H O R S E S P A S T A N D P R E S E N T

S A D D LE A N D P ILLIO N .

“ H O M A S S TOTH A R D , R . A . ) i n o f t h e Flit c h o f B a c o n , b y ( Fr o m Th e P r o c e s s o T

H O R SES

P A S T A N D P R E S E N T

S I R G I L B E Y A R . WA LT E R , B T

ILLUST RAT ED

T o C . L T D . VIN ON ,

N E W B R I D GE S R E E LO N D O N E C . 9 , T T , ,

1 900

T E T C O N N S .

I n t rodu ction B efore t he C onqu e st William the C onqu eror William R ufu s

H enry I . H I I enry . R h ic ard I .

h n Jo H . E w I I d ard .

E dwar d I I I .

R c h r I I i a d .

H enry V I I .

H enry V I I I .

E w r V n d u r d a d I . a Q een Ma y E liz ab eth

Ja mes I .

Char s I le . Th e C ommon wealth

Ch arles I I .

m 1 1 1 . Willia w . Q ueen A n n e

Ge orge I .

or I I Ge ge .

Geor ge I I I .

G eor ge I V .

William I V . H er M ajest y Q u een V ict oria — Light H o rses "B reed S ocieties — H eavy H o rses "B reed So cieties I L L U S T R A T I O N S .

C art - H orse of the XV t h C en t ur y

On S addle an d Pillio n

Gu E a r of ar w ck XV I th C en tur y, l W i , y

Th e D arley A rabia n

acob B ates The r ck R der J , T i i

Grey D i omed

un t er S r e o n ac H i , C g

The H ack H un t er

Th e N orfolk Phen o men on Tbi s br i ef bi story of tbe H or se i n E ngla n d t o tli e close of tae n i n eteen tn cen t u r y i s a com ilati on zo/i i cli it i s ma r ove p , y p u u l ll n sef as we as i ter esti ng.

S o mu c/i bas been don e to i mp r ove ou r

’ br eeds o li or ses si n ce tlze ea r 1 800 a n a so f y , ma ny a n d i mpor t a n t bave been tb e cbanges i n

’ ou r metb oas o t r avel i n tae u se o b eav f , f y li ar ses i n a r i cu lt u r e i n bu n ti n r a ci n a n d g , g, g stee lecna si n t/ea t tbe latter or t i on o tb e p g, p f

li d n l book n nt be a mp fi e i n defi i te y .

"t i s n ot t/cougbt n ecessa ry to do mor e t/za n tou c/i br i efly upon tbc mor e i mpor tant even t s

’ ’ ’ mbi en nave occu r r ea a u r i ng H er M ajesty s

r eign .

’ Tbe i n ter esti ng a n a i n st r u ct i ve wor lz by

tn i oni n n ta n s tne t i tles a ll M r . H u e co i o , f

tne boobs w r i tten i n a ll la ngu ages r ela t i ng

’ to tbe H or se snows tnat tae n u mber pu bli sbea

’ up t o tae y ea r 1 886 exceeas a n d si n ce

’ t/zat aa t e wor ks on tbe H or se embr a ci n , , g

veter i n a r sci en ce br eedi n cava lr coa cb i n y , g, y , g, r a ci n b u n ti n a n d ki n dr ed su b ect s bave been g, g j , i ssu ed fr om tlze pu blisni ng nou ses of E u r ape a t tbe r t e t t/z D u r i n a of abou t wo per mon . g tbe ten y ea r s 1 886 - 95 upwa r ds of 232 su cb war bs wer e i ssu ed an d tb er e li as been n o er , p ceptible decr ea se du r i ng tbe last fou r y ea r s .

Un der t/zese ci r cu msta n ces a n apology for addi ng t o tb e ma ss of li t er a t u r e on tbe H or se s eems a lmost n ecessa ry .

E lsen ham H all E ssex , ,

N ovember 1 00 , 9 . "H O R S E S PA S T A N D T P R E S E N .

FI R ST among animals which man has domesticated , or brought under control to

do him service , stands the horse . The beauty of his form , his strength , speed and m retentive memory , alike com end him to

admiration ; the place he holds , whether in

relation to our military strength , our com

mer cial and agricultural pursuits , or our

. v pleasures , is unique Whether as ser ant Or companion of man the horse stands alone among animals . There can be no doubt but that the horse was broken to man ’s service at an early

’ period of the world s history . The art of taming him was first practised by the peoples of Asia and Africa , who earliest attained t o a degree of civilisation ; but whether he was first ridden or driven is a question which has often been debated with 2

no definite result . The earliest references to the use of horses occur in the Old Testa ment , where numerous passages make mention of chariots and horsemen in con n ect io n with all warlike operations .

BEFO RE T H E C ON Q UE ST .

From very remote times E ngland has possessed horses which her inhabitants

u t rned to valuable account , as we find " occasion to note elsewhere and the farther she advanced on the path of civilisation the wider became the field for utility open to the horse . To the necessity for adapting h im to various purposes , to the carrying of

- u armour clad soldiery , to dra ght , pack work , hawking, hunting , coaching , for use in mines

& c . where ponies are required , , we owe the several distinct breeds which we now possess

s u in ch perfection . I n early times horses were held the most valuable of all property in B ritain ; we see evidence of the importance attached to them in the figures on ancient coins . The Vener able Bede states that the E nglish first used

a 0 1 saddle horses about the ye r 3 , when

i s ast an d r ese i r Walter il e on e n t . S G b P P P By y , m t u s e n t on o te . ar C . B p bli h d by Vi , Li i d

4

o horses nly for the sake of greater mobility , and were what in modern phrase are styled m ounted infantry . Saxons and Danes brought horses of various breeds into E ngland , primarily to carry on their warfare against the British ; the most useful of these were horses of

Eastern blood , which doubtless performed valuable service in improving the E nglish S breeds . The axon and Danish kings of necessity maintained large studs of horses for military purposes , but whether they took measures to improve them by systematic breeding history does not record . K ing Alfred (87 1 to 99 1 ) had a Master of

E c u ef t he the H orse , named q , and existence of such an office indicates that the Royal stables were ordered on a scale o f consider able magnitude .

King Ath elstan ( 9 25- 940) is entitled to special mention , for it was he who passed the first of a long series of laws by which the export of horses was forbidden . Athel

’ stan s la w assigns no reason for this step ; but the only possible motive for such a law must have been to check the trade which the high qualities of English - bred horses had brought into existence . At no period of our history have we possessed more horses than would supply our require

’ t he ments , and Athelstan s prohibition of export of horses beyond sea , unless they were sent as gifts , was undoubtedly due to a growing demand which threatened to pro d u ce scarci t y . This king saw no objection to the importation of horses "he accepted

S v several as gifts from Continental o ereigns , t and eviden ly attached much value to them , for in his will he made certain bequests of white horses and others which had been given him by Saxon friends .

