. While at work, 514 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE horses affected with stone are disposed to stop and extend themselves as if desirous of passing water, but often without result, or but a small trickle. There is also a disposition in males to extrude the penis, and allow it to remain outside the sheath. Perhaps one of the most diagnostic symptoms is the sudden cessation during urir- ation, just as a full stream is issuing. This is caused by tlie stone getting over the outlet. Contraction of the anus after passing water is also a symptom of stone in the bladder. Diag- nosis is attempted by exploring with a hand passed into the rectum, but only an expert veterinary surgeon is likely to distinguish between a stone and any morljid growth which may be present ; nor will anyone else attempt an opera- tion for its removal if discovered. What the horse owner may do in a case of emergency is to pass a catheter, previously dressed with carbolic oil, and push aside a stone that is stopping the mouth of the urethral canal, or in the absence of an instrument, forcibly inject warm water with a syringe. Stones of small size sometimes descend into the canal, and straining and blood- stains, with much swelling of the penis, follow. The urgency of the case may compel a bold horse- man to operate in the manner advised under the title of bloody urine and its causes {see page 510). Treatment of stone, as before mentioned, is a matter for the surgeon as a rule, but there are acids which have a tendency to dissolve the stones or check their accretion, according to old treatises upon the subject, but it is very doubtful if such action takes place. If dilute acids can be injected into the bladder then direct contact of acids with alkaline carbonates will result in more or less decomposition and dissolution of the cal- culus. This is done sometimes where opera- tion is forbidden by circumstances, such as when a damaged spine precludes casting the aniniil in preparation. The owner of a horse which he knows to have stone in the bladder need not discard him, as there is always the possibility of the calculus getting pouched or forming a depres- sion on the floor of the viscus, and being retained there by fibrous material which is the result of temporary inflammation. The other aids men- tioned may serve to put off the evil day, but it has to be confessed that an early sale commends itself to the conscience made lax by many horse transactions. These .stones do not always begin in the bladder, but pass into it from the pelvis of the kidney when they have attained to any size. Inversion or Eversion of the Bladder 'i'his accident sometimes occurs to mares in the violent expulsive efforts of foaling. It would hardly seem necessary to describe the " symp- toms " of such a case, if we did not know that defective knowledge of anatomy has led to persons mistaking the bladder for the foetal envelopes or placental menrbranes, and cutting it open with the idea of aiding delivery of the foal. It is much thicker than the foetal envelopes and fleshy-look- ing ; a pale red until it has been exposed for some little time and circulation in its walls interrupted, when it becomes blue, purple, or nearly black. The little orifices of the ureters should be sought if any doubt exists, as their presence affords abso- lute proof. A rent in the vaginal wall will some- times let the bladder pass through without the latter being inverted, or the muscular layer may be broken and the coverings intact. It can then be felt through the membranous covering. Treatment. — Avoiding all excitement and haste, the mare should be first secured and the intending operator's hands washed and rendered aseptic by immersion in a suitable disinfectant. The extruded organ may then be carefully sponged to free it from extraneous matters, which are prone to collect. Carbolised oil upon the hands is a good preparation for the gentle but con- tinuous pressure to be exerted in reposing the organ. When pushed back within the vagina one must feel for the opening, or meatus, and, having found it, proceed with the fingers to push it through a little at a time, but never re- leasing it, or the whole is immediately returned. A four per cent, warm solution of cocaine is of great service in keeping down straining, by the local insensibility it produces. The danger is not over when the bladder has been replaced, and the animal should be watrhed to administer cocaine if necessary, or prevent mechanically a return of the trouble. Perfect repose, very little food, and that of a moist kind, should be given, and water almost entirely withheld until all symptoms of pain and inclination to strain have passed off. The subject of this accident will be hable to its recurrence if she should bear another foal. CHAPTER V DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IN considering diseases of the nervous system we have to bear in mind the cerebro-spinal and the sympathetic. The former responds to out- ward impressions through the organs of special sense, sight, touch, taste, sound, smell, as con- veyed by nerves whose special office it is to carry them to the brain, where memory plays a part, as well as inherited instinct, and decides the animal as to what course to pursue : what to fear, what to eat or avoid. Space forbids us to enter upon the very interesting topic of animal inteUigence and the possession, or not, of reason. The sympathetic system regulates the functions, as in the governance of the blood-vessels, per- mitting a greater or less flow of blood as the nerves relax or contract the canals. When food reaches the stomach, the blood supply is bountiful in its walls and the mucus surface is rose red. When the viscus is empty, the supply is so regu- lated by the sympathetic nerves that only enough blood circulates for the maintenance of the tissues and the lining membrane is quite pallid. It is from the blood circulating in the walls of the stomach that the gastric secretions are pro- duced, and this, of course, applies to all other organs. The sympathetic system, then, is a very important one, and has much to do with the health of the animal. Any derangement of the cerebro-spinal system is of grave import, and perverted, or interrupted, brain or spinal cord functions are liable to make a powerful animal uncontrollable and danger- ous. Dehrium on the one hand and stupor on the other are common results of brain disturb- ance, and inability to co-ordinate the movements when the cerebellum, or little brain, is the seat of imperfect function. Inflammation of the Brain (Cerebritis) Congestion or inflammation of the brain occurs in the horse as a result of injuries, and as a con- sequence of certain digestive troubles {see Stomach Staggers, Mad Staggers, etc., under Acutf Indigestion, page 493), from morbid growths (brain tumours), and rarely from the intrusion of parasites or pressure of bony growths. There is a great distinction to be made between cerebritis and meningitis. In the former the substance of the brain itself is involved, and carries with it the symptoms of coma or pressure, with drooping eyelids and sleepiness, with a disposition to rest the muzzle on some convenient object or press it against the wall. Sometimes delirium super- venes, but this symptom practically distinguishes meningitis, or inflammation of the covering membranes, from that condition of the substance of the brain. So far as treatment is concerned, the horse- owner need not accurately differentiate between the 1-wo, as the chief thing to do is to get the bowels to respond to an active purge. Not waiting for a ball of aloes, we may give six ounces of the solution, and as soon as this begins to divert blood to the intestines the head trouble usually 515 5i6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE diminishes. There are individuals in which prompt bleeding from the jugular vein gives immediate relief, but the generality of cases are much better treated by purgatives. So much is this the case that bleeding for brain troubles has almost fallen into desuetude. After an aperient it is sometimes advisable to rouse the patient from his stupor by two-ounce doses of impairment of the functions of digestion, the gorged stomach and congested liver contributing more than other disorders to such a condition. A tight collar, hindering the return of blood from the head, or standing in the sunshine at a hot bend of the road, may induce giddiness. It has often been stated that so-called sunstroke is due to the direct rays of the sun, but the writer is SECTION OF SKULL, SHOWING BRAIN. B Corpus callosum. C. Cerebellum. D. Medulla oblongata. E. Spinal cord. sal volatile in a pint or more of water, at intervals of two or three hours. Cold sponging of the head, or ice-bags on the poll, have a marked efiect when the meninges are chiefly affected. A horse that has once suffered from brain pressure should ever afterwards be carefully dieted to prevent constipation, a slightly lax condition of the bowels being obtained by linseed and bran mashes rather than by resort to drugs. Megrims, Vertigo, Giddiness As with brain troubles already mentioned, giddiness, megrims, or vertigo may be due to in a position to contradict this, and to say that in the open, where there may be a certain amount of wind and where there will certainly be fresh air, a horse is not so likely to go down with heat stroke as in the bottom hold of a horse-ship, where no sun's rays penetrate. But the heat in the Tropics is, of course, terrible and the atmo- sphere vitiated, despite wind -sails and scoops, and other contrivances for ventilation or the withdrawal of bad air. This form of vertigo begins with depression and dullness, hanging the head, dropping the ears, and increasing insensibility ; the animal's efforts to remain on his feet finally fail, and down he goes like a person DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 517 helplessly drmik. Only in a hot bit of a road, where the heat is great and the air still, has the writer seen horses sink down with heat stroke, but a score a day have needed his services in ships crossing the Equator. If the water is cold enough and the hose promptly turned on, recovery is the rule, but just in the tropical belt the water temperature runs up to Sy deg. F. or more, and is of very little help save by the cold that evapor- ation produces from an animal still hotter. Balls containing four drams of ammonia carbonate lielp to rouse the heart and overcome the stagna- tion of blood in the brain in heat stroke, which is a preferable term for what can hardly be described correctly by its old name of sunstroke. Vertigo includes this special form, as it docs megrims, but the latter is a peculiar malady, and its cause not often to be found upon careful post-mortem examination. In some cases, granular bodies, and even tumours of the size of a walnut, are found, but more often there will be no lesion recognised by pathologists. It may be that megrims is due to liver con- ditions, which we have already shown have much to do with other forms of brain pressure. !Megrims, however, arc of brief duration, recovery, temporary at least, taking place without any treatment, while the other conditions described under staggers, stomach staggers, and cercbritis are not escaped from without a diversion of blood by bleeding or purging, or both. JNIegrims is a dangerous malady, which may land the driver into difficulties if he does not recognise the first symptom of shaking the head as if distressed by the bridle, or trying to shake off the attentions of a fly, or something in the ear. If the animal is at once stopped and the collar pressure relieved, the fit may pass oft, and the driver be deceived into thinldng it was after all caused by some external worry. Continuance uphill "against the collar" will lead to more violent shaking of the head and twitching of the ears, rolling and bloodshot eyes, swaying aside and falling down in con- vulsions, which seldom continue long after a recumbent position is assumed. Somewhat dazed, the animal rises after a few minutes and resumes his journey if asked, and provided the carriage has not come to grief. Ridden horses are not exempt from fits of vertigo, but are less subject, as they have a freer circulation in the veins of the neck. Treatment. — A careful man may continue to get good service from a subject of megrims by 66 using what is called a piped collar — e.g. one that is shaped to the windpipe, and bears least upon the vessels of the neck — by taking hills with care, and allowing of stoppages at intervals, particularly in hot weather ; by feeding on laxative substances, and avoiding any disposition to hardened faeces or to abdominal distension with bulky food. A periodical ball of aloes is an excellent thing to prevent the attacks, and some horses will go on for months without a sign of vertigo when so treated. Abscess in the Brain Either as the result of external violence, or from the pus of an abscess in another part of. the body getting into the blood, matter may form in the brain, or under its covering mem- branes. This accident happens when a vessel is punctured at the time of lancing and blood- poisoning follows, known as pyemia or pus poisoning. It may occur anywhere as a conse- quence of this accident, but in the brain it proves fatal, as no means of treatment are possible. The symptoms are those of increasing drowsi- ness, passing to complete coma and death. Epilepsy Horses are not so subject to epileptic, cataleptic, or other fits, as either mankind or dogs, nor from those reflex nerve troubles which teething diffi- culties give rise to in both dogs and pigs, and it is not necessary for us to consider here the technical distinctions between them. Megrims, already described, most nearly approaches to the fit observed in dogs and pigs, and — if we may put babies last — very young children. Occa- sionally in an underfed mare suckhng a colt and doing hard work at the same time, there is a con- vulsive spasm or repeated spasms of the extensor miiscles, with some trembling and sweating, and in this respect resembling what is known as eclampsia in other quadrupeds, but there being no loss of sense or mental disturbance it can hardly be classed with that malady in other species. Chorea, or St. Vitus's Dance This spinal cord disease, which causes much loss in the kennel, is seldom seen in the horse. ;iS THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE but certain nervous twitchings are observed in what are known as shiverers. It is probable that some spinal trouble occurs in colts at grass and passes unobserved, but leads to unequal pressure of the fluid between the covering membranes and the cord itself. Dogs suffering from this complaint in a bad form are found, after death, to have a red softening of the substance of the cord. Stringhalt This, too, is a nervous affection, in which certain muscles of the hind-leg are involuntarily flexed, or excessively flexed, so that the hind foot is jerked up towards the belly, when the animal intended perhaps to lift it no higher than necessary to walk. One or both hind-legs may be affected, and, in rare instances, the front limbs are involved. Nothing is seen of stringhalt when the animal is at rest, and this easily distinguishes it from chorea, the subject of the latter malady being unable to keep still even to sleep. It is generally slow and progressive, but in a few cases intermittent, and cures have been claimed when horses turned out to grass have for a time been comparatively free from it. It varies, too, in the same animal, and may be very pronounced after a hard day's hunting, or a long journey- in harness ; or may be most conspicuous in a rested animal standing too long in the stable. All sorts of theories have been entertained as to its origin, but the most careful post-mortem examination of the .nerves governing the muscles affected have failed to discover any changes of structure. ending may be expected ; but slight escapes of blood into the brain-substance may only cause drowsiness, and after a while the little clot under- goes changes (fatty degeneration) and absorption, or it may first of all diminish and reduce pressure so that normal function is restored, but eventu- ally form the nucleus of those brain tumours referred to elsewhere (page 520). According to the situation of the haemorrhage in the brain will be the effect upon the animal's conduct and movements. If in that part from which the optic nerves have their deep-seated origin, the horse may be the victim of so-called glass eye, the organ remaining perfectly trans- parent but sightless. If at the back of the brain (cerebellum), there will be failure to co- ordinate the voluntary muscles and a staggering gait. If at the base of the brain, from whence nerves of special sense pass out through holes in the skull, the pressure upon them may induce loss of smell, of taste, or other failure. Any appearance of brain pressure may be of apo- plectic origin, and most veterinary practitioners believe in a diversion to the bowels and kidneys as the most rational treatment and the most successful in their experience, but there is differ- ence of opinion among high authorities. Perhaps the best advice we can give to the horse-owner in the circumstances is to give the aperient dose advocated by the " G. P." (general prac- titioner) first, and then the stimulants to rouse the flagging heart advocated by others. Ice- bags to the poll give relief to some cases. Pro- fessor Axe says: " In all cases where the power to swallow exists, a strong dose of physic should be promptly administered." Apoplexy Froni excessive exertion in an unprepared state or when fat and out of condition, from degenera- tion of blood vessels, and in extremely hot weather, horses are liable to excess of blood in the brain, and rupture of some vessel followed by haemor- rhage into its substance. More often it takes the form of congestion and not actual rupture, or may be of serous apoplexy, when the watery portion of the blood passes through the walls of the vessels and causes pressure, and those brain symptoms which have been described under vertigo, megrims, and sunstroke or heat stroke (s«e page 516). If rupture of a vessel is followed by anything but ver^' slight haemorrhage, a fatal Crib-biting, Wind-sucking, and Weaving These objectionable practices are generally spoken of as " vices," but are really nervous dis- orders, or a nervous excitability already exists before the habit is copied from another horse, or developed in solitude. Continental authorities have given much study to the above tricks, or evidences of nervous disturbance, and many pages of learned matter have been written, but it is not possible to pick out any information from them that is of any practical utility. Observers in this country are agreed that horses with much time on their hands are like men so situated, in that they are apt to fall into mischief, and the old adage is confirmed that " one fool 520 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE makes many." With nothing to look forward to but meal-times, the well-fed and lonely animal may begin with nibbling the manger or other objects, and end in confirmed crib-biting and wind-sucking, or pass much time and relieve ennui by wea\"ing. To those who do not know by mournful experience the annoyance of these tricks, or vices, or whatever we may choose to call them, it may be said that crib-biting, when developed, consists in laying hold of the manger with the teeth, and stiffening the muscles of the neck, repeating the operation at irregular intervals, and for various periods. It commonly develops into sucking air into the stomach while holding on with the teeth, and may become so confirmed that an object to lay hold upon is no longer necessary ; old subjects of the trick being able to nod the head and suck wind until the flanks are distended. Young horses coming into a stable where a " cribber " stands will frequently pick up the trick very quickly, but, on the other hand, association does not invariably result in imitation, and the older the horse the less likely is he to acquire the habit from another. The beginning of it may be traced, in some cases, to a hyper-sensitive skin, roughly-groomed or curry-combed by a hard-fisted groom ; the animal venting his irritation on the manger. In such cases the horse should be turned round in the stall and secured by pillar reins, while the groom should be admonished as to the use of the comb, and made to employ straw wisps instead. Cribbers should be placed where other horses cannot see them. In the early stages a horse may some- itimes be broken of the habit by being fed from a manger on the ground of a loose-box, with no partitions or " furniture " upon which he can lay hold with liis teeth. The most effectual restraint against crib-biting and wind-sucking is the provision of a broad strap round the throat, which must always be worn in the stable, and the mark of which upon the neck always " gives him away " to a would-be purchaser. Weaving is the constant swaying of the head and forepart of the body from side to side, like a caged bear. It is most distressing to witness, and as the practice quickly wears through any rope, a chain has to be substituted, and this makes much noise, and apparently affords the weaver the greatest satisfaction. A loose-box without any head attachment will cause some horses to forget the trick, or jtcrhaps find no pleasure in it when no sound is created, but there are confirmed weavers who will stand clear of everything, and continue to sway rhj'thmically to their own satisfaction, whether in a box or out in an open field. Brain Tumours Abnormal growths within the cavities of the brain, varying in size from a pin's head to a hen's egg, are occasional causes of pressure, of coma, or sleepiness, of the opposite condition of cerebral excitement, of fits of insensibility, falling on the ground with staring or rolling eyes and loss of power over the muscles. Running away, or other conduct inconsistent with the manners of a well-trained horse, may be due to tumour on, or in, the brain or from pressure of a bone tumour inwards from some portion of the cranium. There is no one special diagnostic sign of brain tumour, although it is often suspected, and posi-:nortem examination reveals it, but there are some of the symptoms described in con- nection with diseases of the nervous system, and they can be assigned to the brain by one or more such prominent symptoms as recurrent drowsiness, and the failure of purges and other treatment. They are composed of a mesh-work of fibrous tissue in which granules of earthy material and particles of fat are mixed with glistening plates of cholesterine. They commence from the membrane known as the choroid plexus, and not in the brain substance, unless as the result of an apoplectic effusion {see Apoplexy, page 519). A brain tumour may suddenly in- crease and lead to paralysis and death, or remain chronic, with a certain amount of accommodation of the contiguous structure, but a horse believed to have a cerebral tumour should be regarded as dangerous and destroyed. Few persons are willing to make the sacrifice, and, as there is nothing that even the expert veterinary examiner is likely to discover at an auction sale, they com- monly pass on from one unlucky purchaser to another. Being sold without warranty, the pur- chaser must keep such a horse " with all faults and errors of description " until he can plant the wretched creature on someone else, and compose himself to sleep with a good conscience, if he has not lost too heavily on the transaction and " got out of him " fairly well. It is a fact, also, that horses with all the appearances of brain tumour sometimes recover completely, DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 521 and this is because the pressure was caused by oedema of the choroid plexus, which has been subsequently absorbed. There is no doubt, also, that shrinkage rather than growth follows in some cases, and we have seen many brains of sheep and other animals which have wasted around the tumour and so afforded room for what is practically a foreign body and eventually harm- less. But this off-chance is not good enough for a prudent man to gamble on ; he had better be rid of the horse. Diseases of the Spinal Cord These can hardly be considered apart from those of the brain and its coverings which we ha^^e previously named, but there are disorders in which the cord alone suffers, and others, like ccrebro-spinal meningitis, in which both are in volved. Acute Spinal Meningitis — Inflammation of the Membranes of the Cord. — From injuries without and from sudden and extreme changes of temper- ature, from east winds, and as a consequence of excessive fatigue after hunting or fast trotting in harness, or heavy draught, a state of inflamma- tion of the two softer membranes of the spinal cord (pia mater and arachnoid) is sometimes discovered next morning in the acute form, or it may come on slowly and be progressive in intensity. Symptoms. — Shivering fits (rigors) and an expression of pain when made to move. Spasms of the muscles of the limbs, giving them an up- ward jerk and letting them down again upon the ground with loss of control, inability to walk in a straight line, a rolling gait, knuckling over at the fetlocks and final inability to stand, precedes complete paralysis. On the ground the animal struggles to rise again and the muscles of the neck and limbs are thrown into violent spasm. The facial expression is haggard, breath- ing hurried, the animal gives vent to groans and the body is bedewed with sweat. Slight remis- sions of the spasms only lead to further weakness and loss of sensation as well as motion. If the animal does not die during these attacks he is a hopeless cripple and had better be destroyed. Acute myelitis or inflammation of the cord itself is generally associated with the disease of the covering membranes above described. The symptoms are those of meningitis, but more hope- less from the first. An end to the case comes in most instances by some pulmonary complication, and only slight cases afford any hope of recovery by medical treatment. The administration of salicylate of sodium in large and repeated doses, during the first two days, and of small doses of the bromides on succeeding days for a week, appear to do good, and later on a course of nux vomica and iron is calculated to restore nerve- power, and excite absorption of fluid between the spinal cord and its membranes. Paralysis Loss of power or of control over the voluntary muscles is frequently referred to as paralysis in other sections of this work. It is not a disease per se, but a symptom of some disorder of the brain, the spinal cord, or some nerves connecting the parts affected. There may be paralysis of motion, or of sensation, or both. The brain is the central office from which instructions are conveyed to the muscles capable of obedience to the will, and the spinal cord the main avenue, and if for any reason the brain fails to give orders or gives uncertain ones, there will be stoppage or irregular movements wanting in control. The nerves being conductors, or conduits, of the will, must also be capable of receiving and trans- mitting instructions to the motors (muscles), or there will be failure to contract, although the brain and spinal cord may be functionally per- fect. Some of the causes of paralysis have been men- tioned in connection with the pressure of apoplexy, of brain tumours, and of reflex action of the pneumogastric nerves {see Stomach Staggers, etc., page 493). There are still other causes, as poverty, when by starvation the nerves, like all other structures dependent on the blood for nutrition, are weakened and become inefficient. Lead and other poisons taken into the system cause paralysis, or poisons developed within the animal may induce auto-intoxication, as when urea is taken into the circulation through failure of the kidneys (see Inflammation of the Kid- neys, page 510), or in so-called milk fever, when in cattle paralysis follows after calving through absorption of some toxic substance developed in the udder. These arc the chief causes of 522 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE paralysis, but there are others more or less obscure which it would not be worth while to dis- cuss at length, neither would a classification of the various forms be of profit in a work of this kind. Suffice it to say that paralysis of one lateral half (right or left) is known as hemi- plegia, and that paralysis of the posterior half of the body, with failure of the hind limbs, is known as paraplegia, and that when muscles are paralysed which are supplied by a particular nerve it is known as peripheral, as, for example, when the lower lip hangs down helpless, or the face is held awry or an ear dropped. Cerebro-spinal Meningitis A disease in which the membranes of the brain as well as spinal cord are concerned appears from time to time among horses, and was believed to have been imported, like bad weather, from the American continent, until Professor Axe, with that painstaking investigation which character- ises all his undertakings, discovered isolated accounts of the disease contributed by the few veterinarians who carefully recorded cases occur- ring in their practice. It does not appear to be influenced by climatic conditions, as it has appeared in hot and dry, wet and cold seasons. The blood of an affected horse caused paralysis in sparrows, in pigs, and in a dog partaking of it. This infection by ingestion naturally leads to the conclusion that the malady is infectious, but by what means conveyed, whether aerial or by contamination of food, is not clear. That a number of cases occur in a district, and that the disease dies out again, is about all that we know of its invasions and retirements. Symptoms. — In the majority of cases paralysis comes on suddenly, the animal stumbling and failing to go straight, or falling down behind, because the muscles of the hind parts are most early influenced. Stabled horses may be found prone without any preliminary symptoms being observed. Some have the muscles of deglutition specially affected, and have a difficulty in swallow- ing ; in others, a progressive failure of the volun- tary muscles is noted. As the malady progresses great excitement is succeeded by complete loss of consciousness, or by frenzy known as mad staggers (see Staggers, etc., page 493). The frenzied period commonly ends in death. The pulse and temperature are not much influenced by the disease. After death the membranes are found gorged with blood, and there are extra- vasations of blood and serum on the brain and spinal cord. Treatment. — Regarding the disease as infectious, our first precaution will be to remove the sick horse and disinfect the stable. Ice-bags to the poll and cold applications along the spine, laxa- tive food and salines, as small doses of salts, and salicylate of sodium, appear to offer most hope. Spasms may be subdued by chloral and the hypodermic injection of morphine. If by such means a measure of control is obtained over the acute symptoms, time is gained for Nature to fight it out, and our treatment, if not heroic, may turn the scale in the patient's favour. A disease resembling cerebro-spinal mcnin^ gitis has been caused by feeding horses with so called Indian peas or vetches (Lathyrus sativus). which does not immediately produce its effects, but has a cumulative influence after a variable period. These " peas " now seldom find their way into the British market for horse-food, but there is good reason for supposing that they constitute some portion of the cheap poultry mixtures commonly sold, as symptoms much resembling those in horses appear from time to time in well-managed flocks. A very important action was brought by a tramway company against the vendors of these vetches and damages awarded. The horses appeared well, but so many fell in harness that careless driving could no longer be supposed to be the cause. The falling was followed by more pronounced paralysis, and investigation followed and resulted in the dis- covery of a toxic efiect from the article men- tioned above. Ir- ,1 1 r •'- * 1 II .,_,_ . '--.s^ 1^ . I.-'' bi=^:l. CHAPTER VI DISEASES OF THE HEART AND BILOOD-VESSELS THAT horses fall dead in the street, or on the course, from heart affections most people are aware, and the majority of persons, at some time or other, have seen animals drop in this way, but it is, nevertheless, a fact that horses are much less subject to fatal heart diseases than man, despite the subjugation of their wills and the compulsory performance of tasks beyond their strength. It is certain, however, that they do not injure themselves by alcoholsm or fall victims to the passions of love or ambition which influence the central organ of circulation in their masters. Horses' hearts acquire power early in hfe by the full development of muscular strength, and an organ thus tuned for its life-work is less liable to derangement than that of man obeying a wayward will and taxing an organ which may never have had the benefit of systematic physical training. Expert veterinarians often find it diffi- cult to diagnose heart diseases, and it cannot therefore be expected that the amateur will learn to auscultate and differentiate between the various disturbances of the organ which indicate structural or other disease. We may glance at a few of the chief disorders and point to a few prominent symptoms which may enable the horse owner to cry " whoa ! " and afford the probable sufferer from heart trouble the necessary rest or changed conditions of life best calculated to restore the organ to efficiency. 5: Pericarditis Inflammation of the heart sac, or covering membrane, seldom exists alone, but as a com- plication of lung diseases, unless it is caused by the lodgment of a foreign body, such as a needle or piece of wire, taken in the food and passing from the stomach to be lodged in the pericardium. In the first case, the heart sounds will be muffled by the more or less solidified lung, and in the second the normal " lub-dub " will be altogether obscured by the effusion of fluid between the pericardium and the heart itself — indeed, this absence of sound is more diagnostic than any- thing else, and the horse-owner who desires to study the subject should make a practice of listening with his ear pressed against the side of a healthy horse, if he would attempt comparison. A pecu- liarity connected with heart troubles is the alternate coldness of different limbs ; one or more feehng normal and others chilly. This has been specially noticed when fencing wire and other bodies have lodged in the covering membrane, and set up pericarditis. Usually before any such pronounced symptoms appear there have been fits of indigestion and distension of the belly, and more or less colicky pains which could not be assigned to the bowels. With almost any heart trouble there may be loud palpitations, but these, on the other hand, may arise from indigestion or fright and are not reliable signs of a diseased heart. Treatment. — In the case of the lodgment of a 52 + THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE foreign body, it is obvious that no treatment will avail, and it is only after death that the diagnosis is confirmed. The administration of aperients, of belladonna plasters over the region and of digitaUs to regulate the impulse, is often followed by improvement. Perfect rest, and a return to HORSE'S HEART. Section through left auricle and ventricle. A. Mitral o natural conditions of life in the field, may com- plete the restoration of the animal. Endocarditis Inflammation of the lining membrane of the heart is commonly accompanied by excited action of the organ, and murmurs, without the friction sounds which are sometimes observable in peri- carditis. Not so much pain is felt in this malady as might be expected ; the pulse, at first frequent and full in tone, becomes weak and irregular later on. A high temperature, too, may be noted at first, but it becomes lower and persistent as the disease makes progress. The subsequent formation of clots, which adhere to the vah-es. leave the heart impaired, as in the subjects of rheumatic fever of man. Detached portions of fibrinous matter may get into the circulation and be arrested in the lungs, or other parts, and act as foci of disease in their new situations. Abscesses may even result in the brain {see Abscess in the Brain, page 520). Treatment. — Saline pur- gatives to keep the bowels soft, combined with sali- cylate of sodium, which has the best possible efiect of keeping fibrin in solution and preventing valvular incompetence afterwards. Weakness, or disposition to faintness, as displayed by deep sighs and listless- ness, may be combated by ammonia and digitalis. Myocarditis Inflammation of the heart substance is called myocarditis and is usually caused by invasion of the last-named trouble. It is scarcely possible to dis- tinguish between this form of heart disease and those already mentioned, but it leads to degenerative processes, such as enlarge- ment, softening and in- efficiency, capricious appe- tite, giddiness, inability to work, sweating with but slight exertion and not infrequently to falling in the shafts to die. Enlarged Heart, Hypertrophy, Dilated Heart All these are results of disease and are seldom amenable to medical treatment. As they often lead to fits of giddiness a horse so affected is dangerous and should be destroyed. Atrophy of the Heart Wasting of this vital organ is followed by feeble circulation and passive congestions in bicuspid DISEASES OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS 525 various organs, emaciation and general weakness, for which there is no remedy. Fatty Heart What is known as fatty degeneration of the heart is not often seen in the horse. An accumu- lation of fat upon the organ and infiltration of fat globules between the muscular fibres is not con- version into fat, which is intended by the term fatty degeneration, and which often overtakes human athletes when they quit sport and take a " pub." Fatty infiltration is apt to enfeeble and impair the animal's usefulness, making him short-winded and easily fatigued. Properly regu- lated exercise and feeding will, in most cases, restore the subject of fatty heart, but a long time and gradual conditioning alone will succeed. Rupture of, or Broken, Heart This may follow on degenerations arising out of the diseases already mentioned. An indifferent heart may serve for moderate labour until some excitement, or fall, or distension of the stomach, obstructs the passage of blood in the larger vessels. Diseases of the Arteries and Veins Blood-vessels undergo structural change as a result of inflammatory diseases and from the presence of parasites which make their homes in them, notably the Strongyhis armalus, which seeks a junction where vessels branch off and forms, as it were, a nest. The presence of worms induces changes in the artery wall, which dilates to form an aneurism or pouch which may undergo such further changes as to cause it to break when the heart's action is more than usually forcible. Thrombosis. — Blood-vessels, whether carrying blood from the heart (arteries) or conveying it back for renewal (veins), are liable to be blocked by a clot, otherwise a thrombus. Thrombosis, as this condition is called, was frequent when bleeding by amateurs with fleams and blood- sticks was general, but is now only rarely met with. It may occur in lancing an abscess, or other wounding of a vessel by accident, bruising from outside and as a result of castration, or 67 parturition in the mare, or falling spread-eagle fashion while in harness, or stretching the limbs in other ways. Plugging of this kind occurs most often in the iliac arteries, and stiffness on rising from his bed or when first brought out of the stable is a common symptom in the horse. With exercise the patient improves, but not perma- nently. The trouble recurs in a more marked form and the legs swell and impart a feeling of coldness to the touch, while the large veins be- come distended on the outside. Exercise reduces the swelling of the veins, but it returns after rest. An uncertain and more or less rolling gait marks the advance of the disease. A quivering of the muscles, profuse sweating, hurried pulse and respiration, may be followed by paralysis. From all these symptoms horses will apparently recover until put to work, when the trouble returns. Of such are the hahituis of the auction mart, and many of them are quite well known to dealers who resort to such places. There are still a few men who make a business of selling such horses both by auction and privately, and depute a " friend " to buy them back again at their own price, until another unwary purchaser can be found. No treatment is practicable. Throm- bosis, or inflammation of the jugular vein resulting in thrombosis, is among the disappearing troubles of the horse-keeper, as the chief cause is bleeding with unclean instruments or unnecessary violence with the blood-stick. The wound appears in- flamed, swollen and painful to the touch. Above it maj' be felt a hard cord plugging the vein, which undergoes changes, becomes solidified and makes the channel impervious. The correspond- ing vein takes up the additional work imposed on it of carrying away blood from the head, and accommodation is soon reached, but the subjects of this accident should never be turned out or be fed from the ground. It sometimes happens that instead of becoming organised the clot softens and matter is formed and breaks out at different points in the channel of the neck, or enters the general circulation to cause pyaemia or abscesses in distant parts. Treatment. — X cooling dose of aloes, wai'm fomentations, soft, wet food and irrigation with weak carbolic lotion. The old practitioners, who were certainly not wanting in experience of this trouble, placed implicit reliance on a blister down the course of the vein, which "set" it, to use their own term. 526 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Anaemia An insufficiency of iron in the blood, and con- sequent diminution of red blood corpuscles, causes pallor of the membranes of the conjunctiva, the nostril and the mouth, which constitute the " complexion " of hair-covered animals, and this state of the blood is known as anaemia, and results in weakness and general malaise. Too often in horses it must be confessed that the cause is insufficient food and too much work. But there are many other causes, such as unsuit- able food — although not wanting in amount — as when horses are turned out on rough hillsides and bare pastures to find a scant living or starve ; the robbery of internal parasites, the loss of blood by liEemorrhage and chronic discharges, confine- mont in close stables and unventilated buildings, and as a sequel to debilitating diseases. Besides the pallor of the visible membranes there is a flaccid tongue, a dry, harsh, or hidebound skin, and a tendency to dropsical swellings of the legs or belly. There is another form of anasmia called " pernicious." which probably owes its origin to some micro-organism, which attacks and destroys the red corpuscles and does not yield to ordinary or, indeed, to any treatment, as a rule ; loss of spirit, hanging head, depressed expression of countenance, palpitation of the heart, easily provoked by slight disturbances and suppression of the periods of oestrum in mares. An irregular, intermittent and feeble pulse, weak digestion and occasional