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HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
LIBRARY
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MUSEUM OF OOM oh ZOOLOGY
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THE CAPE HORSE
Its Origin, Breeding and Development
in the
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
A THESIS
PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOT:
OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
BY
PiEreR JURIAAN VAN DER Heype ScHreupER B. A. (Care)
Standerton, Transvaal, U. S. A.
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JUL @ 1916
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The Author wishes to express his indebtedness to Professor
Merritt W. Harper of the Animal Husbandry Department in the
New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University and
to Professor Dr. Arthur Golf, Professor of ‘‘Koloniale Viehzucht
Landwirtschaftliche Institut an der Universitat zu Leipzig.’’
CONTENTS.
The Cape Horse, Its Origin, Breeding and Development in the
Union of South Africa.
CHAPTER I.
History oF Horse Bresping IN SouTH AFRICA
(a) Its Origin.
(b) Its Development.
(ce) Its Decline.
(b) Present Time.
CuHapter I].
MetHops oF BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT
CuaprTer III.
THe Care Horse
(a) Its Characteristics.
(b) On the Race Course.
(ec) Its Diseases.
(d) Distribution.
CHAPTER IV.
Various TYPES OF THE CAPE HORSE
(a) In the Four Provinces.
(b) The Basuto Pony and Namaqua Pony.
(c) What Type to Breed.
CHAPTER V.
THE ECONOMICAL STATUS OF THE HORSE IN SouTH AFRICAN
FARMING
CONCLUSIONS
INTRODUCTION
The horse is the aristocrat of the Animal Kingdom. He traces
his ancestry not only to the beginning of the Christian era but far
back to prehistoric times—his genealogical tree is writ large and
clear on the sands of Time. ;
He has been man’s best friend from the beginning of his ex-
istence and still claims his best affections and attentions to-day.
All history profane and sacred attests the solicitude of man-
kind for breeding, rearing and possession of the horse. He is en- |
deared to man from infancy—the child has his rocking horse and
he advances to the proud possession of his pony, hunter and pair.
He has been identified with almost all that relates to human
life. To study his origin, breeding, management and improvement
is most profitable, important and pleasant.
The horse is to-day the foundation on which rests the agri-
cultural wealth of the greatest nations of the world.
In the life of the South African people the horse has played a
great part.
He was the first domestic animal imported to the southern
shores of the dark continent by the white man and both were new
comers. The history of both therefore is very intimately linked.
It was in the Autumn (April) of 1652 that two small fleets of
sailing vessels from the East and the West crossed the Cape of Good
Hope. The one from the West brought the white man and western
civilization and the one from the East, horses from the Orient.
Since that date horse breeding has become one of the develop-
ing factors of the new country. ‘The stock was improved by fresh
importations from the Orient and England, and it developed to
great efficiency and fame towards the middle of last century, when
a rapid decline set in, culminating in the disasters of the Anglo-
Boer war of 1899-1902.
According to historical sequence, new eras generally follow
radical changes and disasters. After the war Briton and Boer
settled down to rebuild and reconstruct what they had destroyed
in a foolish war. The supposed barriers to progress and unity were
4
battered down. The erstwhile arenas of dissension, destructive
wars and commercialism were united into the Union of South
Africa in 1910. j
In the wake of the changes brought about by the war followed
new ideas and enterprises. There was a great back-to-the-land
movement. The magic spell cast over the people by the world’s
richest gold and diamond mines was broken, and the wealth of the
upper inches of a rich and productive soil and all its possibilities
was realized with a new zest.
Certain of the pastoral industries commanded the world’s
markets while others needed more attention, and one at least re-
puired almost total rehabilitation, that is horse breeding.
In order to do this a thorough knowledge of the past history of
the industry and breed is essential.
To add to this knowledge is the purpose of this thesis. The
subject is perhaps beyond the scope of a work of this kind, but any
attempt to know more about an industry which has once been a
source of great national wealth but has been partly destroyed
through various causes, would undoubtedly be of great help in the
reconstruction of this branch of our farming.
Since the war South Africa and especially the Union has
entered into a new era of progress and prosperity, and to expand
and solidify this every branch of farming industry must be placed
on sure and efficient foundations, and no foundation is worth more
attention, care and intelligence than our horse stock.
In this thesis prominence has been given to some of the best
authorities on the question. Following the great historical fact
that similar causes will have similar effects we can take many valu-
able lessons from the past to guide us in the reconstruction work
of the future, bearing in mind that what has been done in the past
can be done again.
This monograph is by no means an exhaustive work, and aims
at nothing more than an honest and first attempt to collect between
two covers some of the large amount of scattered material on a sub-
ject which deserves better attention in the ever-expanding pastoral
and agricultural activity of the Union of South Africa even of the
Continent of Africa. )
Yonder in the dusk lies the twilight Continent of Africa; for
ages she has been claimed by selfishness, commercialism and barbar-
eel Na rE we oO meting ?
At the end of the 17th century horse-breeding was firmly estab-
lished and the farmers complimented themselves on possessing an
animal of ‘‘general utility,’’ hardy, self-supporting and of good
constitution and temperament. The settlement counted about 1000
souls, and owned 261 horses, 4189 cattle, 48,960 sheep; while the
company possessed 140 horses, 1164 cattle and 9218 sheep on their
farms.°®
In the following century rapid strides were made into the in-
terior. New and extensive pastures were found beyond the first
mountain ranges and the foundations of the great pastural com-
munity with larger flocks were laid. Except a probable importa-
tion of a horse or two by the returning fleets, the breed of horses
received no additional foreign blood for the better part of a cen-
tury. During those eventful days amid hosts of barbarians and
wild animals the best that was in horseflesh was appealed to, and
this established a foundation stock that would yield wonderful re-
sults when mated with animals that could make up such qualities
(51) R. Bromley—Speaking of 30 years’ experience in Ag. Jour. of Cape Col-
ony Vol. XX XITI.