WILLIA M TH E C ON Q UERO R ( 1 06 6

William the Conque ror brought with him many horses from N ormandy when he i n vaded England . Many of these were S panish horses ; if we may apply to the famous Bayeux tapestry the test of com parison . William himself, at H astings , rode S a panish horse , which had been presented S to him by his friend , Alfonso of pain , and the riders on horseback on the tapestry show that the Norman knights rode horses simil a r t in all respects to hat of their leader . They

1 are small , probably not exceeding 4 hands , " and of course all stallions . Berenger

Th e H s t or an d A r t of H or se m n s i y a hip . By c ar eren er en t e an of t he H orse t o eor e Ri h d B g , G l m G g

I I I . u s e 1 1 . , p bli h d 7 7 6 describes these horses as of a class adapted to the “ purposes of war and the exhibition of public assemblies . There is nothing "to t ell us when horses were first used in agriculture in E ngland ; the earliest mention of such , some consider able research has revealed 1 5 the reference to “ four draught horses o wned by the proprietor of an E ssex manor in the reign of Edward t he Confessor ( 1 042 Under the N orman and Plantagenet kings the plough appears to have been adapted for draught by either oxen or horses . The former u ndoubtedly were the more generally

a n d used , continued in use until compara t i v ely r ecent times in some parts of the

u co ntry . One of the pieces of tapestry worked in Bayonne in 1 0 6 6 shows t he figu re of a man

n drivi g a ho rse harnessed to a harrow . This is the earliest pictorial evidence we possess of the employment of the horse in field labour . The Conqueror and his followers came from a country in which agriculture was in a more advanced state than it was in Eng land , and it cannot be doubted that the N orma ns did much to promote the interests of E nglish husbandry . WILLIAM RU FUS ( 1 087 - 1 I t was probably during the reign of William Rufus that the first endeavour to improve the British breed of horses was

G iraldus C ambren sis made . informs us that Robert de B elesme brought Spanish

Po w sla n d stallions to his property in y ,

Central Wales , and that to these importa tions many years afterwards the district owed its reputation for a superior stamp of horse . The results of this enterprise were “ certainly of a lasting character , for a Powys horse occurs among the purchases

w 1 2 2 made by Ed ard I I . ( 7 indicating clearly that the locality still produced a good stamp of animal

H Y 1 1 00 EN R I . (

a King H enry I . would appear to h ve taken an interest in the work of horse - breed x ing. The scanty e isting records of his reign contain mention of a visit paid in I 1 30 to the royal manor at Gillingham , in Dorset shire , by a squire with a stallion to leap

’ ’ the king s mares . I n this king s reign the first Arabs were received in E ngland from

Eastern Europe , in the shape of two horses , with costly Turkish armour, as a gift . One 8 of these horses was retained in England and the other was sent to K ing Alexander S I . of cotland , who presented it to the

t . Church of S . Andrews

H E N R Y 1 1 1 1 . ( 54

H enry I I . took a keen interest in horses , and the records of his reign show us the system then in vogue for the maintaining the royal studs . The horses , in greater or smaller numbers , with their grooms , were placed under the charge of the S heriffs of counties , whose duty it was to provide them with pasture , stabling , and all necessaries ,

i recover ng the cost from the E xchequer . The Tournament was introduced into E n g land i h this reign ; but these knightly exercises received little encouragement from the king , who forbade them under ecclesias tical pressu re .

S t e ha n ides William p , a monk of Canter bury , has left us a Latin tract or pamphlet descriptive of the mounted sports of Lon f doners in the latter hal of the twelfth century , which possesses both interest and value . From this it is evident that races of a primi t tive charac er, and sham fights of a rough and ready kind had place among the r e 9

’

s i . creations of the people of H enry l I . t me

S mit hfi eld , then a level expanse of grass where periodical horse markets were held , i wa s the scene of these amusements

“ Ever y S u n d ay i n L en t after di n n er y ou n g men r id e o u t i n t o t he fi eld s on h or ses w hich ar e fi t for w ar ’ an n Th c z en s son s d ex c elle t fo r t h ei r s peed . e i ti

ssu e o u t t ro u t h e at es t roo s u r n s e w t i h gh g by p , f i h d i h a n ces a n d s e s an d ma e r e resen t at on o f a t t e l hi ld , k p i b l n r n To s er or man c e a d ex e ci se a d skir mish . t hi p f man o u n cou r t er s et u n n t at e i n ar ms r esor t y y g i y i i i d , n d r eat er s n o r n a n d r c t c T e e n a g p o s t t ai p a i e . h y b gi by dividin g i n t o t r oo p s ; so me l abou r t o ou t st rip t h eir l ead er s w ith out bei n g a ble t o r each t h em ; oth er s u n h or se t heir an t a gon ist s w it h o u t b ein g a ble t o get n A t s t w r t r ee o s a r e se n beyo d t h em . t im e o o h b y t o h or seba ck t o r id e a r ace a n d p u sh t h ei r h o rses t o t e r u t mo st s ee s ar n n e t er w n or u r s . h i p d , p i g i h hip p

H 1 1 8 RI C ARD I . ( 9

I . n Richard , ignori g the opposition of the

Church , which held them dangerous alike to

body and soul , encouraged tournaments as valuable training for his knights and it may here be observed that from his time through

1 the succeeding ages until 559 , when a fatal

accident to King H enry I I . , of France , in

t he the lists , caused institution to go out of e fashion , tournaments were held from tim to S time in England . ome of our kings en

“ ’ h n i o n on S t e a des . e an s I ti n erar L d , by p L l d y ,

l . v o . viii I O co u raged them for military reasons ; others f discouraged them under Church in luence , or as records show , because they were produc tive of loss in horses and arms , which the resources of the country could ill afford .

We find traces of the old J usts of Peace , as tournaments were officially called , in the

K n i ht r ider names of streets in London . g a n d G ilt s u r S " p treets , for example the former owed its name to the circumstance that through it lay the route taken by knights on their way from the Tower to the lists at Smithfi eld ; the latter to the fact that the makers of the gilt spurs worn by knights carried on their business there . Cheapside was the scene of some historical tournaments ,

R d r w ll as were the Barbican and o e e . The

’ Tiltyard near S t . J ames s was the exercise ground of knights an d ge ntlemen at a later date .

JO H N ( 1 1 99 King J ohn reigned at a period when the armour worn by mounted men was becoming fi stronger , and when the dif culty of finding horses powerful enough to carry heavily

s n mailed riders w a increasi g . This sove reign , so far as can be discovered , was the first to make an endeavour to increase the

I 2

H usbandry in England was at a low ebb

u d ring the thirteenth century , but towards

’ s 1 t the end of E dward ll. reign began to make progress in the midland and south

i h western counties . The high esteem which English wool was held caused large tracts of country to be retained as pasture for sheep for a long period , and while farmers possessed this certain source of re v en u e the science of cultivation was naturally neglected .

W 1 2 ED ARD I I I . ( 3 7

E dward I I I . , to meet the drain upon the horse supply caused by his wars with S cot land and France , bought large numbers of horses on the Continent ; more , it would appear , than his Treasury could pay for, as

’ he was at one time in the Count of H a i n ault s debt for upwards of flor i n s for horses . These were obviously the Great H orses for which the Low Countries were famous ; all the animals so imported were marked or

I I I . r e branded . E dward organised his

. mount department on a scale previously

n u nknown in E gland . I t was established in two great divisions under responsible officers , one of whom had charge of all the studs on the royal manors north of the Trent , the fl other exercising control of those south of that boundary ; these t wo custodians being in their t u rn responsible to the Master of the

H orse . There is ample evidence to prove that I Edward I I . took close personal interest

- in horse breeding , and it is certain that the cavalry was bett er moun t ed in his wars than it had been at any previous period . The

Great H orse , or War H orse , essential to the efficiency of heavily armoured cavalry , was by far the most v aluable breed and received the greatest meed of attention ; but the Wardrobe Accounts of this reign contain mention of many other breeds or c lasses of horse indispensable for campaigning or useful

a — for sport and ordinary s ddle work palfreys , m hackneys , hengests , and so ers , coursers , trotters , hobbies , nags , and genets . The distinction between some of these classes was probably somewhat slight . The palfrey was the animal used for daily riding for pleasure or travel by persons of the upper

’ ranks of life , and was essentially the lady s

mount , though knights habitually rode pal

freys or hackneys on the march , while cir cu mst a n ces allowed them to put off for t he

time their armour . The weight of this , with the discomfort of wearing it in the cold of I 4

s u ffi winter and heat of summer , furnished cient reason for the knights to don their mail only when actually going into action , or on occasions of ceremony . “ H engests and somers were probably used for very similar purposes , as more than once we find them coupled thus these were the baggage or transport animals , and were ” doubtless of no great value . Courser is a term somewhat loosely used in the old records ; it is applied i n differently to the war horse , to the horse used in hunting , and for daily road work , but generally in a sense “ that suggests speed . Trotters , we must assume , were horses that were not taught to amble ; and the name was distinctive at a period when all horses used for saddle by the

u better classes were ta ght that gait . Edward

’ s I I I . Wardrobe Accounts mention payment

t r ammels for , the appliances , it is supposed , used for this purpose , and at a much later

R n date in another oyal Accou t Book , we find “ - n 2 an item To maki g an horse to amble , marks ( 1 35 . The amble was a pecu liarly easy and comfortable pace which would strongly commend itself to riders on a lon g journey . H obbies were I rish horses , small but active and enduring ; genets were Span

- ish horses nearly allied to , if not practically 1 5

identical with , the barbs introduced into

Spain by the Moors . The animal described “ as a nag was probably the saddle - horse used by servants and camp followers .