colicky pains mark the progress of pernicious anasmia. Treatment. — If the cause is known, suitable remedies will be prescribed, but with such a variety we need seek for the particular one and remove it. Good hygienic conditions certainly will be advised, the expulsion of worms, the building up of the animal by nutritious food and access to pure water, and moderate and increasing exer- cise as the animal gains strength. Digestion is often so impaired that only small quantities of food can be assimilated, and small meals and often are recommended of such things as crushed linseed, malt flour and treacle, or Molassine meal, until the patient is able to deal effectively with hard corn mixed with chaff. Iron is an invaluable substance for the rebuilding process, and may be given in combination with quinine and gentian or nux vomica, in small but increasing doses. Plethora A sudden attack of excitement, " blowing," and trembling, followed by dullness, with an injected state of the visible membranes, is often mistaken for congestion of the lungs and many other acute diseases, but is really an exact opposite condition to anasmja. The over-fed and under- worked animal has accumulated rich blood and the pulse is full and hard, indicating brain pressure, and at other times quick and irritable, as pointing to congestion of other organs. If there is ever a need for blood-letting it is in plethora, and the abstraction of anything from a quart to a gallon of blood from the jugular vein will be followed by immediate relief. Purging or starva- tion will effect the purpose, but much longer time will be occupied, besides running a risk of con- gestion of the lungs. Septicaemia Blood-poisoning caused by the entrance into the circulation of malignant bacteria or their products is known by the above name, or if due to known infectious diseases, it is called specific infection or septicaemia. Pyaemia, already referred to in connection with circulatory diseases, is dis- tinguished by the production of abscesses in other situations. Wounds that have appeared to do well for a time may develop poisonous matter, and this, becoming absorbed into the general circulation, may produce a high degree of fever, commencing with a shivering fit (rigors) and recurring at intervals. The pulse is feeble and quick, the breathing hurried, appetite lost and excessive prostration, with muscular pain and frequent shifting of the weight from one limb to another. The visible membranes acquire a peculiar yellowish-red colour. The mouth is clammy and the tongue furred. Treatment consists in fortifying the animal with stimulants and tonics, such as brandy, whisky and quinine, large doses of the latter seeming to inhibit the powers of the bacteria. Vegetable bitters, as gentian and chiretta, are best calculated to repair appetite, and the animal's strength may be upheld by eggs and milk " bottled " down him like medicines. If an unhealthy wound is the cause, it must be well and frequently irri- gated with a disinfectant, such as a four or five per cent, carbolic wash, and covered in the intervals with boric wool, bandaged over. CHAPTER VII CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES RHEUMATISM. — If rheumatism were caused by exposure to inclement weather alone, we should meet with a great many cases in horses wintered in the fields, but such is seldom the case. More often, indeed, is this distressing malady developed in the old and stabled animal protected from the vicissitudes of the climate, but inhaling bad air and unable to rid himself of the effete material in his blood. Damp and ill-drained stables cont.ibute to the number of rheumatic victims, and debility from any cause, as well as hereditary predisposition, account for others. It has been observed that rheumatism is prone to attack convalescents from influenza and strangles, as also from pul- monary affections. remain permanently swollen in some cases. When the muscles of the loins are involved, all the symp- toms of lumbago are present and the patient has a difficulty in getting up from his bed, which he expresses first by reluctance to rise, and next by groaning when made to do so, and moving " all of a piece " when walking the first few steps. Intermittent attacks, which sxiddenly jump from one limb to another, have given rise to many peculiar situations between the owner and the veterinary practitioner. The writer has been one of three to be called a fool for diagnosing the lameness in the wrong limb, but the fact was simply this, that each veterinary surgeon, called in at different times, found the lameness in a different limb. Symptoms of rheumatism may be acute and amounting to rheumatic fever, as seen in men and dogs, or chronic and affecting the joints, or intermittent and strangely transient and movable, from one limb to another. With the febrile form there is usually some one joint or limb swollen, painful and wanting in mobility. A quick and irritable pulse and persistently high temperature, together with rapid respiration, loss of appetite, constipation, dry, hot skin and high coloured membranes, distinguish the acute or feverish attack from the chronic and the intermittent. Chronic rheumatism may follow on an acute attack and accounts for many of the enlarged joints one sees in horses in the streets of our towns. The sheaths of tendons also suffer, and Treatment of rheumatism, except of the chronic form, may be said to be more generally successful in horses than in men, but this may be accounted for, to some extent, by the doctor's orders being better observed, since the horse has none of those temptations to toast his friends in unsuitable drinks. Rheumatic fever is subdued by doses of half-an-ounce to an ounce of sahcylate cf sodium two or three times a day, and the tempei ature lowered and arterial pressure reduced by repeated saline doses, as ounces of bicarbonate of potassium and two to three ounces of sulphate of magnesium. By these means the fibrin in the blood is kept from depositing upon the valves of the heart, and leaving it inefficient when the rheumatic attack has passed away. It is the 527 528 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE discovery of salicine that has so greatly reduced the number of cases of valvular disease in man during the last generation ; those who had rheumatic fever two or three times almost certainly suffered from incurable heart disease for the remainder of their lives before this drug was employed. " Vets." were not slow to make use of it, and with the greatest benefit to the patient. Occasional or recurrent rheumatism partakes somewhat of the nature of gout, espe- cially that form of it which attacks tendons and their sheaths, and for this form the salicylates may be combined with colchicum, and an appeal made to the kidneys to carry ofi waste material by stimulating them with small doses of nitrate of potash and sulphate of magnesium. What is called a half-dose of physic — " physic " always meaning an aloetic purge in the language of the stable — is frequently given when a joint is in- flamed by rheumatism but the symptoms of con- stitutional fever are absent, and then a mild blister, or ammonia liniment, applied to the affected part. This appears to " draw out the poison," as the old farriers would say ; any- how, the practice is very successful and commonly resorted to. A good, dry, well-aired box should be given to the subject of rheumatism, whether of the acute or chronic type. Lymphangitis, Weed, "Monday Morning" Disease This is a constitutional illness with a local manifestation. The lymphatic glands and vessels of a limb or limbs, preferably one hind but occasionally the front legs, are suddenly attacked, more often during rest and, therefore, unobserved in the initial stage, when rigors or shivering might be looked for. The cart-horse is most prone to it, and those of heavy or lymphatic temperament among the lighter breeds. It is unknown among colts at grass, and seldom makes its appearance until horses have been for some time stabled and stimulated by high feeding. That it is due to some retention in the blood of waste material is probable, and its method of attack during periods of respite from work point in this direction. Its frequency in the draught stable after a Sunday in has led to the popular term of " Monday morn- ing leg." Symptoms. — On entering the stable, or asking the subject of this trouble to "get over" in the stall, the carter discovers a swelled leg and in- ability to obey the command, which, if insisted on, is carried out by jerking the leg high in the air and hopping over on the other. So painful is the movement in a bad case that the animal seems likely to fall over in making the attempt to get across the stall. Extremely tender to the touch, and hot and tense in the skin, the patient may be heard to groan when the suffering member is approached. The swelling is often well defined LYMPHANGITIS. and terminates above, as if a cord had been drawn tightly around the limb in a slanting direction. If the groin is examined, the glands will be found swollen, and in some severe cases a reddish fluid oozes through the skin. The thermometer shows an increase of two or three degrees of tempera- ture and the mouth gives the usual indications of a febrile state by a clammy tongue. More or less constipation accompanies the malady. Treatment. — In all but the old and debilitated, a bold aloetic purge is desirable, and while the ball is dissolving within, outward relief may be afforded by warm fomentations, a lotion of one part Goulard's extract and seven or eight parts of linseed oil, applied when the skin is again dry. A smear of extract of belladonna rubbed together in a mortar with glycerine and diluted with water will help to relieve the pain and tension of the skin. Doses of nitre, one to six drams, twice daily, may be given with ounce doses of salts. Of all diseases most benefited by diuretic medicines, this is perhaps the greatest, and their employment at intervals with a known subject of the malady may prove his salvation. CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES 529 An ounce of nitre, two ounces of sulphur, and three ounces of salts, may be considered a pre- ventive if given in a bran mash once a week. The abuse of diuretic medicine has elsewhere been referred to. Movement, so painful at first, reduces the swelling, and is to be recommended after the first two days, but when insisted on during the early period of the attack, appears to be prejudicial, as the swelling is stiii greater after a short rest. The loss of appetite is not to be regretted, as a low diet favours recovery, and a bundle of green-meat, or a couple of bran and linseed mashes, for the first two or three days will be sufficient. Nor should appetite be indulged when the patient again desires food, short commons being desirable until he is able to take a good deal of exercise or do light work, gradually resuming the ordinary fare. More or less thickening of the limb and depreciation of value is the result of a single attack and a still greater deformity after each succeeding one. It is a good plan to give the subjects of this disease a purge of aloes about three times a year and, when possible, a run at grass. Purpura Htemorrhagica, or Big-head This is another of the systemic or constitutional diseases which affect the entire body, the blood undergoing some change which results in rupture of small vessels and the production of spots and patches of blood in the skin ; this is best seen in the mucous membranes of the eye, the nose and the mouth. The red blood corpuscles break up as in the disease of red water in cattle, and are found by microscopic examination adhering together instead of in rouleaux or like heaped-up coins, which is usual in health. The white cells are in excess of their usual number, and often broken. The exact cause is not known, but it is probably due to some attack by a similar micro-organism to that which produces red water and pernicious anaemia, or "an organic ferment," which finds a favourable field in the blood of an animal after debilitating diseases, such as stran- gles, influenza and lung troubles. Its sudden appearance in apparently healthy and fat animals is unaccountable, but in their case it has been observed that the stables have a north aspect and are damp and ill-drained, from which the earlier observers were led to associate it with some form of malaria. The writer has, however, seen it on open forests where no such conditions apply, and it may, therefore, be conveyed by insect punctures, in like manner to red water, by ticks who are themselves infected, or act as purveyors, and even transmit it to their offspring. The symptoms are unmistakable when fully developed, but commence with swollen lips and drops of blood-stained fluid coming from the nostrils. The swelling extends until the head resembles that of a rhinoceros rather than that of a horse. It is this, of course, which gives the disease the popular name of big-head. Some- times the limbs, rather than the head, swell to enormous size, or the belly may appear dropsical. No mistake will be made as to the leg swellings, as they are very insensitive and unlike lymphan- gitis or "Monday morning leg." Blood-stained urine is a symptom in many cases, and there is always great prostration, more or less increased temperature and, if of long duration, patches of skin slough from the lips and heels. Treatment. — A roomy, light loose - box with plenty of good straw on top of a flour sprinkled with carbolic acid, or Sanitas sawdust, if there is no proper drain ; clothing and bandages to keep up surface warmth ; alcoholic stimulants ; eggs and milk beaten up, and all the succulent foods the animal can be induced to take. Medi- cines are very helpful if judiciously employed, and of these tincture of iron and turpentine, in doses of half-an-ounce of the former to one oimce of the latter, twice a day, in a little linseed oil, are recommended, the amount of oil to be regulated by the disposition to constipation or otherwise. There is no treatment so effectual as that of injecting into the windpipe, by means of a stout hypodermic syringe, a solution of four grains of iodine and eight grains of iodide of potassium in one ounce of water, once or even twice a day. Hasmoglobinuria, or "Hysteria" This disease was first observed iri mares, and the name of hysteria erroneously applied, and subsequently retained — which must serve as the reason for employing it here and because the proper name may not convey its meaning to some horse-keepers. It is a blood dyscrasia which attacks horses very suddenly that have to all appearance been perfectly well a few minutes before. The rested horse coming out I'f Ihe stable after a few days of good living and 530 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE idleness suddenly falls so " dead lame " as to make the man using him think the poor beast has broken a bone, or dislocated a joint, in a hind limb ; more or less general paralysis follows and very dark, coffee-coloured urine is passed. It is by testing this fluid that we know the real nature of the malady. Albumen exists in large proportion and broken-up red corpuscles. In some cases the animal cannot urinate and a catheter has to be used. Falling down and unable to rise, the horse suffering from a severe attack of this disease fights with his fore-limbs in a convulsive way and throws his head round to the side, as animals do when suffering the pains of colic. The visible membranes are intensely red; there is a full and rapid pulse and increased temperature. Treatment. — Prompt bleeding and a bold dose of aloes saves many a life. Slings should be improvised if proper ones are not available (they very seldom are to be got in emergencies of the kind). A large, warm bran poultice along the loins should be provided, such as a pillow-case or loose poke in which chaff is sent out, as this gives relief to pain and relaxes the cramped muscles. Further ease may be afforded by syring- ing warm water up the rectum from time to time, and when the aperient has acted the kidneys may be kept up to their best efforts by ounce doses of sweet spirit of nitre night and morning If muscular convulsions continue, an ounce dose of chloral in solution may be given as a draught. While the poultices are being renewed the loins should be well rubbed with soap liniment. A laxative diet, and that sparing in quantity, should be given. Recovery is facilitated by turning out to grass, but there often remains more or less loss of power and wasting of the muscles princi- pally concerned. CHAPTER VIII CONTAGIOUS DISEASES INFLUENZA . — This is a catarrhal disease of low type, and called in America " pink-eye," on account of the highly reddened conjunctival membrane which is a prominent symptom. It makes periodical visits to this country in the spring of the year, reappear- ing in autumn, and varying greatly in its intensity, and, like its congener in the human subject, dis- playing new symptoms, or attacking fresh organs, from time to time. Like the " flu " of human beings, also, it is chiefly dangerous when the early symptoms are neglected, and work continued, and from the after effects, or sequelae, when resumption of labour is undertaken too soon. Horse-keepers are agreed as to its infectivity, although it is not always conveyed by asso- ciation with diseased animals in the stable. Doubtless various degrees of resistance exist in different individuals, but a large stable in which an influenza case is introduced will almost certainly have a good many victims, and it is therefore desirable to isolate suspects without delay. Symptoms. — The great distinguishing symptom of influenza is the sudden and extreme prostration, which is not present in ordinary catarrh, or even more serious pulmonary troubles. The system seems to be suffering from shock. The tempera- ture rises, the appetite is bad, the pulse feeble and quick, the eyelids are swollen, and the con- junctival membrane intensely reddened ; tears run over the face, and sometimes, but not always, there is a running at the nose. Swellings of the head and limbs and muscular pains simulating rheumatism are often present, or the malady may affect th internal organs, attacking the liver and showing discoloured membranes, tinged yellow with bile, and hardened faeces, covered with shining mucus. A defluxion of mucus from the nose and general catarrhal symptoms are rather to be welcomed as affording a drain, for when these are absent the lungs may take on a form of pneumonia, ending in gangrene and death. Exaggerated accounts of the losses sus- tained have been published, and given rise to much unnecessary alarm. In America some seven per cent, of deaths appear to have occurred in the great outbreak of 1872, but this was owing to the general ignorance at that time concern- ing the malady, and the sending to work of animals only fit for the sick bay and the attentions of the veterinary surgeon. 532 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Treatment. — The essential thing is to place the subject of influenza in a comfortable, light, well- drained loose-box, with good straw to encourage repose, where he will have pure air but not be subjected to draughts. He should be clothed — a hood should not be forgotten — and bandaged. Keeping up surface warmth is the way to prevent internal congestions, and it is probably for this reason that so many horse-owners have acquired jreat faith in whisky and other forms of alcohol. Quinine and bitters — as gentian tincture, com- pound tincture of cardamoms, and quassia- -given two or three times a day, help to sustain the patient during' the early period of shock, and probably hasten recovery. Eggs beaten up with milk, and any demulcent foods the animal can be persuaded to take, should be offered, and in some cases horned down with the stimulant selected. Where any doubt exists as to the destination of whisky or other forms of alcohol, the owner may save his men from temptation by prescribing one to two ounces of spirit of nitrous ether, or aromatic spirit of ammonia, diluted with ten times its bulk of water. In those cases where the liver is affected, it may be desirable to give ounce doses of bicarbonate of potash, with two ounces of sulphate of magnesium, or other salines ; but the horse-owner should in all complicated cases obtain the assistance of a qualified veterinary surgeon. Contagious Pneumonia In confined spaces, as on horse-ships and in underground stables, a form of pneumonia breaks out which is extremely infectious and frequently fatal. It has been traced to an ovoid bacterium. The conditions most likely to contribute to recovery are too often unattainable — namely, pure fresh air and good nursing. ISIany horses died of this disease on the ships sent to South Africa, and as a sequel to influenza and strangles, which were rife during the Boer War. No specific can be found, and every effort must be made to sustain the animal's strength by stimu- lants, tonics, and suitable foods. No amateur would undertake its treatment if professional aid could be had. Glanders and Farcy Until comparatively recent years these diseases were not known to originate from a common cause, but were separately considered. Farcy is a local manifestation. It is now known that glanders and farcy are both due to the Bacillus mallei. If this organism is cultivated on boiled potatoes, or in sterilised serum, it can be com- municated to other animals. Much of the con- fusion of the past arose from the variable period of incubation and the apparent resistance of stable companions. It is also a fact that glanders may be conveyed to another horse and remain latent for a very long time. Animals, to all appearance perfectly healthy, are found when tested by mallein to react, or give evidence of the disease somewhere in the system, and such animals slaughtered and carefully examined after death, invariably prove to have lesions from which the bacillus can be obtained. An inoculated animal, generally " takes," and the period is so short in asses that they were formerly sacrificed as test animals before the discovery of mallein, subjects with " three legs and a swinger " being bought up for the purpose thirty years ago. In this country a horse suspected of glanders will be examined by experts as soon as notice of suspicion has been given to a constable, so that the poorest owner need not remain in doubt or have to pay for advice. But there are horse- owners in other parts of the world who will read these notes who may have to rely on their own skill and judgment to detect and eliminate infected cases, or disaster may not be averted. The svmptonis of glanders when advanced are not difiicult of recognition, and consist in ulcer- ation of the lining membrane of the nostrils, with discharge, more often from the left, but occasionally from both. It is an adhesive semi- transparent matter in the beginning, but later partakes more or less of the character of pus. Under the jaw of the discharging nostril will be felt an enlarged gland, popularly known as a " jug." The discharge may exist without the corresponding enlargement of the gland, or only a bluish and suspicious membrane may indicate the disease in connection with the glandular swelling. So variable are the symptoms in the less pronounced cases that no one should decide without either professional advice or after employ- ing the mallein test. The horse-owner thrown upon his own resources as to diagnosis of glanders should be specially warned to avoid an error, often made for lack of anatomical knowledge — namely, that of mistaking the opening of the CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 533 lachrymal duct on the floor of the nasal chamber for an xilcer. If the reader will examine the nostril of the first healthy horse he handles he will ne\-er forget its appearance, or fall into such a mistake. Glanders may be acute, and the sufferer in that case rapidly wastes away ; or it may be chronic, when he will not be a good thriver, but may continue to perform his work and be thought to have a chronic cold or nasal gleet {see Catarrh, page 473 ; also Nasal Gleet, page 474), and these are the dangerous subjects which pass on the disease from place to place. Farcy shows itself most commonly in swelling of the lymphatic vessels of the skin, in which the limb participates, and so-called " farcy buds " form and break. These " buds " in the skin are of the same nature as the ulcers upon the membrane in the better defined forms of glanders already mentioned. Much confusion has arisen with regard to farcy, as the old-time farriers called lymphangitis "water farcy," and some of them failed to distinguish between true farcy and this inflammatory oedema, which is dealt with in another place and called, among other names, " Monday morning leg " (page 528). The same practitioners in coaching days saw but little connection between farcy and glanders, although recognising the fact that glanders often followed, in the same way that we now recognise many diseases invading a constitution already debilitated and ultra-susceptible. References will be seen in many parts of this work to sequelas of strangles and influenza, which are not symptoms, or even aftermaths, of those specific diseases, but whose germs find prepared soil in the weak- ened animal. It was thus that the old prac- titioners regarded glanders when it followed on farcy. Their success in controlling both farcy and chronic glanders also hindered them from a true perception of the fact that farcy and glanders are one. Glandered and farcied teams were kept on the road by administration of mineral tonics, which for a time have a powerful influence upon the lymphatics, and even appear to effect a cure, but these practices are now done with, and no one is allowed to treat, but must declare the presence of either form of the disease, whether glanders or farcy, and we need not occupy further space beyond such as will enable us to deal with the mallein test. The Mallein Test for Glanders. — In a broth, with five per cent, of glycerine, the bacillus of 68 glanders (Bacillus mallei) is cultivated at a temper- ature of 100 deg. F. for three to six weeks, then sterilised by steam, and filtered through unglazed earthenware, in order to separate the bacilli. Only their products remain in the pale sherry- coloured fluid, but the effect of injecting them into the blood of a horse already glandered is such as to raise the temperature and produce a swelling around the puncture, with characteristic lines leading out from the diffused tumefaction. It must be seen to appreciate its exact meaning, but there is all the difference between an ordinary little puff or lump such as would follow a prick from an unclean needle, and the typical enlarge- ment which follows on mallein injection. Ordin- arily a needle puncture from a sterilised hypo- dermic syringe will show no mark a dozen hours afterwards, and if sterilised water or other inno- cuous fluid is injected, it will have disappeared twenty or thirty hours later — probably very much Sooner ; but a mallein swelling persists and in- creases for a varying period of twenty to forty hours before gradually diminishing. The type of swelling, taken together with a rise of temperature of two or more degrees, enables the operator to decide whether or no the animal is a subject of latent glanders. It may be here stated that there is no comparison between the tuberculin test for cattle and the mallein test for horses. Many beasts give a doubtful reaction, or fail to indicate the true condition, but mallein is so nearly certain that veterinary surgeons advise slaughter of valuable animals on its evidence. It is most desirable that the animal's temperature should be taken two or three times before testing, and that he should be free from other disease ; but mallein is so reliable that the characteristic reaction can only be induced when glanders is in the system. Trials have been made with the subjects of pleurisy, nasal catarrh, and gleet, without producing the typical swelling. Strangles An infectious disease of horses, chiefly affecting the young, and characterised by symptoms of fever, discharge from the nose, sore throat, cough, and a swelling of the glands and tissues under the jaw, commonly resulting in abscess. Two- and three-year-olds are particularly susceptible, and in some seasons the disease is very infectious. In infectivity it varies so much that some doubt was entertained at one time as to its transmissi- 534 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE bility at all, but this has been settled by Schutz's discovery of a streptococcus which, when culti- vated, produces strangles in inoculated horses. Horses, asses, and mules are all subject to strangles, and the disease may occur in colts a few weeks old, or in aged horses, when it is called bastard strangles, and does not often take so acute a course as in the youngster at grass, with the additional trouble of changing his teeth. During the formation of pus under the jaw the animal is often very ill, a high temperature depriving him of appetite, if he is not prevented from eat- ing by the pain and pressure against the floor of the mouth. The colt pokes his head out to relieve the tension, and unless relieved stands for hours together in an attitude of tame resigna- tion to fate. The abscess ripens in time, points, and breaks ; a large quantity of pus escaping and affording immediate relief, after which recovery is the rule and in a comparatively short time. So rapidly do colts put on fiesh after strangles that horse- breeders may be heard to say that it does them good to have the malady. There are exceptions to this rule, and it sometimes happens that pus gets into the circulation and causes pyemia (see page 517), Icr.ding to other abscesses in distant parts, and occasionally in the brain (see Staggers and Mad Staggers, page 493). Blood diseases, and purpura haemorrhagica, may follow on strangles which for a short time leaves the animal highly susceptible to many constitutional diseases. Treatment. — The disease has to run its course, and good healthful surroundings are the chief matters to be attended to. There can be no doubt, liowever, that efficient poulticing cuts short the period of pain and inability to eat, and thereby saves some of the subsequent prostration, as the abscess will ripen, and may be lanced much sooner for such treatment. The abscess of strangles, although due to a specific disease, runs the same course as other abscesses, and it may be worth while here to say that premature lancing of such swellings is worse treatment tlian non-interference. Abscesses " point " or show more prominence at one place than over the general swelling, and if felt at this part are found to have wasted the skin underneath, and yield to pressure, the matter fluctuating under such pressure. Here it is that the lancet may be judiciously pUmged. The operator should be bold, and do all that is required at one stroke, thereby causing less pain, effectually letting out the matter, and leaving the least possible blemish afterwards. Syringing out the cavity left with a weak carbolic lotion favours recovery, but the continuance of poultices is not desirable. If flies are about it is better to smear the parts with an ointment composed of one part Stock- holm tar and three parts lard. Colts recovering from strangles profit by iron and gentian, given as a powder in the food, previously made damp Anthrax This disease is unfortunately of greater frequency in this country than formerly, and may be attri- buted to the importation of hides from the Persian Gulf and from South American countries, where it is prevalent and ineradicable. It is due to a specific organism (Bacillus anthracis), which may be conveyed in forage as well as in animal pro- ducts. It comes on very suddenly, the animal showing the ordinary symptoms of fever, quick breathing, high temperature, rapid pulse, a staggering gait, and sometimes colicky pains, swelling of the throat, and, later, of the chest, and breaking out into a sweat. Death takes place in a few hours. ne\er extending over thirty, and oftener in less than half that time. No treatment is of use, and our efforts must be directed entirely to prevention. In outbreaks of anthrax a very thorough investigation should be made of all possible sources of infection, and if foreign corn or hay has been purchased samples should be examined microscopically and inoculations made of guinea-pigs and rabbits, for which a vi\-isection licence is necessary. An affected animal should be immediately removed, and the carcase burned or deeply buried in quick- lime, but this must not be done in England without notice to the police, who undertake to see that the various regulations are carried out. The animal must not be skinned, but buried whole — a very wise precaution, as it prevents the infected blood from being spilled, and the risk of human infection if the skinner happens to get a scratch, anthrax being extremely infectious to human beings and frequently fatal. Horse-Pox An eruptive disease, occurring about the pas- terns, and sometimes upon the nose and lips, CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 535 and characterised by the formation of vesicles, or little bladders, which soon break and coalesce, forming a serous scab. It is a comparatively benign disease and of rare occurrence. Its interest to the pathologist consists in its relation to cow- pox, human small-pox, and the vaccine disease intentionally induced as a preventive of small- pox. It was asserted bj- some of the early opponents of vaccination that the virus employed by Jcnner was from the horse-pox, and by others that it was from the greasy heels of horses suflering from the malady known as grease. It is still thought by some that inoculation with horse-pox gives immunity to man from small-pox. Rabies Rabies, miscalled hydrophobia in animals, is occasionally met with in horses as the result of a bite by a rabid dog. So far as Britain is con- cerned we may say it is no longer met with, for, thanks to Mr. Long's ability to bear abuse and persist in the muzzling order, rabies has been stamped out in this country. The symptoms in the horse are those of nervous irritability, biting the manger, or other objects within reach, and sometimes attacking the attendant ; swallowing pieces of wood, or bones, and anything lying around ; perhaps biting the skin where inoculation took place ; great thirst (the dread of water or the sound of it is peculiar to man suffering from hydrophobia) ; muscular spasms, resulting in a fall, have been observed in a rabid horse when making an attempt to bite a whip held out towards it. After remaining on the ground a few minutes the spasm passes off, and the animal gets up apparently recovered from the fit. The recurrence of spasms of the throat and neck ulti- mately cause death, or general paralysis may supervene before the end comes. Horses with rabies have been known to live a week, but four days or less is more common. As the disease must prove fatal the right thing to do is to shoot the sufferer as soon as diagnosis is confirmed. Tetanus, or Lock-Jaw The frequency of spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the jaw and inability to open the mouth to any extent gave this disease the name of lock-jaw, or locked jaw, and it was known to follow wounds, especially the punctured variety. and such as occurred about the feet (see Wounds, Chapter XVI.), and a variety of theories were entertained. We now know, however, that it is due to the entry into the tissues of a micro-organism, the Bacillus tetani. Idiopathic or self-developed tetanus was believed in, as there are cases in which it is weli-nigh impossible to trace to some tiny prick or abrasion an entrance gate, but medical authorities are agreed that without the organism tetanus is not produced. The organism belongs to the class of anajrobic bacilli, or such as cannot grow in the air, a fact of some import- ance in the treatment of wounds, as will be seen later. In those cases where, after the minutest examination, it is impossible to find a wound or puncture, it may be conjectured that the bacillus has been taken in the food, and found its way into the blood, as do other malignant germs — and as tubercle is now chiefly believed to gain access — but of this we have no positive proof. The writer remembers a little boy of the street- arab type who died of tetanus, and no wound or abrasion could be found until one of the surgeons scraped off some thick skin on the boy's heel, underneath which was found one tiny drop of matter, and in that matter the specific organism. How much easier, then, for a thorn-prick to escape our observation in the hair-covered horse ! It is notable that the bacillus, when it has entered a wound, does not invade the whole animal, but locates itself in the bottom layers of the wound. This has a particular bearing on broken knees, from which tetanus is more often developed than from other wounds, save those of the feet, and the discovery of this fact has led to the more thorough irrigation of wounds of the knees with disinfectants ; indeed, horses have been saved after tetanus has manifested itself by probing down to the bottom of the wound and removing the surface granulations and dis- charges, and destroying the bacilli in their home. It is not the organisms themselves that cause tetanus, but their products. Svmpioms. — Professor Axe, in his standard work on the horse, says that these are observable " from ten to si.xteen days after the introduction of the infectious material." but the writer has seen it follow on pricks caused in shoeing, and in bulls, after castration, in five daj'S. There is a peculiar stiffness in the muscles of the head and neck, and a difficulty in taking hold of food, and the legs are drawn nearer to each other under 536 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the body. The tail is cocked or held on one side (this symptom is often noticed before the others), and the drawing back of the eye into its socket, which causes the haw to protrude, or run along the front of the globe, like that of a sleepy parrot or a sick cat. This is a common symptom of debility in felines and birds, but it is not per- formed in the spasmodic or jerky manner of tetanus. The appetite often remains, and eager attempts are made to take food until the advanced stages, when the whole muscular system is in- volved, and the entry of a person into the stable may prove sufficiently exciting to throw the animal into a fit, during which he falls upon the ground. The excited breathing and dilated nostrils add to the appearance of anguish, and many a humane man has prescribed a bullet without waiting for further developments. Death generally results in a week, but a sufficient number of cases recover to make it worth while to use means. Some lapse into a somewhat chronic condition and gradually recover, while still sub- ject to spasms of lesser violence. Treatment. — Perfect quiet should be maintained, the animal being placed in a roomy box, of which the attendant alone has the key, and he should only make absolutely necessary visits. Slings may be desirable in selected cases, but some horses are made worse by feeling themselves restrained. Soft foods, as gruel and green-meat chaffed, carrots and other " roots " can often be eaten, as the mouth in the majority of cases is not shut like a vice, but with difficulty opened a short distance ; moreover, horses soon learn to suck up sloppy foods as pigs do. Water should be kept near the patient in a position most easy of access. The body should be clothed and the limbs bandaged, but here, again, some horses are annoyed by bandages when not accustomed to them, and in such case they should not be employed. An anti-tetanus serum has been employed with doubtful success. The time to use it is before the disease is manifest, and it is of doubtful utility afterwards. Large doses of sedative medicine, as chloral and morphia, have a controlling influence, if they can be administered without provoking more excitement than they allay. They are most easily digested in the form of suppositories, introduced into the rectum. A large proportion of deaths may be looked for, despite the best of medical treatment and nursing. Stomatitis Pustulosa Contagiosa This long name is given to a disease which has no popular one. It is a specific infectious fever, characterised by an eruption in the mouth, on the lips, and sometimes the face and more dis- tant parts of the skin. The period of incubation is about three days, and its duration from ten to twelve days. The young are most susceptible. Infected food and stable utensils are the means of propagation. Immunity from a second attack lasts an uncertain time. Much inconvenience is experienced, but it is seldom a fatal disease. Symptoms. — Slight elevation of temperature, but no very marked fever, or greatly increased number of the pulse-beats. In a day or two the mouth is observed to be sore, a sticky saliva comes from it when feeding, and there is more or less difficulty in grinding the food. The bright red colour of the membrane of the mouth is inter- spersed with little pimples, these occurring on the inner surface of the lips, the tongue, and the gums, often in the order we have stated, or they may appear simultaneously, and extend to the skin around the angles of the jaw and upon the muzzle. The pimples have a character of their own, whetlier in clusters or scattered about the membrane and skin ; each fills with matter, breaks, and leaves a sharply defined ulcer. When these extend to the inside of the nostril they must not be mistaken for the ulcers of glanders (see Gl.\nders, page 532). Treatment consists in the provision of soft foods, as bran mashes and roots, scalded hay, etc., and small doses of nitrate of potash in the drinking water. An ounce of bicarbonate of potassium daily, dissolved and mixed with food, is also recommended, and topical applications of chlorate of potash and alum as a weak lotion. If the ulcers prove languid they may be touched up with a crystal of alum, which soon promotes repair. Separation of the affected animals is important to remember, and the disinfection of mangers and buckets used by them. Dourinc, or Maladk da Coit This infectious disease is of such rare occur- rence as to call for no special notice beyond a warning to see that brood mares are not placed in danger of infection, and immediately to cancel any engagements by a stallion suffering from it. