ENGLISH HORSE.

From this time, until Henry VIII., the English horse advanced, but it was by slow degrees.

In the time of this last monarch, an English treatise on the management of horses and cattle, was written by Sir A. Fitzherbert, Judge of the Common Pleas, and was the first of the kind produced. The learned Judge shared the common fate of those who have to do with the horse. He thus writes: "Thou grasyer, thou mayst fortune to be myne opinion or condytion to love horses, and young coltes and foles to go among thy cattle; take heed that thou be not beguiled as I have been an hundred tymes and more. And first, thou shalt know that a good horse has 54 properties; viz. 2 of a man, 2 of a badger, 4 of a lion, 9 of an ox, 9 of a hare, 9 of a fox, 9 of an asse, and 10 of a woman." Later writers have pirated from Sir A., but have not improved upon him. The following description of the horse is well known. "A good horse should have . three qualities of a woman; a broad breast, round hips, and a long mane -three of a lion; countenance, courage, and fire-three of a bullock; the eye, the nostril, and joints-three of a sheep; the nose, gentleness, and patience-three of a mule; strength, constancy, and foot-three of a deer; head, legs, and short hair-three of a wolf; throat, neck, and hearing-three of a fox; ear, tail, and trot-three of a serpent; memory, sight, and turning-and three of a hare, or cat: running, walking, and suppleness."

The tyrannical edicts of Henry VIII. caused the number of horses to be much diminished, and for a long time little improvement of the breed

Terms commonly made use of to denote the external parts of the Horse. was made. About the time of Oliver Cromwell, a South-Eastern horse was brought into England. This beautiful animal was called the White

ENGLISH HORSE.

Turk, and his name, and that of his keeper, will long be remembered. Shortly afterwards appeared the Hemsley Turk, introduced by Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham. He was followed by Fairfax's Morocco barb. These horses speedily effected a considerable change in the character of the English breed, so that Lord Harleigh, one of the old school, complained that the great horse was fast disappearing, and that horses were now bred light and fine, for the sake of speed only.

At the Restoration, a new impulse was given to the cultivation of the horse, by the inclination of the court to patronize gayety and dissipation. The races at Newmarket were restored, and as an additional spur to emulation, royal plates were now given at each of the principal courses. Charles II. sent his master of the horse to the Levant to purchase brood mares and stallions. These were principally Barbs and Turks.

From that period to the middle of the last century, the system of improvement was zealously pursued; every variety of Eastern blood was occasionally engrafted on the English, and the superiority of the en grafted, above the very best of the original stock, began to be evident. Still some imagined that the speed and stoutness might possibly be increased; and Mr. Darley, in the latter part of the reign of Queen Anne, had recourse to the discarded and despised Arabian. He had much prejudice to contend with, and it was sometime before the Darley Arabian attracted notice. At length the value of his stock produced, began to be recognized, and to him the English are greatly indebted for a breed of horses of unequalled beauty, speed and strength.

This last improvement now furnishes all that can be desired; nor is this true of the thorough bred or turf horse only; it is in a very materi al degree, the case with every description of horse. By a judicious ad mixture and proportion of blood, the English have rendered their hunt. ers and hackneys, their coach, nay, even their cart horses, much stronger, more active and more enduring, than they were before the introduction of the race horse.

For a better understanding of our future observations, we give on the previous page an outline of the horse, with the terms commonly made use of to denote his external parts.

a The posterior maxillary or under jaw.

b The superior maxillary or upper jaw. Opposite to the latter is a foramen through which pass the nerves and blood-vessels which chiefly supply the lower part of the face.

c The orbit, or cavity containing the eye.

d The nasal bones, or bones of the nose.

e The suture dividing the parietal bones below, from the occipital bones above.

f The inferior maxillary bone containing the upper incisor teeth.

B The Seven Cervical Vertebræ, or bones of the neck.

C The Eighteen Dorsal Vertebræ, or bones of the back.

D The Six Lumbar Vertebræ, or bones of the loins.

E The Five Sactal Vertebræ, or bones of the haunch.

THE ROAD HORSE.

F The Caudal Vertebræ, or bones of the tail, generally about fifteen. G The Scapula, or shoulder-blade.