H I I 1 RI C ARD . ( 37 7

Richard I I . was fond of horses and did not neglect the interests of breeding ; though he on one occasion displayed his regard in a fashion which to modern minds is at

- least high handed . There was a scarcity of horses in the early years of his reign . and prices rose in conformity with the law of supply and demand . Richard , consider

" ing only the needs of his knights , issued a proclamation ( 1 386 ) forbidding breeders to ask the high prices they were demanding . This proclamation was published in Lin

ln hi r co s e . , Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire Passing mention may be made of an Act which was placed on the S tatute Book in

1 6 39 . I n those days all travelling was f per ormed on horseback , and the equivalent of the coach or jobmas t er of much later times was the hackneyman , who let out horses to travellers at rates of hire fixed by law . The hackneymen were in the very nature of their business liable to be imposed 1 6

u upon by unprincipled persons , who wo ld demand horses from them withou t tender ing payment , on the false plea that they were royal messengers journeying in has t e

S . on business of the tate N ot infrequently ,

t he too , hirer or borrower was none other — m than a horse thief, who rode the ani al w into some remote country to n , and sold

’

. I him to whoever would buy Richard I . s

1 6 Act of 39 , aimed at suppression of these practices , laying penalties upon anyone found guilty of them ; and it further called upon the hackneymen to help themselves by

v placing a distincti e mark on their horses . Any animal bearing such a mark might be seized by the hackneyman if he found it in possession of another , and no compensa tion could be claimed by the person from whose custody it was taken . The earliest account of a race that we can trace (apart from the sports at S mith

fi eld I ) refers to the year 37 7 , the first of

’ Richard s reign . I n that year the K ing " and the Earl of Arundel rode a race (par

t icu lars & c . of conditions , distance , weights , , are wanting l), which it would seem was won by the Earl , since the K ing purchased

m r T r f e w a et . H r The H st o o . . o e i y N k By P . n 1 88 6 . H . a C o . on o o s . ( 3 v l ) B ily L d ,

1 8

six country , and on all exported a duty of shillings and eightpence was levied . Under the old “ Statutes of Arms

H enry V I I . established a force known as

Yeomen of the Crown . There were fifty of these ; each yeoman had a spare horse and was attended by a mounted groom . I n times of peace they acted as Royal messen gers carrying letters and orders . I n dis t u rbed times they formed the backbone of the militia levies .

H Y 1 0 EN R VI I I . ( 5 9

V I I I H enry . went a good deal further in his efforts to foster and promote the

1 1 breeding of good horses . I n 5 4 he absolutely forbade the export of horses

t o abroad , and extended the prohibition

S cotland . H e obliged all prelates and nobles of a certain degree , to be ascertained

’ t o by the richness of their wives dress , maintain stallions of a given stature . H e made the theft of horse , mare , or gelding a capital offence , and deprived persons con

v ict ed . . 8 under this law ( 37 H enry V I I I , c ) of the benefit of clergy . And by two Acts , the gist of which will be found on page 5

t P on i es P a t n d P r esen t e se . s a q of , he made 1 9 a vigorous attempt to weed out the ponies whose small size rendered them useless . I t is to be borne in mind that the K ing ’ s legislation against the animals that ran in the forests and wastes aimed definitely at the greater development and perfection of the

’

. V I I I s Great H orse Armour during H enry .

u time had reached its maxim m weight , and a horse might be required to carry a load of from 25 to 30 stone hence very power ful horses were indispensable .

’ H enry s interest in horseflesh was not confined to the breed on which the effi i c en cy of his cavalry depended . H e was a keen sportsman , who took a lively pleasure in all forms of sport , and he appears to have been the first king who ran horses for his own amusement . I t would hardly be correct to date the beginnings of the English Turf ’ “

V I I I . s from H enry reign , as the running geldings kept in the Royal Stables at Windsor seem to have been run only against one another in a field hired by the king for the purpose . The P r i vy P u r se E xpen ses contain very curious scraps of information concerning

r T r S ee The G reat H orse or War H o se (p . hi d

C o . l ar . V n ton e t on . Sir W a t er Gi be di i By l y , B t i , L t 1 d . 899 . 20 t he running geldings , their maintenance , and that of the boys retained to ride them . “ ” There is mention of r ewardes to the u keeper of the r nning geldings , to the

children of the stable , and also to the ” d t t r n ya e of the runni g geldings . This

’ last functionary s existence is worth notice , a s it indicates some method of training or d ieting the horses . N early seventy years — later - i n 1 599 Gervaise Markham pro “ d u ced his book , H ow to Chuse , Ryde a n d D yet both H unting and Ru n ning

flo rses .

1 1 a I n the year 5 4, the M rquis of Mantua

s . ent H enry V I I I , from I taly , a present of s ome thoroughbred horses ; these in all probability formed the foundation stock of

- P r i v our sixteenth century racehorses . The y “ P u r se E xfi en ses quoted above refer to the “ B arbaran t o hors and the Barbary hors , which are doubtless the same animal . A hint tha t it was raced occurs in the mention o f a payment to Polle (Paul , who as previous e ntries show , was the keeper of this horse), “ d d rewar e 1 85 . . by way of , 4 , and on the “ 1 re same day ( March 7 , paid in

warde to the boy that ran the horse , d l 8s . 4 .

Tne R e u lat i on s o That curious record , g f 2 I

tbe E st a bli sbmen t o A l er n on P er c F tb f g y , if

E a r l o N or tb u mber la n d f , which was com men ced 1 1 2 in the year 5 , gives us a very valuable glimpse of the private stud main

’ V I I s t ain ed by a great noble in H enry I . ’ “ time . The list of the Earl s horses that are appointed to be in the charge of the

en t ell house yearly , as to say , g horseys , pal

hob s m - freys , y , aggis , cloth sek hors , male hors , is as follows

r st en t ell h ors s t o st an i n 10r di s st a e Fi , g y , d my bl , m a i si x. t e a r e s o f s t o w t oon e for I m , p lf y y l di , , my

a an d t w o for h er en t ell- wo en an d oon e for her l dy g m , r ou r h ob s a n d n a s for 10r di s oon ch ambe er . F y g my e " n i i z f r own i n t s con n ect o s add ll v . oon e o ( hi i ) , , my m f or an d oon e t o st a a t o e or or . l d . y h my l d “ t e c ar ot or s t o st an i n 10r di s st a e I m , h i h d my bl r l y e e y . “ S ev en gr eat t r ot tyn ge h or sys t o d r aw i n t h e c ar t an d a n a for t h e char i ot t man t o r e— h io g id eigh t . ’ a n or s for or L er e hi s or s s son a n d Ag i , h L d y , l d hip t rott n r a e r . ret o e e o s c e a cu r t a h i A g d bl y g h ll d l , n for hi s lor d ship t o r id e o u t o o ut o f t ow n s . A n ot h er t rot tyn ge gamb a ldy n h or s fo r hi s l or d ship t o r id e on w en h e co mes n t o t ow n s A n amb l n e or s h i . y g h f r hi s or s t o ou rn e e on r r o l d hip j y d aily . A p o pe amblyn ge li tt l e n ag for hi s l or d ship when h e goet h a n n m l on u n t n d aw . r et a b n e e n h i g h ki g A g y g g ldi g , or t rott n e e n t o car r hi s a e y g g ldi g , y m l .