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 537 It does great damage on the Continent of Europe, but genuine cases of it in Britain can hardly be said to have occurred. The better sanitary regu- lations instituted abroad during the last few decades have nearly done away with a disease which is a disgrace to any country. South African Horse Sickness C'f the infectious nature of this disease there can be no doubt, or of the grave losses it causes in what may be regarded as its home. Quite a staff of veter- inary surgeons are employed in investigations on the spot, and a protective serum will no doubt in time be obtained ; indeed, claims have been made that such a " vaccine " has already been discovered. Injections of iodine into the trachea appear to succeed in some cases. So generally fatal is tlie malady that a horse that has had it and become immune is known as a " salted " one, and his value is very greatly enhanced, especially in the districts most subject to the disease. Epizootic Lymphangitis This is another of the South African infectious maladies which militate against the prosperity of the sub-continent, and after the Boer War some infected subjects were brought home. Isolated cases appeared from time to time, but it is now thought to have been stamped out by the measures instituted by the Board of Agri- culture. Any sort of wound or abrasion over which an infected brush may be used will be sufficient to induce the disease. A large number of veterinary surgeons have never seen it, and it must not be expected, therefore, that the amateur in horse doctoring will recognise it. It is very unlikely that he will be troubled by it. If any- one is unfortunate enough to have a suspected case lie should report it to the nearest police officer. CHAPTER IX DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS PHYMOSIS. — The day after birth this trouble is discovered in foals, from a very simple cause that is easily remedied. The inability to extrude the penis and pass urine is due to the folding back of the organ within the sheath, and all that is necessary is to introduce an oiled finger and release it. If not soon detected the young creature suffers from distension of the bladder, and postures as if to urinate, but fails to do so. Any difficulty of the kind should be promptly attended to, or it may prove fatal. The colt must be caught and thrown upon his side in order to carry out the instructions above given. Swelling of the part often seriously hinders an operation which we have described as simple if undertaken early. Phymosis in adults is caused by injuries in jump- ing, by kicks from other animals, by gores from bullocks at pasture, and as a sequel to castration^ when great swelling follows and insufficient attention has been given to the cleansing of the sheath and lubrication of the penis with lard or other unguent. The gelding is much more liable to this trouble than the entire horse, as pushing up more and more lard or vaseline to the sheath does not grow to the same extent after further soften what remains. If by this means emasculation, and the secretion of unctuous the animal is able to urinate freely, the operation matter, intended to facilitate the use of the may be completed next day by syringing out 538 organ in copulation, is altered in character in the gelding, often accumulating as a dark, thick, waxy substance, and at times proving irritating when it should be the reverse. This matter, which is vulgarly called " cod wax," and employed to fill up sandcracks and other defects of the hoof by horse-copers, occasionally causes phymosis, and the animal is observed to straddle and make frequent ineffectual attempts to pass urine. At grass, horses are sometimes stung by wasps or bees, and such swelling follows in the loose tissues of the sheath that phymosis results. Stones lodged in the canal, low down, may also give rise to this condition. In all there is the symptom of swelling, which can scarcely fail to attract attention, and this usually precedes any serious difficulty in micturition. Treatmejit may be commenced by warm fomenta- tions, and followed by free inunction of lard to the skin outside. A greased hand should be introduced into the sheath, and the accumula- tions of sebaceous material patiently removed. DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 539 with neutral soap and abundance of warm \vatcr, and finally introducing a little more lard, free of salt. It may be necessary to do this two or three times in a year in individual cases, but usually the trouble does not recur for a long time — perhaps not at all. Paraphymosis Inability to retract the penis when unsheathed is known as paraphymosis, and occurs as a result of debility, old age, swelling of the glans penis, the descent of calculi {see Calculi, page 501), paralysis, and inflammation resulting from sexual relations in stallions. The symptoms are unmis- takable and often alarming, as the swelling attains to the size of a man's head, and even larger. The inflamed state of the organ, unless quickly relieved, is a cause of great pain, and from a red it passes to a purple colour, and mortification may follow strangulation. In the chronic para- phymosis of paralysis the enlargement is com- paratively slight and unaccompanied by pain. Treatment. — If from debility, good food and mineral tonics, as iron and nux vomica, but in every case efforts should be made to return the organ after careful lubrication and the removal of accumulations as recommended in connection with the opposite condition of phymosis. When returned, cold evaporating lotions assist in con- tracting the lax tissues. In severe cases the organ cannot be returned without previous re- duction by scarification, or the making of numerous lancet punctures, whereby a quantity of serum and a little blood is withdrawn, and reposition favoured. A broad suspensory bandage passed under the sheath and over the back, supporting the weight of the swelled organ, will do much to relieve the strained vessels and restore circu- lation. E.xercise favours absorption and better circulation, but must be given with judgment, not forcing an animal with swinging and heavy penis to injure it by further strain. Morbid growths must be operated upon and removed, and calculi extracted or cut down upon. CEdema of the Sheath Great swelling of the sheath often takes place without any serious interference with urination, or resultant paraphymosis or phymosis. It is a simple infiltration of the watery constituents of the blood into the loose tissues which constitute this part of the animal. A local form of dropsy, and of common occurrence in heavy draught horses when standing idle. It may be a sign of age, of debility, of exhausting disease, of heart failure, or imperfect action of the liver, of accidental injury, of the accumulation of wax (see Phymosis, page 538), or poverty and bad hving. Treatment. — Exercise usually clears it up in the simpler cases, but in others it persists. Cleans- ing with soap and warm water and generous and repeated lubrications with vaseline or lard are advised, and the administration of mineral tonics, together with diuretics. A ball, consisting of two drams of Venice turpentine, two drams of soap, two drams of nitre, a dram of sulphate of iron, and enough powdered gentian to make the bolus, is a very useful one for cases of the kind, or flowers of sulphur, and nitre and sulphate of magnesium, may be given in a bran mash, where the attendant is not expert in giving a ball. Paralysis of the Penis The causes are often difficult to ascertain, and treatment of little avail. If recovery does not take place spontaneously, it is usually best to amputate such a portion as may suit the particular case, leaving enough for micturition without the risk of scalding the sheath, which will follow if the penis is too much shortened. The operation is quite commonly successful. Orchitis or Inflammation of the Testicles The average horse-owner is not likely to be troubled with cases of this kind, but those who breed horses, or keep entire animals, should know how to give first aid when injuries by the kicks of mares or bruising during the leap, or in other ways, sets up an inflammatory condition of the essential organs of reproduction in the horse. The symptoms are those of febrile disturbance and pain, straddling gait, and tenderness over the loins with swelling of the organs, and tense shining skin of the scrotum. Abscesses may form when the injury is severe, or sloughing of a testicle and portion of the scrotum. Treatment is directed to reducing the temperature, by salines internally, fomentations and poultices of the parts inflamed, affording support by cotton wool and bandages, and antiseptic lotions where the 540 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE skin is broken. Unless these measures succeed it may be necessary to castrate the animal in order to save his life. As entire horses are of great value for breeding purposes, this will only be entertained as un dernier ressort. DISEASES OF THE FEMALE ORGANS OF REPRODUCTION Flooding, or Uterine Haemorrhage This accident follows on premature labours or abortions ; after difficult parturitions, in which diate measures to cope with it. The womb cannot contract while the placental membranes, or after- birth, are retained, and we must depart from the usual rule of non-interference where bleeding is evident, and seek, with a hand dressed with carbolised oil or other suitable antiseptic, to remove it by gentle traction, making sure that none is left behind. The removal of the placental membranes often secures the desired result, and bleeding ceases. It may be necessary to inject cold water, or water hotter than is usual for other purposes — both have a styptic influence. We THE ORGANS OF GENERATION OF A MARE. PARTLY LAID OPEN". B. Vulva. C. Vagina. D. Os utsri. E. Uterus. F. Left horn of uterus. G. Right horn of uterus. H. Fallopian tube. I. Ovary. K. Kidney. L. Ureter. M. Bladder. N. Urethra. forceful delivery has been accomplished by the accoucheur, and probably in some cases from weakness or thinness of the uterine walls, as it occasionally follows on perfectly natural deliveries, and with no known cause of strain or excitement. The appearance of blood from the vulva is com- monly preceded by cold shivering fits and trem- bling, pallor of the visible membranes of the eye and nostril, small quick pulse, and the symptoms described under haemorrhage (see page 475). A large amount of blood may be loose in the cavity of the uterus before it overflows from the vulva, and inexperienced persons may not suspect the true state of affairs. They should be warned, then, that any of the signs of weakness and trembling alluded to may mean haemorrhage, and take imme- arc, however, confronted with a choice of evils. If we allow Nature to arrest haemorrhage by the formation of clots, we leave a seed bed for the multiplication of septic germs, which frequently cause the death of the mare. If we continue to wash out the uterus with antiseptics we retard closure of the bleeding vessels. Of the two evils we choose the latter as being the least, but employ such substances as tannic acid and glycerine, or tincture of iron diluted with water, or weak vinegar and water, and hold up the mare by giving alcoholic stimulants. The extract of witch haze] is a good remedy for this purpose. The adminis- tration of ergot, so effectual in human flooding, is practically useless in mares, the drug being inert in this connection. DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 541 Inflammation of the Womb (Metritis) Following on difficult labours, and often without any obvious cause, inflammation of the womb occurs in mares. Acute, sub-acute, and chronic forms of this disease are recognised. All may- be going well with mare and foal, and the usual affectionate relations established, until the end of the second day, when a shivering fit and staring coat is followed by loss of milk, small and irritable pulse, and increased temperature. Reddened membranes, pasty tongue, cold legs, and whisking of the tail indicate inflammation and some degree of pain. Some mares strike at the belly with a hind foot, as in colic {see Colic, page 496), are lame from muscular cramps, and indisposed to lie down, or fear to do so. The distension of the uterus with a thin yellow or reddish discharge may be felt in the flank, and seen to overflow from the passage. The labise are often tumefied in sympathy, or the swelling of the external genitals may have been caused in delivering the foal. The peritoneum is often infected (metro-peritonitis), with the result of abdominal distension, and roundness. Fever in the feet (laminitis) may supervene, when there is usually some relief caused by the diversion {see Peritonitis, Pleurisy, etc., page 484). If the acute form does not cause the death of the mare, a modification of the symptoms follows, and the malady persists in the sub-acute form, or becomes chronic, when the discharge continues, and there is no return of milk. Wasting and debility and false appearances of oestrum characterise this condition of the Treatment. — .Much may be done by copious injections of antiseptics, combined with emollients and anodynes, as two or three per cent, of pure carbolic acid, with four or five per cent, of glycerine, and two per cent, of aqueous extract of opium, or the extract of belladonna rubbed down and mixed with the water, at a little above the temperature of the body. Nutritious but laxative foods should be given, and constipation guarded against by mixing linseed oil with mashes. Vaginitis, or Inflammation of Vagina This commonly occurs in association with metritis, last described, but may be independent of it, and caused by difficulties in delivery, such as pressure long continued, and injudicious pull- ing at the foetus during a dry labour. If the 69 membrane is wounded by the finger-nails, by the use of ropes or instruments, blood-poisoning may ensue. The symptoms are swelling about the orifice, the membrane showing red, constipation, fever- ishness, and groaning after passing water. The discharge becomes more like pus, and less like ordinary vaginal mucus, about the third day. This matter is apt to excoriate the skin, and cause the hair to come out, which should be guarded against by the use of a simple unguent. Treatment. — The exposed parts may be care- fully sponged with a soothing antiseptic, as car- bolic acid and glycerine, diluted with water, and the interior treated by syringing, but great care is necessary in introducing the nozzle of the instrument to avoid hurting so sensitive a mem- brane when inflamed. In the simpler cases, recovery soon takes place, but in others patches of membrane slough away, or ulcers form, blood- poisoning ensues, or a chronic discharge known as " whites " remains. Ulcerated conditions are best treated by solutions of alum, which are most efl^ective where mucous membranes are concerned, whether of the mouth or genital apparatus. Leucorrhoea, or "Whites" A chronic discharge from the vagina varying in consistence and odour. It may be quite a simple and inoffensive but viscid matter, or par- take of the foetid and purulent character of decom- posing animal substances. As a result of par- turition difficulties, it has already been referred to, but in many debilitated old mares it is seen without any such previous history. A course of mineral tonics, as sulphates of iron and copper, together with quinine and gentian, will be found efficacious in many instances, and this treat- ment should be accompanied by daily syringing with some astringent, or a change of astringents, as three per cent, of alum in water for a week, then a similar solution of iron, of sulphate of zinc, and of carbolic acid. Occasionally chronic cases will yield to a mixture of the three sul- phates, when they have failed singly. Good sound oats and hay, bran mashes and linseed, a comfortable home, and no more than moderate work, facilitate recovery, but despite all remedies a few cases persist, and only daily attention will 542 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE keep the subject presentable in the pubhc thorough- fares. Mammitis Inflammation of the udder is a serious matter, as it so frequently results in loss of the foal and permanent damage to the lacteal glands, which will interfere with the career of the animal as a brood mare. Over-distension with milk, chills from east winds, lying upon cold ground, standing SECTION OF A "QU.^RTER" OF A MARE'S UDDER. in draughts, impervious teats, fear, and excite- ment, are among the causes, and possibly also obstructions in the great veins. Symptoms of inflamed udder are shown in swel- ling, heat, extreme tenderness, a shining skin, fever, and loss of appetite. Before these are observed the probability is that the owner's attention has been called to the dam's unwilling- ness to allow the foal to suck. The manner of foals is to bunt the udder to make the milk flow, and this action is extremely painful in mares with any degree of inflammation of the gland. Some ticklish mares kill their foals when so approached, and the breeder of horses will at this critical period be watchful while there is any doubt of the mare's regard for her offspring. As to removal of the foal, much will depend upon circumstances. If the udder is merely over- stocked or congested, or the teat does not draw properly, the foal may be our most valuable assistant, if protected from injury by the dam, while sucking the hardened organ. Nor is the foal very likely to suffer by taking a small amount of imperfectly formed milk Fomentation of the udder, and the inunction of camphorated oil and simple ointments, as spermaceti or marsh mallow, relieve the tension and help to restore function, and we can draw off the milk or degraded products of the bag with finger and thumb. Attention to the above details will restore the majority of indurated udders, but there are others in which an abscess will form, or death of "a quarter," as each separate compartment of the udder is called. It is a " quarter " in a cow, but in a mare it is " half." It is possible to retain the function of one side or half of the udder, although an abscess is forming in the corresponding por- tion, as they are quite separate compart- mcnts. If abscess is present it should be poulticed and fo- mented to encourage a " point," or thin place, where it may be lanced when ripe, the matter allowed to escape, and the cavity syringed out with a disinfectant solution, after which it rapidly heals up, but is rarely of further service for milk production, and only in exceptional circumstances will the risk be taken of putting such a mare to horse again. In addition to the local measures already advised, cooling salines, or even a purgative dose of aloes, may be deemed desirable. The teat siphon, so useful in cows, is not easy of employment in marcs, owing to the small size of the canals, but in Shires, and others of the larger breeds, it may sometimes be used with advantage. Parturient Fever This disease is caused by the absorption into the circulation of septic organisms in connection with the diseases already considered (which see). It is ushered in by rigors, or shivering fits, and a rise of temperature, loss of appetite, suspended milk secretion, decreased size of the udder, shallow respiration, pasty mouth, and coldness of the ears and legs, or variability in their temperature. DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 543 Abdominal pain is shown by striking at the belly, looking round at the flank, whisking the tail, and the expulsive efforts which accompany the extrusion of the foetal envelopes. Swelling of the vulva and a variable discharge, pale yellow to chocolate in colour, arching of the back, and evident cramping pains in the hind limbs, are present in most cases. The mare usually suc- cumbs inside a week. The prospects of recovery largely depend upon the industry and intelligence of the nurse, in repeatedly irrigating the womb with warm dilute antiseptics. Large doses of quinine and alcohol have an inhibiting effect upon the septic germs. Breeders are advised to use every precaution to prevent this disease, by attention to detail, and removal of all causes, particularly to the antiseptic dressing of any abrasions of the genital canal incurred in delivery. Inversion of the Uterus During the straining efforts of foaling, the attachments of the uterus sometimes give way, and the birth of the foal is followed by eversion of the womb. It is an alarming accident, and the great volume of the viscus makes it somewhat difficult to deal with, and extremely liable to injury and septic invasion before it is possible to repose it ; moreover, the prospects of obtain- ing professional assistance in time are rather remote, and for this reason the owner should be able to afford first aid, while an urgent message is despatched to the veterinary surgeon stating the nature of the call. First the mare should be restrained from movements which may injure the exposed parts. A clean sheet should be obtained, and also some disinfectant and tepid water. Three or more men should be pressed into the service. One to the head and another at the side ; one on either side of the rump sup- porting the viscus in the sheet while it is care- fully sponged clear of any gathered straws or rubbish, and repeatedly moistened with the weak solution. Any of the recognised disinfectant fluids will do, but care must be taken to use them in the proportions recommended by the makers. If professional aid is soon forthcoming, it may be as well for the men to sustain the burden until more expert hands are ready to replace the uterus. If not, the womb should be held well up while the operator endeavours with both hands to return it by a continuous but gentle pressure, never yielding to the throes of the patient, only ceasing for the moment to push against them. Needless to say, his hands v.-ill have been soaked in the disinfectant, or, better still, in carbolised oil, which will aid in the lubri- cation of the parts. The great obstacle to the return of the womb is its weight, and the necessity will be seen for the support by the sheet, which will enable a handy man to get back the viscus by steady pressure. Those who have had experi- ence of this task will agree that it is not so difficult to replace it as to retain it in position. The oiled hand should be allowed to remain a few minutes after all is put back, and one of the men should squeeze the mare over the withers with his hand. In the absence of a proper clamp, large sutures may be passed through the lips of the vagina, taking plenty of hold so that the risk of tearing out is lessened. When this accident occurs in the absence of the attendant, it may be found so swollen that return is impossible without a few lancet punctures to let out the accumulated fluid. An ounce of chlorodyne or two ounces of laudanum may be given in water, and the animal should be made to stand lower in front than behind, and be watched for a few hours and pre- vented from straining by pressure over the withers, and, if need be, by a second dose of the anodyne. If the membranes have not been injured by the operator's finger-nails, or by contact with walls or floor, there is a fair chance of recovery, but metritis or parturient fever is liable to follow. In attempting the delivery of foals, and on all occasions when the hand has to be introduced into any of the passages, care should be taken to wash and trim the finger-nails — an operation particularly necessary with men accustomed to manual labour and having hard and insensitive hands and strong nails. Diseases of the Ovary Many mares which prove sterile are the sub- jects of ovarian cyst and show false symptoms of oestrum at irregular intervals. In some, faults of temper follow, and it becomes necessary to operate for the removal of the growth. It is attended with some risk, but may be the only means of renderincr the animal of service. CHAPTER X DISEASES OF THE EYE THE veterinary surgeon may be so expert in the examination of the eye as to detect very slight departures from the normal and the perfect, but he cannot correct astigmatism, myopia, or presbyopia, by prescribing suitable spectacles for any of the lower animals. Defects of vision are scarcely less important in horses than in men, and it is therefore advisable that we should reject a horse offered us if any imperfection is visible, or by any means discoverable. The most careful examination often fails to discover the reason for shying, and, on the other hand, serious lesions, as cataract, may exist without the animal indulging in this dangerous practice. External injuries to the eye and its appendages are the most frequent troubles, and it may here be said that nails in the stable walls should on no account be allowed. The horse's focus is much longer than ours, and a large animal turning in a narrow stall may fail to see such an object as a ru'sty nail, although quite apparent to the man in charge. Torn or Lacerated Eyelids Since the advent of cocaine, injuries to the eye and its appendages are more easily dealt with, as a horse with a torn lid or a hay-seed in the eye is almost unapproachable for purposes of surgery or medication. With a five per cent, solution of this drug, one may syringe the injured member, and in a few minutes handle the parts, no twitch or other means of restraint equalling it in efficiency. With injuries to the eye, as with other wounds, the early employment of antiseptics is important, and the organ should be irrigated with a weak solution of chinosol or boracic acid, or pure carbolic acid, one or two per cent. ; the resinous coal-tar preparations are less suitable than for wounds in the fiesh (see Wounds, page 577). Having bathed a lacerated eyelid, the amateur in surgery will be tempted to cut away ragged or hanging portions. This must on no account be done. Every atom of skin should be conserved, and many fine stitches or sutures employed to make a neat "tailor-like " job of it. It is a matter of surprise, even to the young surgeon, how Nature will utilise every fragment of skin that is not utterly deprived of life, and " piece-up " a terribly torn lid, so that scarcely a pucker finally remains when it has healed. When by sutures a neat repair has been made, the operator will take care to protect the eye by a pad of lint soaked in such a simple antiseptic as boric acid, and softened by the addition of five per cent, of glycerine, or employ a very dilute carbolic oil, and over the pad 544 DISEASES OF THE EYE 545 contrive a light bandage attached to a head collar. Renewal from time to time, and careful sponging away of accumulated matter, should be practised, lca^■ing the sutures in as long as possible, although slight suppuration is caused. When union appears to ha^■e taken place, these should be cut through with finely-pointed scissors and removed care- fully. If great pain is experienced the lotion may contain cocaine, and a watery solution of belladonna and morphine. It is well to give a laxative dose of medicine in most cases, as it diverts blood from the head. Foreign Bodies in the Eye \\'hen hay - racks were placed above horses, many more cases of seeds falling into the eyes occurred than in the present day, when the ar- rangement is on a level with the manger. Flies or gnats also get caught between the lids of horses' eyes. as they do with their masters. With the cocaine preparation advised nigra. K. l above, one may proceed with a camel - hair pencil : open the lids with thumb and forefinger, and extract the offender, after which recovery commonly takes place in a few hours, unless some septic matter has been introduced by the insect, which may have been busy upon decaying carrion before his ad-\-enture. Wliile under control by cocaine, it is therefore wise to flood the front of the eye with a boracic lotion. Thorns, and more solid objects than flies and seeds, occasion- ally enter the conjunctival membrane, and need remo\-al by forceps, in which case the need for antiseptic treatment is still greater. Entropium and Ectropium Turnmg in or turning out of the lid so that lashes are brought into contact with the sensitive conjunctival membrane may need interference. A slight operation upon the skin of the lid gener- ally ser^•es to overcome the deformity, and this should be performed by an expert. It is not a sudden emergency in which the horse-owner need act for himself. Diseases of the lachrymal glands or of the duct are so rare in the horse as to call for no description here. A. Sclerc humour. ; coat. . Optic VERTICAL SECTION OF EVE. B. Choroid coat. C. Retina. D. Interior of the eye filled nerve. F. Hyaloid canal. G. Cornea. H. Crystalline lens, ■a. K. Iris. L. Ciliary processes. M. Aqueous humour. 'ith vitreous I. Corpora Diseases of the Conjunctiva and Cornea Simple ophthalmia, or an inflamed eye, is a rather frequent trouble in horses, and was still more so when they were stabled in close buildings, and the air was saturated with ammonia from their own waste. The common causes are dust, flies, and other foreign bodies, and as a symptom or consequence of certain febrile diseases as influenza (pink eye). The symptoms are swelling of the lids, great redness of the membrane, tears flowing down the face and scalding the skin (if not prevented by the application of some unctuous material), sensitiveness to light and fear of being touched about the head. Later, the watery discharge changes to a muco-purulent matter, agglutinating the lids and excoriating the adjacent skin. 546 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Treatment. — Warm fomentations in which aqueous extract of opium and belladonna, have been dissolved. A mild aperient, and after a day or two a lotion of two grains to the ounce of sulphate of zinc in distilled water, applied over the surface of the cornea daily. This corrects the disposition to pus-like matter, and hinders the formation of a cloud, which may often be seen to follow on a simple inflammation. The lash of the whip is a frequent cause of inflamed eye, and then there is to be seen a rough line from which the epithelial layer has been torn, if carefully observed from the side of the animal. In the healing stage this is apt to form an irregular white cloud on the front of the eye, and is erroneously called cataract. If it does not clear up with the simple treatment just advised, it may be necessary to employ a lotion of nitrate of silver to excite the absorbents. If the injury is anything more than a very super- ficial one there will commonly be left a slight opacity or nebula which is really a scar (eschar). As in other inflamed conditions of the eye and its appendages, a cool and rather dark box should be preferred, or some sort of shade improvised. Inflammation of the Cornea An inflamed state of the conjunctival or thin superficial membrane may occur without involving the cornea, but the latter cannot suffer inflam- mation without aSecting the covering membrane. When the cornea is inflamed, lymph accumulates between its layers, or suppuration may follow, and rupture or ulcers result The early treatment is that recommended for inflammation of the conjunctiva, but with the advent of pus a serious condition is set up, and more or less opacity must be left. Irrigation with weak Chinosol lotions, and the application of a three-grain to the ounce solution of nitrate of silver daily, is best calculated to destroy the pyogenic organisms and heal the ulcers. Ulcer- ation is comparatively infrequent in horses, although extremely common in dogs. As a result of softening and giving way of the cornea, a pro- trusion— known as a grape or staphyloma — may be seen, though rarely in horses. Periodic, Constitutional, or Recurring Ophthalmia This is a much more serious trouble than the simple form of inflammation already described, and is of a constitutional nature, returning at uncertain intervals, and each time leaving some further structural change. The symptoms are not at first unlike that of the traumatic form, but later a peculiar pucker on the upper lid appears and remains, giving the opening between the lids a three-cornered look, and proclaiming to the veterinary examiner something of its history, although the eye may seem otherwise perfect. A peculiar amber tint pervades the eye in this disease, and after a week or more this concentrates in the lower portion of the cham- ber. A week later it may have cleared away, and in a month nothing may remain to show what has happened but that three-cornered aperture already mentioned. Unfortunately, the first attack is followed by others, and the iris grows to the lens through deposited lymph be- coming organised ; and the vitreous humour after a period of bluensss gradually assumes the appearance of a hard-boiled egg, leaving no possibility of recovery of sight. Treatment. — The administration of an aloetic ball, followed by half ounces or more of salicylate of sodium twice daily, is advised, and as a local application a solution containing both atropine and morphine, two or three grains to the ounce of each. Atropine keeps the radiating fibres moving, and morphine causes the circular ones to contract after a longer time, so that the iris is less likely to be caught and fixed by the lymph resulting from the inflammatory process. Iodide of potassium in half-ounce doses twice a day may succeed the salicylate, after the first three days, as this drug has a decided effect in promoting absorption of effused matters. Energetic treat- ment of the kind indicated may do much to mitigate the attack at the time, and therefore prolong the usefulness of the animal. Growths from the Cornea Growths closely resembling skin, and ha\ing distinct hairs upon them, are sometimes met with in horses. In cattle they are relatively common. There is no option but operation by a skilful surgeon. Cataract We have already alluded to the popular error of describing an opacity on the front of the eye DISEASES OF THE EYE 547 as cataract, and would now explain that any cloud or opacity in the substance of the lens or its capsule is the lesion properly called cataract. If the lens itself is the seat of the disease, it is called lenticular cataract ; if the covering mem- brane, capsular cataract ; but these distinctions arc of no great importance where horses are con- cerned, as operative interference is out of the question, for reasons stated at the beginning of this chapter. The site of the opacity may, howe\^er, have some bearing on the future of the eye, and influence the horse's conduct. If it obtrudes between his vision and the ground, he is more likely to make mistakes, such as treading upon a stone he fails to see. If higher up, it may not interfere with his work, or if on the outer lateral or inner border. A cataract may be small and dense, and with such a defined edge that the experienced surgeon may say that it will probably remain about the same size during the horse's Ufe ; or it may be diffused and tell the same experienced person to expect a gradual or even rapid extension. Cataract in one eye is apt to be followed by a similar disability in the other. Cases of renewal or substitution of a fresh lens, when the diseased one has been removed, are reported by Dr. Randolph who operated on a dog, and it is possible that such a result might follow in the horse, but up to the time of writing no such occurrence is reported. No medical treatment appears to be of any use. Amaurosis, or "Glass Eye" A horse may be totally blind yet have a per- fectly clear eye. Paralysis of the optic nerve or of its expansion (retina) over the posterior chamber is the cause. The transparency of such eyes is very unnatural looking and gave to the disease the horseman's term of " glass-eye." The animal may be standing in a bright light, yet the pupil will remain widely dilated ; or, being brought into a dark stable, will remain the same. The pupil of a healthy animal contracts in a strong light, and expands in a low medium of light, and by this simple test amaurosis may be detected without any deep knowledge of optics. The "glass-eyed" horse is generally shown upon familiar ground where he goes in good form, and the unwary purchaser does not observe the con- stant movements of his ears, by which he seeks to obtain information which should come through his eyes. The causes of amaurosis are several. Blows upon the head, falls producing similar results, the presence of parasites or of tumours, clots or other bodies which may press upon the deep- seated origin of the optic nerves or their trunks. Cases have been known to recover at grass, when it may be assumed that the pressure of a clot was gradually removed by absorption, but no medical treatment seems to be of service. The only advice we can give is not to buy such a horse, and if you are unfortunate enough to possess one, do not sell it to your maiden aunt. Glaucoma Common in the dog but extremely rare in the horse, glaucoma is " an increased tension within the eyeball in consequence of an excessive secre- tion of the aqueous and vitreous humours " (Professor Axe). An operation whereby a portion of the iris is removed is often attended with good results. CHAPTER XI DISEASES OF THE SKIN THE classification of diseases is always a difficult matter, and those of the skin are as frequently due to some systemic trouble as to any outward or intrinsic cause. Eruptions are caused by disordered stomach or specific diseases, as stomatitis, farcy, epizootic lymphan- gitis, or horse-pox ; while others are caused by injuries great or small, and from parasites, as mange. For eruptive diseases of the skin the reader is therefore referred to the chapters which deal with the above-named maladies. Erythema Any redness of the skin, whether caused by friction, dust, east wind, or other causes, is known by this name. A fat, unconditioned horse will sometimes display much redness between the arm and the brisket, and this is called erythema inter- trigo. JMud fever is another example. The cause is to be sought and removed, and simple emol- lients, as one part of the strong solution of lead {Goulard's extract) to seven or eight of hnseed oil applied. Any slight case of erythema neglected may lead to suppuration by the invasion of pyogenic organisms. Urticaria, or Nettle Rash The suddenness with which irregular lumps come upon the skin of an apparently healthy horse may perhaps have accounted for the name of nettle rash. Their disappearance is often as abrupt ; not always, however, and they are apt to leave the hair glands impaired when existing o\'er a few days, white or light coloured spots following, and remaining permanent blemishes in some colours. Nettle-rash has often appeared a few minutes after a deep draught of cold water, when a horse has been heated by exertion, and it is these cases which more frequently disappear when his journey is resumed. Sudden changes of diet account for most of these rashes, as when clover and vetches are suddenly substituted for hard corn or the re\'erse. Treatment. — A saline laxative, as three or four ounces of salts with an ounce of nitrate of potash, should be given in mild cases, and an aloetic ball where there is a disposition for the disease to become chronic, followed by daily half-ounce doses of bicarbonate of soda and a dessertspoonful of table salt in the food. Obstinate cases often yield to ounce doses of the solution of arsenic known as Fowler's. Calumba, in combination with soda, or quinine, with a mineral acid, are worth a trial if the lumps persist. Eczema There are many theories as to the cause of eczema, and much ink has been used to describe 548 DISEASES OF THE SKIN 549 its varieties ; the most probable explanation is that the skin endeavours to perform some of the work which the liver and kidneys should do in the elimination of waste products, and suffers irritation thereby. The appeal to those organs to do their best is often successful in getting rid of eczema, and this may perhaps be accepted as proof of their delinquency in the first instance. An irritation of the surface of the skin is followed by little vesicles or bladders which break if left alone, but are more frequently ruptured by the patient wlio rubs them to allay itching, and then a serous scab is formed by the exudation of many little vesicles combined. His vigorous rubbing may leave nothing to be seen but a sore place by the time the horse-owner's attention is drawn to the case. Treatment. — An aloetic ball is often a good preliminary dose, as it clears the alimentary canal of fermented ingesta and wakes up the liver and kidneys to the performance of their duty. Simple alkaline washes, as an ounce of bicarbonate of potash in a quart of water, allay irritation of the skin, and in some cases it is desirable to add a dram of dilute hydrocyanic acid. In neglected cases, where crusts have formed, a carbolic oil will soften and assist in removing the scabs as well as soothe the irritated integument. Salines, as sulphate of magnesium, bicarbonate of potash, and sulphate of soda, in daily small doses, together with gentian and calumba, are given in chronic cases, and alternated with arsenic and antimony. The treatment found to succeed in one case may quite fail in another, and a variety of remedies both topical and constitutional should be tried in ob- stinate forms of eczema, as well as changes of diet. Ra4 Tails, or Lichen This is a popular name for a form of eczema affecting the lower portions of horses' limbs, the exudation sticking the hairs together in the form of rat tails. The treatment is the same as for other eczematous troubles, with the exception that it is advisable to use a stronger alkaline wash to prevent a permanent blemish. Prurigo An intolerable itching is often experienced by horses without much to be seen upon the skin, 70 but Httle hard lumps or papules can be felt. Through the animal rubbing or biting them little spots of blood or serous scabs are formed. This disease is often called "surfeit" by stable- men, and an aloetic purge or alterative powders prescribed. When it arises from debility and bad hygiene the purgative dose will be dispensed with, and small doses of. sulphate of magnesium given. Tonics, as iron sulphate and gentian, also benefit such cases. Herpes Often called ringworm, because it occurs in patches or rings, but it really consists of clusters of vesicles which, if discrete, would be indis- tinguishable from some forms of eczema. It is due to some form of indigestion, and treatment is therefore directed to the digestive organs, not the least of which is a change of diet. Suppurative Inflammation Erythema. — An elevated patcli of skin with numerous pustules and intensely tender to the touch, is called by this name. It may be simple, and from some blood dyscrasia, or a similar area of eczema may have been rubbed and inoculated with the pus organism, as so often occurs with dogs. There is a contagious form known as "American horse disease" and as "German boil." It is chiefly spread by infected clothing and harness. The application of carbolic lotion of ten per cent, strength is advised, and this should extend a little beyond the affected parts. All clothing and gear should be disinfected. It seldom induces any constitutional disturbance, and calls for no special treatment beyond that indicated. Squamous Inflammations Pityriasis. — This is a state of the skin in which scales, like bran, form in great quantity and dis- credit the best of grooms. It is generally ascribed to poverty, but we have seen it in the best cared- for animals, just as we have seen dandruff on the shoulders of the best groomed men. Change of food often cures it, and benefit is also derived from alteratives such as small daily doses of nitre, sulphur, and antimony or arsenic. A lotion of sulphuretted potash with glycerine cured a horse that the writer bought for a mere trifle, when all other remedies had been tried. 