(52) Archieves of Cape of Good Hope 1652-1795.
(53) George McCall Theal. History of South Africa 1652-1795.
27
as height and conformation of form which have been lost in sight
of in the demand for general efficiency.
During the years of peace the horses were allowed to run night
and day in a natural state; the loss of an occasional foal through
the attacks of wild animals was of minor importance; but the
thefts by bushmen was a great torment. During the decades 1710-
30 a continual warfare was kept up against these marauding and
migratory hordes; thousands of cattle, sheep and horses were ear-
ried away into mountain fastnesses.°* Cory has found that during
the ten years (1785-95) 309 horses were killed and 309 taken away,
along with thousands of cattle and sheep.®® It may incidentally be
mentioned here that these horses were probably later taken from
these hordes by the Zulu nation who in their turn waged war on these
tribes and that they ultimately gave rise to the famous ‘‘Basuto
Pony.”’
The plains of the Karroo with its dry air and rolling plains
of grass on rich soils with a fair percentage of lime were very
adaptable to successful horse-breeding, and large troops often
consisting of over 300 mares were quite frequent.°®> In 1719,
however, this natural paradise of the horse was rudely disturbed by
the appearance of a deadly epizootic disease, which carried off 1700
animals within a couple of months. This disease, which is not
quite subdued to-day, is known as ‘‘ Horse-sickness’’ and is caused
by mosquito bites. In 1763 it claimed another 2500. At that time
it was found that if the horses were kept on a certain altitude dur-
ing the autumn months of April and May the majority of the ani-
mals could be saved. After the first frosts have fallen the danger
1S Over.
In 1769 several recruiting officers in the Indian army, however,
found a sufficient number fit for cavalry purposes. Nothing could
be ascertained about the quality and size of these horses; but the
fact that South Africa became since then a recruiting field of re-
mounts for the Indian Army proves that these horses have not cut
too sorry a figure among the horses from Persia and Arabia. In
1782 the first English stallions were imported, and were followed
in the same year by five stud horses from Boston, United States of
America. Most of these found their way to the studs in the north-
(54) George McCall Theal ‘‘ History of South Africa’’ 1652-1795.
(55) G. HE. Cory ‘“ The Rise of South Africa’’ 1918. Vol. I1-
(56) Heinreich Litchtenstein. ‘* Reisen in Sudlichen Afrika. Berlin 1811.
28
ern districts and helped to swell the fame of the ‘‘Hantam’”’ type of
horses, throughout the land.
In a letter from General Craig to H. E. Lord Dundas dated
October 31st, 1796 we learn that the price paid for 200 remounts
averaged 80 rix dollars, while 100 rix dollars was paid for horses
of better quality. Some months later the price had risen 120 rix
dollars and even 150.°7 The census returns of 1798 records the pop-
ulation as consisting of 21,764 whites or 61,447 including colored
servants and slaves. They possessed 47,436 horses, 251,206 cattle
and 1,448,536 sheep. The boundaries of the Colony enclosed some
120.000 square miles of excellent pasture and arrable land.”*
The increasing demand for remounts in India is a sure proof
that the horse material has improved considerably during the cen-
tury. They certainly have increased in size judging from Licht-
enstein’s account already mentioned of the stud in the Hantam dis-
trict of over 300 stud horses of greater size and better conformation -
than those of the other districts, more south. He mentions that
they were bred from the best English and Arab sires. This, and
the fact that horses were imported from Persia in 1689, as well as
Litchtenstein’s mentioning of an Arab stallion at another large
stud costing its owner over 3000 ‘“‘thaler’’ proves that more stal-
lions from Arabia and Persia were imported after 1689 and before
1782. In 1799 McCall Theal remarks in his ‘‘ History of South
Africa”’ that ‘‘a fairly good horse for either the saddle or the trace
was now common and there was a healthy spirit of competition and
rivalry—especially among the young men as to who shall have the
best * * * * * anything tending to improve horses and cattle was
met with general approbation.’’
With a foundation stock sound in limb, bone and constitution,
with the hardiness, endurance and stamina of two centuries handed
down to them, the intelligent horse-breeder could have accomplished
much in the 19th century when some of the best English ‘‘blood
horses’? were imported; and what they have achieved makes the
regret of the loss of it all the keener.
The 18th century opened with the capture of certain Spanish
stallions on board a hostile vessel.°®? They must have been of high
(57) Archieves of the Cape of Good Hope (one rixdollar equals 4 shillings or
approximately 1 dollar United States money.)
(58) Sir James Barrow ‘‘ Travels in South Africa’’ 1797-98.
(59) George McCall Theal ‘‘ History of South Africa after 1795.’’ Vol. I.
29
breeding for with Cape mares they bred true to the type and hun-
dreds of their progeny were found all over the Colony within half
a century and were known as ‘‘Cape Greys’’ during the end of the
last century.
Individual efforts were made to improve the stocks of cattle,
horses and sheep; the government lent aid to these endeavorers but
nothing officially was done. In 1800 the first ‘‘Society for the en-
couragement of agriculture, arts and sciences was caused to be es-
tablished; but beyond talking this society did nothing.’’*° The
society was, however, amply supplied with cattle, horses and slaves,
but somehow all turned out a failure. In 1804, another attempt
was made with greater success; 25,30914 acres of government land
was alloted to the Board of Agriculture, which was for the first
time added to the government. A number of the best breeds of
cows were purchased and a pure bred bull from Europe as well as
another of the same breed, given as a present were added.