I n regard to these various horses , it may be added that the gen t ell hors was one of superior breeding ; the char i ot t horse and “ gret trotting horsys were powerful cart 22

“ horses ; the curtal was a docked great “ ” horse ; the t r o t t yn ge gamb aldyn horse o n e with high and showy action , and the cloth sek and “ male hors carried r espectively personal luggage and armour .

i 1 - 1 A D M Y E D WA R D v . ( 547 553) N Q UEEN AR ( 1 553- 1 558)

The brief reign of Edward V I . was pro d u ct iv e of little legislation that had reference

- to horse breeding . An Act was passed to sanction the export of mares worth not more than ten shillings , and another to remove ’ l some ambiguity in H enry V I I I . s aw con cerning the death penalty , without benefit of

- clergy , for horse stealers . I f nothing was done to promote the breeding industry during this reign , the K ing ’ s advisers took measures to raise the E nglish standard of horsemanship . The Duke of N ewcastle informs us that he

R e n at elle engaged g to teach , and invited two I talians who had been his scholars , into d E ngland . The K ing ha an I talian farrier

H emn ibale named , who taught more than had been known before The farrier of old times was the veterinary surgeon—as the — barber was the surgeo n and the invitations 23 so given show that the Royal advisers were

“ conscious of English shortcomings . H orse manship and the principles of stable manage ment p erhaps stood at a higher level in I taly than in any other European country at this

' period ; whence the choice of I talians as

- riding masters .

The crime of horse - theft was so rife at this period that one of the first Acts of

2 85 . Queen Mary ( 3 Phil Mary ,

1 . passed in 555, aimed at its suppression A place was to be appointed i n ev er y fair for the sale of horses , and there the market toll - gatherer was to call the seller and buyer before him and register their names and addresses , with a description of the horse U r changing hands . nde this law the pro perty in a stolen horse was not diverted from the lawful owner unless the horse had been publicly shown in the market for one hour ; if it had not been so exposed , the owner might seize and retain it if he dis covered the horse i n possession of another afterwards . S Queen Mary , by the tatute known as

4 Phil . Mary , considerably extended the obligation to keep horses which H enry

V I I I . had laid upon persons of the upper and middle class ; but the object of this 24 law was to provide for the defences of the kingdom , and there is nothing in its clauses that would indicate desire to promote — horse breeding ; on the contrary , geldings are frequently mentioned as alternative to horses .

E LI"ABETH ( 1 558

Queen Elizabeth , herself an admirable horsewoman , was as fully imbued with the necessity for encouraging the breeding of horses as her father , H enry V I I I . , and she lost little time in dealing with the whole sub

ect j after her accession . E nergetic measures were evidently much needed , if we may accept the statements made by S i r Thomas

Chaloner , in a Latin poem written when he

1 . was ambassador at M adrid , in 57 9 H e obser v es that if E nglishmen chose to devote

a dv an attention to breeding , with all the tages their country offered , they could rear better horses than they could im port . England , he averred had none but

vile and ordinary horses , which were suffered to run at large with the mares . I n the first year of her reign Elizabeth

’ V I I I s ct renewed H enry . A forbidding the

n x export of horses to S cotla d . H er ne t important step was taken in the fourth year

26

their legal obligation , and appointed suitable persons to see that her commands were carried out . One of these documents , issued

1 80 in 5 , announces that the number of horsemen in the country shown by the “ returns is much less than she looked for . She made some changes in the existing

- laws , notably that passed in the thirty second

’ V I I I s year of H enry . reign , concerning the stature of horses in specified shires . That law applied among other counties to Cam b rid eshire g , H untingdon , N orthampton , Lin c ln shi r 8 o e S 8 . . , N orfolk and uffolk ; Eliz , c ,

1 6 6 passed in 5 , exempted the I sle of Ely “ and other moors , marshes and fens of

- Cambridgeshire , and the above mentioned counties from operation of the Act because “ u n fi rmn ess the said moors , of their , moys ture and wat eryshn es could not bear such

u mire n big horses witho t danger of their y g,

r shin drowning and pe y ge .

1 1 2 She also ( 3 Eliz . ) passed another

av o de st eali n e Acte to y horse g , the chief feature of which was to forbid anyone u m known to the toll - taker to sell a horse in the market unless the would - b e seller could produce “ one sufficient and credible wit ness to vouch for his respectability . The evil had grown to the proportions of a 27

’ n ational scandal at this time "H oli n shed s a ccount , published eleven years before this

Act was passed , shows us that no horse in pasture or stable was safe . Queen Elizabeth ’ s reign saw important c hanges . The application of gunpowder to hand - fi r earms destroyed the protective value o f heavy armour , and with heavy armour gradually went the horse required to carry it . The disappearance of the Great H orse

a s . a charger was very slow , however I n 1 6 85 the Duke of N ewcastle published his f Tb e M a n n er o Feedi n D r ess amous work , f g, i ng a n d Tr a i n i ng of H or ses for tae Gr eat

S addle an d tt i n taem or tae S er v i ce o , fi g f f t ae Fi eld i n ti me of Wa r The book was probably of little use to posterity , for by that t ime the day of the Great H orse as a c harger was very near its close , if not quite a t an end . The introduction of coaches was a nother mark of social progress ; and light S horses , Arab , Barb and panish , were in d emand to improve our native breeds .

U 1 80 ntil 5 , when carriages came into use in England , saddle horses were used by all o f whatever degree . Though the side saddle

’ ha d u I I s been introd ced in Richard . time , ladies still rode frequently on a pillion behind a - gentleman or man servant . Queen Eliza 28 beth rode on a ' pillio n behind her Master o f the H orse when she went in state to S t .

’ Paul s ; but when hunting or hawking she seems to have ridden her own palfrey . Coaches increased so rapidly towards the

’ end of E lizabeth s reign that a bill was brought into the H ouse of Lords ( 1 6 0 1 ) t o check their use . The measure was lost , the

Lords directing the Attorn ey - General t o frame a new bill to secure more attention

- wa s to horse breeding instead , but if this done the bill never passed into law . The Queen was an ardent supporter of the Turf and kept racehorses at Greenwich ,

S t . n Waltham , Albans , Eaton , H ampto

Court , Richmond , Windsor and Charing

Cross . Racing had become a popular amusement in the earlier years of Eliza

’ beth s reign , and her participation in the sport was probably due in great measure to her conviction that i t must prove bene

fi cial R oodee to the breeding industry . The at Chester appears to have been one of the first public racecourses ; the townspeople gave a silver bell to be run for . Racing . was well established in S cotland at an

’

V I . 1 2 u . s earlier date ; in 55 , d ring E dward reign , there were races with bells as prizes .

S 1 8 There were races at alisbury in 5 5, 29 w hen the Earl of Cumberland won “ the

1 o golden bell I n 599 , the C rporation of C arlisle took the sport under its patronage a n d ga v e silver bells . According to Com mi n iu s 1 0 , who wrote about the year 59 , r acing had grown out of fashion at that period ; the old sport of tilting at the q uintain had been revived and was appar ently a more popular spectacle . I t is pro b able that suspension of public interest in racing was of a very temporary character,

S at i r es for Bishop H all , in one of his , pub lished 1 in 599 , refers to the esteem in which racehorses were then held . Queen Elizabeth retained her love of sport and the physical ability to indulge it to an advanced age . I t is said that in

1 6 0 2 - April , , being then in her sixty ninth year, she rode ten miles on horseback and hunted the same day . Following the example set in Edward

’ V ir I . s S S reign , Philip ydney engaged two I talian experts named Prospero and

Romano , to teach riding ; the Earl of

’

Leicester, the Queen s Master of the H orse , a lso had among his suite an I talian horse man , named Claudio Corte , who wrote a book on the art of riding . which was

1 8 . published in London , in 5 4 Thomas 30

Blu n dev ille H o tman , of N ewton , in N orfolk , ere this date , had published a curious little “ - black letter volume , entitled The Art of R ydi n g and Breaking Great H orses S “ which was sold by William eres , at The

’

S n e H ed eho e S t . yg of the g gg , in Paul s

Churchyard . S ome extracts from this very h interesting little "work ave been given in a previous book .