550 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Psoriasis. — Accumulated scales in raised patches and thickening of the under layers characterise this skin disease. Inside the ears, along the mane and neck, and in the flexures of the joints it most often is found, and in the latter situation forms cracks that are difficult to cure. As it most frequently affects the overfed, and those stimulated with condiments for show purposes, the treatment must be a lowered as well as changed diet, with repeated applications of iodine oint- ment to cracks, and oxide of zinc ointment, oi carbolised oil to other situations. Ichthyosis. — This is a thickening or nyper- trophied condition of the skin generally, with a disposition to outgrowth of the epidermis or outer layer. It is best removed by strong alkaline washes, as solutions of washing soda, or the powdered soaps so popular among women who do not patronise a laundress. Warts, Veruccae All animals are subject to warts, more or less (frequently more), and the horse is by no means exempt, although he cannot compete with cattle for the size of them. They are outgrowths of all the tissues of which the skin is constituted. Their presence where harness excites irritability of the skin can be understood, but why they come in parts free from any such compression or friction is no more known than their preference for little girls' hands ; or their disappearance suddenly, after midnight incantations, or the execution of a black cat. That they do disappear suddenly and without remedies is as true of animals as of human subjects. If one had to provide a scientific reason for their disappearance one might attribute it to pressure and cutting off the blood supply caused by contraction of the parts most early developed. Treatment. — Warts may be conveniently divided into the broad-based, the pedunculated, and the encapsuled. The first-named must be disposed of by solvents., and of these we make choice accord- ing to the situation. Around the mouth or upon the eyelids no stronger application than salicylate collodion should be used, lest damage be done to sensitive structures. Daily painting with this substance soon reduces the wart, and picking off the surface every two or three days facilitates its solution. The pedunculated variety offer a neck we can strangle, and so deprive the body of life. Silk or thread twme or stouter string may be desirable, and a waxed-end is very serviceable for some of the larger ones. The third variety are little fatty fibrous tumours within a sac, needing only that the latter should be cut open at one clean stroke, when the solid body can be easily lifted out — it, indeed, it does not jump out. For those irregular masses which grow upon other parts of the body, various measures are necessary. Some of them, or large portions, may be twisted off and the remainder treated with arsenical soap, made by mixing one part by weight of arsenious acid with two parts soft soap. Care should be taken to avoid injury to the adjacent skin, and none of the paste should be dropped upon the ground, as animals are attracted bv it, and fowls frequently killed. Mallenders and Sallenders An eruptive disease of eczematous type, occur- ring behind the knee and in the bend of the hock, and producing cracks and chronic thickening with more or less swelling and unhealthy discharge, is known as mallenders in front and sallenders behind. Both are precisely of the same nature. The heavier breeds are the most prone to it. Treatment. — Occasional aloetic purges act as deterrents, and local applications molhfy the inflamed tissues. It is seldom radically cured, but the following ointment appears to do very much in that direction. Finely triturated red oxide of mercury, twenty grains ; e.xsiccated alum, one dram ; lanoline ointment, seven drams. Applied every night. Diuretic medicines, such as recommended for the subjects of swelled legs, are also useful in this malady. For skin diseases caused by acari and other external enemies, the reader is refeiTed to the chapter which follows on Parasitic Diseases. CHAPTER XII PARASITIC DISEASES IT is quite possible that every disease will be one day relegated to an organism of some kind, and in the broad sense in which parasitism is now employed our notions will have to be revised, and the general pubUc will no longer restrict the meaning of the word parasite to that of worms inside the body (or to their own poor relations). Tuberculosis and glanders may be taken as examples of parasitism of the microscopic order. For the present, and in a work of this kind, it will be sufficient to call attention to the para- sitic pests, whether residing within and classed as entozoa, or Uving upon the surface of the beast, and known as ectozoa. We shall also take the popular view of parasites as expressed in one word in America, " cusses," and make no exception to those whose presence is excused on the ground of their being merely "fellow-boarders," and not deriving their sustenance by robbery and violence to the structures of their host. Parasites belong to both the animal and vegetable kingdoms. The large ascaris of the horse may be placed at one end of the list, and the little ray fungus, which causes actinomycosis, at the other. The damage to the bearer, or host, is not to be measured by the size but by the conduct of the guests. The worms which infest the horse may be roughly divided into the round and the flat. The round worms vary immensely in size, from the destruc- tive little stronglcs of a quarter inch in length to the Ascaris megalocepkala of a foot or more. Round worms are found in the eye, the skin, the digestive canal, kidneys, the heart, and the blood-vessels. The flat worms include many varieties of tapeworm and some flukes which resemble miniature soles rather than worms. Round as well as flat worms produce eggs in which embryos develop, and these appear to require an intermediate host, or to undergo changes in other circumstances outside the original host before they reach their destination in the ultimate host. The life cycle of the round worms is not very well made out as regards many families, and the assertion that all have to reside outside the host for a period can hardly be accepted in view of Dr. Salmon's and other investigators' observations of the filiaria of birds and similar parasites which reside in the air passages of young animals, and there reproduce. The life cycle of the tapeworms is well known. The egg, passing out of the host of the mature tapeworm, is swallowed by another animal, in which it is hatched out, and the embryo, armed with cutting 55i 552 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE apparatus and hooks, bores through the tissues and anchors by its hooks, as instinct dictates, in the one hundred and fifty varieties : some in the brain of the sheep (Caniirus cerebralis), until another host consumes the Httle bladder A\'hich develops, with future heads of tapeworms on its inner aspect. The giddy sheep, seen to spin round and fall, has such a cyst or hydatid in his brain, which came there by swallowing an egg passed by a dog on the grass. When the sheep RINGWORM. is killed the butcher casts aside the bladder, which would spoil the sale of the brain (if exposed to view), and the passing dog picks up the uncon- sidered trifle. The heads then attach themselves to the intestine of the dog, and segment by segment a tapeworm is formed, and the whole business begins again. The flukes undergo quite a long series of changes, the last of which is the cercaria, which penetrates the body of a snail and there resides until sufficiently developed to seek its ultimate host and ascend the ducts of the liver of the sheep, ox, or horse, camel or elephant, or even the fox. These flukes which cause such havoc among sheep are seldom of serious con- sequence in horses, but are by no means rare. Diseases Caused by Parasites Beginning on the outside of the horse, we may take Ringworm. — We have said in the chapter on eczema that herpes is often miscalled ringworm. but the true disease is caused by a fungus, Tri- chophyton, which gets into the hair follicles and into the shafts of the hairs themselves. Any doubt can be set at rest by microscopic examin- ation of the bent hairs, mixed with solution of potash and glycerine, when the characteristic spores will be seen. Treatment is invariably successful in horses, although often so difficult and prolonged in children. An ointment of one part mercurial ointment to six parts of lard or lanoline, or one part pure carbolic acid to nine parts glycerine, or a solution of one of perchloride of mercury in three hundred of water, destroys the fungus. All stable tools and harness used upon a horse suffering from ringworm should be thoroughly cleansed, as it is by such things the disease is commonly conveyed. It may be well to remember that moss litter as a bedding holds ringworm, and trans- fers it to other horses lying down upon it, and its employment should be discontinued where this skin trouble exists. Lice. — These troublesome pests seldom gain foothold in the private stable where good groommg is the rule, but on farms, and among horses lying rough in straw-yards — and especially where barley straw is used — they are frequent visitors, causing much irritation in the late winter and early spring months, when on a sunny morning they may be seen enjojang the weather. They are of two kinds, Hicmaiopinus, or those which puncture the skin, and Trichodectes, those which have no wounding apparatus, but seek a living among the loose cuticle and secretions of the skin. The irritation they cause usually leads to their detection, and then the question arises as to what is a safe, effectual, and not too expensive remedy to dispose of them. Treatment. — Any fixed oil employed in sufficient quantity will block their breathing pores and cause their death, but the cheapest of seed oils, used by the gallon, are expensive, and a solution of one part carbolic acid, two parts soft soap, and forty-seven parts hot water, may be used with PARASITIC DISEASES 553 good effect. Tobacco water also destroys them, and the juice can be bought at a cheap rate, as it is not cliarged with the duty on tlie manufactured leaf. A decoction of stavesacre seeds, one in thirty by weight, is also effectual, if the druggist has not had it in stock till the active principle is dissipated. Mange — Acariasis. — The most common form of mange in horses is due to the Psoroptes, who live upon the surface and are disposed of with comparative ease. The other mange is due to Sarcopies, whose habit is to burrow and bury themselves under the cuticle. Besides these body mites, there are Symbioies, whose depreda- tions are usually confined to the pasterns, seldom tra\-elling above the knee and hock, and whose presence and con- sequent itching is often attributed to incipient grease. Only by microscopic examination can the varieties of mange mites be certainly distinguished, but the intolerable itching used by them should direct the attention of the horseman to the pimples and raised portions of cuticle from which issue an exudation which scabs and forms crusts, and displays a raw surface if roughly removed. Treatment — Once recognised, mange of the psoroptic variety, or the sym- biotic, affecting the legs, is easily cured, but the psoroptic form, when neglected, some- times proves incurable, and even causes the death of the host by the intolerable itching and loss of rest occasioned. Shetland ponies and others from time to time suffer in this way, and it has been found necessary to resort to the stamping-out system and clearance of the district for a season. Sulphur is one of the so-called specifics, and its employment is as old as the armies of Alexander the Great — prob- ably older, although pai'asites were not suspected. To cure mange, the chief thing is to go about it in such a way that no remnant shall escape, none to play the part of the Noah family after the deluge of soft soap and warm water which should be the preliminary to "opening the skin," for remedies to reach the enemy in his entrench- ments. Then a preparation of one part flowers of sulphur, one part paraffin, and seven or eight parts of lard, should be thoroughly inuncted into the whole area affected, and a little beyond. Various preparations of mercury, of turpentine, and of tobacco are used, and the coal-tar series of disinfectants in the proportions recommended by the makers commonly answer the purpose ; but nothing, in our experience, is equal to sulphur as an ointment, liberally employed. The process should be repeated in a week, to overtake stragglers or new hatches, which may have kept in retire- SARCOPTIC MANGE. (The Parasite — considerably magnified— is shown at the top ) ment and emerged from their galleries when the first storm was over. All the varieties of mange are infectious, and it is an offence to lead a mangy horse upon the king's highway. Parasites of the Digestive System A minute strongle, named after Professor Axe, Strongylus Axei, is an occasional cause of trouble in the horse's stomach, and two varieties of spirotera have been discovered on the continent. They lead to the formation of small round tumours on the lining membrane. Bots in the stomach are familiar sights to the knacker and others who see the viscus opened. They arc the larva; of the bot fly, which lays its eggs about the shoulders, arms, and sides of the animal in the summer months, and are from thence licked into the mouth and swallowed ; they obey their instinct 554 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE to fasten on to the membrane and there abide until the next summer, when they let go their hold, pass out through the intestinal canal, and assume the chrysalis form until they get a rise in life and become bot flies. A second variety, known as the /Estrus Jiismorrhoidalis, takes advantage of the moment during which the red membrane of the anus or first few inches of the lining membrane of the rectum is exposed in the act of defecation, and deposits its eggs in a few seconds at the most, before the orifice is closed. The resultant grubs are reddish in colour and cling to the situation where they were born until the following summer, unless removed by the hand of the stableman. Because Bracy Clarke deemed stomach bots harmless, successive writers have been content to acquit them of evil, but instances are on record where they have caused such damage to the walls of the stomach as to lead to its rupture. Many remedies have been tried to expel them, the last of which is bisulphide of carbon in a gelatine capsule. They have been proved to resist ever>*thing else, and it is very doubtful if a bad smell is considered by them as a notice of eviction. All the remedies we have seen succeed ( ? ) have been given at a time of year when the tenants were willing to quit without notice. The great A scaris megalocephala is the common- est of worms in the horse, and varies in length from three or four inches to fifteen. In small numbers they do not appear to do harm, but a lot of them will so rob the host that he loses condition, his coat stands up, and his appetite is uncertain and variable, being voracious at times and indifferent at others. The foregoing are common symptoms of worms, and when a horse does not thrive on a fair ration and reason- able labour, worms should be suspected and looked for in the droppings. The whip worm (Oxyitris curvula), two or three inches in .length, and curving at the thick end. and drawn out like a whiplash at the other, is a very common worm in horses, and difficult to get rid of entirely. Being a dung feeder it does not do so much damage as some others, which rob the host of the products of digestion when just ready to enter the circulation. The Strongylus armatus and tetracanthits are serious enemies, especially to young horses at grass, the latter causing many deaths and ruin- ing by debility and arrested development many Shires bred on land that has become infested by them. They are tiny red or yellowish threads. often only a third of an inch long, but more mis- chievous than all the large worms together, and have rendered horse-breeding unprofitable where they have become established. They are blood- suckers and commence their career within the intestine, as little cysts coiled up in the mucous membrane. The tapeworms of the horse are remarkable for their small size, as compared with those of dogs and other smaller animals. The Tania perfoliata is about three-eighths of an inch in width, and seldom two inches long. The T. plicata is about the same width, and attaining to three inches or more, and the T. mamillana no more than an inch in length and but an eighth in width. The fluke, Distoma hepaticuni, found in the liver of the horse, is never hardly a cause of trouble, and unlikely to be diagnosed during life ; nor could it be evicted if known to be lodged there. The liver of the horse may be more seriously affected by the intermediate or cystic form of the dog tapeworm, T. echinococctis. Wanderers are found on the serous membranes of the chest and abdomen, where they remain and finally degener- ate if the animal's life is prolonged. Without another host, as was explained at the beginning of this chapter, no tapeworm can reach the final development. Treatment. — The ascarides, the whip worms, and such of the larger strongles as are found free in the intestines, are generally expelled by a fair dose of aloes, a "physic" ball, proportioned to the age and breed of the animal — from three to eight dra,ms of aloes in the ball. A preliminary dosing for three or four mornings with twenty to sixty grains of santonine, thirty to one hundred grains of sulphate of iron, and a teaspoonfu) or two of table salt in the first meal, will destroy or make sick great numbers : of which the ball will more easily dispose. Aloes has the effect of carrying out alike, in the intestinal storm, many worms \\hich do not appear to be dead or even sick. Worm remedies are notoriously uncertain, and if one remedy fails another should be tried. An ounce to three ounces of spirit of turpentine, in half a pint to one pint of linseed oil, following a fast of fifteen to eighteen hours, often results in the expulsion of many round worms, both ascarides and strongles, but the httle tetracanthus already referred to is the most insistent of all. Doses of fifteen to twenty-five grains of thymol dissolved in spirit have proved successful in the PARASITIC DISEASES 555 hands of some, but were pronounced valueless at the Royal Veterinary College after ample experiment. Many worms may be got rid of by manual removal of the contents of the rectum, and syringing with tobacco decoction, infusions of quassia, dilute xanegar, carbolic acid, and warm water, as well as by occasional purges. We can seldom dispose entirely of the whip worms, but by such means as we have set forth they may be kept down, as all weeds on a farm, without being able to boast of an absolutely clean field. The persistent administration of powdered sulphate of iron, with salt and gentian, undoubtedly makes the intestinal canal an undesirable habitat, and we have seen many worms converted into a species of white leather where these drugs have been continuously used. The fermentation produced by the first few bundles of green-meat in May often causes the expulsion of worms. The tapeworms are seldom suspected. For them the oil of male-fern, with areca in a ball or gelatine capsule, is perhaps the best remedy we can employ. Worms in the aqueous chamber of the eye are removed by operation, but those residing in the blood-vessels cannot be reached, and only the keeping up of the general health and condition enables the host to submit to their presence without serious injury. 1^ /•«..,.Vn,/-: cy /: , IT. J.,,iso,:. lla,,„,a CHAPTER XIII DISEASES OF THE BONES AND JOINTS RING-BONE. — Often found as an extension around the pastern, this disease came b. by the above name. It as often does not take a circular form. Any ossific deposit upon the short or long pastern bones (corona, suffraginis) is called ring-bone. It may be a very small deposit and cause lameness, or very large, and permit of movements of the joints without interference with their mobiUty. Ring- bone is deemed unsoundness. The long and weak pastern, and the short, upright one, is more liable to ring-bone than that of moderate length and slope. Heredity is counted among the causes, and mares should not be bred to sires that have this defect. Too early labour and shoeing with high heels contribute to the disease. Lame- ness is often the first indication, but many young horses put up ring-bones without the know- ledge of their owners, and the latter are much annoyed when the veterinary examiner discovers what they never suspected to exist. Ring-bone, splint, and spavin are all primarily caused by an inflamed condition of the covering membrane (periosteum), and the resultant growth of bone upon bone, is alike in character but differently named. Treatment. — \n aloctic ball is given to cool the svstem, while rest is prescribed for the limb, and hot bathing and bandaging at first, to subdue inflammation and further deposit. This is fol- lowed by a blister or succession of blisters, vnth the object of provoking absorption, or at least preventing further growth of the offending material. Firing may have to be resorted to, and even this fails in the worst cases, and the only thing to be done is to cut off sensation, by division of the sensory nerve (see Unnerving, page 587). Splint Splints, like ring-bones, are exostoses. They most frequently occur about a third of the way down the bone, from the knee, but may affect any part. Those close to the knee are the most 556 DISEASES OF THE BONES AND JOINTS 557 serious, as the joint may be impinged upon and anchylosis follow. The round and forward splint is the least hkely to prove injurious ; the back- RING-BONE. wardly situated may interfere with the tendons and ligaments. Lameness is frequently present during the early inflammatory stage, and passes off when the splint has become callosed or ceased to grow. Splints are hereditary, and commonly appear in youngsters between two and five years old, but foals of a few months and yearlings are not infrequently found to have them. Two- year-olds at the time of being broken in, and four-year-olds when first put to work, are par- ticularly liable to throw out splints. External violence, as well as strain, may account for splint, as from striking with the shoe of the other limb, kicks, etc. When not large enough to be easily seen or felt, splints may often be detected by manipulating the limb and pressing upon suspected parts, while the leg is held up. The animal winces when the sensitive splint is squeezed. Treatment. — Rest is often sufficient to cure sHght cases, but for others the same treatment as for ring-bone is advised. Periostitis, or Inflamed Bone In writing of ring-bone and splint, we have said that they are caused by inflammation of the periosteum or covering membrane, from which the outer and denser portion of bone is maintained. 71 Instead of localised inflammatory spots, the periosteum may be suffering over the greater part of a bone, and the lining membrane (endos- tium) may be involved at the same time. The symptoms are those of intense pain, and extreme tenderness to the touch, swelling, at first firm, and afterwards fluctuating under pressure. Abscess follows, breaks, and in the discharges the dead bony matter escapes in broken particles. Treatment consists in early incision, thereby allowing escape of matter and preventing separa- tion of periosteum from the bone. Syringing with antiseptics, good nursing, and tonics, and a long tuni-out at grass, may complete the cure. In the chronic form it is known as " sore shins," and chiefly affects racers and chasers, whose legs may be seen bandaged and booted in all sorts of ways to protect the enlargements from self- inflicted blows when performing. Some of the greatest performers over "the sticks" have deformities due to chronic ostitis, which the novice might well suppose would incapacitate the animal. Necrosis and Caries These terms are employed to indicate different kinds of decay of bone. Injuries resulting in the 558 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE death of bone are followed by swelling and tender- ness, with much heat of the part, and lameness if affecting the bones of the limbs. Wherever bone is Idlled, if the portion is no bigger than a pin's head, an abscess will form, and if the dead material does not come away in the discharge a fistulous opening is established in order to drain it away {see Fistulous Wither and Quittor, page 5S0 and 572). Treatment then will be directed to removal of the necrosed bone, be it large or small, after poulticing and irrigating with disinfectants. Nature detaches the dead material without our aid if given time, but we may shorten the period if we watch our opportunities. Osteo-Porosis, or Big-Head Another reference has been made to the popular name of big-head, when it is applied to the swell- ing due to purpura haemorrhagica {see page 529). The form of big-head now under notice is due to a constitutional disease involving the whole skeleton, but attracting most attention to the head. The cause is not known, neither is any treatment of use, and it is commonly fatal. A case is on record of recovery after treatment with iodide of potassium and nux vomica. Many more might be put on record that derived no benefit from these or any other drugs. Spavin This term should be reserved for a bony growth on the inner and lower aspect of the hock joint, but is often used in connection with a distended capsule, and also known as " bog spavin." Spavins may be so small that the expert has some diffi- culty in finding them, or so large that the novice detects the deformity. In shape, too, they may be round, pointed, or irregular, and extend across the joint. One or both hocks may be spavined ; it frequently happens that first one and then the other becomes affected. The small, weak, and ill- formed, more often than the good hock, develop spavin, but the best are by no means immune. The causes are hereditary predisposition, upright pasterns, and straight quarters, sprains, con- cussion, and over-fatigue. Lameness comes on at the first, but may pass off with rest, to return when the animal goes to work again. Old or "stale" spavins frequently cause much lame- ness when the horse first comes out of the stable. and the latter passes off when warmed up vfith exercise. Many cripples are sold at fairs, going sound, and prove lame next morning. Treatment. — Rest, physic, and the same meas- ures as advised for ring-bone {see page 556), and other exostoses. Fractures— Broken Bones There is a general belief that a horse's broken bones cannot be "set," or will not unite, but this is a popular error, founded on the fate usually assigned to those animals who break their legs. It is a matter of cold calculation in £ s. d. The maintenance of a horse for months, to say nothing of his doctor's bill, amount to as much as many a poor beast is worth. Added to this, the owner will not be repaid by a union such as would satisfy the human surgeon, and his patient must be restored to absolute soundness if the treatment is to be a success. Many broken legs have been treated in the case of valuable brood mares, where soundness at fast paces is not required, and some have been perfectly restored to complete sound- ness at all paces, but the majority of fractured bones of the limb unite with such a large callous, or ring of bone, that the soft structures are injured by friction, or, maybe, a joint is united DISEASES OF THE BONES AND JOINTS 559 by anchylosis. Having regard, then, to all these risks, the horse which breaks his leg in the street is commonly slaughtered, and not on account of any inherent difficulty in setting it, as the term goes. There are broken bones which it is worth while to set, as in colts at grass, and in the case of bones other than the long round ones. Fractures are conveniently classified as partial or complete, simple when the bone is not con- nected with a wound, or compound when it has such connection. If the bone is broken into more than two parts, it is described as a com- minuted fracture, and may be in fifty pieces. A number of other distinctions are recognised by surgeons, but the above comprise the bulk of such accidents, and the nomenclature goes far to explain them. The causes are outward violence, muscular contraction, and predisposition, due to inherent brittleness or faulty composition. In the act of casting horses {see Methods of Control, page 587) the violence of the muscular contractions sometimes causes fractures. The diagnosis of fracture is not always easy where it concerns the bones covered with flesh, as those of the femur or the pelvis, but the bones of the extrem- ities when broken often show deformity not difficult of diagnosis. Even here, as in split pastern, the swelling is apt to obscure the true nature of the accident, so long as there is no actual displacement. Treatment. — A fracture with wound will seldom be worth treatment, nor will a comminuted one, if a long bone is the subject ; but where possible the owner should seek the opinion of a veterinary surgeon before signing the death warrant. Many simple fractures can be successfully dealt with by bringing the broken portions into apposition, and retaining them in position by simple appli- ances. Packs of tow or wadding, splints of wood or metal, and bandages over all, serve for split pasterns. A cradle can be improvised for a broken jaw, and soft foods provided which can be sucked up for the first few days. The princi- ples need only be understood so that the horse- owner unable to obtain professional assistance can apply them to the individual case. There is no need for haste. The parts should be exam- ined for abrasions of the skin, and if any exist they should be dressed with an antiseptic, pre- ferably carbolised oil, because its softening influ- ence is more lasting under appliances that may not be removed than is the case with aqueous preparations. A considerable thickness of soft material which will protect from, friction and "bed sores " ; an equable pressure sufficient to retain the bandages and splints in place ; an avoidance of such pressure as will interfere with circulation, and watchfulness for undue swelling eitlier at the seat of fracture or as a consequence of it. In the course of a few days the blood clot which at first resulted from the injury under- goes changes and becomes organised, affording a soft temporary xmion to be by degrees changed into a substance much denser, and finally as hard as the bone itself. Provided care be taken to prevent a restive animal from undoing the work, it is better to remove and replace appliances which are provoking too much swelling. Diseases of the Joints During the first few years of life, horses are sub- ject to joint troubles which often determine their value as well as usefulness. Sucking foals are frequently ruined — nay, killed — by an infectious joint, an ill which enters at the open umbflicus as a specific organism, and, gaining access to the joints of the limbs, sets up inflammation and suppuration. Treatment is not very successful, but prevention is easy. As soon as the foal is born the navel string should be soaked in a five per cent, carbohc lotion and tied with silk, thread, or catgut, after which it may be dusted two or three times a day with a dry disinfectant, as boracic powder. From five days to three weeks is the critical period, but the guarding of this gate of entrance from the septic organism renders the youngster practically safe from the most disastrous of all joint evils. If these precautions are neglected, and the foal is infected, dullness and symptoms of fever follow, the joints — some or all of them— swell, are intensely painful, and the crippled animal can scarcely reach the teat if the desire to do so remains. Sustaining the patient in his fight against disease by frequent doses of quinine and ammonia, tincture of gentian, or brandy in milk, is the most hkely treatment, and the apphcation of iodine, in the form of glycerine of iodine, to the swollen joints. Some good results have followed the injection under the skin of the parts of a four per cent, formalin solution, thus bringing a powerful germicide into more or less direct contact with the septic material. A few foals .-iSo THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE survive and ultimately outgrow the trouble, but we would take the opportunity here of advising the utmost cleanliness in the foaling box, besides the precautions already stated to be so successful in preventing access through the open umbilicus. Joint inflammations may be due to rheumatism {see page 527), or to external violence, the latter Anchylosis. — As a result of inflammation in a joint the mobility may be lost or impaired. The morbid material uniting the bones may be fibrous or composed of ossific material, and no treatment is likely to succeed. There are cases in which enormous ring-bones (see Ring-bone, page 557) envelop the pastern joint and completely anchy- lose it, but the animal can do slow work as he BONES OF THE HORSES FORE-LEG. (1): HIND-LEG, (2) 1. A, Radius ; B. Lunare ; C, Magnum ; D and E. Metacarpals ; F, Pastern ; G. Coronet : H, Pedal hon I. PesUbrm: J. Cuneiform; K. Unciform; L. Sesamoid. 2. A. Tibia; B. Astragalus: C, Navicula D. Cuneilorm ; E and F, Metatarsals ; J. Calcaneum. Other references as in 1. being the most fruitful cause, whether in tlie horse at play in the field or at work on the road, in hunt- ing, or racing. The symptoms common to in- flammation of the joints are lameness, heat, tenderness, swelling. Treatment. — Inflammation of a joint should always be deemed a serious matter calling for rest, a cooling dose of medicine, warm fomenta- tions or poultices at first, and with the subsidence of swelling and acute pain, the irrigation of the joint with cold water or cold lotions. The final reparative process is facilitated by a blister and a run at grass, or further period of rest in a large loose-box. learns to use the hmb without bending the joint. Bog spavin, so called, is a joint trouble, and being caused by strain is placed among that list of equine troubles. Open joint will be found under the title cf Wounds (page 580). Sprains or Strains Having regard to the character of the work exacted from horses, such as the drawing of heavy DISEASES OF THE BONES AND JOINTS 561 loads and carrying of weights in hunting, it is no matter of surprise that strains arc of frequent occurrence in all classes. Ov^er-extension and excessive exertion at work or play accoiuit for many sprains, and some peculiarities of con- formation predispose to such accidents. Joints, tendons, and ligaments are all subject to strain, and it is often difificult even for the anatomist to diagnose the exact nature of the accident, or state with precision what structures are involved. The symptoms of sprain are not always manifest at the time, but there are cases affecting the tendons and ligaments which attract the attention of the novice by the presence of lameness, tenderness, swelling, and evident pain, to a greater or less degree. Bog Spavin. — This is an example of a strain that may not have been observed at the time, and commonly occurs in young horses poorly kept and soft in their structures. When associated with strained hock its appearance as a soft swelling at the upper and inner part of the hock may be quite sudden, but more often it is gradual and progressive. It is a distension of the capsule of the hock which is overfilled with synovia. Without any known or likely cause of strain, it appears in overgrown youngsters of the Clydes- dale and other breeds, and would then appear to be no more than an irregular development and superfluous secretion of synovia, which later becomes absorbed. While weakness on the one hand predisposes to bog spavin, artificial forcing for the show-yard on the other has a like bad influence on the joint, and excites this excessive production and consequent bulging. Pain and lameness is experienced in the sudden and acute cases, but not in those of gradual invasion, which latter are more permanent and frequently asso- ciated with thoroughpin. Treatment. — Reduction of the inflammation by fomentation with warm water at frequent intervals ; pressure from a truss, or by contracting and thickening the skin by blisters ; an aperient dose of medicine and rest — -a turn-out at grass being specially helpful when the efiect of blistering has been fully seen. Strain of the muscles may amount to no more than over-extension, or some of the fibres may have been actually ruptured. They can generally be felt as tender and hot, and with more or less visible swelling. Of strained tendons the same may be said, but the excess of reparative material which is brought to the part is more easily removed from muscles than from tendon or ligament, which often remains permanently disfigured when restored to usefulness. This after thickening is always in the mind of the veterinary surgeon in treating leg sprains, and explains why he is appar- ently so fond of blisters. He knows that when warm fomentations have done their work blisters BOG SPAVIN TRUSS. will carry off very much more building material (no longer wanted) than if left to the ordinary natural cure which would occupy very much longer time, and not result in so great refiring of the affected parts (see Blistering and Firing, page 589). The anatomical knowledge of the professional man enables him to decide, in the majority of cases, what particular muscles, liga- ments, or tendons are hurt, and his experience tells him the probable duration and prospects of recovery ; so the horse-owner does well to take his advice where available. We need not in a work of this kind enter into a description of all the known strains so carefully classified by the expert, but be satisfied to know the general principles for the guidance of the unfortunate owner of a sprained horse, which are ernbraced in the foregoing remarks, but place especial emphasis on rest as the true cure. Careful handling of a lame limb will often lead to the discovery of the strained portion, and S62 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the attitudes assumed to relieve it also point to the seat of trouble. If the horse-owner finds a difficulty in locating lameness he may be told that it is also the subject which most vexes the expert, and in no small number of cases altogether baffles him. Sprained Back This happens when a horse's hind-legs sHp under him while keeping back a load, or when landing badly over a jump, or strug- gling up a bank when he has come short in his efforts to reach the other side of a stream. He may be so badly strained that he cannot get up, and the onlooker may think his spine is broken, but there will be some degree of move- ment of the legs when sprained, however badly. In the case of a broken back there is none ; be- sides which, he will not respond to the prick of a pin. restored in the convalescent stage if a mild blister is applied, and the horse is then turned out to grass. Curb This is the result of sprain, and followed by by thickening of the sheath of the flexor pedis perforans tendon. The calcaneo-cuboid ligament when sprained and enlarged is also called curb, and the swelling in either case appears at the same place at the back of the hock, and is best seen in sUght cases from the side. Curb is here- ditary in its tendency to appear upon com- paratively shght strain. It may occur in any conformation, but is most frequent in straight- legged horses, whose hock -points are not prominent because the os calcis bone is short. The degree of swelling varies greatly, as does the amount of pain, heat, and lameness ; in the slighter ones no lameness may be observed. Treatment. — Even a bad sprain of the back need not be despaired of if the animal can be conveyed to a stable, or supported by slings out doors. Warm fomentations to the loins, and enemata per rectum, afford much relief, and if the progress is slow success usually rewards our efforts. ^Muscular power is more quickly Treatment of curb before the enlargement dis- figures the animal is important, and almost in- variably successful. A dose of physic (aloes), a blister, and rest with a high-heeled shoe, is usual. Time should be allowed for the consoUdation of the parts sprung before any severe work is required of the horse. CHAPTER XIV DISLOCATIONS DISPLACEMENT of the articular ends of bones may be partial or com- plete. It is with the partial cases that the horse-owner has most frequently to deal. With the complete he will seldom need to prescribe anything softer than a bullet. There are just a few rare cases of com- plete dislocation, as of the shoulder, in which the courageous amateur has had a line put on the foot and traction exerted, while he, having divested himself of his boots, has jumped upon the shoulder at the critical moment, and the dislocation has been instantly reduced, the horse allowed to get up, and walk home, etc. Speaking as a veterinary surgeon of forty years' experience, we confess to not having seen this easy performance as described after the market ordinary, but the story is so venerable that it has our respect. A less sensational proceeding is to get the animal under chloroform, and all his muscles relaxed, and then induce the ends of the bones to resume their former relationship. These complete dis- locations are so rare that we need only pay passing tribute to a post-prandial story, and call the reader's attention to those partial dislocations of the horse's fetlock and other joints where treatment may be of value. The over-shot fetlock is a partial dislocation. In a front limb it is much more serious than in a hind one. It needs to be blistered severely, or fired, a high-heeled shoe put on, and a long rest prescribed if the luxation is not to get rapidly worse, and end in such lengthening of the tendons that no subsequent treatment will cure. The hind fetlocks may go over quite half way, and the animal continue to be useful for years. The treatment advised for front limbs should be re- sorted to early, to prevent further deformity. Dislocation of the Patella or Stifle Joint The bone which corresponds to our knee-cap is a frequent source of trouble in weakly, over- grown, or malformed colts, or we should perhaps say that the lateral ligaments are often so weak as to be easily strained and permit of the dis- location or temporary luxation of the patella bone. It may be heard in such cases to go back wdth a click or snap, coming out and going back at every few steps in some instances. Many youngsters outgrow it ; some do not. Treatment. — Besides the building-up of the young animal upon nutritious food, he should be 56: 564 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE placed in a small paddock or straw-yard on level ground. The stifle joint should be bhstered two or three times at intervals of about two months, as by this means a cushion is first formed by which pressure is exercised between the skin and the patella, and afterwards the thickening of the skin serves as a permanent bandage to the joint. During this process the stretched ligaments have been gaining strength. In adults the dislocation of the patella is a serious accident, and the bone must be quickly reposed if ulceration of the articular cartilage is not to follow on severe inflammation provoked by the dislocation. The leg is extended back- wards and cannot be brought forward if the dislocation is complete. In the partial dislo- cations of the patella, the leg is made to swing in the arc of a circle, a movement, it may be remarked, which is more or less diagnostic of stifle lameness, and implied by those who speak of lameness in the "round bone." In this accident the modern veterinary surgeon with chloroform will subdue the muscular opposition easily, and bring forward the limb by a rope round the fetlock. The amateur will probably have to depend on the rope passed round the withers first as a collar, and then the free end round the fetlock will be pulled forward with such force as to overcome the obstacle to reposition. If