H The Sternum, or fore part of the chest.

1 The Costa or ribs, seven or eight articulating with the Sternum, and called the true ribs, and ten or eleven united together by cartilage, called the false ribs.

J The Humerus, or bone of the arm.

K The Radius, or bone of the fore-arm.

L The Ulna, or elbow. The point of the elbow is called the Olecranon. M The Carpus or knee, consisting of seven bones.

N The metacarpal bones. The larger metacarpal or cannon or shank in front, and the smaller metacarpal or splent bone behind.

g The fore pastern and foot, consisting of the Os Suffraginis, or the upper and larger pastern bone, with the sessamoid bones behind articulating with the cannon and greater pastern; the Os Coronæ, or lesser pastern; the Os Pedis or coffin bone; and the Os Naviculare, or navicular, or shuttle-bone, not seen, and articulating with the smaller pastern and coffin bones.

h The corresponding bones of the hind-feet.

O The Haunch, consisting of three portions, the Illium, the Ischium, and the Pubis.

P The Femur or thigh.

Q The stifle joint with the Patalla.

R The Tibia, or proper leg bone-behind is a small bone called the fibula.

S The Tarsus or hock, composed of six bones. The prominent part is the Os Calcis or point of the hock.

T The Metatarsals of the hind leg.

English writers describe several varieties of the horse which are found in Great Britain. We shall briefly notice these, and begin with the

ROADSTER OR HACKNEY. This horse is used by the farmer to ride over his grounds, and by the man of business on his journeys. The following cut represents the old English hackney or road horse.

THE ROAD HORSE.

The present road horse is said to be a much superior animal to the portrait here given. In describing a good road horse, the Editors of the Library of Useful Knowledge dwell with much emphasis upon the importance of the manner in which he brings down his feet to the ground. He should not, indeed, carry his legs too high, say they, but the main question is, does he dig his toe into the ground; if the shoe, after having been on a week or fortnight, is not unnecessarily worn at the toe, and you feel him put his feet flat on the ground, do not scruple to buy him, nay, esteem him a choice gifted hackney.'

Every horse, however, is liable to fall, and therefore comes the golden rule of riding, "never trust to your horse." Always feel his mouth lightly. You will thus be able to give the animal assistance immediately, before he is too much off his centre, and when a little check will save him. By this constant gentle feeling, you will likewise induce him to carry his head well, than which, few things are more conducive to the beautiful, safe, and easy going of a horse.

The hackney should be a hunter in miniature, with these exceptions. His height should rarely exceed fifteen hands and an inch. He will be sufficiently strong and more pleasant for general work, below that standard. He should be of a more compact form than the hunter; more bulk according to his height, for he has not merely to stand an occasional, although severe burst, but a great deal of every-day work.

It is of essential consequence that the bones beneath the knee should be deep and flat, and the tendon not tied in.

The pastern should be short, and although oblique or slanting, yet far less so than that of the race horse, and considerably less than that of the hunter. There should be obliquity enough to give pleasant action, but not enough to render the horse incapable of the wear and tear of constant, and sometimes hard work.

The foot is a matter of the greatest consequence in a hackney. It should be of a size corresponding with the bulk of the animal, neither too hollow, nor too flat; open at the heels; and free from corns and thrushes.

The fore legs should be perfectly straight. There needs not a mo. ment's consideration to be assured that a horse, with his knees bent, will, from a slight cause, and especially if he be over-weighted, come down.

The back should be straight and short; yet sufficiently long to leave comfortable room for the saddle between the shoulders and the huck, without pressing on either. Some persons prefer a hollow-backed horse. It is generally an easy one to go. It will canter well with a lady; but it will not carry a heavy weight, or stand much hard work.

The road horse should be high in the forehead, round in the barrel, and deep in the chest; the saddle will not press them too forward, but the girths will remain, without crupper, firmly fixed in their proper place.

The points of shape essential to be attended to in the choice of a hackney, are the shoulders, and the fore legs and feet: because a horse whose shoulders are properly formed and placed, is not liable to fall down; and because his soundness depends chiefly upon his legs and feet,