M 1 6 0 JA ES I . ( 3 The feature of King J ames ’ s reign was the formation of a racecourse at New market , which had previously been a

' - of favourite hunting ground Royalty , and

’

I I . s continued to be so , at least till J ames time . J H or e Mr . J . P . r says that the K ing probably resided at an inn known as “ The f Gri fin , and held court there during his early visits , and that this inn subsequently

’ became the King s own property . I t is quite certain that N ewmar k et as a Turf centre dates from the time of James I . ; he

1 6 0 spent some days there in the year 5,

r at H or se or War H orse. T r e t on The G e hi d di i . By

i r Wa t er o ar t . n ton C o . L t d . 1 8 . S l Gilb y , B , Vi , , 99 " ” r r H i st or y of N ew maket . 31 and appears to have paid very frequent visits to the place to enjoy the sport he was anxious to encourage . H e kept race horses , and in his purchase of the Markham " Arabian we have evidence that he did not spare endeavour to procure the best . I t is true that this horse proved a failure on the Turf ; that his indifferent performance did something to discredit the Arab in the eyes of E nglishmen , and no doubt con tributed to check the importation of Eastern sires for racing ; but his failure does not affect the fact that his purchase goes for proof of King J ames ’ s desire to improve the breed of racehorses . Many foreign horses were imported into E ngland during S this reign . The panish horse still held

1 6 2 its high reputation ; in 3, the Duke of

There i s some d ou bt con cer n in g t he p r ice paid h n f h M r by t e Ki g or t e a kh a m Ar abi an . The D u k e o f ew cast e i n The N ew M ethod o D ressi n H orses N l , f g 1 Mr r ( 66 7 ) say s " . M a kh a m sold him t o Ki n g Ja m es ” fo r fi ve u n r e o u n s an d t s s t a temen t h h d d p d , hi as een r e eat e n e an o t r r r b p d by Sid y d h e w it e s . I n t h e Ti mes of e t em er 1 1 8 8 ow e er a cor res on en t S p b , 7 , h v , p d “ ” sig n in g him self H d r ew at t en t ion t o t h e fo ll ow “ i n g en t r y i n t h e R ec or d s of t he Exc h equ er t em ece er 20 1 6 1 6 a t o Master M ar m I , D mb , , p id kh a ’ for an A rabian H orse for H i s M ajest y s o wn u se m h 1 . t e t e s a e a t o a ma n t r £ 54 I , m p id h at b ou gh t t h e sa e r a an H or se a n d e 1 m A bi k pt him { 1 . 32

u B ckingham , then at Madrid , shipped from

- fi v S t . S y e ebastian thirt horses , a present from the Court of Spain to the Prince of

Wales . Whether these were racehorses or not records omit to tell us . Under royal encouragement and patronage the Turf soon took its place as a national institution . Races were held at Croydon ,

E n fi eld G ar t erl Theobalds on Chase , and y in Yorkshire , among other places , and of each of the meetings named the K ing was

’ the President . James s most important

ewmarket studs were stabled at N , M iddle

N u t bu r Park , Eltham , Malmesbury , y and

Tetbury . During this reign a silver bell and bowl were among the prizes offered at the Chester Races ; the races for these were

’

S t . now run on George s Day , and the trophies then came to be known by the

’ name of England s patron saint . H orses were regularly trained and prepared for these “ bell courses ; the usual weight carried

1 0 was stone , and riders went to scale before starting . I n S cotland it would appear that betting on races was carried on to an extent that called for legislative interference ; for in 1 6 2 1 the Parliament at E dinburgh passed a n Act which required any man who might

33 win over 1 00 marks in twenty - four hours “ at cards , dice , or wagering on horse races , to make over the surplus to the kirk for the benefit of the poor .

Apart from the fostering care J ames I . bestowed upon the Turf, the only pro ceedin gs that require mention are "his

1 6 08 Proclamation issued in , which notified that the laws against the export of horses were not being obeyed , and would thence forward be enforced ; and his repeal in 1 6 24

’ V s of H enry I I I . law obliging every person whose Wife wore “ any French hood or ” bonnet of velvet to keep a stallion . H e

2 also repealed 3 H enry V I I I . , so far as it

2 1 a applied to Cornwall ( J c . I c . even as Queen E lizabeth had relieved some Eastern and Midland cou n t les from opera

V i tion of that law, m ew of their unsuitability

to breed heavy horses .

C H . 1 2 B h 6 e d . ARLES I ( 5,

Charles I . inherited , to some extent , his ’

father s taste for the Turf, and combined

’ ma n e e therewith a love of the g , due to

his own accomplished horsemanship . The

interest in racing was now so general , and t he inducement to breed light and swift 34

“ horses for the purpose so great , that other classes of horse were neglected , to the alarm

’ of the more far - seeing among the K ing s

S o subjects . seriously was the tendency to breed only light horses regarded , that S ir E dward H arwood presented a memorial to Charles , in which it was pointed out that there was a great deficiency in the kingdom of horses of a useful type , and praying that steps should be taken to en

of courage the breeding horses for service , and racing discouraged . Charles would seem to have been conscious that excessive attention to breeding light horses was a national question ; at all events , that animals of a more generally useful stamp were scarce for in 1 6 4 1 he granted licenses

i n for the mportation of horses , enjoini g the licensees to import coach horses , mares ,

1 and geldings not under 4 hands , and between the ages of three and seven years .

1 6 2 I n N ovember , 7 , Charles issued his

sn affles Proclamation forbidding the use of , except for hunting and hawking in times of and requiring all riders to use bits . H is motive was , no doubt , a

’ ma n e e desire to encourage the g , which was then considered the highest form of horse manship . The K ing and the Queen had 35

separate establishments , and each kept a large number of horses , including race

o f horses . The E nglish system stable manageme n t had made such advances a t

B assom i err e this time that Marshal p , the

French Ambassador in London , refers to it in his memoirs , and recommends that

English methods be followed in France .

The same writer speaks , too , of the supe r i r i o ty of English horses .

The hackney - coach question came up again in this reign , and Charles issued a

Proclamation dealing , with the subject

1 6 6 in January , 3 . H e forbade the use of coaches in London and Westminster unless they were about to make a journey of at least three miles ; and he required every owner of a coach to kee p four horses for

’ the King s service . We may conjecture that his prohibition of hackney coaches was not the outcome of a desire to encourage horsemanship ; for about eighteen months later he granted to his Master of the H orse ,

J ames , Marquis of H amilton , power to license fifty hackney coachmen in London and the suburbs and convenient places in

m . other parts of the real This license ,

n m 1 6 gra ted by Procla ation in J uly , 37 ,

i i as suggests favour t sm , according to a con 36 " temporary publication there were in 1 6 36 over coaches , private and public , in London and the suburbs "surely more than were needed , as some odd hansoms

’ and four - wheelers meet London s normal re

u i remen t s - q to day .

’ ’ D Ur fe s son Thomas y gflr N ewmarket , which is thought to have been written in I the reign of Charles . , shows that New market was then , as now , regarded as the f headquarters o the Turf.