done while the animal is standing an irritant can be immediately put on, and the horse prevented from lying down or moving until the desired swelling has had the effect already referred to. The cast animal is very liable to dislocate the bon again in the act of rising, and he should be prevented from doing so for a ■few hours. ball and rest, while fomenting the parts and applying warm bandages or packs frequently renewed, and later replaced by cold irrigations, and lastly by a blister, as advised in connection with many joint troubles. Chronic or slowly formed thoroughpins may need the firing iron ELBOW PAD. CAPPED ELBOW PAD APPLIED. Thorouglipin A fluctuating swelling between the ham-strings and the lower end of the leg bone (tibia) shows as a bulge on either side of the hock. It is a dis- tension with synovial fluid, of the sheath of the flexor pedis tendon, and save for its situation might be called a windgall, being of precisely the same nature {see Windgalls, page 566). It is often associated with bog spavin, the strain or over-work which brings on the one also causes the other {see Bog Spavin, page 561). Treatment. — If of sudden origin and evidently inflammatory, it will be well to give an aloctic as well as the blister, to bind down the lax tissues and support the weakened and enlarged synovial sheath. Capped Elbow A round or pear-shaped swelling on the point of the elbow is called a capped elbow. It may be almost entirely composed of straw-coloured fluid, as a result of a rather severe blow or injury by the heel of the shoe, or an irregular floor from which the bedding has been scraped. In such case it answers to the American description of a "shoe boil." When neglected it may even contain pus. Instead of this rapid filling, more DISLOCATIONS 565 often there is a gradual enlargement from re- peated irritation, or resting on the shoe when recumbent, and then the thickening of the skin and subjacent tissues attains to great dimen- sions, while the fluid contents may be small or altogether converted into sohds. Treatment. — A tumour of such variable com- position will necessarily call for different kinds of treatment. It may be that the first inflamma- tory swelling will yield to warm fomentations, and prevention of further contact with the shoe or the ground, or that equal parts of soap liniment and water will disperse the enlargement. Whiting mixed with vinegar is very much approved for for this purpose by some, as also for capped hocks. Failing to disperse the contents quickly, the lancet will be necessary. A bold stroke of the instrument, whereby a long incision is made, and the fluid allowed freely to escape, is prefer- able to a puncture. Into the sac should be inserted daily some tincture of iodine, to prevent refining and reforming of the secreting mem- brane, and later the sides of the skin should be blistered, as this is found to reduce the blemish which must inevitably follow to a greater or less extent. Prevention by care in shoeing, by the use of plenteous bedding, by rubber rings or pads worn above the fetlocks, or by Offord's patent contrivances, should be adopted on the first appearance of capped elbow, in however slight a form. Capped Knee This is of the same nature as capped elbow just described, but is more disposed to solidify from the first and to become callous. The causes are falls and contusions. Heavy horses, somewhat clumsy, in narrow stalls, are the most frequent victims, as they bruise their knees upon the floor. Treatment. — If fomented with warm water and then wrapped in a thick layer of cotton wool and bandaged over all with gentle pressure capped knee will commonly be cured quickly. If neglected, a permanent disfigurement will result, but rarely any interference with the mobility of the joint. Repeated applications of iodine, as glycerine of iodine, will often effect considerable reductions, but will not wholly remove 72 the swelling if of long standing. In some cases, where the swelling is felt to consist chiefly of fluid, a sterilised instrument (aspirator) is in- serted under the skin and the offending fluid drawn off ; its reappearance or refilling being prevented by such pressure as we have before suggested. Capped Hock Causes. — Many valuable horses are disfigured by capped hocks. There are two causes, one of which is more or less remediable according y ^ CAPPED HOCK. to its duration and the other incurable. The simpler form is due to bruising of the skin and tissues immediately beneath it, and will yield to the treatment advised for capped elbow and knee. In the other variety of capped hock, the synovial membrane between the tendon and the bone is injured, and the bulging at the sides distinguishes it from simple capped hock, where the enlargement is on the point only. The treatment advised for capped elbow and knee is suitable, unless the swelling acquires the character of a serous abscess, when it may be necessary to employ the aspirator, as for obstinate cases of capped knee. Exercise is desirable, and lameness rarely ensues, and there is always a 566 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE disposition to reduction of the swelling if the exciting causes are removed, but permanent dis- figurement to a greater or less extent commonly remains. Filled Legs, Qidema Filled legs, more or less swelled or even dis- tended with fluid, are quite common among horses debilitated either from poverty or disease, and are to be distinguished from inflammatory oedema, or "Monday morning leg," or weed (see page 528). The fluid consists of the watery portions of the blood which escapes through the sides of the vessels and usually passes away with exercise, only to refill when again at rest, unless the cause is sought and removed. In this connection there is a general abuse of diuretic medicines, as remedies which excite the kidneys to additional work are found quickly to fine the legs. They should not be used for such cases, but the general health should be built up by good food and tonics, daily dram doses of sulphate of iron, with half ounces of gentian being helpful, or half drams of sulphate of copper and quinine. Regular exercise, when not called upon to work, should be insisted on in those animals disposed to dropsical swellings of the legs and of the sheath. Windgalls These round or o^■al enlargements found about the fetlock joints, the hocks, and knees are due to distension of the capsular membrane of. the joint with synovia (joint oil), or a like condition of the synovial sheath of the tendon. Some horses are predisposed to them by heredity, and others of the thick-skinned, coarse-haired type, with big bodies, early develop them without much work, but windgalls as commonly met with speak rather of hard labour performed, and a horse having them is said to show " use." They are soft to the touch, and contain fluid, not "wind," as their name suggests. They seldom cause lameness, unless associated with rheumatism. Treatment of windgalls should be undertaken early, before thickening of their walls takes WINDGALLS. place. The pressure of a pitch plaster, from three or four inches above the fetlock, right down to the coronet, and a run at grass will cure them when first developed ; or. when a little more advanced, a mild blister may have the effect, but when fully established these remedies only reduce them for a time. Bandaging at night certainly keeps down the swelling, and while at exercise they do not fully regain their size, but on again standing in the stable the distension is as great as e^'er if not supported by pressure from with- out. Removal of the fluid by the aspirator and the injection of iodine is sometimes resorted to, but good stable management and habitual band- aging is usually deemed sufficient for what amounts to no more than an evesore if neglected. CHAPTER XV DISEASES OF THE FEET SAND CRACK.- A fissure in tlic hoof has long been known by this name, and is most common on dry, sandy roads, but may occur anywhere and in horses of all types. Light horses have these rents most frequently on the inner side of the front feet, and heavy horses at the toe of the hind ones, but they may occur at any part. Directly opposite causes giv-e rise to them ; if the hoof is unusually thick and dense ; or when it is thin and lax in the horn fibres of which hoof is com- posed. In dry summers the hoof becomes brittle, and certain chronic forms of indigestion predis- pose to cracks in the hoof, from absence of gelatine in proper proportion. The cracks commonly begin at the top and extend downwards, increasing in length and depth if not arrested. They may appear quite suddenly and with oozing of blood from the crack, or the separation may be gradual, and fail to attract sufficient attention. If the breach in the horn extends to the sensitive foot, lameness is marked ; otherwise it may be absent. Small superficial cracks sometimes grow out with- out causing any inconvenience. Treatment. — Rest and antiseptic dressings to begin with, and a ball of aloes if the animal is at all gross. To prevent the crack from extend- ing, a line is drawn with a hot iron just below the end of the fissure, and one on either side in the form of a V to divert concussion. There arc several means of drawing together the divided hoof. A fine horse-nail may be driven trans- versely from the sides and clinched on both sides ; or holes may be drilled in the hoof and clamps inserted. Bindings of tarred cord, straps of leather, or tape answer the purpose, more cr less well, of keeping the fissure closed until new horn grows down from the coronary band, which latter is stimulated by a mild blister. Most sand cracks can be thus grown out, but a few prove intractable, owing to injury to the coronet, which fails to secrete the requisite horn material to effect the necessary repairs. Shelly Feet ■Wlien the horn-making structures fail in their function, as from chronic indigestion already mentioned, shelly or brittle hoofs result, and much difficulty is experienced in obtaining good nail-hold for the shoes. This defective secretion is frequently heredi- tary, and is also caused by improper treatment of the feet by paring out the sole and fitting shoes too hot. Shelly feet have been observed to follow on febrile diseases, as laminitis and influenza. 567 568 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Treatment. — A good deal may be done to remedy this defect in the stabled horse, by stimulating the coronets periodically with ammonia and turpentine liniment, or a very weak ointment of SAND CRACK. SAND CRACK FIRED. biniodide of mercury (one in sixteen), and the smearing of the hoofs with equal parts of Stock- holm tar, fish oil, and glycerine. A radical cure may result from a blister, followed by a run out in a low-lying wet pasture for several months. Seedy Toe Wlien the inner layer of homy laminae breaks away from the outer and denser one, the con- dition known as seedy toe results, and a quantity of decomposed grey or blackish matter is found to have destroyed the union. This material comes away and leaves a cavity which may often be detected without more examination than tapping the foot on the outside, and listening to the hollow sound emitted. The toe is the more frequent site of the disease, but it may occur at the quarters. Until the malady has made some progress it does not cause lameness. An attack of fever in the feet (laminitis) predisposes to it. Many theories have been offered in explanation of this disease, but none is altogether satisfactory. In the debris may sometimes be found a parasite named after Professor Axe, who was the first to discover it (Pelodera Axei), and it is possible that this is the chief source of the trouble. Treatment consists in scraping out all the diseased matter, dressing the cavity with a power- ful disinfectant, as chloride of zinc, and filling up the space with Stockholm tar, which is both a parasiticide and a horn nourisher. At the same time, the coronary band is stimulated to secrete new material by mild and repeated blisters or liniments. Only in bad cases is rest prescribed, the secretion of new horn being favoured by use of the foot. Horn Tumour, Keratoma Blows and concussion are said to be the causes of growths on the inner surface of the hoof, for which very little can be done ; operation for their removal is attended with but a small measure of success. Judicious shoeing relieves some cases. Thrush A low form of inflammation, or congestion, of the sensitive frog results in a discharge from the cleft, and a ragged decayed state of the visible frog, known as thrush. Some horses have a constitutional predisposition to it, and others appear to contract it from standing in urine and filth, or from habitual moisture, as horses at II li 11 f V I SEEDY TOE. grass may contract it. High living in the stable and the lymphatic temperament also predispose to thrush. Paring away the horny frog and cutting out the sole and shoeinj in such a manner DISEASES OF THE FEET 569 that the frog, bars, and sole get no pressure and share none of the animal's weight, is sufficient alone to cause thrush. Without use of any structure, atrophy follows. When the frog is deprived of its natural function by being pared away and lifted off the ground, atrophy begins, and the waste products of imperfect horn come away as a disagreeable discharge, and the horny portion itself shrinks and grows ragged and shows ■dead patches or hollows. Treatment. — Of all methods of treatment frog pressure is the most successful. If the shoes are removed and the horse made to stand on a hard level floor, the frogs flatten and grow hard, the heels expand, the bars are strengthened, and the foot reverts very much to the shape of the colt's. Next to throwing out of work, we may use the sunk shoes known as Charlier's. With quite the majority of cases we must needs work the animal, and in the shoes to which he has been accustomed. We are thus restricted in our operations, and must avoid drying up the frog too quickly with the powerful caustics so often employed, which cause further shrinking of the frog and falling in of the heels. A dose of aloes in a ball acts upon the feet in with- drawing blood or reducing pressure. The old farriers aptly called aloes a " derivative " in respect of the horse's feet, and there are dealers to-day who know how to use aloes in such a way as to patch up a cripple for sale. While giving such constitutional remedies as salts, and nitre, and sulphur, we may clean out the clefts and insert pledgets of tow mixed with one part of salt to three parts of Stockholm tar, making this an habitual dressing, but occasionally washing out with soda and warm water and afterwards pouring in a ten per cent, solution of chloride of zinc. Some horses suffer on peat moss ; and others are helped by pine sawdust ; but all thrushy horses should have dry bedding and receive con- stant attention to their feet, when the worst of cases may be controlled and ordinary ones cured. Corns Many terms used by horse-owners are puzzling to the beginner, and this is one of them. A corn in a horse is not a hard excrescence, but a bruise with more or less blood-staining, and perhaps suppuration, in the angle between the crust, and its inflection called the bar of the foot. Most frequently found on the inside of a fore-foot, but occasionally seen in both hind and front feet. Among the chief causes are defective feet and bad shoeing. The low, weak heel, as seen in Flemish and other horses bred on lowland, pre- dispose to corn. Too much paring of the sole, lowering of the heels, shoes too short and narrow at the heels, and above all too long retention of the shoes, cause corns by the overgrowth of the foot, or, as is commonly said, the shoe growing in — by which is meant the altered position of the heel of the shoe by which it presses upon the angles or the bars, when its bearing should be upon the crust or outer wall. The presence of corn is too frequently overlooked by the smith, wiio is either forbidden to "rob" the foot, or else too busy to examine the seat of the corn when nothing has been said about the subject. If the angle is pared out, a red spot of variable size will be found — a staining of the horn, in fact, from the bruise in the sensitive part above it. Treatment. — If neglected, corns become greatly inflamed and suppuration follows, extreme lame- ness calls attention to the foot ; an exploration with the knife leads to the liberation of the matter confined in the hoof. Other symptoms, as heat and tenderness in the heel, point to corn as the cause of lameness, and no time should be lost in relieving it by removal of the shoe and paring out, poulticing, and rest. A dose of aloes should be given during the enforced idleness of the patient. Many corns are at once relieved by removing the pressure of the shoe, putting it through the fire, and opening the heels, so that when replaced it has no bearing upon the seat of corn. When suppuration takes place, the matter must not only be drawn out, but time allowed for Nature to effect repairs. Neglected corns are liable to result in a breach in the coronet, as the matter takes the least line of resistance and comes out between hair and hoof. Even then it may be cured by prompt drainage from below. Failing proper treatment a quittor results (see page 572). Laminitis, Fever in the Feet Fever, or laminitis, has been referred to in connection with pulmonary and intestinal in- flammations, and as following on difficult par- turition or inflammation of the womb in mares. 57^ THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE when its sudden appearance is known as meta- stasis, or transference from one part of the animal to another. It consists in inflammation of all the soft vascular tissues (laminae) between the hoof and the bones within the foot. Shallow or weak feet, low in the heel and spreading, are specially prone to laminitis, but all sorts of feet are found to be affected. Heavy horses are more liable than the lighter breeds, or contract laminitis with less provocation. Concussion, whether from usually called ; and this latter symptom is some- times mistaken for congestion of the lungs in horses standing in stalls and not made to move. The membranes of the eye and nostril are very red as in other conditions of fever, and appetite more or less is in abeyance. Treatment. — In other foot troubles the reader will have noted that a dose of aloes is prescribed. In this malady a full dose should be given imme- LAMINITIS. high action, excessive labour, or jumping, accounts for the majority of cases. High feeding and want of exercise are frequent causes in the gentleman's stable, or spells of idleness and bursts of speed, as with the sporting publican's pony. Too much feeding on wheat and maize are among the causes of laminitis in this climate, but do not have the same effect apparently on the American continent and in some other countries. The symptoms of laminitis are, as a rule, sudden, and the fore-feet most often affected. The position which affords most relief to the pain is one in which the animal leans back upon his heels and appears rooted to the ground. If all four feet are affected, he assumes a crouching attitude. The feet are hot to the touch, and if lightly struck the poor beast shows pain. There is high temper- ature of the body, as indicated by the thermo- nieter per rectum, an an.xious expression of coun- tenance, rapid breathing, or "blowing," as it is d lately, and blood should be taken from the jugular vein. Slings afford a measure of relief to the feet, but should not be employed if there is a disposition to lie down. The shoes should be removed and the feet put into poultices of warm bran. In extreme cases, full doses of morphia, of chloral, of cannabis indica, or the bromides of potassium and ammonium may be given. When a horse obstinately stands and the smith cannot get the shoes off, an injection under the skin of the coronets at three or four places may be made of a seven per cent, solution of cocaine, when twenty minutes' relief will be afforded, and the operation can be carried out. With the subsidence of acute pain cold water may be substituted for poultices, allowing a stream to run over the feet, standing in a pond, or swab- bing in the stable, according to circumstances. Slow walking exercise follows, then a blister round the coronets, and a turn-out in a wet pasture. Despite treatment, horses sometimes die of 572 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE laminitis, and most acute cases leave an alteration of structure whereby a cheesy material is inter- posed between the sensitive foot and the hoof, and the front falls in, the heels grow larger, the sole drops, and rings form on the outside of the hoof. Where no other bad effect is readily seen, the rings upon the hoof should warn the intending purchaser, who will be told that they are only grass rings. They are, however, quite different from the healthy plump enlargement of the hoof that often follows on a run at grass in favourable weather. Quittor This is a fistulous wound at the top of the hoof, and is formed to drain away injured, dying, or dead tissues underneath. Many pipes commu- nicating with each other are often found in bad cases. Any injury to the coronet, such as heavy horses inflict upon themselves in turning in shafts, or receive from their fellows in double harness, a prick from a nail, a neglected corn or bruised sole, may result in quittor {see Corns, page 569). Beginning with a hot and painful swelling caused by the formation of matter it presently breaks, discharges, and is less painful ; but the cause remains, and fresh swelUngs in the direction of the toe are followed by similar breaches in the skin. The lameness is not so acute after the first outbreak, but persists. Trealineiit of quittor is most successful when least scientific. According to surgical rules, the sinuses or pipes should be traced and cut through with a bistoury, and successive poultices should draw out the offending matter. We have seen horses so treated until their feet were as soft as jelly, and the animals have then been destroyed. We have seen a large number cured by the old farrier's method of rolling up some arsenic and corro- sive sublimate in a little cone of tissue paper and pushing it down to the bottom of the wound, whereby a terrible inflammation is set up, great pain experienced for a couple of days or more, and then a slough or " core " has come out and a gaping wound left which has soon healed with poultices. When healed over, a light blister is applied all round the coronet, the swelling goes down, and the case recovers. It is never agree- able to recommend what are called " cruel " methods, but the question^may be asked. Is it cruel if successful, and when compared with the cutting operation which so often fails ? As a result of quittor the coronary band is often injured, and what is known as false quarter remains. Canker This is the most offensive disease of the feet, and fills the stable with its persistent odour. It consists in a spongy growth of the frog, and extends to the sole and other parts if not arrested, and produces a discharge of cheesy-like matter. One or more feet may be affected, and the heavy breeds are more subject to it than light horses. It often follows thrush or other horn troubles. Treatment. — Unless promptly attended to canker is incurable, save by a few specialists, who strip the sole and frog, which is a very painful opera- tion and a long business. Preparation by a dose of aloes, short rations, and disinfection by immer- sion in a tub of ten per cent, solution of chloride of zinc, is advised, after which all diseased horn should be carefully scraped away, for as long as any particle remains it appears to act as seed for the growth of more fungoid excrescences. To the scraped surface a variety of caustics are applied, as arsenic, chloride of zinc, sulphates of copper and iron, and liquids as nitric acid or sulphuric. Pressure is then brought to bear upon the parts by wedges under the shoe or by other means, and a cure is more likely to result if in this more or less painful state the animal is compelled to do moderate work. Pricks of the Foot Many horses are lamed by nails wrongly driven in shoeing, and not always from carelessness of the smith, as a restive animal snatches his foot just at the moment of striking the nail. Gathered nails, or such as are picked up on the roads, also account for pricked feet. The situation of the prick will generally determine the means by which it occurred. Fatal injuries have resulted from picked-up nails passing through the frog into the navicular bone. Pricks also carry into the sensitive foot the bacillus of tetanus, or the pyogenic organism which causes suppuration. These are sufficient reasons for considering every pricked or punctured wound of the foot as a serious matter, calling for immediate attention. As a rule, the injury is not detected until lameness results. Shoe-nails are sometimes driven so close to the quick as to cause pressure or bulging, and these give rise to some difficulty in discovery. DISEASES OF THE FEET 573 Treatment. — Removal of the shoe and pinching round the various holes will often enable the smith to find the tender spot, cut it out, tack on the shoe without replacing the nail, and recovery FALSE QUARTER. follows in a day or two. Not always does this happy termination ensue, but the animal gets more lame, points the foot in the stable, and suffers much pain, and a green matter, like the sap of a tree, forms, and perhaps under-runs the sole. If the matter consists of only a single drop the patient will be lame, very lame, as a rule — and the offending fluid must be got out by the knife and subsequent poultices. The common mistake made by amateurs and blacksmiths is that of making the orifice too small. They are afraid of a few drops of blood, and desist from cutting just at the time when they would do most good by getting free drainage. At the same time the wound should be saturated with a disin- fectant, the fear of tetanus (lock-jaw) being always before the eyes of the operator (see Tetanus, page 535). Provided good drainage is effected, disinfection practised early in the case, poultices continued until the inflammation has subsided, and sufficient rest allowed, pricked foot generally makes a complete recovery, but any neglect may result in quittor (see page 572). Chronic Inflammation of the Coronet (Villitis) Horses may be seen with the hair round the top of the hoof standing on end " hke the quills 73 on the back of the fretful porcupine." This is due to a lasting congestion of the papillae from which horn grows down, and a defective hoof results. A long rest in a wet pasture is the best treatment. Side-Bone At the sides of the foot and towards the heel may be felt in the normal foot a wing of cartilage which is a prolongation of the pedal bone, in the same sense as the cartilage at the top of the shoulder-blade bone, which every carver must have noticed in connection with a shoulder of mutton. This lateral cartilage is subject to a gradual change in its composition, beginning as deposits of bone in the cartilage cells, and ultimately resulting in transformation to bone, when it is known as side-bone. It often exists together with ring-bone {see page 556), and may involve the whole of the cartilage, or only a small part of it. Among the causes must be counted heredity ; concussion and external violence, high- heeled shoes, and calkins also contribute to the number of cases. It is often difficult to diagnose, as the com- mencement of it may be in the part under the hoof, and until it is pronounced the cartilage continues to bend under the pressure of the thumb, which is a rough and ready test the horse- owner may apply. Lameness does not necessarily SIDE BONE. accompany side-bone, although it is frequently caused by it. It is, however, a serious cause of unsoundness, as 574 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE it is apt to go on growing and ultimately involve the joint, causing anchylosis. Heavy horses are the principal subjects of it. Light horses are more frequently lame when side-bone is present. Treatment. — At first an aloetic ball, cold swabs constantly applied, or a daily foot bath in a pond where available. Then a blister, repeated every three weeks on three successive occasions. Turn- ing out in a wet pasture' should follow. If these repeated blisterings fail to reduce or arrest the ossification, firing must be resorted to ; and if firing fails, some period of usefulness may result from division of the plantar nerve, whereby the parts are deprived of feeling. Continental veter- inarians saw through the hoof on each side of the ossification, and exercise the animal during the reunion. This gives more I'oom, and in some cases proves successful. Navicular Disease (Navicularthritis) This foot trouble was very much more prevalent in cities when stone sets and macadamised roads were the rule, and prior to the introduction of wood paving. A further diminution in the num- ber of cases is due to the more general recognition of the hereditary character of the malady, farmers now seldom breeding from the subjects of navi- cular disease, which they formerly attributed to the shoulder. They were only at the wrong end of the limb, and thought that a " shoulder tied " mare should recover at grass, while bearing a foal to pay for her maintenance. The veterinary profession has only known the true nature of navicular disease for about a century, and technical information was not then published in penny agricultural papers ; hence the long time occupied before the hereditary nature of the malady was realised by those whom it most concerned. The symptoms vary, and the progress of the disease is often slow, sometimes rapid, at others the lameness is periodic or uncertain ; at times the animal seems to be all right, and again after a day's hunting, or other labour, comes out stiff in the morning, but warms up with exercise and continues to go sound so long as kept moving. There are a number of conditions which pass under the name of navicular lameness. Some are due to inflamed joint, others to friction or congestion of the tendons close to the bone, or to the bone itself. There are also cases in which the wings of the pedal bone give rise to symptoms so much like navicular joint lameness that it is not easily distinguished from that malady. Pointing the foot, or extending the suffering member in advance of the other foot, is the most general and per- sistent symptom. At the same time the opposite diagonal is brought forward under the body, and weight thus removed from the diseased foot. When both front feet are affected the animal frequently changes them. A near fore and an off hind are brought forward : then an off fore and a near hind. The symptom of point- ing will often precede any other, and owners will sometimes refuse to believe that pointing is any- thing more than a habit. It is a habit. It is the habit of navicular disease, and if any cure is to be effected, then is the time. As the malady increases, the horse comes out increasingly " shovey." His step is shortened and leg straight- ened, the lameness is more and more pronounced, and a longer time in exercise is needed before it is thrown off, and its return is observed if the animal only stands still a few minutes. This is specially noticeable in turning. Shortening of the step continues, and wasting of the shoulder muscles succeeds after a variable time. There is no sort of foot exempt, nor can it be said that any shape specially predisposes to the malady. It used to be thought that a contracted foot was a symptom of navicular disease. We would rather put it that heels that have fallen in, and feet that have contracted as the result of paring away frogs and cutting out soles, invite navicular disease. Treatment. — If the symptom of pointing is accepted as evidence of this disease before any other presents itself, then a blister round the coronet and a long rest in a soft pasture may restore the animal ; indeed, an apparent restor- ation follows this treatment in more advanced cases, but the lameness returns when work is resumed. Of such are the cases that ruin the reputation of the young vet., who passes them as sound. Repeated blisterings, and even firing through the coronet, and setons through the frog, have been used and are still employed, but to no good purpose. If a horse has navicular disease in any but the earliest stage he will yield the best service to his master if unnerved before structural changes have advanced. The little bone (navicular or shuttle bone) which gives its DISEASES OF THE FEET 575 name to this lameness is found in all stages of congestion, ulceration, and disintegiation in long- standing cases examined after death. Stringhalt This belongs to the diseases of the nervous system, and its pathology is not understood {see Diseases of the Nervous System, page 515). Injuries Resulting from Defective Action Brushing is the term used to describe the defective action which results in bruising and wounding of the fetlock, or other portion of a the leg (a Yorkshire boot) is advised as preferable to the leather and rubber appliances sold for STRINGHALT. limb, by the foot of its fellow. Soreness, swelUng, and in some cases lameness, follow when brushing is repeated. It is a common defect of youngsters when first broken in, or while still " green," as the word goes. Weakness and awkwardness under unaccustomed circumstances of having a weight on the back, or being confined within shafts and unable to turn in a natural manner, leads to these blows, and they should not be regarded as of little consequence, because the swelling increases and becomes callous, always afterwards offering an impediment, and increasing the risk of further injury. Warm fomentations, followed by pressure from a sheet of cotton wool, bandaged rather tightly, will often cure the trouble in a night. Prevention by a folded piece of rug strapped on SCARS CAUSED BY BRUSHING. habitual brushers, as the piece of rug can be renewed as often as it gets hard. It is not elegant, but for temporary use is to be preferred. Cutting. — The sharp edge of the shoe, or the force of the blow, very often inflicts a wound, as well as a bruise, when horses .,11/ brush. These should be fomented with a five per cent, carbolic lotion, and some carbolised oil on a piece of lint retained on the wound by a bandage. Speedy Cutting. — A very dan- gerous form of interfering through defective action is known by this term, and is to be distinguished from ordinary brushing and cutting of the fetlock and pastern. It is striking against the prominence at the lower and inner part of the knee or thereabouts, when the animal is trotting or going at a faster pace. It is ex- tremely dangerous in a saddle horse, as he is likely to come down. It is not so amenable to treatment as the previously SPEEDY CUT mentioned troubles, because it 576 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE arises out of defective conforniation. Horses with turned-out toes are the kind to brush, and if the chest is narrow and the legs close to- gether, the danger of speedy cutting is greatly increased. Various kinds of boots or leggings are contrived to prevent, or reduce the violence of, a blow from the opposite foot, and a careful horse-owner will avoid these injuries by always keeping the animal under his best pace, and never allowing him to become careless in action through fatigue. When wounds occur as the result of speedy cut, it is even more important than in brushing injuries to do all that is possible to prevent permanent enlargement ; the twelfth of an inch in thickness at this point or at the fetlock may make all the difference as to inter- fering or not. Over-reach. — This happens to unconditioned and immature horses who have not learned the proper use of their limbs, like the growing youth wearing " nines " and kicking up against the furniture with feet whose changing length make him awkward. Some horses continue to " clack- click," forge, or over-reach, but their conformation is defective, and to that extent they are incur- able ; but much may be done by shoeing and the management of the feet to mitigate the evil. The loud noise made by some horses is due to the toe of the hind foot striking the shoe of the front one. Others inflict injuries by wounding the coronet at the heel. The short body, " well- ribbed home," so much liked by riding men, is the conformation which naturally leads to this accident ; but they look, too, for hind feet — or, rather, legs — so conformed that in the gallop the turned-out toe means the clearance of the front foot. Hind shoes shortened in front, " cow- mouthed," and having side instead of toe clips, with foot rasped back almost to the white line in the hoof, and front shoes with short heels bevelled away, will overcome the defect in the majority of cases, or sunk shoes, known as Charlier's, may obviate the difficulty. No single remedy will answer for all cases of brushing, cut- ting, and interfering, but a careful consideration of each one on its merits, with the co-operation of an intelligent smith who knows his business, will in many cases enable the owner to find a way out. There are a number of rubber appliances favoured by owners of trotting horses. Grease This old name for a form ot inflammation of the true skin of the heel and pastern denotes a common symptom in the early stages, when an offensive fluid discharge follows on an itching and rubbing of one limb or foot against the other. Stamping at night, or when at rest, is also an early sign, but may be due to a species of mange mite which confines its attentions to the lower parts of the limbs. The pouring out of greasy fluid, of particularly unpleasant odour, is diag- nostic of grease. Neglected cases run on to the formation of round eminences which are known as grapes. The heavy breeds of horses, with slow circulation, are the most prone, and among those with round rather than flat bones its attacks are particularly noticed. It has been called the curse of the cart stable, but the careful breeding- out of the old-fashioned round-legged type, and the development of the Shire horse, has very greatly reduced the evil. It may, however, occur in almost any kind of horse, but the well-bred and the hackney types are comparatively immune, and its presence in the private stable is a reflection upon the groom or the owner. Treatment. — Horses disposed to grease should not have their legs washed, but the mud should be allowed to dry, and be brushed out with a stiff dandy brush. Farm horses should not drink from ponds for this reason. Diuretic medicines have a very marked effect on horses subject to this malady, and a bran mash twice a week, con- taining an ounce of nitre, two ounces of sulphur, and four ounces or less of sulphate of magnesia (Epsom salts) will either cure or keep it in check, unless long neglected. Epsom salts may be regarded almost as a specific, if used when the first signs appear. Small doses of sulphate of copper and zinc and iron, given in the form of balls, or mixed with damped corn and chaff, are advised in advanced cases, and should be given over a considerable period, to have their best effect. A lotion of five to ten per cent, of chloride of zinc in water for established cases will be found to check the discharge, and prevent the formation of grapes, but when these have actually formed, the hot iron may have to be used, and a veterinary surgeon should undertake the task, which may then be considered to be rather beyond the powers of the amateur horse-doctor. CHAPTER XVI WOUNDS THERE are a variety of wounds en- countered in connection with horses, and the owner should be in a position at least to give first aid, if not to carry through the treatment to the end. They are con- veniently classified as incised, lacerated, punc- tured, contused, and poisoned. Incised Wounds Clean cuts — such as are made by knives — come within this category, and their treatment is simple. The principle to be remembered is that of bring- ing the edges into apposition at the earliest moment, while excluding germs which may be floating in the air or found upon the skin. A clean, incised wound from which blood comes freely, but not in spurts or in uncontrollable quantity {see H^morrh.