T H E C O M M ON WEALT H ( 1 649

Mr H i st or o the . Christie Whyte , in his y f “ E n li sh Tu r " g f; says Oliver Cromwell , m with his accusto ed sagacity , perceiving the vast benefit derived to the nation by i the mprovement of its breed of horses , the natural consequence of racing , patronised this peculiarly national amusement , and we

fin d accordingly that he kept a racing stud . I f Cromwell kept a racing stable it was b k “ efore he too the style of Lord Protector,

1 6 1 6 in December , 53 ; for in February , 54, he issued his first Proclamation against r acing , in the shape of a prohibition for six

a h an d S edan C o c .

” 1 Pi lls to Purge M elan choly . 37

months , which prohibition was repeated in

J uly . I n subsequent years , by the same

- fi ht in means , he made racing , cock g g, bear baiting , and gambling, illegal .

- Owing what he did to his cavalry , it was only to be expected that he should devote attention to the matter of remounts . H e

o imported many Arabs , Barbs , and ther horses suitable for the lightly armoured troops which had now replaced the knight hood of former days he also took measures to encourage the breeding of horses for hunting and hawking , sports in which he himself indulged .

At what date stage - coaches began to supersede the old waggons , which (apart from saddle and pack horses) were the only means of journeying in England in Queen

’ Elizabeth s time , is not known . I n the year

1 6 1 0 , a Pomeranian speculator was granted a royal patent for fifteen years to run coaches and waggons between Edinburgh and Leith but not until the end of the

1 6 Commonwealth ( May , 59) do we find definite mention of a stage coach in England in the diary of a Yorkshire clergyman j'

R em a rk s on t h e E ar ly Use of C ar r iages i n A r ha olo i a 821 n a n c 1 . E gl d , g ,

~ 1 I bid . 38

This diary shows that stage coaches and waggons were then plying between London and Coventry , London and Aylesbury ,

London and Bedford , and on other roads . I t is highly improbable that there existed any horses of the coaching stamp at this period on the contrary , the wretched h condition of t e "roads until late in the eighteenth century , and the time occupied on a journey , indicates that animals of the Great H orse breed were used to drag the ponderous vehicles through the mud .

H 1 1 C ARLES 1 . ( 6 6 0 After the gloom of the Commonwealth the nation w as ripe for such changes in its social life as came in with the Restoration .

N ewmarket , which had been deserted during the civil war and the rule of Cromwell , recovered its former position as the head quarters o f racing under the patronage of Charles I I The K ing entered his horses in his own name , and came to see them run , residing at the K ing ’ s H ouse when he visited N ewmarket . H e did away with the

n cu bell as a prize , substituti g a bowl or p of

r s "T e r r st Use i n n an C ar iage h i Fi E gl d , by

L i e tock our n al A lman ac 1 8 il v S . Si r Walt er G b ey ; j , 97

40

was cancelled and a duty of 5s . per head h imposed on every orse sent over sea . As proving the wide interest now taken

1 6 80 in racing, the publication in of a curious little book called The Complea t

Ga mester m , may be entioned . This gives very fu ll and minute instructions for the preparation and training of racehorses . S tage coaches and waggons increased in

’ I I s number during Charles . reign . There

H a r l i n e a M sc ll n . is among the i e a y (vol . viii )

1 6 a tract dated 7 3, in which the writer adduces several reasons for the suppression “ 0 0 of coaches , especially those within 4 , 5 , 6 or 0 miles off London . H is first reason for o bjecting to the coach is that it works harm to the nation by destroying the breed

of good horses , the strength of the nation , and making men careless of attaining to

h so good horsemans ip , a thing useful and ” commendable in a gentleman . Charles apparently did not share this opinion ; at

all events , he gave countenance to the

o - 1 6 c ach building industry by founding , in 7 7 , h h the Com"pany of Coac and Coac H arness Makers .

r t A r t a h B uildi n . H i sto o he o Co c eo . y f f g By G A .

T ru on on 1 8 6 . h pp , L d , 7 4 1

We may pass over the brief reign of

1 6 8 J ames I I . ( 5 as it was marked by nothing of importance bearing on our

subject .

W M 1 1 1 1 6 8 ILLIA . ( 9

The first year of this reign saw the im po rt a t io n of the first of the Eastern sires which contributed to found the modern — breed of racehorses the Byerley Turk . The Oglethorpe Arabian arrived about the

same time . The Turf was growing in importance and popularity and we find that a gold bowl was one of t he prizes offered

1 at the N ewmarket meeting of 6 89 . King

William took personal interest in racing , and kept a stud under the charge of the famous

T r e on w ell o f g Frampton , who filled the fice of Keeper of the Running H orses under

n Quee Anne , George I . and George I I . The King seems often to have visited N ew

market , and he encouraged other meetings —b Burford , for example y his presence . H e was keenly alive to the importance

of encouraging horsemanship sharing ,

V perhaps , the iew held by many persons at this period that the general use of stage coaches and carriages was likely to lead to 42

loss of proficie n cy in the saddle . H e estab lished a riding school , placing in charge

Major Foubert , a French officer, whom he invited to E ngland for the purpose . At the same time he recognised that travelling on

a wheels would incre se in popularity , and took such measures as he might to prevent the breed of horses from degenerating . H is

1 6 6 Act of 94 ( 5 and Wm . and M c .

00 granting licenses to 7 hackney coaches ,

- four wheel carriages , now called cabs , in

u London and Westminster, contains a cla se forbidding the use of any horse , gelding or mare under 1 4 hands in hackney or stage coach . The increasing numbers of people who travelled by stage coach had brought the x highwayman into flourishing e istence , and

8 a 4 of Wm . and M . c . , to encourage the p prehension of these gentry , gave the taker of a highwayman the horse , arms , and other property of the thief. I n the tenth year of hi s reign another Act was passed ( 1 0 Wm .

. 1 2 I I I , c . ) which made horse stealers liable to the penalty of branding on the cheek ; this enactment , however , was repealed in

1 06 6 7 by Queen Anne ( Anne , who substituted burning in the hand for a penalty which declared the sufferer ’s character to all who saw him . 43

o William , by legislation , endeav ured to procure improvements in the public high

i n ways , whose condition many parts had become dangerous “ by reason of the great and many loads which are weekly drawn

through the same . The records of su bse

quent years , however , showed that the state of the roads continued to leave much t o be

desired.

Q UEEN AN N E ( 1 7 02 The arrival in England of the Darley A rabian in 1 7 06 was a fit opening of the era of prosperity on the Turf which ’ dawned in Anne s time . The Queen , from

the beginning of her reign , evinced her

desire to promote racing , and added several — royal plates to those already in existence at eie B er en er the instance , says g , of her consort ,

Prince George of Denmark , who is said to

have been exceedingly fond of the Turf. A writer in the Spor t i ng M agaz i n e of 1 8 1 0 gives the following account of the circum stances under which the royal plates were given

s an shi r The H i story an d A r t ofH or em p. By Rich a d

r en er on on 1 1 . B e g , L d , 7 7 44

G en t l emen w en t on b r eedi n g t h eir h or ses so fi n e for t he sa e of s a e an d s e n T ose k h p p ed o ly . h an ma s w c w er e on seco n t r or ou r t r at es i l hi h ly d , hi d f h i n s ee w er e con s er e t o u t u se s T s p d id d b e q i e l es . hi cu s o con t n u e u n t t h e r e n of u een n n e w en t m i d il ig Q A , h a p u blic spir it ed gen t l em an (ob ser vin g i n con ven ien ce ar i si n g fr om t hi s e x c l u siven ess) l eft t hi rt een plat es or pu r ses t o b e r u n for at su ch pl aces as t h e C r own ’ n sh ou ld a pp oin t . H en ce t h ey ar e ca lled t he Ki g s ’ r u e n T e w er en o Q e s Plat es or G u in eas . h y e giv u n t h e con t on t a t eac or se ar e or e n p o di i h h h , m g ldi g s ou car r t w e e st on e w ei t t h e est o f t r ee h ld y lv gh , b h

ea t s o er a u r - m e c r s t s met o a h v fo il ou e . By hi h d str on ger a n d m or e u sefu l br ee d w as soon r a i sed an d t he or se n ot wi n t he u n eas h e w as et if h did g i , y r t ese st on g en o u gh t o m a k e a ood h u n t er . By h — g — cr ossin gs as t h e jock ey s t er m i t w e h ave hor ses o f u oo t r ee - u ar t er s oo or a r e f ll bl d , h q bl d , h lf b d , s u it a bl e t o c arr y b u r t h en s ; by w hic h m ea n s t he E n gli sh br eed of horses i s allow ed t o b e t he b est a r n r n d i s g rea t ly est eem ed by fo eig e s . Whether the money for the royal plates was provided , as Berenger states , from the

’ Queen s own purse , at the instance of her consort , or whether it came from the estate of the public spirited gentleman referred to

S or t i n M a az i n e by the contributor to the p g g , the fact remains that these plates were

’ established in Anne s reign , and that they did something to encourage the production of a better stamp of horse . An animal able to carry twelve stone three four - mile heats must be one of substance , and not merely a racing machine . 4 5

Much attention would seem to have been given to the mounting of our cavalry and the general efficiency of that arm by Anne ’ s

H i stor generals . Col . Geo . Denison , in his y

o Ca va lr f y ( London , says that the battle of Blenheim in 1 7 04 was almost altogether decided by the judicious use of

1 06 cavalry , while at Ramillies in 7 , and im Malplaquet , the cavalry played a very

portant part in the operations . I n the later years of her reign the Queen ’ s interest in racing became still more apparent ;

she gave her first Royal gold cup , value

6 0 1 1 0 guineas , in 7 ; and yet more plates

at further , she ran horses in her own name

York and elsewhere . There was little change on the “ Road

’ during Anne s time ; springs of steel had replaced the leather straps used in E ngland

1 00 until about 7 , but the coaches , improved

u in minor details , were still pondero s and

required powerful teams to draw them . The Queen ’s own state coach was drawn by six

mares of the Great H orse , or as it should be called in connection with the period

u S . nder survey , the hire H orse breed Oxen

“ n were used in the slow stage waggo s , as appears from the laws passed by William

I I I . and Anne . The law of the latter 46

6 6 sovereign ( Anne , cap . 5 ) enacted that not more than six horses or oxen might be harnessed to any vehicle plying on the public roads except to drag them up hills ; and this latter indulgence was withdrawn three years later leaving the team

six of to negotiate hills as they might . H ackney coachmen evidently displayed a tendency to e vade their legal obligations in the matter of size in their horses ; for in

1 1 0 1 6 7 another Act (9 Anne , c . ) was passed to the same effect as a former law , requiring hackney - coach horses to be not less than

1 4 hands in height .

1 1 GEORGE I . ( 7 4 During the first seventy years of the eighteenth century Eastern horses were imported in large numbers ; there is in existence a list of 200 stallions which were sent to this country , but that number does not represent a tithe of the whole . The

’ event of George I . s reign , from a Turf

i point of view , was , of course , the arr val ,

1 2 in 7 4, of the Godolphin Arabian , the

' sire to which our racers of to - day ow e so

much . George I . appears to have taken little personal interest in the Turf, though

47

ewmarket at least one visit paid by him to N ,

1 1 in October 7 7 , is recorded ; nor does the parliamentary history of his brief reign show that much attention w as given to the work of improving our horses . The science of tra vel had gone back

w 1 1 rather than for ard , for in 7 5 the post from London to Edinburgh took six days ,

1 6 . whereas in 35 it took three At this time ,

1 8 and until 7 4, the mails were carried by boys on horseback ; and between the badness of the roads , the untrustworthiness of the boys , and the wretched quality of the horses supplied them , the postal service was both slow and uncertain The Post Office still held the monopoly (first granted in 1 6 03) of furnishing post - horses at a rate of threepence a mile , and its control over its subordinates was of the slightest .

’ r e The only Act of George I . s reign lating to horses was that of 1 7 1 4 ( 1 I George . , c . which forbade waggoners , n carriers , and others , from drawi g any vehicle “ with more than four horses in length . The omission of reference to oxen in this connection may indicate that for draught purposes on the highways they were going out of use . 48

1 GEORGE I I . ( 7 27

An important step was taken in regard

1 0 to the Turf by George I I . in 7 4 ; some of its provisions w ill be found in P on i es P ast a n d P r esen t 8 (pp . and but it contained

- other clauses of a far reaching character .

1 1 This law ( 3 Geo . I I . , c . 9) provided that every horse entered for a race must be

’ bon afi de the property of the person entering

it , and that one person might enter only

one horse for a race on pain of forfeiture. The weights to be carried were prescribed

- - 1 A 5 year old was to carry 0 stone .

6 — - 1 1 A year old stone .

- - 1 2 A 7 year old stone . Any horse carrying less was to be forfeited

2 and his owner fined £ 00 . Every race

was to be finished on the day it began ,

that is to say , all heats were to be run off

in one day . The Act went even further . I t declared that matches might be run for

a 0 stake of under £ 5 , only at N ewmarket

and Black H ambleton in Yorkshire , under

2 a penalty of £ 00 for disobedience . Prizes elsewhere were to be of an intrinsic value

0 of at least £ 5 , and entrance money was

to go to the second horse . S o drastic a measure as this could not 49 long be upheld in a free and sport - loving country ; and it is without surprise we find the Government , five years later, with drawing from a position which must have t made it excessively unpopular . The nex

I . . I . 1 8 . law ( Geo , c 34, sec xi ) opens with the announcement that , whereas the thirteen

1 00 Royal Plates of guineas value each , annually run for , as also the high prices that are continually given for horses of strength and size are sufficient to encourage breeders to raise their cattle (si c) to the “ utmost size and strength possible , There fore it shall be lawful to run any match for a stake of not less than £ 50 value - at any weights whatsoever and at any place or ” places whatsoever . “ The effect of this climbing down measure was naturally to introduce lighter

1 weights . Thus in 7 54, to take an example

’ ’ en w ick s M a t ch em that presents itself, Mr . F

’ won the Ladies Plate of 1 26 guineas at

fi v e - York carrying nine stone , as a year

- - 1 0 old ; six year olds carrying stone , four

’ mile heats ; and in 1 7 55 M a t ch em beat

Trajan at N ewma rk et carrying 8 stone 7 lbs . Perhaps it is not too much to say that the Act of 1 7 45 was the first step towards

- modern light weight racing . I t must be 50 added that the scale of weights prescribed for the Royal Plates was as follows

- - 1 4 year olds carried 0 stone 4 lb .

5- year - olds 1 I 6

6 - and aged 1 2

- Races decided in 4 mile hea ts . The King himself lent a somewhat per fu n ct or y support to the Turf, keeping at

H ampton Court a grey Arab stallion , whose services were available for mares at a stated fee . A most important event in the history o f I I ’ s . the Turf marks George . reign The

u J ockey Club was fo nded , and its existence

first received public recognition in Mr . J ohn

’ S or t i n K a len da r Pond s p g , published at the end of 1 7 51 or the beginning of 1 7 52 . I t is probable , however, that the club was actually in existence in the year 1 7 50 ; but it was started without any attempt at pub li cit y , and , so far as can be ascertained , with no idea whatever of acquiring the despotic power which eventually came into

The its hands . As M r . Robert Black , in

oche Clu b a n d i ts Fou n der s j y , remarks

Wh at m or e n at u r a l t h an t h at t h e n obl em en an d en t e en w h o r e u en e ewmar et w ere r uffi an s g l m f q t d N k , h a n d ac e s w er e w on t t o con r e at e s ou con bl kl g g g , h ld cei ve t he n ot i on o f formin g t h em selves i n t o a body a ar t so t at t e t a e at ew ar et as p , h h y migh h v N m k 51 w ell as i n L on d on an d el sewh ere a place of t h eir

w n w c n ot e er ac u ar who cou a o , t o hi h v y bl kg d ld p y a cer t ain su m ofm on ey wou ld have a s m u ch r ight as t h ey t o cl a im en tran ce .