\ge. page 475), may be brought together without pre\'ious irrigation with an antiseptic, but any needles or suturing material employed should be sterihsed in one or other of the popular disinfectants now so generally to be found in houses and stables. If wounds are stitched, a wide margin should be allowed to prevent tearing out. No more pain is inflicted by a needle quickly thrust through muscles as well as skin than is caused by superficial sutures. What are known as interrupted sutures are usually best, each stitch being fastened off separ- ately. Repose is what is needed, while pro- tection from germs is afforded by a simple dressing of carbolised oil, and a bandage or covering according to the situation of the injury. Simple incised wounds often heal by adhesive inflamma- tion or "first intention," as it was formerly called. No discharge is produced, but an adhesive material holds together the previously divided structures until perfect repair is effected underneath, and unseen. Lacerated wounds arc such as result from blunt instruments, nail-hooks, and gear employed for harness horses, by falls, collisions, etc. The skin and structures beneath are then more or less torn, and hang in rags and tatters. Treatment of these must be begun by thorough disinfection, as in almost all cases foreign matter has gained access. The amateur goes wrong in lacerated wounds by cutting away shreds of skin (see Torn Eyelids, page 544), which should be 577 578 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE conserved to the last. Every bit of skin should be dealt with as a piece of priceless old lace, and fine needles and suturing material used where coarser ones will only suit the greater portion of the wound. A pad of lint soaked in carbolised oil will suit the majority of cases for the first two or three days, but aqueous antiseptics will later on prevent undue softening of the tissues, which results from too persistent use of oil. Contused wounds. — Bruising or crushing of the tissues, as well as laceration, is here meant, and followed by more inflammation and swelling and liability to tear out stitches, which should be deeply placed. Sloughs or dead material may come away, and should be encouraged to do so by antiseptic or disinfectant lotions appUed warm, or syringed into the opening. Fistulas are the result of too rapid healing over (see Fistulous Withers, page 580; and Quittor, page 572). Punctured wounds are, of all others, to be feared (see Pricked Foot, page 572), as the bodies which cause them are apt to carry in septic matter perhaps the specific bacillus of tetanus (see Tetanus, page 535), and produce fatal results. Besides this, the punctured wound — say by a hay-fork or rusty nail — closes immediately, and when inflammation follows there is no drainage, the swelling occluding the passage made by the wounding substance ; hence there is infiltration of the surrounding tissues, a disposition to form "pockets " of matter, as well as to afford every opportunity of absorption of morbid matter into the circulation, and cause septicesmia (see page 526). Treatment. — Forcible syrmging out of the wound with a disinfectant and plugging with a tent of tow or other material soaked in it. A good dressing is found in equal parts of spirit of tur- pentine and olive oil, and if slight suppuration follows, so much the better. Staked wounds — which are generally of the punctured variety — need especial attention to ascertain that no portion of foreign matter is left in, and if any doubt exists it is better to enlarge the wound.' It is often said — and with much truth — that a big wound heals better than a little one, and this applies with greatest force to punctured wounds, which may generally be enlarged v/ith safety and advantage. Poisoned wounds. — From wb.at has already been said the reader will be on his guard against wounds becoming poisoned, but there are some he will have gathered which are poisoned from the first, as those inflicted by venomous creatures, or introduced upon the wounding instrument — the poison of rabies, of glanders, or from decom- posing matter. The desire to close a wound must not over-ride the necessity for thorough disin- fection. The simple process of healing under aseptic conditions, or in the absence of any com- plications, has already been referred to, but many wounds — nearly ail but the clean, incised ones — heal by granulation. A variable amount of dis- charge precedes the growth of little red points of mushroom-like appearance (save for their colour), and these rapidly fill up the space — too rapidly in some cases, when what is called " proud flesh" extends beyond the level and needs re- pression (see Broken Knee). The drying off and scabbing over of the wound is followed by the formation of cicatricial tissue or the production of an eschar which is not new skin — the latter, indeed, never forms, and the condition constitutes the chief reason for that conservative surgery we have advocated in dealing with the ragged portions depending from a wound, and inviting removal by any but the experienced surgeon. Broken Knee This name is given to any breach in the skin covering the knee, and does not necessarily imply any injury to the bones. The almost invariable cause is falling upon the ground, although other accidents occasionally give rise to it. The injury may be superficially small, but deep, and bruising may be severe, or fracture of one or more bones occur, or the joint may be so injured as to permit escape of the joint oil (synovia). Much swelling and pain, and consequent lameness, follow when the deeper tissues are badly bruised or cut, but a large surface may be injured, and a corresponding amount of permanent blemish left without in- capacitating the animal for more than a fortnight. Treatment of broken knee should be begun by a thorough examination of the extent of damage done, and irrigation by a syringe repeatedly filled with a five per cent, lotion of carbolic acid, or one per cent, lysol ; but any of the standard dis- infectants mav be used according to the directions WOUNDS 579 sent out with the vessels containing them. Grit is so apt to get into the knee at the moment it is open, and to be caught in the wound when the animal rises, that special care is needful to remove anything ol the kind, by warm fomentations followed by a poultice of linseed meal and bran, enclosed in muslin. It is usually advisable to give a full dose of aloes, as this tends to keep down inflammation and reduce swelling. Poultic- ing for two or three days is enough as a rule, after which a weak lotion — one per cent, or more of chloride of zinc — will control granulation and retard the too rapid growth of large, soft, spongy material, which results in outgrowth and permanent lumps upon the knee after the wound has healed. It is during the final stage of broken knee that the amateur fails. He allows the granulations to get ahead of him, and fears to use a caustic soon enough. By touching over the most prominent spots of the new red growth, a level surface can be promoted, and when this has been accom- plished he may minimise the probable blemish by rubbing off the newly formed scab and cauter- ising afresh the raw surface. Repeating this operation everv two or three days, he will pull the sound skin over the injury and approximate the original edges of the wound until only a very small portion of shiny cicatricial tissue is seen. minutes with ordinary facility. Chronic subjects arc less lame, and the heels thicken. A good deal of sympathetic swelling may extend up the leg. Treatment may well be commenced with a purging ball of aloes, and with poultices to the heel, the latter being frequently changed. When the inflammation has subsided the wound should be treated with a povv^der composed of one part boracic acid to three parts of flour, and a few days later, with powdered alum in lieu of the boracic acid. The practice of applying sulphate of copper, or other strong styptic or caustic agents, is to be deprecated, as the union is too rapid and not lasting. A slower healing produces a better sur- face, and without so much of a ridge or scar. An application of oxide of zinc ointment daily tends to restore the softness and ffexibihty of the impaired skin. Ulcers Ulcers may be simple or specific, as the ulcer caused by a collar-gall, which leaves a ragged wound or hollow which is reluctant to heal, and the ulcer of glanders (see Glanders, page 532), brought about by a pathogenic organism. The common characteristic of the ulcer is its dis- position to continue, and its reluctance to heal by ordinary treatment. Cracked Heels A crack across the skin of the heel or on one side or the other is often a troublesome matter, and leaves a scar that tells its own tale to the expert examiner. Being in a flexure, it is more difficult to heal than a skin wound elsewhere. The causes of cracked heel are various. Those animals of a lymphatic temperament with slow circulation, and their opposites with high courage and high feeding, and such as are subject to swelling of the limbs (see Filled Legs, page 566), are most prone to cracked heels, but other exciting causes produce chaps and cracks, as snow, salted roads, keen winter winds, and summer dust. Washing the legs and leaving them to dry is a fruitful cause of this trouble. The degree of lameness varies. On the first occasion the animal may be found in the morning as lame as if he had a broken bone, and is led out of the stable with great difficulty, until the crack is opened by movement and the imprisoned fluid released, when he is able to use the limb again in a few Treatment is first directed to removal of all possible causes (as freedom from harness pressure or rubs), the cleansing of the sore, and next its stimulation. Sulphate of iron serves for the less obstinate cases, while cupric sulphate, silver nitrate, or a mixture of these, may be found necessary for the languid and indolent. The firing-iron is sometimes applied, destroying the surface of the ulcer, and appealing to the struc- tures beneath to make a fresh effort at repair. Provided the patient is not old or weak, or suffer- ing from specific disease, ulcers generally prove amenable to such treatment as we have indicated. Fistula Fistulous wounds have been referred to in con- nection with quittor (page 572), and the description there given of pipes forming to drain away dead or dying tissue applies to other sinus or fistulous wounds. 58o THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE Poll Evil. — This is one of the most difficult of all fistulous wounds (not excepting quittor), and follows in the poll after a painful swelling or abscess has broken or been lanced. Bruises on the top of POLL EVIL. the head, caused in going through low doorways, and by heavy collars, or other outward violence, are the causes. The first symptom is a shyness about the head when the collar is passed over, or the bridle put on, and this is the time when warm fomentations may suffice to disperse the swelling. More often the injury is deep-seated, and a considerable time may elapse between the blow or blows and the formation of matter ; indeed, it would seem in most cases that the abscess forms because some portion of the denser tissues of the poll are dying, and Nature will not tolerate them ; the abscess is then a means of getting rid of material that cannot be repaired, and must be encouraged to form, and when ripe be boldly lanced to afford the best drainage. Sinuses or pipes form as in fistulous withers and quittor, and have to be destroyed. Sloughing them out with corrosive substances, or by the aid of a tape or cord repeat- edly dressed with an irritant, is the plan commonly adopted, or plugging with such substances {see Punctured Wounds, page 578 ; and Quittor, page 572). The cure is always tedious, and often the healing-over is but temporary, and a further formation of pus takes place, perhaps after an interval of months, and the whole thing has to be ,gone over again. There are to be found in most of the counties of England men who make a speci- ality of curing fistulas, whether of the poll or the withers, and a contract with one of these is not likely to provoke jealousy on the part of the local veterinary surgeon, who can get but little honour or emolument from such cases. Fistulous Withers. — Fistula of the withers is caused in the same way as poll evil, and, like quittor and other sinuous wounds, must be treated with a view to the removal of the offending material which gives rise to it (see Poll Evil ; and Quittor, page 572). The withers are more easily explored than the poll or the pipes within the hoof, and a piece of bone may sometimes be traced and removed. Failing to get away the diseased or dead tissues by operation, a drain must be estab- lished by setoning as advised for poll evil. It is not a disease the amateur should undertake to cure if he can get expert assistance, and he will need much patience if thrown upon his own resources and compelled to act on the lines suggested here and in connection with those other sinus wounds to which his attention is directed. FISTULOUS WITHERS Open Joint No worse accident can befall a horse than to be wounded in a joint and admit air into the articulation. Any small punctured wound in the WOUNDS 581 neighbourhood of a joint should be approached with the greatest care, and no probing done by any but an expert ; better far to let a suspected thorn fester and make its way out later, as the swelling behind a foreign body will help to keep the joint intact. Pricks from the stable fork, kicks, blows, and other external violence may lead to an open joint, when synovia escapes from it and intense fever and pain follow, the joint-oil presently discharging as a saffron-coloured fluid, and the wound refusing to heal. Many a valuable horse is destroyed as soon as the case is proved to be one of open joint, as it is sure to be of long duration, needing much care and doctoring, and probably leaving the animal with a stifi joint, or one much enlarged if not stiff. All the same, there are a good many horses which afterwards prove useful at slow work, or, in the case of mares, as breeding stock. The primary treatment consists in injecting the wound with a disinfectant, and covering with layers of boric wool or antiseptically prepared lint, and protecting it from the ingress of malig- nant germs. An aloetic ball is given early, and from time to time cooling doses of salts and nitre to allay fever, and in extreme cases morphia is injected under the skin to allay the anguish which so often accompanies this trouble. All sorts of styptics are tried to stem the flow of joint-oil, such as whites of eggs and a paste made of chalk and methylated spirit, which are constantly applied until they dry on and cover the issue. It would seem like adding fuel to the fire to bhster the part, but such treatment is often effectual in sealing the opening, as it causes the tissues under the skin to swell and occlude the orifice while drawing out the inflammatory trouble from the joint itself. An open joint is no case for the amateur horse doctor, but the professional will need all the assistance the tyro can give him, and an endless stock of patience besides. It is desirable in most cases to sling the patient, as he must needs stand for some weeks, during which he gets very weary, and may at last throw himself down and break open the joint again. A long run at grass should be given as soon as the animal can be safely turned out. 74 CHAPTER XVII FIRST-AID yi CCIDENT or sudden illness should not / \ find the horse-owner unprepared and A. \~ incapable of rendering assistance, if it take no more active form than that of knowing how to wait while professional aid is forthcoming. It has been said that " all things come to him who knows how to wait," and w may say here that injuries which need not prove fatal often do so because the impatient or excited amateur in surgery does no know how to wait. One should " hasten slowly," by a careful consideration of the circumstances before deciding to act. When a horse is found cast in the stable, for instance, we have to consider calmly in which direction he will need help, and how it can be most efficiently supplied — not shout or whip him to efforts beyond his power. It is at either end of him we have most power, and one man at his head and another at his tail can often pull him round into a position from which he can rise, when a stimulant has been given to revive him after the fruitless struggles of, perhaps, half a night. In this, as in most cases where first- aid is required, we are at the disadvantage of having a frightened animal of great weight, whose strength is more likely than not to be 58: used in opposition to our own small powers, if, indeed, we are not injured in giving him succour. In the unaccustomed circumstances of an accident we are apt to forget the useful knowledge we possess, and a crowbar or stout wooden bar may be at hand, and a rope which, wound round the former and planted between bricks or into the ground, will give us the power of several men to move the helpless animal the few inches that may be all that is necessary. We may have only to lift one of his feet to the other side of a stall- post to enable him to get up, as he is to be regarded as temporarily stupid when he has failed to get up in the usual way, and will spend the remainder of his strength in utterly useless efforts until he dies of exhaustion if we do not relieve him. It may be said here that the will power of one man may save him while waiting for further assist- ance, as he will obey the voice and keep quiet, regaining some of his strength until such aid arrives. Hcemorrhage In the article on hemorrhage (see page 475) the means of arresting blood flow are FIRST-AID 583 more particularly dealt with, and the reader is referred to such means as may be at hand and of which he has not thought ; the handkerchief twisted round a stick, the hat-pin, scarf-pin, a skewer made of a faggot or hedge stake, and the coat-lining or other parts of a garment which may be easily rent and subsequently replaced. The hair from a horse's mane and tail makes a binding and stitching material (when it has not been hogged and its tail deprived of any hair more than two or three inches long). In such a case, if the accident occurs to a lady's horse, her sympathy might be put to a severer test than a mere man dares even to mention. There are injuries in situations where the advice here tendered cannot be put into practice, as when the head is cut and vessels cannot be ligatured. It will often be found possible to press the fingers upon the artery, or compress the lips of the wound until a clot is formed. Any bleeding from the nostrils should be the sign for waiting. It may be a vein ruptured or quite a slight injury, and soon cease ; or the spurting of an artery {see Hemorrhage, page 475), and be most desirable to remain where the accident happened until vinegar or spirit or other styptics can be obtained. Injury to Joints When joints are injured it is of all things important to restrain the animal — not walk him home because he is anxious to make the effort, but remembering that the exertion may just serve to break through the capsular ligament and let the oil escape (see Open Joint, page 580). If any sort of antiseptic can be begged, borrowed, or stolen from the nearest house or stable, it should be applied, and a bandage made of a split stocking or coat-lining to support and pro- tect the parts, until a float can be obtained in which to convey the animal home, or to the nearest stable where slings are available. The latter may be made of stout sacks and poles with a pulley and wagon rope ; or a farm-cart may be utilised, by lowering the shafts over a fallen animal. The question of removal, or of detention, should receive the most careful con- sideration, because a horse can easily walk to the nearest stable while the wound is fresh and be quite unable to do so a few hours later. If, then, it is not feared that a joint will break open and synovia escape, it will usually be best, when all fear of fatal haemorrhage has passed, and after a stimulant has been given, very quietly to lead the animal to some safe asyUun. In the meantime a veterinary surgeon will ha\e been summoned. It should be deemed an essential of first-aid to send such a message to the " Vet." as will enable him to come prepared with what is most likely to be needed. "Come at once — horse bad," may mean colic or anything else, and the medicines hastily prepared will be use- less. A few words on a leaf of a pocket-book will be better than a verbal message, which is liable to many mutations before reaching the recipient. Removal of Dirt from Wounds When dirt or foreign matter has entered a wound, it is most desirable to remove it if possible without waiting for the surgeon. To this we may perhaps make one exception in staked wounds, unless the amateur has fully realised the import- ance of ascertaining the direction, and withdrawing the offending body in such a manner as to leave no particle behind — no, not a fragment of bark ! — or future trouble will result. Staked wounds should be stuffed with tow or a bit of sheep's wool, or handkerchief, to prevent air being drawn in. This specially applies when the horse is moved. Horses in Holes When horses fall into pits or down areas, the be- wildered amateur seldom thinks of sending for a load of straw or other substance by which he may fill up the pit while restraining the animal's fears. A few inches at a time, and in no very long lime either, the floor is thus raised, and the horse walks out. Horses get into ditches, and, forgetting how they got in, fail to get out again, and wander aimlessly up and down until exhausted, and may thus die in a few feet of water. At all other times a horse's bump of locality serves him, but in water he becomes a fool if once lost. When discovered, his fears must be calmed until he can be reached by placing a ladder across the stream, and a halter put on him, when he may be led to the standing stage. If exhausted a stimulant may be given before asking him to make the necessary effort. There are cases, too, where risk of injury must be accepted by placing a rope round the animal's head in order that another horse may drag him 584 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE out of a hole. The powerful ligaments of the head and neck are not very likely to suffer, and it is a choice of evils. Water as Restorative Collapse or fainting and falling in harness or saddle should bid us wait and seek restoratives. In the absence of any of the popular forms of alcohol, it should not be forgotten that water is a restorative, and fills up the vessels quickly, and if a horse will not drink he can be drenched with bottles of water. Cold water thrown over the head also restores the faint. Falls in Harness When a horse falls in double harness he should be secured by the head by one man, while another undoes the hame strap, by which both traces are freed ; then the pole piece. In single harness the breeching straps should be first undone ; then the hames, and the animal should be restrained while the cart is run back. First-aid to the sick consists in the pro\ision of suitable accommodation in the way of a comfortable loose-box, with good ventilation, ample bedding, clothing, bandages, and a supply of hot and cold water. SADDLE ROOM AT MR. TRESHAM GILBEY'S POLO PONY STUD AT BISHOP'S STORTFORD. CHAPTER XVIII NURSING AND FOODS FOR THE SICK \ SICK horse should be isolated in a / % loose-box of comfortable dimensions, X -^ well drained, with a good supply of fresh air, but free from direct draughts. For the sake of his fellows, and for fear of infection, it should be at a distance from others. If known to be other than infectious, removal is not always desirable, as the horse is a social animal, and, if he is not very ill, desires to see and hear other horses. This latter trait in his character should be more specially borne in mind with regard to convalescents, who will be helped by cheerful surroundings. Warmth should be sought rather by conserving the animal's own temperature than by artificial heating of his apartment ; hence the recommendation to clothe warmly, and to remember that a hood and band- ages are indispensable to a good suit of horse- clothes. Removal of these at least once a day is desirable, when the skin should be wisped and a surface circulation encouraged in every way. Bedding may be varied to suit individuals, as peat moss or sawdust for some cases of lameness, but good wheat straw is in most cases of illness to be preferred. The sick should not be made an exhibition of to all callers, but their privacy respected and quiet obtained, not forgetting that Nature's sweet restorative — sleep — is as necessary to horses as men, although the former rarely sleep longer than four hours at a time ; but that is no reason why they should not choose that time, and be free from unnecessary interruption. Green Foods The same attendant should, if possible, be engaged throughout the illness, as the patient will feel confidence in him and perhaps be per- suaded to take food from his hand when he would turn away from a large quantity thrown into the manger. Small quantities of various foods should be offered at short intervals, and nothing should be left that is not consumed quickly. In a large proportion of cases, laxative foods are required. They tend to keep the bowels open and reduce temperature, promote the excretion of waste material, and give the kind of support most needed. In summer we have a choice of green foods, even if we live in large cities, as such provender is carted into town daily. Grass, lucerne, clover, rye, and all of the cereals in the green state may be used. In winter we can fall back upon carrots, parsnips, beets, mangels, swedes, gruel, boiled barley, bran. SSf 586 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE linseed, hay tea, and linseed tea and oil, and in some cases molasses or common treacle. Green- meat should not be given wet with rain or hea\-y dew, but slightly withered, or flatulent colic may result (see Colic, page 496). Salt should be given with boiled barley or other grain, and it should be cooked in only just enough water. How to make Bran Mash Bran mashes and gruel should be so made that not the slightest suspicion of burning at the bottom of the pan may put the sick horse off his fancy. For this reason, when a mash is made the bottom of the vessel should be first wetted, then some bran added ; then the boiling water ; more bran, and a further quantity of water, until the whole is saturated, not forgetting a tablespoonful of salt. The vessel should be covered over and allowed to stand an hour or more, and should not be thrown into the manger too hot to be eaten, or the invalid may be annoyed because he cannot eat it when he would, and will refuse to do so when he might. Sick horses, like sick children, are easily put out of temper, and should be humoured. Three pounds of bran to three pints of water is about the proportion for a mash. For a bran and linseed mash, we should first boil for two hours a pound of linseed in half a gallon of water, and then add a couple of pounds of bran, stirring the whole and adding an ounce of salt. Linseed tea may be made by boiling a pound of linseed in a gallon of water, adding another half-gallon to thin it when cooked. Gruel This term is now often applied to a hand- ful of oatmeal in a bucket of water, given as a refreshing drink on the road, or to the hunter when first brought in ; but real gruel is made by boiUng. If a pound of meal is mixed with a gallon of cold water and stirred over the fire until it boils, a fair sample of gruel is produced. Nourishing Foods The articles already mentioned are, of course, nourishing, but their primary object is to be relaxing. We have then to use in certain cases of prostration the most nourish- ing— milk and eggs beaten up together will be drunk by many horses, or may have to be homed do-wTi as medicine in a few cases ; bread and biscuits and all sorts of com, as oats, barley, wheat, maize, and millet, which may be given cooked or crushed, or in meal, together %vith chafi or cut "roots," or other food the patient may fancy, and which may be oSered only to induce him to take what will be more beneficial. CASTING WITH A WAGON ROPE. CHAPTER XIX METHODS OF RESTRAINT : FIRING AND BLISTERING IN order to perform operations, whether the simple one of drenching, or the severe one of firing, we have to resort to a variety of means of securing our patients, since their strength is greater than ours, and will be TWITCH APPLIED. exercised to defeat our object unless we can outwit them. The twitch is one of the commonest and most effectual means, and its simplicity makes it obtainable under all circumstances. Applied to the upper lip, it compresses the plexus of nerves and causes pain. For one's own safety, and if not abused, its employment is justified. Many minor operations may be performed with no other means of restraint. Holding up a foot or strapping it up will often enable us to do some- thing to the opposite limb, or remove the contents of the rectum, pass a catheter, lance a boil, or cauterise a wound. Cocaine is an aid in many cases, and has been specially referred to in con- nection with torn eyelids and other troubles of the visual organs. General anaesthesia is a secondary means of restraint in regard to horses, as we must first get them under control by mechanical means. The side line is one of the oldest means of trammelling a horse, either for operation while on his feet, or when thrown upon the ground by its means. It is preferred by castrators to the more elaborate hobbles which are employed for such operations as firing and unnerving. As these performances belong to the veterinary surgeon, we need only direct the reader's attention 587 588 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE LEATHER HOBBLES. to the illustrations by which he will be able under circumstances of difficulty to apply himself, as it occasionally happens that a colt has to be cast in order to be shod, or for some com- paratively small opera- tion to be performed. An ordinary thirty -six foot wagon rope looped round the neck, with the knot on the withers, may answer the ama- teur's purpose. The ends are passed outside the fore-legs and round the heels of the hind ones, a man or two on each side being em- ployed for this purpose. When both are in posi- tion in the heels, the free end of the rope is passed through the collar or neck portion first mentioned, and then all is ready for a backward pull to bring down the animal. between his knees hobbles of leather, The men should stand well back, as by such means they obtain most power. When the animal is down, the most able man of the party should secure the head. Then the feet may be drawn together, and half hitches passed round them so that it is impossible for the animal to get loose or damage the men. It is important when horses are cast, whether by hobbles or ropes, to keep the head back while on the ground, as it is not in the act of throwing that acci- dents occur to the spine, but when the animal gets his head and struggles. The modern with metal eyes, are easily METHODS OF RESTRAINT : FIRING AND BLISTERING 589 adjusted, and as the rope runs through them, three or four men puUing at once, and if assisted by an over-rope under the shoulder or attached to a surcingle, can cart the horse exactl}' where it is desired. Firing The painful operation of firing is robbed of much of its objectionable character by the use of chloro- form in the cast animal, or by subcutaneous injection of a ten per cent, solution of cocaine in the region to be operated upon ; indeed, the latter is so helpful in minimising pain that very many horses are fired without casting. Firing is practised for the cure of various forms of lameness, as spavin, curb, ring-bone, side-bone, splint, broken- down tendons, and sprains, where blis- tering is deemed inadequate or has already failed. The pattern made hot iron is not of any importance, lines, diamonds, or feathers. The effect is to cause inflammation, then absorption of in- flammatory products, and lastly, to act as a permanent bandage and support by reason of the contraction of the skin over the part. The hair is first clipped, and careful operators have the skin washed, to prevent dirt and septic matter from entering the wounds. Restraint by double halters, one on each side of the head, and attached to the pillars of the stall, is necessary for a day or two, perhaps longer, or the sufferer may gnaw the leg or injure his face by rubbing. Before being released, the parts are anointed with vaseline or other emollient, particular attention being given to the heels, which may crack if the dis- charges have run into it. The rest in a loose-box or the run at grass which follows is a compensation winch the humane man wishes he could com- municate to his patient during his sufter- Blistering lAIany references will be found to blisters as remedies for equine troubles, and there are certain little matters which the amateur goes wrong over in this connection. The animal should be prepared as advised for firing, and secured in like manner ; the heels should be carefully protected by lard, and the selected vesicant rubbed in equally over the whole surface to be blistered. The morning by the whether FIRING IRON. is a good time to apply blisters, and the sufferer should not be left until the application has had its effect, and the pain abated. This will enable the attendants to retire at night if the operation is performed in good time in the morning. Many substances are used for blistering, but all that one need have is biniodide of mercury, mixing with various proportions of lard or vaseline. As a general blister, one part of the drug to seven or eight parts of lard will be found useful, and this may be reduced to one in twelve by the addition of a half more lard, and so on. While horses are on the pillar reins, water should be frequently offered them, and food slung in a basket or given in a nose bag. When either fired or blistered, it is advisable to put on a cradle before releasing the patient, who may be inclined to gnaw the itching member if not so restrained. 75 CHAPTER XX THE TEETH AND AGE OF HORSES ^T UMBER OF TEETH —The number, de- I vclopment, or wear of the horse's teeth 1 enable us to tell his age with accuracy in the normal subject up to a certain period (seven), and aftenvards to form a fair estimate of his years. When mature the horse has tweh'e incisors or cutting teeth (six in the upper and six in the lower jaw), and twenty-four grinders or molars (six above and below on either side). The male has four tusks or tushes, one above and one below on either side. These are sometimes present in the mare, but not so fully developed ; tradition says that such mares are sterile, but such is not always the case. In front of the first upper molars we sometimes find small conical teeth — imperfect molars — known as wolves' teeth, and to their presence the habit of shying has been referred, but there is no proof of this popular belief. The age is usually judged by the incisor teeth, but experts are able to decide in doubtful cases by the assistance of the grinders prior to their full development. The first or temporary teeth are smaller, whiter, and distinguished by a more abrupt change of form between the crown and fang. The tables or upper surface of the milk teeth are never so indented or dark as those of the permanent set, and arc replaced by the first pair of permanent ones of larger size, before the wear of the temporaries has led to any great resemblance to the permanent. During dentition the age is readily seen by the number of per- manent as compared with temporary teeth, and after the full number of adult teeth are acquired the appearance of the tables enables us to say what age the animal is until they are worn do\vn or " out of mark." One to Two Years Old Without e-xamination of the teeth, the foal of the first year is easily distinguishable by his mane and tail and other signs. At birth the foal has two central incisors through the gum, and some indication of the next pair (one on either side) coming. In a fortnight the centrals are well up, and in six to eight weeks the laterals are grown. Wlien a year old, the set of teeth has a general resemblance to that of the adult horse, but his unfurnished and coltish appearance precludes the possibility of mistaking him for a " grown-up." At two years the teeth which came first have begun to show wear, and the outer ones have a less shelly, or unfinished, appearance. IMistakes have however, been made in the case of well-furnished 590 THE TEETH AND AGE OF HORSES 591 two-year-olds, with manes trimmed close or " hogged " and tails docked short, and the un- wary ha\e purchased such immature creatures as adults. A little later, between two and three years old, the first pair of incisors are replaced by the permanent ones, which are so different in character as to be easily recognised, and, with the probable foaling time kept in mind, the age of the animal can be estimated within a period of weeks or a few months at the outside. As, for instance, if one sees a colt at Christmas with two permanent teeth breaking the gum, he Avill know that the animal is rising three — that is to say, he will be three years old in the spring. Three to Four Years Old Two permanent incisors, then, are the special feature of the " coming-three " animal. These two new teeth will be a little more developed in appearance and in greater contrast to the remain- ing milk-teeth as the year advances, but not until the next autumn or winter, perhaps early spring, will he lose the temporaries on either side, and have them replaced by the laterals of per- manent type. He is then rising four years old, having four permanent incisors, and a small temporary one at each corner. The next autumn or winter, perhaps early in the spring, he will have these corner nippers replaced by permanent ones, and then he is rising five years old, and if a male the tushes will be coming. Five Years and upwards Up to this period we know his age by the relative number of temporary and permanent teeth, and custom calls him " rising " so many years from autumn to spring, and so many years " off " from spring to autumn. At five years, then, the horse has a full mouth ; all his incisors are up, but the comer ones have a shelly or in- complete appearance, which serves to distinguish him from an older horse. Next year, when he is six, these corner ones will be fully developed, and we look to the tables of the central pair, which, it will be remembered, were the first to come. These ha\'e begun to show wear in the centre of the tables ; the black mark, or infundibulum, is not quite so large as in the laterals, and there is still more difference between them and the corner ones. The following year, when he is seven, the marks in the laterals will be diminished, and only the outer or corner nippers show a well- defined mark. This is the special feature of the seven-year-old. The following year these marks will be going, and the tables will look much like the others, although from the centre outwards it will not be difficult for an observant person to note the varying degrees of wear. A horse at eight is said to be " out of mark," and it is no longer possible to say with certainty what his age may be, and although the expert can form a very good judgment, he will no longer certify as to his age. The term "aged " applies to all horses when out of mark, except with regard to race-horses, which are "aged" after they have passed their sixth year. If the buyer is able to distinguish between the well-developed two-year-old and the adult, he ^vill not go far astray in the matter of ages if he will bear in mind what has been said about the successive changes in the teeth and their markings which are here given. ;i^.^ v.w"^f''''>" 592 THE iNEW BOOK OF THE HORSE TEETH OF THE HORSE AS AN INDICATION OF AGE A. Side View of Incisors of a Colt of a little under three years : the central incisors (a) in upper and lower jaw are well grown, and all but touch, and the edge of infolding enamel is not worn. The median and lateral incisors are the temporary or milk teeth. B. Side View of Incisors of an eight- year-old Horse : the teeth, well grown, should meet ; the canines, or " tushes," of only moderate length. C. Side View of Incisors of an aged Horse : the angle very acute ; the teeth projecting forward, grooved on the surface, and irregularly worn, the gums contracting in front, thus exposing a considerable length of the tooth. D. Incisors of a Colt, showing temporary or milk series : the " table " or cutting surface show- ing a small mark ; the lateral incisors not worn. E. Incisors of a Colt at three years : the two central incisors, a, a, well grown, and showing a good " mark " ; the median and lateral incisors are milk teeth, well worn. F. Incisors at four years : the central and median incisors, b, b, b, b, well grown, and show a wide mark, x ; the lateral incisor is a milk tooth. The canines, c, appear about this time. G. Incisors at five years : all the teeth are of the permanent or adult series ; the mark is getting smaller in the central incisors, the canines or tushes a little more advanced. H. Incisors at eight years : the mark in the central incisors reduced to a small circle of enamel. In the median incisors the mark is getting narrower ; the lateral incisors still show a good mark, and the canines are well grown. I. Incisors at twelve years : the mark worn out ; in the central and median incisors only a small vestige of it left, forming a vellowish spot ; the mark in the later incisors long and narrow ; the canines longer. J. Incisors of an aged Horse : the crown of the tooth now almost worn out ; a smaller yellow spot indicating the last vestige of a mark ; the tables (or cutting surfaces) are irregular, fur- rowed and triangular ; the canines grow to a considerable length. K. An Adult Incisor in Profile and in Section : — 1. The enamel, thicker in front of the tooth and extending about three-quarters of the length of the tooth ; on the inner side the enamel is thinner and does not extend so far. 2. The dentine or matrix. 3. The " pit " or " mark," an infolding of the enamel, as shown in the section of the milk tooth, the pro- gressive wear cutting this fold, and so forming a mark. 4. The pulp cavitv, with a blood- vessel passing into it. L. Section and profile of a temporary or milk tooth : I. Shows the infolding of the enamel ; the pulp cavity is always open. TEETH OF THE HORSE AS AN INDICATION OF AGE. (For rejennccs. see ofposiu /tage.) POISONS AND ANTIDOTES THEN a case of poisoning occurs, nobody is prepared for it, and few peri;ons will read up / the subject in "cold blood." Having this in mind, we have prepared a short hst of the commonest poisons and grouped them, at the same time indicating the most likely means of neutralising them or inhibiting their effects. Poisons Mineral acids, including nitric, sulphuric (oil of vitriol), hydrochloric {spirits of salts), and phos- phoric acid. Acetic acid, oxalic acid, salts of lemon, tartaric acid. Prussic acid (hydrocyanic), and cyanide of potassium. Caustic alkalies, as potash, soda, and ammonia. Aconite. Acorns, ferns, and oak shoots. Antimony. Arsenic. Belladonna, henbane, and hemlock. Cantharides (Spanish fly). Carbolic acid and creosote. Croton oil. Cocaine. Colchicum (autumn crocus). Insect stings. Lead (salts of). Copper. Antidotes Ant-acids, as chalk, carbonate of soda, and potash, whiting or plaster scraped from walls, whites of eggs, milk, soap, olive, linseed, or other fixed oils. Carbonate of magnesia, lime, wall-scrapings, or chalk. Hot and cold water alternately thrown over the spine. Hypodermic injections of ether, cam- phor, atropine, drenching with perchloride of iron dilute, sulphate of iron dissolved in much water, magnesium carbonate. Any dilute acids, preferably vinegar, lime juice, or that of lemons, eggs and milk together or separately, salad or linseed oils. .'Vlcoholic stimulants if collapsed. Ammonia, atropine, alcohol, digitalis. Linseed oil and laxative foods, saline aperients. Tannic or gallic acid in solution, followed by eggs and milk, mucilage of acacia (gum), and tragacanth and bismuth. Wash cut stomach by means of siplion and \\-arm water. Gi\e freshly precipitated ferric chloride. Large doses of alcohol, strong coffee ; move the patient about, and use electric currents. Barley water and gruel, but not oil which dis- solves the active principle. Sulphates of soda and lime, saccharated lime, stimulants. Do not give oil. Gruel and barley water, stimulants. Give chloral, inhale chloroform. Tannic and gallic acids, stimulants, barley water, and gruel. Ammonium, oil, carbolic acid in oil. Dilute sulphuric acid, Epsom salts, sulphate of soda (Glauber's salts), iodide of potassium, castor oil. Iron peroxide (moist), soap, magnesia, eggs, milk. Wash out stomach with siphon if jiossible. 594 POISONS AND ANTIDOTES 595 Poisons Morphia and opium preparations. Phosphorus. Savin. Snake bites. Strychnine and nux vomica. Tobacco. Turpentine Yew. Zinc salts. Antidotes Siphon off contents of stomach. Alcohol, ammonia, hot coffee, electric current, strychnine, or atropine by subcutaneous syringe. Keep patient awake by every means. Sulphate of copper solution, turpentine, char- coal. Xo oils or fats. Ethers, nitric or sulpluiric, demulcents, EpsonT salts. Tight ligature, hot iron, cut out flesh. Large doses of ammonia and alcohol. Tobacco internally, chloroform inhaled, chloral, bromines, tannic acid. Strychnine, tannic acid, hot stimulants, iodine in solution. Demulcents, Epsom salts. Alcohol and ammonia, demulcents, linseed oil. White of eggs, milk, demulcents. -■*2 ^■>:^-«s>'^3 TABLE OF DOSES Acid, Boracic I to 3 drams. Chlorodvne I to 6 drams. Carbolic . . i to 2 drams. Cocaine 2 to IC grains. .. Gallic . . + to I J drams. Colchicum (extract) 10 to 30 grains. „ Hydrocyanic (Pn ssic Copper sulphate i to 2 drams. acid) . . 4 to I dram. Corrosive subhmate (Perchlor- ,, Hydrochloric (dil ite) . . I to 3 drams. ide of mercury) 2 to 6 grains. „ Nitric (dilute) . . I to 3 drams. Nitro-hydrochlori Digitalis . . 1 to 2 drams. (dilute) . . . . I to 3 drams. Dill water 5 to 20 ounces. „ Sulphuric (dilute) . . I to 3 drams. Sulphurous (dilut e) . . \ to I J- ounces. Ether, Nitrous spirit of i to 2 ounces. Tannic • . ^ to li- drams. Eucalyptus oil . . i to I dram. Aloes ■ . 3 to 8 drams. Alum 2 to 5 drams. Fluid magnesia . . I to 3 ounces. Ammonium chloride . . 2 to 6 drams. Friar's balsam . . I to 4 drams. Antimony oxide . . . . I to 3 drams. „ Tartarised . . I to 3 drams. Gentian . . I to 6 drarrs. Areca nut . . 1 to li ounces. Tincture of . . i to 2 ounces. Arsenic . . 2 to 8 grains. Ginger i- to I ounce. Glycerine 2 to 5 ounces. Belladonna, Extract of . . J to 2 drams. Guaiacum resin . . 2 to 6 drams. Bicarbonate of potash J to 2 ounces. ,, soda 2 drms. to i oz. Iodide of potassium I to 4 drams. Bismuth . . . . I to 4 drams. ,, ,, iron . . I to 4 drams. Bisulphide of carbon I to 2 drams. Iodine 8 to 30 grains. Bromide of potassium . . 2 to 8 drams Iodoform Ipecacuanha, Powdered 1. to to I I dram. : drams Calomel . . . . I to 4 drams. Iron sulphate i to 3 drams. Calumba . . 2 drams to i oz. Tincture of i- to 3 drams. Camphor . . . . I to 3 drams. Canabis indicus (extrac t) . . I to 4 drams. Kino I to 3 drams. Carbonate of ammonia . . I to 6 drams. ,, iron .. I to 4 drams. Laudanum I to 6 drams. Cardamoms, Tincture of . . i- to 2 ounces. Lead acetate i to I drams. Castor oil . . 5 to 20 ounces. Linseed oil 5 to 20 ounces Catechu (powdered) . . I to S drams. Chalk . . 2 to 8 drams. Male fern. Oil of } to 2 drams. Chinosol . . . . I to I J- drams. Morphine 4 to ID grains. Chiretta . . . . 2 to 6 drams. INIustard . . i to I r ounces Chloral . . . . ,o 8 drams. Chlorate of potash . . i to 3 drams. Nitrate of potash 2 to 8 drams. Chloride of zinc . . 15 to 6o grains. ,, silver 4 to I 2 grains. Chlorinated lime I Mo 5 drams. Nitre, Sweet, Spirit of.. ^ to 2 ounces. Chloroform . . 1 to 2 drams. Nux vomica 20 to 60 grains 596 TABLE OF DOSES Oil of male fern Opium Peppermint water Permanganate of potash Prussic acid Quassia Quinine Resin Salt Salts Sal volatile Santonine Soap Squills Stockholm tar Strychnia Sulphate of magnesium (Salts) J to 2 drams. 1 to 6 drams. ^ to I pint. 15 to 30 grains. i to I dram. 2 to 6 drams. 15 to 60 grains. 2 to 6 drams. |- to 2 ounces. I to 4 ounces. I to 6 drams. 15 to 40 grains. J- to i|- ounces, i to I J- drams. I to 4 drams. -^ to J grains. I to 4 ounces. Sulphate of soda ,, iron ,, zinc Sulphur . . Sulphuric acid (dilute) Sulphurous acid (dilute) Thymol . . Tincture of cardamoms , , gentian ,, ginger ,, iron Tobacco . . Turpentine, Spirit of ,, Venice Wliisky . . Witch hazel (extract) Zinc sulphate 597 2 drms. to 2 ozs. \- to 3 drams. I to 2 drams. I to 2 ounces. 1 to 3 drams. 1^ to It ounces. 10 to 40 grains. J to 2 ounces. J to 2 ounces. f to I ounce. -J to 3 drams. ! to 3 drams. i to 2 ounces. |- to 2 ounces. 3 to 10 ounces. 2 to 4 drams. J to 2 drams. 76 APPENDIX I LAWFUL STAKES, AND GAMING AND WAGERING IN RELATION TO HORSES T N the time of George II. the Legislature I sought to repress indiscriminate horse- ■^ racing, and enacted a £200 penalty for racing other than at Newmarket and Hambledon, and for less than £50. The same reign, later, witnessed a Statute against light-weight racing ; welter weight for age races were ordained. Lawful Racing Stakes The Victorian Gaming Act of 1845 speci- fically exempts from the category of gaming all subscriptions or contributions or agree- ments to subscribe for a plate, purse, or prize for winner or winners of any lawful game or sport. This enables a winner to sue for stakes in such contests. Otherwise, all gaming contracts are void by this Statute ; and money cannot be recovered in relation to them, either for unpaid wagers, or for wagers paid and repented of. Stakeholder's Responsibility But where a stakeholder to a bd holds stakes, and has not yet parted with them to an accredited winner, either party may enjoy locus pcenitentice , and back out of his illicit contract to game, and demand his money back from the stakeholder. This was ruled in Hampden v. Walsh ; where the Editor of the Field was stake- holder and umpire between Messrs. Wallace and Hampden, in a wager whether the earth was fiat or a globe. Experiments on straight water in the Fens proved the curva- ture. Hampden disputed the umpire's fiat, and demanded his money back. Walsh, the Editor, paid it to Wallace, disregarding Hampden's demand. It was held that the deposit placed in Walsh's hands remained the property of Hampden so long as Walsh had it. (Walsh had to return the cash to Hampden.) [y^ L.T. 852.) Match V. Time A bona-fidc match between horses and men, for a deposited stake, is not a wager ; and is not affected by this ruling. But matches against time are held to be wagers ; and not contests of skill or merit. (Whaley v^ Pigot, 2 Bos. v., p. 51, and Batson v. Newman, i.i. pd. 575.) Valid Trottin.g Match Otherwise, even a trotting match for /25 a side on a high road was held to be lawful as regards the gaming aspect of this matter (although not so as to the case of the high road for racing), and not even to infringe the spirit of the stringent George II. turf statutes. (Challand v. Bray, II L.J. B. B. 204.) On the other hand, trotting against time on the high road was " wagering," and void ; though the nom- inal terms of the match sought to give this matter a semblance of bargain and sale ; the terms being that if the horse trotted 18 miles in the hour the price to be paid for him should be £200, and if the time limit was exceeded, it was to be a shilling. The court held this to be but colourable, and to be practical wagering, and void as a bargain. (Brogden v. Marriott. 5 L.T. C. P. 307.) Stewards' Decisions and the Law When stewards uf a race meeting have honestly adjudicated upon a disputed point. 598 LAWFUL STAKES 599 involving the winning or losing of racing stakes, and have decided in accordance with the rules under which the race has been run, their finding upon questions of mere fact will not be reversed nor questioned by a court of law, even though that court might otherwise have differently interpreted from the same evidence, as to credibility of wit- nesses, or balance of evidence as to fact. All Betting Void by Statute Betting contracts are prima facie void by the Gaming Act 1845 {supra). But for some little time after the ruling of Mr. Justice Hawkins (afterwards Lord Bramp- ton)— in Read v. Anderson — confirmed by the Court of Appeal, there seemed to be some chance of redress for any commission agent who made bona-fide bets for a principal with the Ring, staking his own credit for his client ; and then being compelled, through default of his client, to pay the Ring out of his own pocket, in order to save his own reputation, and to enable himself to continue his calling in such agency. The court held that, on the facts of turf customs in evidence, the delegation of authority to an agent of this class, to make bets for a principal, carried with it implied authority to pay those bets if lost, and to debit them to the principal. Morally this was sound ; if the practice could have been limited to bona-fide deals with the Ring — by a disinterested agent — for principals. But, so soon as this ruling became law, it was seen that under its agis a coach and four could be driven through the Gaming Act, and that lost bets could be sued for and re- covered, by a stalking horse of alleged commission agency. Thus A and B, being bookmakers, only agree to nominally credit each other with bets booked with C. A or B's agent, and vice versa. When action was brought, A and B could swear colourably to the alleged agency, and C could not disprove it, and had to pay. The Act of 1892 Then in 1892 an amended Gaming Act was passed, to estop this resource. It lays down that money paid or lent for a gaming transaction is not recoverable. Hence — now — even if A — at B's request — pays B's betting losses to C, A has to trust solely to B's honour, and cannot maintain action against C for money paid to his use. After this there seemed to be no prospect for a defrauded winner of a special wager to recover from a contumacious defaulter by any process of law. But, since that date, a series of cases have occurred in the Law Courts with fluctuating results, according to the facts in evidence, wherein claims for " real and valid considerations " have been urged by the creditor. New Considerations for Defaulters arising out of Betting They can arise as follows : — A loses wagers to B. The creditor can make matters unpleasant for the debtor in more than one direction. Socially he can injure him, for club repute, by proclaiming the default, publicly dunning him, and asking when he is going to pay. The same tactics injure A commercially if he is in business, because the public may be inclined to infer that if he acts in a shady manner with regard to debts of honour he either is hard up, which damages his credit in trade, or else he is tricky in money matters, and as such to be more or less distrusted. Lastly, if A is a member of the same club as B, and still more so if they are members of Tattersall's, the Beaufort, Victoria, or other betting club, A can be forced to refer the Act to arbitrators, and t(5 resign if he fails to abide by the arbitra- tion. Accordingly some such motive influences A, finding himself in B's power, to ask time to pay, or for some such arrangement. If B assents, and it is clear that he assents on the faith of an undertaking by E to pay some or all of his debt, sooner or later, while B on his part undertakes to refrain from putting on the screw by any of the resources above sketched, then a new and vahd " con- sideration " for the debt is created, where, pre\dously, under Gaming Acts, there had been no legal consideration ; and thus, if 6oo THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE A fails to pay up by the agreed date, while B keeps to his share of the new bargain, B can maintain an action for the re- covery. Each such case has to be judged upon its own individual merits, as will be seen from the following precedents. In Gordani V. Baker (98 L.T. and 24 T.L.R. 338), defendant lost £375, admitted £355, gave cheque for £355. The cheque was dis- honoured. Then defendant asked for four- teen da^'S further time to find the money, to save himself from being reported at his club as a defaulter. The plaintiff agreed to wait for that time, and for that reason. He failed to pay, and was sued on the cheque. The learned judge (A. T. Lawrence) who tried the case held that these facts disclosed " good consideration " for the claim, and gave judgment for the claim, though defendant had pleaded the Gaming Act. A year later came Hyams v. Stuart King, before the Court of Appeal (99 L.T. 424). A cheque for losses was by arrange- ment held over by plaintiff at defendant's request, lest it should, by dishonour, preju- dice him and his partners in business. The court, by two to one (Lord Justice Fletcher Moulton dissenting), held that his holding over at request, under the circumstances, created new and valid consideration. Lord Alverstone had recently two cases of this class before him. In Ladbroke v. Buckland (25 L.T.R. 55) defendant asked for time ; plaintiff replied asking now soon he might expect a remit- tance, if he meantime refrained from posting defendant as a defaulter. To this question defendant made no reply. Plaintiff sued. The learned judge held that plaintiff's silence as to when he would pay absolved him from any specific promise to pay in consideration of forbearance from defendant^ and therefore held that the Gaming Act was still a defence to the claim, as pleaded. In another case, before the same Lord Chief Justice — Hodgkinson v. Simpson — his lordship found in favour of the plaintiff, as follows : Defendant lost £550 in bets. He was interviewed and threatened with being posted as a defaulter. He did not belong to betting clubs ; but none the less he seemed to object to being posted as a black sheep at any of them ; he accordingly wrote and delivered a memorandum promising to pay £17 gs. gd. by July 9th, and the balance in due course — to be arranged, " In con- sideration of your forbearing to sue me and of the fact that I shall not be registered as a defaulter either in the list compiled by the Turf Register or at Tattersall's or at any of the sporting clubs." Such was the text of his written undertaking. Upon the face of this Lord Alverstone held that a new and valid consideration had been created, and gave judgment for the unpaid balance sued for. (The £17 odd had been paid, and no more.) Again, in Coker v. Ulph (75 T.L.R. 55) ]\Ir. Justice Biicknill similarly gave judgment for plaintift' ; the defendant having expressly promised to pay, provided that, plaintiff would refrain from posting him at Tattersall's as a defaulter. Money Lent for Gaming ]\Ioney lent for gaming in Britain, where gaming is unlawful, cannot be recovered ; but if lent for gaming in another country where gaming is not unlawful, it can be recovered (Quarrier v. Colsten, also Saxby V. Fulton, 24 T.L.R. 856 ; before Mr. Justice Bray). On the other hand, in Brown v. Bailey (24 T.L.R. 277) Mr. Justice Darling ruled that plaintiff could not recover on a dishonoured cheque for £2,000, given to pay £1,700 betting losses in France, and for which plaintiff had actually given £210 change to defendant ! The cheque was post-dated and drawn upon an English bank. Plaintift" lost his case. Other Betting Legal Curiosities In Beyer v. Adams, A lost bets to B, and gave C the money to pay B. C died before he could hand the money to B. It was held that C's executors were not bound to make good the money either to A or to B. " Welshing " is now often dealt with as theft — " as larceny by artifice," if the jury are of opinion that the welsher never intended to make a real bet, but LAWFUL STAKES 6oi intended to appropriate the backer's money to his own use — from the outset, win or lose. See R. V. Buckmaster (20 Q.B.D., 182). It is understood that " welshing '" consists of posing as a bookmaker, offering to bet, asking for deposit of stakes from the backer, and then levanting if the bet is lost ; show- ing from the outset no intention of paying. If the defaulter could show that he paid some such bets, and had simply overlaid his book, and could not pay all, that would be reasonable defence ; but the burden would lie on him to satisfy the court that he had not the intent to appropriate the backer's stake from the outset. It took long years before the courts adopted this view. The Buckmaster case came from Ascot, and was tried at Reading, with case stated for opinion of superior court. Curiously, prior to this, the Reading police office seemed disposed actually to protect welshing. In 1868 an old Oxonian got detectives to collar a welsher on Reading racecourse, near the Palmer recreation ground ; the welsher was taken to the Reading police office, and the charge was refused and derided by the police clerk in charge ! APPENDIX II CARE OF THE HORSE'S FOOT, AND SOME NOTES ON SHOEING FROM a practical point of view it is a good thing to try and cultivate an eye for a good foot, and to be able to judge whether the foot, which at the moment may be quite sound, is likely to stand the work for which the animal is required. Healthy feet are not so common as is believed ; it is undoubtedly true that " no foot " means " no horse," however perfect may be his conformation and action, and one is very apt to overlook this most im- portant fact. Without being unsound, or having had any serious disease in the feet, a horse may yet have feet so badly shaped or possessing such defects that, if used for the purpose required, it is merely a question of time before he becomes unsound. Sound and Unsound Feet Much can be learned from books about the characteristics of the sound and the unsound foot, but it requires a great deal of practical application to acquire a working knowledge of what does constitute a good foot, for no two horses have feet alike. To enter into details about good and bad feet is beyond the scope of this article, but horse-owners would be well advised to learn something about " weak heels," a condition of the foot that does not have sufficient importance attached to it when the evils resulting are taken into consideration. But it is not sufficient to know what a good foot is like, it is essential to know how- to look after it properly. It is quite an extraordinary fact that so many horse-owners who are really good horse-masters should know so little about, and, what is more, take so little interest in. the vital question of how their horses are shod. The Rule as to Shoeing The rule that a horse must have his shoes taken off at the end of four weeks, his feet lowered and either new shoes put on or the old ones, if they will last another four weeks, refitted and put back, is one that is more honoured in the breach than the observance. It is considered by horse -owners quite legitimate for the visits of the horse to the forge to be regulated by the condition of the shoes. Should it so happen that the shoes last longer than four weeks, then the horse has to do his work with feet growing longer and longer, with additional strain on fetlock and tendons, running the risk of stumbling or strain. The average growth of the wall of the foot is about four inches a year, or roughly one- third of an inch in four weeks. The longer the foot, the further the base of support is from the leg, and, consequently, the greater the strain on fetlock and tendons, so it can hardly be wondered at if the animal strains its tendons or breaks its knees if the feet are allowed to grow too long. Yet the horse-owner never seems to bother, and is quite surprised if anything happens. Cases have been known of shoes being left on farm horses for three or four months at a time ! Horses Out at Grass The feet of animals turned out at grass are often very much neglected, owners thinking that the fact of being out at grass, under so-called natural conditions, does away with any necessity for looking after or lowering their feet. The unshod foot of an 602 CARE OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 603 animal out at grass undergoes a certain amount of wear, the amount depending on local conditions and rarely being suff- ficient to keep the foot the proper length ; the wall of the foot also is always liable to get broken away. Combined, these two facts render it absolutely necessary that the feet of the animal should be looked to by a farrier every four weeks or so. Effects of Early Neglect Much faulty conformation of the legs of j'oung stock is due to the feet having been allowed to grow out of shape. Any departiu'e from a level tread must react with great effect on the feet and limbs, for develop- ment is still going on, and the joints are not set. It is worth noting here that this fact can be made use of to a certain very modified extent when attempting to correct faulty conformation of the legs of young stock or to prevent some defect from becoming greater. But any attempt of this nature must be carried out by means of a shoe, and not by having the sides of the foot of unequal heights. The foot, in such a case, must be kept in proportion, but the shoe can have one branch slightly thicker than the other, or the toe a little thicker than the heels, or vice versa — e.g. for a turned-out toe, the inner branch slightly thicker than the outer. A force, slight but constant, can thus be directed to counteract the tendency of a leg to develop an irregular conforma- tion. With a mature animal any attempt to correct faulty conformation by these means must only result in straining the ligaments of the joints above, for the animal is set, development having ceased. It is quite an ordinary practice to turn out horses to grass for a period of some months with their fore shoes on, and to pay no more attention to their feet until the animals are brought up from grass again. Comment is needless. Attention to Shoes Another important point seems to be so often overlooked by both horse-owner and stableman, it is the condition of the shoes, how they are wearing, whether they are loose or not. A shoe worn too thin by exceptional wear or from having been kept on too long, not only is verv liable to be cast, for the nails have but slight hold on the shoe, or it may spread at the heels and cause more or less serious injury to the opposite leg, or bruise the foot it is fastened to. A loose shoe can be easily pulled off in heavy going, as a rule causing damage to the wall ; before it can be replaced it some- times happens that the foot is unduly worn away, and the shoeing-smith's task rendered very difficult. A look at the shoe when the foot is being washed, the hand passed round the clinches to make sure that none of them are up, a pull at each heel to feel if the shoe is loose — that is all that is necessary ; a matter of ordinary everyday routine. If a clinch has risen, the nail has worked loose, and must be replaced as soon as possible by a new one. Care and attention bestowed on the feet not only directly benefit the animal, but also do much to help the farrier, just as inattention and neglect undoubtedly render his task more difficult. The Importance of the Farrier In some cases the choice of a farrier presents a problem of some difficulty, but every horse-owner should make it a rule to employ the best shoeing-smith obtain- able. It is to be feared that the vital importance of good shoeing is not generally recognised by horse-owners. There is no excuse for them. The farriers themselves have taken the matter up, and a scheme for the examination and registration of farriers inaugurated by the Worshipful Company of Farriers in 1890, is receiving their cordial support. Technical colleges and county councils are supporting the scheme, and examina- tions are held in all parts of the country, wherever sufficient candidates can be obtained, either by the Company alone or 6o4 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE m conjunction with most of the principal agricuhural societies at their annual shows. Yet the majority of the people who will benefit most by any improvement in the standard of work — that is to say, the horse- owners — know nothing of what is taking place, and would very probably take but little interest in the movement if they did. It is the custom with certain horse-owners to blame farriers as a class, but the boot is on the other leg, and the fault lies with horse-owners who, owing to their apathy or ignorance, are unable to discriminate between good and bad work. The really good shoeing - smith gains no advantage by reason of his superior skill over the indifferent or bad workman, who, in his turn, has no inducement to improve, for his customers are quite content with his work, bad as it is. Effects of Bad Shoeing \\'hen the foot is pricked or nail-bound, or when the shoe has been burnt on, the lameness resulting can at once be attributed to the right cause, but it so often happens that the harm being done to the foot by bad shoeing is only shown by structural changes which take place slowly, but none the less surely. These changes are so gradual as to be hardly perceptible to the careless observer ; therein lies the great danger. It may be months before the animal will show signs of there being anything wrong, and then, more often than not, any explana- tion but the right one will be forthcoming to account for the trouble. The Structure of the Foot Considering the extremely complex nature of the horse's foot, it is hardly to be wondered at that important structural changes do take place as a result of bad shoeing. The foot is most certainly not the solid block of horn some people must surely think it, to judge by the treatment they subject it to. It would be well worth any horse-owner's while to study the illustrations of sections of the foot given on page 571. The insight thus gained into the structure and relation- ship of the different parts would repay the trouble taken. He would be able to form an idea of the provision Nature makes to meet concussion and prevent jarring by means of the elastic plantar cushion which fills up the back of the foot inside, and terminates outside on the ground surface in the tough resilient frog. The importance of this can be appreciated now photography has established the fact that the heels are the first part of the foot to meet the ground at all paces, except when the animal is in heavy draught. Again, the horse-owner could not fail to see that the sensitive parts of the foot lie comparatively near the surface, that the insensitive covering protecting these parts does not provide a very big margin to work on. In this manner the dangers resulting from undue lowering of the foot — rasping the outside of the wall, paring out the sole, cutting away the frog, etc. — would be forcibly brought home to him. The thick- ness of this insensitive covering varies, of course, in proportion to the size of the foot — take, for instance, the thickness of wall and sole in the foot of a i6|-hand Shire horse, and of an 8J-hand Shetland pony. He would realise that Nature provided the foot with an insensitive wall, sole, and frog for the purpose of protection, and that, due reduction being made for growth, they must be left to fulfil their functions. But a great difference is to be found in the nature of the horn composing the wall, sole, and frog. The horn of the wall is extremely hard and tough, growing to a great length if not subjected to wear ; that of the sole is not so hard, and after reaching a certain thickness, flakes off in pieces, while the horn of the frog is soft, tough, and elastic, and, more- over, is liable to contract and shrivel up unless subjected to pressure. The fallacy of the theory advanced by Youatt and his school, that the hard, insen- sitive sole would hurt the sensitive structures above, and therefore must be pared a\\'a\' until it yielded to the pressure of the thumb, is self-evident. CARE OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 605 Directions as to Shoeing The following brief summary will give a few essential points that should be observed in shoeing. In preparing the foot a level-bearing sur- face must be obtained on which to fix the shoe. The rasp alone should be used to prepare this surface, the drawing-knife never, for it is impossible to get a perfectly level surface by cutting horn away, and it is also very difficult to regulate the amount removed. When the foot is very much overgrown the toeing-knife may be employed to remove some of the wall, but only in exceptional cases. The sole must never be pared out smooth, otherwise it will not flake off as it ought to do. The bars must never be cut away, for they act as buttresses to keep the heels from contracting. The frog is needed at its full strength, so it must not be pared, only loose pieces removed. When preparing the bearing surface, care must be taken not to reduce the foot un- evenly, otherwise it is thrown out of relation- ship with pastern and leg. The relationship suitable to the particular conformation must be maintained, so it is clearly impossible to lay down any fixed angle for either fore i)V hind foot. The surface of the shoe on which the foot rests must be perfectly level ; if it has any tendency to slope outwards or inwards great strain is thrown on the wall of the foot. Weight and Thickness of Shoe The shoe must not be too heavy, for an unnecessarily heavy shoe means so much additional fatigue to the animal every time it is lifted from the ground, also greater concussion and jar to the foot when it meets the ground. Some horse-owners have the mistaken idea that a heavy shoe lasts longer, but this is not the case, as the additional weight only entails increased friction and consequent wear to the shoe. The shoe, therefore, should be as light as possible, consistent with it lasting four weeks without wearing too thin, due consideration 77 being given to the nature of the work the animal has to do. The shoe miist be of an even thickness throughout, and not too thick. The nail holes in a fore shoe must be in the front half of the shoe, in the two anterior thirds of a hind shoe. The slope, or pitch, of the nails must correspond to a certain extent with the slope of the wall, so, where necessary, the nail holes must be punched at a slope to allow for this. Form of Shoe The form of shoe to be used depends on the work the horse has to do. Hunters, polo ponies, etc., naturally require lighter and narrower shoes than carriage, business, and agricultural horses ; so the concave fullered shoe and the concave stamped shoe are used for the former, the plain or stamped shoe and the fullered shoe for the latter. The concave fullered shoe, narrower on the ground than on the foot surface — hence concave — is fullered along the whole, or part, of the ground surface, which conse- quently consists of two ridges. This shoe is narrow and hght, gets a good grip of the ground, but will not stand a great deal of wear on the roads. The concave stamped shoe is very similar, but without the fullering, and therefore stands more wear. It is much used for hunter hind shoes. The plain or stamped shoe, of equal width on both foot and ground surfaces, has a flat ground surface, is wide and heavy, but capable of resisting great wear. The fullered shoe is very similar to the last, but fullered the whole, or part, of the way round the ground surface, therefore it does not ware so long as the stamped shoe, but is rather hghter and less hable to shp. One of the best of the variety of shoes made, with the idea of preventing slipping, is the Rodway shoe, much used for carriage horses. It is fullered on the ground surface and in addition has an inner groove running all the way round. 6o6 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE In fitting the shoe to the foot it is essential that the surface of the shoe should fit the bearing surface of the foot very exactly. By applying the shoe hot to the foot, the farrier is able to see whether the two surfaces are in exact apposition or not, and can proceed accordingly. It is impossible to obtain the exactness of fit necessary in surface fitting by means of " cold shoeing," whatever arguments may be advanced by the supporters of this practice. On service, or in places where no forge is within reach, cold shoeing is justified ; given a forge the raison d'etre of the prac- tice disappears, a fact that some horse- owners will not realise. Although there are nowadays more farriers who know that a strong sole affords protec- tion to the foot front bruises and injury, and that a well-developed frog prevents con- cussion and slipping, there still remain a good many of the old school, or of those brought up on its lines, who pare, cut away, and trim with the idea of making the foot look clean and smooth, of giving it the ap- pearance of being a better shape, or even of providing for expansion. It is very necessary for the welfare of the foot that such practices should not be tolerated by the horse-owner ; it is equally essential that proper care and attention be given to the foot in the stable and elsewhere. APPENDIX III HORSES FOR THE ARMY THE New Book of the Horse " goes finally to press at what may be distinctly called a critical period with regard to the future of the English horse. It is the case, and has been for some time past, that fewer light horses are being bred than formerly, and, truth to tell, there is no encouragement for small breeders to embark capital in the somewhat precarious experiment of producing stock which may or may not be of paying value when fit to be placed on the market. All this has been alluded to in the first chapter of this work, but events move quickly in these days, and there has been some considerable change in the posi- tion of affairs during the last twelve months. In the first place, it has gradually dawned upon a great number of different indivi- duals residing in different parts of the country, and representing different interests, that the supply of army horses is in jeo- pardy. Much has been written on the sub- ject, a great deal of which is of little value. But certain experts have informed the country that the supply is a decreasing one, and this is to some extent proved by what was written more than a year ago, on page 13 of this book, to the effect that the number of foals bred annually shows a decrease. It must be understood that the decline is not with the thoroughbred, nor with the highly bred cart-horse, whether he be of Shire, Clydesdale, or Suffolk breed. Nor, indeed, is it with the lighter not so well- bred cart-horse, which is reared on thousands of farms, chiefly with a view to being worked on those farms and not for show purposes. There are in this country an enormous num- ber of cart-horses which would not qualify for the stud book of any special breed, but which are nevertheless good-looking horses, of great value to their owners. Of such are the horses of the average farm, and of such also are the lighter and less valuable horses used for carting, both in town and country. Buying Hunters The question of hunter breeding has been treated of in Chapter XVIII. (p. 219) of this volume, and an estimate of the numbers required every year has been given. Here there is no change, but the price is still rising, especially for young horses, and there are many men of experi- ence who are of opinion that it will con- tinue to rise — unless more hunting men take to breeding horses for their own sport. Under any circumstances, good hunters are not very easily procured, and there are those who think that the present supply is not equal to the demand. " I do not know where to buy good hunters," said a master of hounds quite recently. But he added : "All the same, when I have any to sell no one seems to want them." The latter sentence is easy to understand, it being probable that the would-be buyer is often frightened that a cast-off from another stable may have something wrong with him. But even in buying hunters much depends upon the buyer. There are men who, knowing what they want, succeed in getting it at a reasonable price. There are others who hardly know what they want to begin with, and who always seem to think they are being asked too much. They hesitate so long when a horse is offered at a certain price that they end by missing him, and very often in despair they give 607 6o8 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE more for a second-rate animal than they could have bought a much better horse for. Then, again, hunters of big reputation — those which have been known to distin- guish themselves across country — often sell at fancy prices, more especially when they are sold by auction and two or three buyers are after the same horse. Hunters with no great reputation are, on the other hand, more cheaply bought, as also are those which the clever buyer can see at a glance have possibilities, but are not of the highest type. But what we have to explain is that the army horses — at all events, a great proportion of them — have been bought from the men who are trying to breed hunters and are, in point of fact, the misfits of hunter-breeding. At present, on its peace footing, the army is chiefly supplied from Ireland, and the supply re- quired is — being very small indeed — forth- coming without any trouble. It was not so, however, during the Boer war, when, as all the world knows, we had to go to any and every market of the world and buy just what we could get. The fact is that hitherto the Government of this country has never concerned itself greatly with army horse supply, except when it has had to act on an emergency, as it had ten years ago. Other countries, more especially those of the European Continent, have for genera- tions studied the horse question, and have given away large sums to breeders. They have, in fact, not only bred thousands of horses for themselves on Government farms, but have offered sufficient bounties to breeders to make it worth their while to produce the exact article which is required. Variety of Type Required In this country we want for the army horses of varied type. The better sort of 'bus horses — those which are known as " light vanners " — are necessary for artil- lery ; horses of about 15.2 hands, of fair himter t^^pe, are required for the cavalry ; and smaller horses, rather more of the cob cut, but verj' strong, for the mounted infantry. And it is a question whether an adequate supply of these horses would be forthcoming in the event of war breaking out. Indeed, recent experience shows that the supply would be very quickly exhausted, and that we should again be dependent on foreign nations, or possibly on our colonies, for what number we wanted. The Question of Price What is clearly evident is that the ordinary British land-holder, whether he be farmer, or the owner or occupier of a httle grass land, will not deliberately set out to breed horses for the army, for it would not pay him to do so. He knows that the army buyer is restricted as to price, and that at present (it is possible this may be changed) he cannot sell the horse he has bred until it is four years old. Now, the average four- year-old half-bred horse has probably cost as much, or within a few pounds of as much, as the army buyer will give, and therefore the small breeder tries first to sell his nag at a higher figure as a hunter or carriage horse. For four-year-olds of the cheap type there is some, but no great, demand as hunters. A horse expert may see virtue in a four-year-old for which £50 or less is asked ; but, as a rule, the cheap hunter is one whose exact capabili- ties arc known, who has been hunted, and who is within the means of the less wealthy hunting man or woman. It is not the status of the hunter misfit about which there is difficult}^ at present, but rather that, the market being cramped, because of motor traction having to a great extent superseded horse vehicles, the breeder has fewer opportunities of selling. When every- one used horses for road work there was a steady and ever-increasing demand for harness nags of every description and price. Now the very best are still in fair demand, but for the rank and file there is very little market, except to draw tradesmen's light carts. The average tradesman does not give a very high price for what he buys, and, in fact, the remark which has just been made about breeders not setting out to breed an army horse applies also to tradesmen's nags. HORSES FOR THE ARMY 609 Whether in the days to come we shall have large Government stud farms, or whether we shall go to foreign countries for our army horses, are questions which can- not at present be answered ; but lately a useful suggestion has been put forward, and is being acted upon successfully in at least two different parts of the country. A Matter of Complaint Before explaining this, it should be first stated that complaints have been made that the same horses have been used for duty with several distinct units of the Territorial force. It is understood that certain horses are hired for the annual training of one unit, and are passed on to another when the training of the first lot is done with, and so on, as long as a series of trainings are taking place. Whenever this plan is in vogue it is evident that the units which hire horses and pass them on have none of their own, and if required to be mobilised would have to procure horses from somewhere or other. The scheme which has for its object the securing of a permanent horse supply for the Territorial forces is to buy a certain number and loan them out to tradesmen, farmers, and others, who will keep them (and work them), allowing them to be commandeered for the annual training and so many drills at other times. This, in brief, is the idea which Colonel Mulliner has obtained leave from the War Office to put in execution in a part of War- wickshire, but into the details of which there is no need to enter. It is the idea of the Brood Mare Society in another form, and if it can be worked all over the country it should go a long way towards solving a most difficult problem. Other Sources of Supply As can be easily understood, other sources of supply, beyond the British Isles, have been discussed, and probably Canada would be the best place to buy horses from (if such a thing were necessary) if an adequate supply was forthcoming. Being one of our Colonies, Canada would be a more satisfactory place to buy from than the Continent. Such Canadian horses as have been sent to this country have met with general approval, and the freight is no very great matter. In Australia hun- dreds of thousands of horses are bred every year, and the Indian troops are for the most part supplied from that country ; but the journey from Australia to England is a long and expensive one, and it seems extremely probable that army horses could be raised on stud farms in England and Ireland which at maturity would cost less than walers or other Australian nags. It seems to us, indeed, that Ireland is especi- ally suited to breeding army horses of every kind. Throughout the country, and more particularly in the south and west, the land is probably the best in the world for horse breeding. The soil, or rather, all the best of it, is limestone, and this gives bone and strength, with sound feet. The climate is so mild that young horses can run out all the winter and be improved thereby, because they are all the time gaining hardness of constitution ; and, lastly, the average Irish- man would sooner breed a horse than any- thing else. A huge proportion of the best hunters come from Ireland, and many have been brought up on somewhat short com- mons ; but the only effect of this is that they take rather a long time to come to their full strength and are seldom of much iTSe for real work until they are rising six years old. If horses were bred in Ireland by the Government this lateness in matur- ing would disappear, as they would be better treated in their early days. It may, however, be added that many of the very best Irish hunters that have been sold to England owe a great deal of their excellence to the fact that they were not worked very early. Many are brought to this country which are of little value as far as work goes until something Hke a year has passed over their heads. They then come quickly to hand, and a very considerable number of them last far longer than the horse which has been put to hunting at four years eld, and, as a five-year-old, has done a full season. In the meantime, it is understood that 6io THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE the Government has at last taken up the horse question, and it is announced that the premiums for King's Premium stallions will, at the March show of 1911, be increased from twenty-eight to fifty, with certain new regulations into which there is no space to enter, but which do not affect the main principle, which is to improve the breed of horses. It will be readily understood that a considerable increase in the number of King's Premium sires is a distinct encourage- ment to the breeder, for nearly double the original number of horses, carefully chosen by expert authorities, will be available. No doubt further action will be taken shortly, for it is understood that at least £50,000 will be disposed of in furthering the inter- rests of light horses, and the twenty-two fresh premiums only mean an increased expendi- ture of ;(3,300, less sundry expenses. EDITOR'S NOTE IN the Introduction to this vohmie we stated that consideration of the various horses of British breed would chiefly be given, and this idea has been carried out. The thoroughbred, who is used almost entirely for racing, is the most valuable, and in some ways the most important, of all horses. His blood is the purest in the world, with the exception of that of some of the best Arabian strains, and from him all the best lines of race-horses, trotters, and light horses are descended, not only in this country, but in America, the British Colonies, and on many parts of the Con- tinent. His numbers are comparatively small, not more than five or six thousand being bred in any year in the British Isles ; but his blood is in constant demand in every part of the world in which scientific horse- breeding is followed, and a huge majority of the countries which now have a breed of thoroughbreds of their own must con- stantl}' replenish their blood with a fresh infusion from British sources. On this ac- count, then, and to some extent because of the great popularity of racing, a consider- able amount of space has been given to the thoroughbred. His history has been traced, and the greatest examples of his kind have been mentioned, with some account of their principal performances. In this the horses themselves, rather than their owners, trainers, and jockeys, have been made the subject of our theme, and we have further endeavoured to show which par- ticular lines of blood have survived, and are providing the great runners of the day. Some description of racing as it is at pre- sent conducted has also been given, and the various race-courses described, many of them with plans and photographs, in order that readers who are not acquainted with English racing may have an opportunity of acquiring knowledge as to where the sport flourishes most, and as to how the courses vary, and may know for themselves on which courses the most important races are decided. All this part of the book has been written by the Editor, as have also the chapters on hunting and hunters. So greatly does hunting flourish at the present day that it would have been an easy matter to have devoted more than double the space to it, but this was hardly possible, and we have had to content ourselves with a brief outline descriptive of the hunting which is followed on horseback, and with some description of the modern hunter. The hackney has been treated of by Mr. Vero Shaw, an authority who has been familiar with the breed for more than thirty years, and who has hardly missed any notable show of hackneys during that period. Mr. Shaw has also written the chapter on hackney ponies, and of this breed he has seen the rise, from its beginning to the present day, when a team of hackney ponies can be sold for something like a thousand apiece. The hackney pony is, in- deed, quite a modern creation, the most modern of every British breed, except the Stud Book polo pony ; but he has made an extraordinary advance within the last few years, and all this has been described by Mr. Shaw. The chapter on Cleveland Bays is from the pen of Mr. W. Scarth Dixon, who was born and brought up in Cleveland, who farmed his own land, and bred Cleve- land Bays, and who has been in touch with the breed all his life. Mr. Dixon was one of the earliest secretaries of the Cleveland Bay Association, and has done a great deal towards maintaining the integrity of the breed. He is also the author of the chapter on Yorkshire Coach-horses, a breed which 6ii 6l2 THE NEW BOOK OF THE HORSE was distinct enough until quite recently, but which is now being amalgamated with the breed of Cleveland Bays. The various breeds of British ponies have also been described, and the chapters on polo and polo ponies are the work of the Editor, while those upon Shetland, High- land, New Forest, and Welsh ponies have been written by Mr. W. Scarth Dixon, and those upon Dartmoor and Exmoor ponies by Mr. Vero Shaw. These gentlemen have for years past made a study of the various breeds they have described, have visited many of the more important studs, have seen the ponies in their native wilds, and at all the principal shows to which they are sent. The chapters on the Shire horse, the Clydesdale, the Suffolk horse, and the management of heavy breeds are the work of Mr. Charles Macdonald, the Farm Editor of the Field and Times ; and the chapters on coaching, driving and carriages, and riding and horse shows have been written by the Editor ; while the chapter on horse-breed- ing and breeds of the Continent is the work of Mr. A. W. Coaten, who has made special study of the subject. In the section devoted to American horses, and which we should have liked to have made longer, Mr. Walter Winans has written the introduction and the Editor that part which deals briefly with American race-horses and trotters. The law chapters are from the pen of Mr. W. B. Woodgate, an eminent barrister, who long ago became famous as an amateur oarsman. The veterinary parts of the book are the work of Mr. Harold Leeney, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Editor of the Field ; and the appendix on horse-shoeing has been written by Captain Scratchley, of the Ter- ritorial forces, who has made a great study of the subject, having worked at it for years, both at the forge and in the study. INDEX A Aberdeen Highland Show, 350 Action, practice in, for shows, 369 Agricultural Hall, Hackney Show at, 26, 403 • Hunter Show at, 403, 40S, 410 Polo Pony Show at, 25, 408, 411 Shire Show at, 354, 403 horses, statistics of, 13 Show, National, 444 Agriculture and the horse, 17 Aintree, Becher's Brook at, 173 Steeplechase course, 172 ■ • Valentine's Brook at, 173 Alcibiade, 174 Amaurosis, :^47 Ambush II., 179 America, conditions of racing in, 456 early races in, 453 racing methods in, 456 the Percheron breed in, 429 American demand for Cleveland Bays, 28a horses, 44S et seq. in England, 451 polo, 450 ponies, 450 trotter, description of, 449 trotting horses in Holland, 443 Anaemia, 526 Anaesthesia, 587 Anchylosis, 561, 574 Andalusian horse, virtues of the, 43S Anglo-Saxons and racing, 96, 97 Anthrax, ^y\, Antidotes and poisons, 594, 595 Apoplexy, 519, 520 Aptha, 4S9 Arab, the, influence on. English breeds, 33, 34 on New Forest pony, 315 use in Italy, 437 in Spain, 438 Ard Patrick, 85, 89, 162, 163, 166 Ardenne breed, the, 446 Argentina, exportation of French horses to, 422 Army horses, 14, 607 Ascites, abdominal, 505 Ascot, lib 78 Ascot, best horses at, 116 ■ races at, 118 social side of, 118 Ashbourne Shire Horse Show, 342 Asthma, 483 Atherstone Pack, igS Auction sales, the law with regard to, 463 Austria Hungary, appreciation of Irish horses in, 427 breeding in, 435 ■ racing in, 420 Axe, Professor, on apoplexy, 519 on cerebro-spinal meningitis, 522 on diarrhoea, 498 on glaucoma, 547 ■ on high blowers, 4S7 on seedy toe, 569 on tetanus, 535 Ayr Show, 354 Azor, 94 B Babolna stud, 435 Bachelor's Button, -9, 83, 148, 162 Back, sprained, 562 Baden-Baden race meeting, 421 Steeplechase, 175 Badminton Pack, 191 Badsworth Hunt, 204 Bampton Fair, 325 Barcaldine, 47, 72, 77, 79, So, 81, 82, 83, 88, 94, 138, 14S, 453 Bard, the, 160 " Barker's Proctors," 358 , Sir J., polo pony stud, 306 Baron, the, 50, 94, 283 Barra pony, 312 Bath Horse Show, 414 Bartlett's (or Bleeding) Childers, 34, 35, 42, 71, 88, 91. 93 Battlesden car, the, 394 Bayardo, 60, 116 I>edale Pack, 206 Beeswing, 85, 138 Belgian Draught Horse Society, 446 Belgium and breeding, 446 613 6i4 INDEX Belgrade Turk, qj Belvoir Pack, iqo Bendigo, 157, 167 Bend Or, 48, 51, 52, 54, 85, 87, 151, 154 Berkeley Hunt, igi Berks Hunts, 198 Betting, 109, no defaulters arising out of, 599 legal curiosities, 600 Tari-Mutuel, 421 Betty Leedes, 34, 35, 30, 42, 88 Eig-head, 477, 529 Birdcatcher, 48, 66, 68, 70, 75, 82, 90, 92 Birthrate, decline of, 13 Blacklock, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 70, 75, 87, 143, 152 Blackmore Vale Hunt, 199 Bladder, eversion of the, 514 inflammation of the, 511 inversion of the, 514 stone in the, 513, 514 Blair Athol, 51, 80, go, 150, 151 Blink Bonny, 80, 90 Blistering, 589 Blood spavin, law as regards, 471 Bloody urine, 510, 511, 514 Blue Gown, 151 Bog spavin, 561, 564 the law as regards, 471 Bone, inflamed, 557 spavin, the law as regards, 471 Bonny, 291 Borculo, stallion depot at, 445 Borrowing, the law as regards, 470. 471 Bowel, broken, 500, 501 obstruction of the, 501 Brabant horse, points of the, 446 Brain, abscess in the, 517, 524 inflammation of the, 515 tumours, 520 Bran mash, how to make, 5S6 Breeding classes at International Horse Show, 412 Cleveland Bays with thoroughbreds, 284 Clydesdales in Scotland, 352 ■ difficulties of hunters, 222 French national establishment, 424 government supervision in France, 425 hackneys, 247 in the seventeenth century, 235 heavy horses, 362 hints on hackney ponies, 264 in Belgium, 446 influence of racing on, 122 in Hanover, 430 in Holland, 442 in Hungary, 435 in Italy, 436 in Spain, 439 Breeding in United States, 450 Irish method of, 223 methods in Switzerland, 433 with Shetland ponies, 310 national expenditure in France, 424 on the Continent, 420 el seq. • polo ponies, 26, 303 progress in Charles I.'s reign, 30 race-horses, 19 Royal Commission on, 17, 405 system in Germany, 429 thoroughbred as sire, 223 Breeds, English, summary of, 2 Brent Fair, 321 " Brighton Age," the, 375, 3S0 coach record, 392 Race-course, 121 Bright's Roan, 46 British horses and Norman invasion, 2 ■ and Roman invasion, 1 origin of earliest, i Broadwood, 415 Brocklesby Pack of Foxhounds, 190 Broken knees, the law as regards, 471 wind, the law as regards, 471 Bronchitis, 478-479, 4S2 • chronic, 479 Brooks, Lieutenant, 415, 416 Broomfield Champion, 347 Brougham, the, 3S8 the C spring, 389 the circular-fronted, 389 the double, 3S9 the single, 3S9 Brownlow Turk, 46 Brushing, 575 Buck Rush, 275 Buggy, the, 391 Burton's Barb Mare, 87 Buyers, effect of Continental, on prices, 420 Byerly Turk, 29, 31, 32, 36, 38, 39, 44, 46, 71, 73, 79, 87, 89, go, gi, g4, 453, 457 Cab, the four-wheeler, 3S9 ■ the hansom, 389 Cade, 40, 79 Calculi, 491, 492, 501-2, 539 Caledonian Hunt Cup, the, 141 Caller Ou, 90, 138 Camel, 56, 70 Canker, 572 Canterbury Pilgrim, 87 Capped hock, 565 INDEX 615 Capped hock, the law as regards, 471 knee, 565 Cardiff Horse Show, 414 Careless, 42 Caries, 557 Carriages, early travelling b}-, 4 in Queen Mary's reign, 7 London, 38S styles of, 3S7 Cataract of the eye, 547 Catarrh, 473, 474, 478, 484, 533 Cathedral cities, race-courses in, 103 Catheter, use of, 511, 512, 5S7 Cattistock Hunt, igg Cavalry horses, normal height of, in France, 427 Cerebritis, 515 Challacombe, 94, 95 Champions at Shire Show, list of, 336 Charles I. and racing, 30 and stud book, 86 Charlton Hunt, 188 Cheques, the law as regards bad, 470 Chester Bell, the, 98 cup, the, 139, 140 Race-course, qS Chestnut hackney, 248 Childers mystery, the, 36 Choking, 492 Chorea, 517 Church Stretton Society, 31S Cicero, 48, 54, 162 Cirrhosis, 504 Cleveland Bay Horse Society, 282 Bays, 2, 265 adaptability of, 2S4 American demands for, 2S2 — '■ and the Romans, 267 as coach horses, 383 breeding with thoroughbreds, 2S4 colour of, 2S3 decline of, 2S1 famous, 270 £•/ seq. points of the breed, 282 revival of, 281 thoroughbred influence on, 26S treatment of mares, 2S3 Lad, 274, 275 Clinker, 79 Cloister, 58, 151, 17S, 179 Clubs, early driving, 376 Clydesdale, the, 2 breeding in Scotland, 352 compared with Shire horse, 346 early history of, 346 : sires, 347 effect of Flemish horses on, 347 exportation of, 351 Clydesdale, the, Horse Society, 351 in England, 352 • management of stud, 354 points of, 350 preparing for showing, 354 stud book, 347, 351 Coach and the railway, 373 Brighton, record, 392 improvement in building the, 372 ■ matching the team, 383 ■ racing, 376 speed of the, 374 • the country, 373 the horse most used with the, 383 — — the story of the, 372 touring, 397 versus motor-car, 372 Coaching Club, 28, 377 in the North, 377 London, 383 modern, 378 number of horses necessary for, 3S4 provincial, 382 Cob, the Welsh, 319 Colic, 493, 495, 496, 497, 501, 506, 541 flatulent, 497 Colonel, the, 174 Colt hunting, 314 Colts, feet troubles of, 366 " Compleat Sportsman," Sg Conductor, 79 Coneyskins, 42, 89, 91 Conjunctiva, diseases of the, 545 Constipation, 498, 502 Continent, breeding on the, 420 el seq. Contracted foot, the law as regards, 471 Cornea, growths from the, 546 inflammation of the, 546 Corn Law, effect on hunting, 213 Corns, 570, 572 the law as regards, 472 Coronation Cup, 115 Coronet, chronic inflammation of the, 573 Coughs, 475 ■ the law as regards, 471 Cracked heels, 579 the law as regards, 472 Cranborne Chase Hunt, 189 Crib-biting, 50S, 519 the law as regards, 472 Crofters as breeders of Shetland ponies, 309 Cromwell and racing, 102 Crossing, dangers of, 290 influence on Dartmoor Ponies, 320 Cub-hunting, 211 • as it was, 212 Curb, ;62 6i6 INDEX Curb, the law as regards, 472 " Curtal," 6 Cutting, 575 Cyllene, 162 Cj'stitis, 511 " Dale " pony, 8 Danish horses, 447 D'Arcy's White Turk, 44, 90 Yellow Turk, 42, 44, SS, 90 Darley Arabian, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 46, 48, 63, 71. 73. 87, 94, 234, 236, 255, 270, 319, 457 Darnley, 347, 349 Dartmoor pony, 317, 319 and the moormen, 321 colour and character of, 322 compared with the Exmoor pony, 323 height of, 320 influence of crossing on, 320 merits of the, 320 northern breed of the, 322 points of the, 322 Prison stud, 325 Derby, the, 115, 116 the first, 104 winners in Germany, 433 Devon and Somerset Staghounds, 324 Devonshire Hunt, 199 Diabetes, 510 Diamond, 14^ Jubilee, 60, 162, 179 Diaphragm, spasm of the, 506 Diarrhoea, 498 Diomed, 88, 453, 455, 457 District horse shows, 414 Disqualifications, early racing, 98 Docking, the question of, 449 Doctor Syntax, 146 Dodsworth, 42, 87, 94 Dog-cart, the four-wheeled, 390 difficulties with the, 394 Doncaster, 48, 51, 151, 167 and the St. Leger, r32 as a rival of Ascot, 132 Cup, 134 fixtures, 134 position of course, 134 Race-course, 99 Donovan, 158 Doricles, 93 Doses, table of, S9'5-7 Dourine, 536 Drawing the covert, 215 Drivers, decrease of amateur, 3S6 Driving, 3S6 at International Horse Show, 411 clubs, early, 376 in Hyde Park, 3S7 • tandem, 392 Dropsy, 505 the law as regards, 472 " Druid, The," on Blacklock, 62 on Camel, 56 on Doctor S3'ntax, 146 on Eclipses and Herods, 62 on Gohanna, 71 on Hambletonian, 62 on Marske, 36 on " Saddle and Sirloin," 37 on Sweetmeat, 7^ on the G/iugo-ui Mail , 37=; on the Yorkshire horse, 285 on Vedette, 66 • on Walton's stock, 75 on Whalebone, 72 Dublin Horse Show, 10, 417 bargains at the, 417 Dysentery, 499 Earl Fitzwilliam's Hunt, 203 Earnest money, the law as regards, 461 East Berks Horse Show, 414 Eastern County Hunts, 202 • sires, importation of, 31 influence of, 34 ■ stallions, 7, 29 Eclipse, 31, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 56, 61, 62, 63, 64, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 83, 85, 8g, 91, 106, 144, 145, 147, 154, 455 Ectropium, 545 Eczema, 548, 549 Edinburgh Gold Cup, the, 141 Show, 354 Edward III. and horses, 30 • VI. and horse?, 6 Elbow, capped, 564, 565 Elizabeth, Queen, and horsebreeding, 6 and horses, 7 and importation of foreign horses, 7 • and introduction of coaches, 7 at races at Croydon, 99 racing stud of, 99 " Emperor of Horses," 457 "Emperor of Stallions," 51, 149 Empress Maria Theresa and breeding in Austria, 434 Enclosures, club, no Endocarditis, 524 English Cart Horse Society, 330 INDEX 617 English improvement in jumping, 400 Enlarged hock, the law as regards, 472 Enteritis, 499, 500 Entropium, 545 Epilepsy, 517 Epsom, Coronation Cup at, 115 Race-course, 113 situation of, 113 summer meeting at, 115 • the Derby at, 115 Erythema, 548 Essex County Show, 361 Exmoor pony, 317, 322 characteristics of the, 324 • compared with the Dartmoor pony, 323 experiments with the, 323 points of the, 324 Exomphalus, 506 Exportation of horses stopped by Henry VIII., 4 of Clydesdales, 351 Eye, cataract of the, 547 of the, law as regards, 471 • foreign bodies in the, 545 Eyelids, torn or lacerated, 544 Family packs, 190 Famous horses, 143 et seg. Farcy, 532 Farriers, the law with regard to, 465 the Worshipful Company of, 603 Favourite, 93 Feet, care of, and shoeing, 602 diseases of, 567 ■ troubles of colts, 366 Fences at OU'mpia, 403 Fetlock, over-shot, 563 Fever, parturient, 542, 543 Fidius Duis, 274, 2S0 Filho-da-Puta, 146 Piring, 5S9 Fistula, 578, 579, 580 the law as regards, 472 Fistulous withers, 5S0 Fitzwilliam Hunt, 196 Flemish horses, effect on Clydesdales, 347 Flooding, 540 Flora, 93 Flying Childers, 34, 35, 39, 46, 73, 88, 144, 147, 234, _ 236, 255, 2S7 Dutchman, 64, 72, 88, 147, 14S, 151 Fox, 10, 48, 53, 54, 69, 8g, 160, 161, 162, i65 Foal, feeding by hand, 365 rearing of the, 365 Foal, treatment of the, 365 Foaling, best time for, 363 Fogoras stud, 435 Food, cost of, 369 invalid, 5S5 Scottish systems, 369 Foot, growth of the, 602 ■ pricks of the, 573, 578 Foreign hunts, 210 jumping methods, 402 Forest horse, 266 Four-in-Hand Club, 28, 376 Foxes, haunts of, 210 how secured, 211 ■ ■ mange and, 207 Foxhall, 154 Foxhounds, family, 190 ■ number of packs, 182 subscription packs, increase of, 195 the Atherstone, 198 the Badminton, igo the Bedale, 206 the Belvoir, 190 the Brocklesby, 190 the Fitzwilliam, 196 the oldest pack of, 186, 1S9 the Penistone, 187 • the Pytchley, 192 • • the Williams-Wynn, 191 Fox hunting, 186 Fractures, 559 France, Government supervision of breeding in, 425 national breeding establishments in, 424 expenditure on breeding in, 424 — — racing in, 420 the military breeding system in, 424 Fret, 496, 497 Frisian horses, 444 Galopin, 61, 64, 66, 67, 68, 70, 77, 78, 85, 88, 147 151, 152 Galtee More, 85, 88, 160 " Gambaldyn " horse, 6 Gaming Act, the, 599 money lent for, law as regards, 600 Gamos, 75 Garron pony, 313 Gastritis, 495 Gate money meeting, introduction of the, 107 increase of the, loS Gatherley Moor, racing at, ico, 103 Gatwick Race-course, loS, 123 Gelderland horse, 444 6i8 INDEX General Stud Book, 30 German Yj appreciation of Irish horses, 427 breeding system in, 429 Derby winners in, 433 ■ influence of thoroughbred in, 430 light horses in, 430 ■ racing in, 420 Giddiness, 516, 517 Gilbe\', Sir Walter, on Cleveland Bays, 267 on the " Gambaldyn " horse, 6 on the Shire horse, 328, 329 on the sixteenth century stable, 6 on True Briton, 319 '■ Ponies Past and I'resent," 3, 30 C.imcrack, 71, 135 Club, 136 Stakes, 136 Gladiator, 75, 150 Glanders, 532, 536, 579 Glandular enlargement, the law as regards, 472 Glasgow Agricultural Society, 352, 354 Stallion Show, 352 Glaucer, 347, 34S Glaucoma, 547 Godolphin Arab, 29, 31, 32, 40, 46, 71, 72, 73, 79, 255, 270, 452, 453 Gohanna, 71, 72 Goodwood, iiS races at, 120 situation of, 119 Governess car, the, 394 Gower Union Pony Association, 318 Graditz Stud, the, 433 Grand Military Steeplechase, 180 ■ National Steeplechase, 138 age of winners of, 179 French horse wins the, 422 recent, 179 the first, 172 Grease, 576 • the law as regards, 472 Great Subscription Stakes, 106 Green foods, use of, 5S5 Grey Grantham, 46 Gripes, 496, 497 Gruel, how to make, 5S6 H Hackney, as harness horse, 243, 249 as riding horse, 237, 248 • as sire, 250, 258 as trotter, 239 breeding, 247 celebrated stallions, 257 Hackney, change of type of, 246 chestnut, 248 defence of the, 239 derivation of the, 234 early history of the, 234 Horse Society, 26, 24b, 412 importance of the, 26 in Scotland, 242 influence of railways on the, 243 its place at shows, 26 of the past, 255 points of the, 254 pony, 28, 258 ■ ■ colour of, 263 ■ hints to breeders of, 264 seventeenth century breeding of the, 235 Society, 28 Stud Book, the, 26 teaching trotting, 250 ■ the, 2 the cult of the, 242 — — • the modern, 26 the tall, 24b thoroughbred influence on the, ii, 246 triumph of the, 28 Hematuria, 510 Hemoglobinuria, 529, 530 Haemorrhage, 475, 540, 5S2 ■ • uterine, 540 Hague Horse Show, International, 444 Hambletonian, 61, 62, 64, 143, 145, 457, 45S Hampton, 149 Hanover, breeding in, 430 Hansom cab, the, 389 Hants Hunts, 201 Hardegg, Count Heinrich zir, 431 Harkaway, 69, 87, 159, 160 Harness classes, judges in, 418 horses, hackneys as, 243, 249 hunters as, 222 ponies, prices for, 263 Plarold, 333 Harriers, 182 Haunts of the fox, 210 Hautboy, 44, 87, 90, 91, 94, 286, 2SS Heart, atrophy of the, 524 • • dilated, 524 enlarged, 524 fatty, 524 rupture of the, 525 Heavy horses, management of, 362 Heels, cracked, 579 Height of cavalry horses in France, 427 of race-horses, 70 Helmsley Turk, 30, 31, 87, 89, 94 Henry IT. and the Shire horse, 326 II. 's reign, races at Smithfield in, 97 INDEX 6ig Henry VII. and horses, 3 VIII. and horses, 3 and stoppage of exportation of horses, 4 as a race patron, 99 Hepatitis, 504 Hermit, 58, 149, 151, 167 Hernia, 506 inguinal, 507 into the scrotum, 507 . umbilical, =;o6 ventral, :;o- Herod (King Herod), 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 46, 47, 62, 64, 72> 73. 75. 7*^' 77. 7S. 8i> S5, yo, 94, 144, 145. 147. 453 Herpes, 549 Highflyer, 61, 62, 72, 73, 74, 145, 286 Highland and Agricultural Society, 352 pony, 30S, 311 Hints for riders, 217 Hired horses, law as regards stealing, 471 Hiring, the law as regards, 470, 471 '■ History of Richmond," ico ■ of the British Turf," loi of the Turf," 96 Hobbles, use of, 58S " Hobby," the, 7 Hob-hill Horse, 27r, 275 Hock, capped, 565 " Holding-up " cubs, 211 Holland, American trotting horses in, 443 breeding in, 442 government breeding methods in, 442 laws regarding horses in the seventeenth century in, 445 Home Counties Hunts, 201 Horn tumour, 569 Horse-pox, 534 Horse-riding, decline of, 399 Horse Show, Aberdeen Highland, 350 Ashbourne Shire, 342 -^yr. 354 Bath, 414 Cardiff, 414 Dublin, 417 East Berks, 414 Edinburgh, 354 Essex County, 361 Glasgow Stallion, 352 Hunters' Improvement Society's, 403 importance of the, 415 International, 411 Islington, 25, 26, 403, 40S, 410, 411 Kilmarnock, 354 Lancashire, 414 Peterborough, 414 Polo and Riding Pon_v Society's, 404, 410 Reigate, 414 Horse Show, Richmond, 411, 413 Royal, 414 Shire, 341 Shires at Islington, 354 South Wales, 403 Suffolk County, 361 Wharfedale Agricultural Society's, 23S Woodbridge, 361 Yorkshire, 414 " Horses Past and Present," 30 Hours of meets, 212 Hunt, Badsworth, 204 Berkeley, igi, 19S Berks, 198 Blackmore Vale, 199 Cattistock, 199 Charlton, 188 Cranborne Chase, 1S9 Devonshire, 199 Earl Fitzwilliam's, 203 Hants, 201 Lincolnshire, 202 Midland, 194 Morpeth, 207 Northumberland, 208 Notts, 203 Oxfordshire, 19S Quorn, 1S9 . Royal, 1S7 smartening up of the, 196 Stainton Dale, 1S7 Tj'nedale, 207 York and Ainsty, 204 Hunteis, amount of work done by, 23 as harness horses, 222 as pleasure horses, 182 at coach work, 222 at Islington, 410 best from Ireland, 182 breeding difficulties, 222 English-bred, 183 for polo, 302 how to teach jumping, 226 . Improvement Society, 183 Irish method of breeding, 223 number of, 21, 1S2 points of, 231 ■ prizes for, 183 produce class for, 408 question of height of, 231 red ribbon, 227 schooling for, 224 ■ short-legged, 220 speed necessary for, 20 thoroughbreds as, 220 value of, 21 working life of, 227 620 INDEX Hunting, change of horses while, 21 — — colts in the New Forest, 314 cubs, 211 • effect of Corn Law on, 213 feminine majority, 22 for Londoners, 201 fox, 1S6 increase of, 20 increased popularity of, 195 influence of Peterborough Show on, 195 Hunts, Eastern County, 202 foreign, 210 Home Counties, 201 Irish, 20S Provincial, 194 Scottish, 208 Hurlingham and polo, 295 Polo Pony Show, 411 Hurst Park Race-course, loS, 124 Hutton's Royal Colt, 30 Hyde Park, driving in, 3S7 Hypertrophy, 524 " Hysteria,-' 529, 530 Ichthyosis, 550 Icterus, 503 Importation of foreign horses in Queen Elizabeth's reign, 7 of Normandy horses, 30 of Virginian horses, 452 India, introduction of polo to, 294 Indigestion, acute, 493 chronic, 494 Inflamed gums, the law as regards, 472 Influenza, 474, 531, 532 Innkeepers and horses, the law with regard to, 464 rights of, 465 International Hague Horse Show, 444 Horse Show, 399, 411 breeding classes at, 412 driving classes at, 411 jumping competition at, 400 Suffolk horses at the, 361 Intestine, rupture of the, 500, 501 Irish horses, Austria's appreciation of, 427 Germany's appreciation of, 427 Italy's appreciation of, 427 Russia's appreciation of, 427 Switzerland's appreciation of, 427 hunts, 208 meetings, 141 method of breeding hunters, 223 Isinglass, 55, 88, 143, 153, 15S Islington (see Agricultural Hall) Isonomy, 55, 152 Italy, appreciation of Irish horses in, 427 breeding in, 436 government breeding depots in, 436 remount establishments in, 437 use of the Arab in, 437 J Jaundice, 503 Jaunting car, the, 395 James I. and importation of foreign horses, 7 and Markham Arabian, 30 and racing, 30 • and steeplechasing, 169 Jockey Club and gate monev, 107 and ;{^ioo rule, 107, 108, 109 foundation of, 102 headquarters at Newmarket, 126 racing rules, ib Joint, open, 580 Joints, diseases of the, 559 • inflammation of the, 560 ■ injury to, 583 Judges in harness classes, 418 the question of, 41S • why young, are chosen, 418 Jumpers, Mr. Walter Winans's, 402 Jumping at International Horse Show, 399 at Olympia, 402 foreign methods, 402 how to teach hunters, 226 improvement in English, 400 necessity for school training, 402 K Kempton Park Race-course, 109, 123 Kendal, 155 Kentucky saddle horse, 450 effect of the Morgan horse on, 459 Keratoma, 569 Keystone II., 70, 163, 164 Kidneys, inflammation of, 510, 511, 521 Kilmarnock Show, 354 King Fergus, 61, 145 King's platers, 16 Plates, Eclipse and, 38 Conductor and, 79 premium sires, the, 405 influence of, on half-breds, 406 • soundness of, 406 '• Kingsclere," 155 INDEX 621 Kisber, 152 Stud, 455 Knee, broken, 578 capped, 565 Luxembourg, stallion depot at, 445 Lymphangitis, 52S ■ ■ epizootic, 537 Lachrymal glands, diseases of the, 545 Ladas, 87 Ladies, increase of, at race meetings, no La Fleche, 10, 53, 62, 65, 70, 88, 158, 168 Lamb, the, 174, 175 Laminitis, 541, 567, 570 the law as regards, 472 Lampas, the law as regards, 472 Lancashire Horse Show, the, 414 Lanercost, So Laryngitis, 475, 477, 47S, 4S2, 487 Layton Barb mare, SS Leedes Arabian, 44, 46 Legs, filled, 566, 579 Leicestershire Agricultural Societ}^ 342 Lemberg, 162 Leucorrhcea, 54r Lewes Race-course, 121 Lexington, 455 Lice, 552 Lichen, 549 Lillie Bridge Polo Ground, 295 Limousin breed, the, 428 Lincolnshire Hunts, 202 Lad II., 333 Lingfield Race-course, 108, 124 Lippizaner stallions, 435 Lips, disesases of the, 4S8 Lister Turk, 42, 44, 71, 93 Liver, chronic inflammation of the, 504 congestion of the, 503 • fatty, 504 inflammation of the, 504 rupture of the, 505 Livery-stable keepers, the law with regard to, 465 Lockinge Forest King, 333, 334, 335 Lock-jaw, 535, 536, 573, 578 London carriages, 38S Cart Horse Parade, 361 coaching, 383 Londoners, hunting for, 201 Lord Lyon, 51, 151 Lottery, 172, 173 Lou Dillon, the world's champion trotter, 449, 458 Lowe, Mr. Bruce, 84, 86, 87, 88, 93, 94 Lungs, congestion of the, 473, 480, 499 emphysema of the, 483 ■ inflammation of the, 4S2 79 M Mail phaeton, the, 3S9 Makeless, 46, 79, 87, 94, 2S8 Maladie du coit, 536 Mallein test for glanders, 533 Mallenders, 550 Mammitis, 542 Manchester meetings, 141 Telegraph, 375 Mange and foxes, 207 psoroptic, 553 sarcoptic, 553 Manifesto, 178, 179 Marco, 83, 148, 453 Mares, first stud book, 86 Market overt, 464 Markham Arabian, 30, 3r Gervase, on English horses, 7 Marske, 31, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 63, 89, 455 Martagon, 48 Mary, Queen, and suppression of horse stealing, 6 Massey's Barb mare, 88 Match, driving, between Lords Lonsdale and Shrews- bury, 391 Matchem, 40, 45, 4(1, 47, 71, 77, 79, 83, 85, SS, 106, 144. 146, 2S6 Matching the coach team, 383 Mechanical traffic as a rival, 10, 17 Meets, hours of, 212 Megrims, 516, 517, 519 Melbourne, 80 Meliora, 44 Melton, 155 Memoir, 88 Mendicant, 56 Meningitis, acute spinal, 521 cerebro-spinal, 522 Merlin, 94 Merry Hampton, 93 Metritis, 541 Mezohegyes Stud, 435 Middleton, Lord, as breeder, 20 Midland Hunts, 194 other, 196 meetings, 131 Military breeding system in France, 424 Mimi, 83 Minoru, 116, 162, 167 Minting, 52, 143, 156, 157, 160 Misrepresentation and its effects, 469 Miss D'Arcy's Pet, 42, 44, 90 022 INDEX Modern coaching, 37S " Monday Morning Leg," 52S, 529, 533, 566 Moonah Barb mare, 93 Moore, Judge, and the Coaching Marathon, 449 and his Marathon horses, 45S at International Horse Show, 450 Moormen and Dartmoor ponies, 321 Morgan breed, 454 ■ • trotter, the, 450 Morganette, 85 Morpeth Hunt, 207 Motor-car versus coach, 372 Motors versus horses, 10 Muscles, strained, 561 Myelitis, acute, 521 Myocarditis, 524 Nasal gleet, 474, 533 National Agricultural Show, 444 Hunt Steeplechase, iSi value of, 181 Navicular disease, the law as regards, 472 Navicularthritis, 574 Necrosis, 557, 558 Neil Gow, 83, 148, 453 Nephritis, 511 Nettle rash, 548 Newbury Race-course, 124 New Forest pony, 308, 314 average height of, 316 breeding with Arabs, 315 . Duke of Cumberland and, 314 traditional origin of, 315 Newmarket as headquarters of the turf, 125 of the Jockey Club, 126 autumn season at, 130 early morning at, 131 Eclipse versus Bucephalus at, 38 Flying Childers versus Almanzor at, 35 ■ meeting, in number of meetings at, 126 race-course at, 30, 100 the rise of, 100 Newminster, 58, 68, 70, 77, 82, 85, 148, 149 "New York Trotting Club, 457 Norman invasion and horses, 2 breed, the, 428 Normans and horse culture, 2 Normandy horses, importation of, 30 Northern meetings, 131 Northumberland, Harl of, sixteenth century stable of, 6 Hunts, 208 Plate, 138 Norwegian horses, 447 Nose, bleeding of the, 475 Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, 342 Notts Hunts, 203 Oaks, the first, 104 Oglethorpe Arabian, 46 Old Clubfoot mare, 42 • Ottonburgh mare, 279 Partner," 38, 39, 46 Woodcock, 91, 92 Olympia Show, 10, 371 • fences at, 403 jumping at, 402 One Thousand Guineas, institution of the, 106 Ophthalmia, constitutional, 546 periodic, 546 recurring, 546 Orby, 53, 54. 165 Orchitis, 539 Ord, Mr. Richard, on value of hunters, 21 " Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse,'' 44 Orloff trotter, the Russian, 439 Orme, 48, 53, 54, Si, 90, 156, 158 mystery, the, 15S Ormonde, 48, 52, 53, 72, So, 91, 95, 138, 142, 148, 151 154. 155. '56. 157. 158. 159. 160' 161 Orvieto, 48 Osteo-porosis, 55S Ostler, the decline of the, 397 " Otley Bottom Proctors," 358 Our Lassie, 93 Ovary, diseases of the, 543 Over-reach, 576 the law as regards, 472 Oxfordshire Hunts, 198 Pack horse, the, S Packington Blind Horse, 332 Paralysis, 521 Pari-mutuel betting, introduction of, 421 Park phaeton, the, 3S9 Royal, the ill-fated, 413 Parliament stops excessive racing, 102 Parotid duct, fistula of the, 491 glands, inflammation of the, 490, 491 Parotitis, ^90, 491 Parrot mouth, 508 INDEX 623 Pailisan, 75 Parturition, symptoms of, 364 Patella, dislocation of the, 563 pedestrians, the law as regards, 466 Pedigree, advantage to farmers of, 332 of Eclipse, 42, 48 of Herod, 43 ■ of Matchem, 45 Penis, paralysis of the, 539 Penistone Harrier Pack, 1S7 Percheron breed, the, 428 in America, 429 Perdita 11., S5 Pericarditis, 523 Periostitis, 557 Persimmon, 60, 62, 67, 68, 70, 81, 82, 86, 8g, 144, 159, 160 Peterborough Agricultural Society, 342 Horse Show, 414 influence of, on hunting, 195 Phaeton, Stanhope, compared with four-wheeled dog- cart, 390 the mail, 389, 390 the park, 3S9 the " Spider," 390 the Stanhope, 389, 390 Phantom, 75 Phenomenon, 240, 254, 256, 259 Philadelphia Hunting Park Association, 457 Phymosis, 53S Piber Stud, the, 434 Pinzgauer breed, the, 435 " Pitman's Derby," 138 Place's WTiite Turk, 31, 87, 94 " Platers," decline of, 16 King's, 16 Plenipotentiary, 147, 151 Plethora, 526 Pleurisy, 473, 484, 4S5, 495, 497 Pleuritis, 484, 485 Pneumonia, contagious, 473, 532 Poisons and antidotes, 594, 595 Poll evil, 580 Polo, age of players, 297 ancient, 293 • and Hurlingham, 295 and Riding Pony Society, 25, 301 stud book of, 26 associations, 298 County Cup, 298 early clubs, 295 expense of, 296 first match, 294 • growth of, 296 hunters for, 302 ■ increased popularity of, 25 in England, 294 Polo, introduction of, to India, 294 ponies, American, 450 pony, the, 2 breeding, 26, 303 demand for the, 25 ■ increase of the. 25 ■ rules for measuring the, 299 ■ size of the, 296 ■ Society, 309, 325 • principal tournaments, 298 Polyuria, 510 Ponies, hackney, 2S Past and Present," 3 tribes of, 2 wild, 8 Pcny, Harra, 312 Celtic, 312 • character, 258, 263 Dartmoor, 319 English, 2 • Exmoor, 308 ■ Highland, 311 • mares, 262 ■ New Forest, 3r4 Norwegian, 312 Scotch, 2 Shetland, 308, 309 ■ sires, 259 Skye, 313 Uist, 312 Welsh, 317 Pot-8-os, 47, 62, 85 Premium stallions, 16 President, 287 Pretty Polly, 83, 91, 162, 163, 168 Prices paid for horses, g, 10, 21, j6o, 166, 262, 263, 276, 316, 321, 325, 329, 344 effect of Continental buyers on, 420 Probang, use of, 492 Procopius on non-existence of horses in Britain, i Provincial coaching, 383 Hunts, 194 Prurigo, 549 Prussian Government establishments, 432 Trakehnen, 430 Psoriasis, 550 Ptyalism, 490 Pumiced feet, the law as regards, 472 Purpura haeraorrhagica, 477, 529, 534 Pytchley Pack, 192 " Quidding," 489 ■ the law as regards, 472 624 INDEX Quittor, 572, 573, 57S, 580 the law as regards, 472 Qiiorn Hunt, 189 R Rabies, 535 Race-course, Ascot, ii5 Brighton, 121 Chester, 98, 139 Doncaster, 99, 132 Epsom, 113 Gatwick, 108 Goodwood, iiS Kempton Park, 109 ■ Lewes, 121 Lingfield, 108 Newbury, 124 Newmarket, 100 • Richmond, 99 Sandoivn Park, 109 the oldest, 97 York, 135 Race-courses in cathedral cities, 103 • other early, 99 Race-horses, early, 30 English and American compared, 455 first big, 72 height of, 70 speed in, 20 the earliest, 97 Race meetings, betting at, T09-10 increase of, 104 of ladies at, no modern, 107 Races, earl)', in America, 453 famous : Eclipse versus Bucephalus, 38 Eilho-da-Puta versus Sir Joshua, r45 Flying Childers versus Almanzor and Brown Betty, 35 Hamblctonian versus Diamond, 145 Voltageur versus Flying Dutchman, 64, 147 seventeenth century, at Salisbury, 7 statistics of, 104 value of, 116 Racing and Anglo-Saxons, 96, 97 and Oliver Cromwell, 102 and Parliament, 102 calendar, 115 centralisation of, 106 coach, 376 condition of, in America, 456 ■ early disqualifications in, 98 horse, 3, 30 influence of railways on, 106 Racing, influence on breeding, 122 in Austria Hungary, 420 in France, 420 in Germany, 420 in Ireland, 141 in Scotland, 141 in the eighteenth century, 103 in the seventeenth century, loi methods, changes in, 104 in America, 456 popularity of, 20 stud of Queen Elizabeth, 99 Radautz Stud, the, 434 Radium, 52 Railways, influence on hackneys, 243 on racing, ro6 liability of, 465 negligence of, 466 special race trains on, in the coach and the, 373 Ralli cars, 3S6, 394 Ranelagh Polo Pony Show, 411 Rat tails, 549 Record winnings, 415 Rectum, eversion of, 502 inversion of, 502 Red ribbon horse, 227 Reigate Horse Show, 414 Remount department of Dutch Army, 443 establishments in Italy, 437 Representation versus Warranty, 469 Reve d'Or, 88 Rheumatism, 527, 560 Richmond Horse Show, 411, 413 ■ Race-course, 99 Ridgeway, Professor, on early British horses, 2 " Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse," 44, 452 Riding, decline of horse, 399 horse, hackney as, 237, 24S need for, schools, 399 to hounds, the law with regard to, 467 Ringbone, 556, 561, 573 the law as regards, 472 Ringworm, 552 Roaring, 486, 487 the law as regards, 471 Robert the Devil, 154 Rock Sand, 56, 88, 162 Roehampton Polo Pony Show, 411 Roman invasion and horses, i Romans and the Cleveland Bay, 267 and the Shire horse, 328 Roodeye Race Course, Chester, 97 Rosador, 245, 257 Roxana, 46 Royal Agricultural Society's Show, 342 INDEX 625 Royal Commission on horse breeding and stallions, 17, 405 Horse Show, the, 414 Hunt, the, 1S7 Lancashire Agricultural Society, 342 mares, 42, yo, 85, 86, 89 ■ turf patrons, 30, 99 Rule of the road, the, 466 Rupture, 506 Russia, appreciation of Irish horses in, 427 breeding in, 439 Russian horse breeding, 439 Orloff trotters, 439 state studs, 440 troika horses, 440 Saddle horse, the Kentucky, 450 " Saddle and Sirloin," 3-3 Sale, condition of, as accepted by law, 463 Sales, reserve at, 463 the law as to, 461 Salisbury, seventeenth century race at, 7 Salivation, 490 Sallenders, 550 Sampson, 71 Sand crack, 567 the law as regards, 472 Sandown Park Race Course, 109, 122 St. Albans Steeplechase, 171 Blaise, 93 Frusquin, 64, 67, 68, 70, 93, 159, 160 Gatien, 154, 155 Gris, 160 Leger, 119 the first, 104 Serf, 70 Simon, 52, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 6; 82, 85, 90, 143, 147, 148, 158, 159, 162 Vitus's dance, 517 Sceptre, 10, 70, 91, 95, 162, 163, i65 Schools, necessity for training, 402 the need for, 399 Scotland, breeding the Clydesdale in, 352 • racing in, 141 the hackney in, 242 Scottish Hunts, 208 Seedy toe, 569 Sefton, 94 Septicaemia, 1^26 Sheath, cedema of the, 539 Shelly feet, 567 Shetland pony, 308 6S, 77, 49> 152. 168 ■8, 80, Si, i54> '57. Shetland pony, crofters as breeders of, 309 methods of breeding, 310 • the modern, 310 Shield's Galloway, 44 Shire horse and the Romans, 328 Breeding Society, 343 celebrated stallions, 333 colour of the, 340 compared with Clydesdale, 346 early history of the, 326 home of the, 337 in Henry 11. 's reign, 326 in the south, 337 measurements of the, 340 points ci the, 33S popularity of the, 330 Show, Islington, 354 • shows, 341 Society, 329 ■ Stud Book, 330, 332 • the, 2, 326 types of the, 340 veterinary inspection of the, 330 Shivering, 473, 519 Shoeing, rules for, 602 points to be observed in, 604 Shoes, types of, 605 Show {see Horse Show) Side bone, 573 Side-line, use of the, 587 Signorina, 70 Signorinetta, 32, 40, 83, 94, 95, 148, i65 Silvio, 51 Sires, early Clydesdale, 347 .Sir Hercules, 48, 50, 56, 70, 87 Sir Joshua, 146 Sir Peter Teazle, 74, 145, 286 Skye pony, 313 Smithfield, races in Henry XL's reign at, 97 Sociable, the, 390 Sorcerer, 72, 79, 89 Sore throat, 476, 490 South African horse sickness, 537 Wales Horse Shows, 403 Spain, Arab influence in, 43S ■ breeding in, 439 Spanish horse, description of the, 439 Spanker, 34, 42, 44, 88, 89, 94 Spavin, 558 ■ bog, 561, 564 Spearmint, 60, 163, i65 Speed in lace-horses, 20 of the coach, 374 Speedicut, 575 the law as regards, 472 Spiletta, 31, 40 Splint, 557 626 INDEX Splint, the law as regards, 472 •' Sports and Pastimes of the English People,- Sportsman, 2-5 Sprains, 561 Squamous inflammations, 549 Squirt, 36, 41 Stainton Dale Hunt, 187 Stable of the sixteenth century, 6 Staggers, mad, 493, 515, 522 sleepy, 493 ■ stomach, 493, 515, 521 Staghounds, packs of, 1S2 Stakeholder's responsibility, 59S Stakes, lawful racing, 59S Stallion, Shire, shows, 243 depot at Borculo, 445 at Luxembourg, 445 Stallions, celebrated, 257 Shire, 333 famous, 237 Lippizaner, 435 premium, 16 Stanhope phaeton, the, 3S9 Statistics, racing, 104 Stealing hired horses, law as regards, 471 horse, capital offence, 3 Steeplechase course at Aintree, 172 at St. Albans, 171 ■ Grand Military, iSo — — National Hunt, 181 • the first course, 171 the myth of the first, 170 Steeplechasing, 169 et seq. • and James I., 169 • early, 171 Stephen, King, and the trotting horse, 234 Steppe horse, 266 Stewards' decisions, the law as regards, 59S Stifle joint, dislocation of the, 563 Stockwell, 75, 77, 85, 88, 91, 54, 14S, 149, 151 Stomach, ruptured, 496 Stomatitis, 489 pustulosa contagiosa, 536 Stones and concretions, 497, 501, 502 Strains, 561 Strangles, 474, 490, 533, 534 Stiaying horses, the law as to, 467 Stringhalt, 519, 575 the law as regards, 472 Stud, Babolna, 435 book, Clydesdale, 351 general, 30 hunter, 2, 19, 408 mares, first, 86 Shire horse, 330 ■ Fogoras, 435 ■ Kisber, 435 Stud, Mezohegyes, 435 prices, 37 et seq. Russian State, 440 ■ the Graditz, 433 ■ the Piber, 434 the Radautz, 434 the Trakehnen, 433 Studs, list of German, 432 Subscription packs, increase of, 195 Suffolk County Show, 361 ■ ■ Punch, the, 2, 355 et seq. action of, 360 Arthur Young's opinion of, 356 characteristics of the, 360 ■ colour of the, 358 • ■ height of, 360 Horse Society, 360 ■ pluck of the, 360 points of the, 359 • prices paid for the, 356 • shades of chestnut of the, 359 Sunday deals, the law with regard to, 463 Super-purgation, 497, 499 Suppurative inflammation, 549 Suspensory ligaments, the law as regards, 472 S'weatmeat, 75, 93 Switzerland, appreciation of Irish horses in, 427 breeding methods in, 433 Tandem driving, 392 Taunton's " Portraits of Celebrated Race-horses," 56 Teddington, 14S, 149 Teeth, number of, 590 • ■ state of, in a one to two year old, 590 of, in a three to four year old, 591 of, in a horse five years old or upwards, 591 Testicles, inflammation of the, 539 Tetanus, 535, 536, 573, 578 " The British Thoroughbred Horse," 77 Thickened sinew, the law as regards, 472 Thormanby, 76, 150 Thoroughbred, eastern origin of the, 29 ■ influence of the, 430 origin and influence of the, i Stud Book, 30 Thoroughbreds and speed, 20 • as hunters, 220 as sires, 223 breeding Cleveland Bays with, 2S4 of, 19 foreign stock of, 44 influence on Cleveland Bay, 268 on hackneys, 246 INDEX 627 Thoroughbreds, influence on Yorkshire coach horse, 2S6 record prices for, 9 Thoroughpin, 564 Throat, abscess in the, 490 inflammation of the, 490 Thrombosis, 525 the law as regards, 472 Thrush, 569 the law as regards, 472 Tongue, inflammation of the, 4S9, 490 Touchstone, 56 Touring coach, 397 hints, 395 Tracheotomy tube, use of, 47S, 4S7 Trakehnen Stud, 433 ■ the Prussian, 430 Tramway versus horse, 12 Tristan, S2 Troika horses, Russian, 440 Trotter, description of the, 449 the hackney as, 239 the American, 448 the Morgan type of, 450 Trotting matches, earl}', 240 valid, 508 teaching hackneys, 250 Troutbeck, 163, 164 True Blue, 88 _Trumpator, 79, 91 " Turf Annals," 103, 104 Twitch, the use of the, 5S7 Two Thousand Guineas, institution of the, 106 Tynedale Hunt, 207 U Uist pony, 312 Ulcers, 579 Underhand, 138 United States, breeding in, 450 Unsound highway, the law with regard to. Urine, bloody, 510, 511 ■ incontinence of, 513 retention of, 513 Urticaria, 548 Uterus, inversion of the, 543 Vagina, inflammation of the, 541 Vaginitis, 541 Value of races, 116 Vanderbilt, Mr., and his Brighton coach, 3S0, 3S4 and his Marathon horses, 45S \anderbilt, Mr., and the Coaching Marathon, 449 at International Horse Show, 450 Vedette, 65, 66 Velocity, 165, 166 Verderers, court of, 314 Vertigo, 516, 517, 519 Veruccas, 550 Veterinary inspection of Shire horses, 330 Vicious horses, the law as regards, 467 ■ treatment of, 67 Victoria, the, 388 Vienna, Mr. Winans's trotters in, 450 Villitis, 573 Virago, 167 Virginia and horse racing, 452 Voltageur, 63, 64, 65, 72, 75, 87, 147, 148, 151, 15J Voltaire, 63, 64 Voluptuary, 177, 17S, 179 Vomiting, 493 W Walton, 75 Warning, a grave, 421 Warranty, advisability of written, 469 and unsoundness, 471 agents, 469 breach of, 468 ■ duration of, 469 implied, 468 law as regards, 467 limits of time for notice of breach of, 468 representation versus, 469 Warts, 550 Water, use of, as a restorative, 584 Waxy, 69, 72, 74, 92, 144, 146 Weaning, age of, 365 Weaving, 520 Weed, 528 Welsh cob, 319 pony, 317 compared with New Forest pony, 318 neglect of breed of, 318 West Austialian, 80, 81, 87, 148, 149, 453 Whalebone, 50, 56, 72, 85, 92, 145 Wharfedale Agricultural Society's Show. 238 Whisker, 146 Whistling, 4S6, 4S7 the law as regards, 471 Whitelock, 62, 87, 143, 144 White Knight, the, 163, 164, 165, i65 " ^^^lites," 541 William III., 162 iWinans, Mr. Walter, on American polo ponies, . and the Morgan breed, 459 Wind, broken, 4S3, 4S4, 4S7 628 INDEX Wind sucking, 519 the law as regards, 472 Wind gal Is, 564, 566 Winnings, record, 415 Withers, fistulous, 580 Wolves' teeth, 508 Womb, inflammation of the, 541 Wonderful Lad, 274 Woodbridge Show, 361 Woodham Moor, racing at ico Woodpecker, 73 Wounds, contused, 57S incised, 577 lacerated, 577 method of removing dirt from, 583 poisoned, 578 punctured, 578 staked, 578 Yellows, 503 Young True Blue, S8 York and Ainsty Hunt, 204 Race-course, 134 • Gimcrack Stakes at, 136 Yorkshire coach horse, the, 2 as coach horse, 383 Society, 2S8 suitability for crossing, 290 thoroughbred influence on, 286 Horse Show, the, 414 Zeeland horse, the, 44^ Printed by Cassell & Cojipanv, Limited, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.