The conjecture is a most plausible one ; b u t it was not long before the Club showed that it intended to support racing in practical

e fashion , for at the N wmarket meeting in

1 May , 7 53, two J ockey Club Plates were given for horses belonging to members of

the Club .

1 2 I t is stated that , in the year 7 5 , sixty

throughbred stallions , of which only eight

n were reputed imported Arabs , were standi g for service in various parts of E ngland ;

fees , as may be supposed , were low . A horse named O ro n ooka headed the list at a

20 S fee of guineas ; another, Bolton tarling , covered at 8% guineas but the u sual charge

was one , two or three guineas . Flying Chi lders in the earlier part of the century

0 1 00 stood at 5 guineas , then at guineas ,

200 and one season at guineas . There is little to note concerning the Road or other spheres of equine work

d u ring this reign . The roads were as bad as

t 1 0 ever, and ravel was so slow that in 74

- Metcalf, the blind road maker , walked the 200 miles from London to H arrogate more 52 quickly than Colonel Liddell could cover the

- distance in his coach with post horses . The barbarous methods of training cavalry recruits

" at this period was attracting notice , as we learn from a little work on M i li ta ry E qu i ta t i on , by H enry Earl of Pembroke , which was published in 1 7 6 1 . The writer refers to the wretched system of horsemanship at presen t ” prevailing in the army, and refers to the common method of putting a man on a rough trotting horse , to which he is obliged to stick ” with all his might of arms and legs . Most of the officers , he says , when on horseback are a disgrace to themselves and the animals they ride and he proceeds to urge the adop tion of methods based on practical common sense .

1 GEORGE I I I . ( 7 60 The laws concerning horses made by the

Parliaments of George I I I . have bearing on the subject of breeding and improvement , inasmuch as they deal with the horse as taxable property . The turf, road , and hunt ing history of the reign is important , the first particularly so , though the K ing himself took little personal interest in racing . Give and Take plates for horses from 1 2 to 1 5 hands were in fashion during the latter part of the

53

5 last century , George I I . Act directed against

1 2 small racehorses notwithstanding . A hand pony carried 5 stone , and the scale of weight for inches prescribed 1 4 oz . for each additional quarter of an inch ; whereby 1 3

1 1 hands carried 7 stone , 4 hands 9 stone , 5

1 hands 1 stone . H unter races were run

1 2 2 at Ascot in 7 , and after that date the

Ca len da r 1 6 2 of 7 , however , is the first of the series that contains the form of Quali ” ficat i on for a H unter . The Royal Plates were still among the most important events of the Turf ; in 1 7 6 0 t here were 1 8 of these in England and S cot 6 a land, and in I reland , 5 of the l tter in

’

r . K ilda e The King s Plate Articles , which appear in every annual issue of the

R aci n Ca len da r s g for very many years , were “ ix- retained in their original form . S year

1 2 1 . olds shall carry stone , 4 lbs to the stone ; ” three heats ; but in the Ca len da r of 1 7 7 3 a “ footnote occurs , By a late order altered to

in s ec one heat . N evertheless , very cursory p tion of the books shows that much latitude was allowed in weights , distances , and num

1 bers of heats both before 7 7 3 and after . I n 1 7 99 another footnote appears under the

’ King s Plate Articles , to effect that the conditions “ By a late order are altered to 54

f one heat and dif erent weights are appointed . I n spite of this order races for the plates were on occasion still run in two or three heats , apparently by permission of the Master of the H orse . We are not informed what weight the new scale required , but the pages of the Ca len da r show they were reduced authoritative information on the point appears

1 80 with the Articles at a later date . I n 7 the number of Royal Plates had been increased

2 to 3 in Great Britain .

t h 1 80 On the 4 May , 7 , the first Derby was

0 run the value of the stake was 5 guineas , — - and the race , open to three year old colts at

8 1 1 stone , and fillies at 7 stone lbs . , distance

D i m d 1 8 1 o e . 0 one mile , was won by I n ,

1 80 1 80 1 86 2 3, 7 , and , the weights for the Derby were altered - always increasing by a few pounds , till they reached their present

1 level . By 7 93, the Derby had grown into great popularity . The establishment of the

S 1 6 1 t . Leger, in 7 7 , and the Oaks in 7 7 9 , are events which also aid to make King

’

I I I s . George . reign memorable Races for Arab produce occur on the N ewma rket cards about the time our classic races were founded ; sweepstakes of 1 00 gui n eas being

1 1 6 1 . run for in 7 7 5, 7 7 , and 7 7 7 Races for

Arabs , however, have never been continued for many years in succession .

55

The acco m a n in D iomed p y gportrait ofGrey ,

D i o med a son of , the winner of the first

1 80 Derby , in 7 , gives a good idea of the

D iomed racehorse of this period . Grey was

1 8 foaled in 7 5, and won many important

races between the years 1 7 88 and 1 7 9 2.

S t . H e was bred at Great Barton , Bury

S ir . E dmunds , by Charles Bunbury

1 80 . I t was in 7 that M r William Childe , “ ” of Kinlet, Flying Childe , introduced the

modern method of riding fast to hounds .

’ Prior to Mr. Childe s time , men rode to hounds in a fashion we should consider slow

- m and over cautious , ti ber being taken at a stand ; but once the superior excitement of

fast riding across country was realised , the

old , slow method soon disappeared . Though the Norfolk H ackney achieved its fame through Blaze (foaled who

S 1 begat the original hales , foaled in 7 55, and the foundations of this invaluable breed

’

I I . s we were thus laid in George time , must have regard to the period during which the breed achieved its celebrity both at home

and abroad , and that period is the long reign

of George I I I . The old system of conveying mails on

horseback , with its innumerable faults and

’

I I I . s drawbacks , came to an end in George 56

time , a mail coach making its first trip in

1 8 August , 7 4, when the journey from Bristol

1 1 to London , about 9 miles , was performed

1 in 7 hours , or at a rate of 7 miles per hour .

The era of macadamised roads , which was followed by the short “ golden age ” of fast coaching , can hardly be said to belong to

’ this reign , M r . Macadam s system of road making havi n g been generally adopted only in The founding of the Royal Veterinary College at Camden Town in 1 7 9 1 was by no means the least important event of this reign ; it is not too much to say that it marked an epoch in the history of the H orse ; for / the establishment of this i n stitution made an end of the quackery , often exceedingly cruel , which for centuries had passed for medical treatment of animals . Until the end of the eighteenth century English veterinary practitioners had been content to follow in the footsteps of such teachers as Gervaise

Markham , who was the great authority on equine diseases two hundred years before and the principles and practice of Gervaise Markham were hardly free from the taint S of witchcraft and sorcery . ome of the more drastic and obviously useless remedies had been discredited and abandoned , but at the

58 concerning such diseases was the greatest task of the veterinary colleges the progress made was necessarily slow ; but the fou n da tion of veterinary surgery as a science dates b from the esta lishment of the colleges named . For many years the new school of v et er i h arlans were groping in the dark but if they made no striking advance they did valuable work in collecting facts and correct views concerning animal diseases , which were of great value to a later generation . The Royal Veterinary College was founded by a Frenchman named Charles Vial de

in S t . l S a in b l S a be . e Bel , or was born at

Lyons in 1 7 53. H is talents developed early in life , and after a brief but brilliantly suc cessfu l career in Fra n ce he came over to

1 88 England in 7 . H e published proposals for founding a Veteri nary S chool in this country , but his suggestions were not favour ably received , and he returned home . Per haps the fact that he had married an E nglishwoman during his short residence on this side of the Channel infl u enced S ai n bel in his choice of refuge when the Revolution threatened ; but however that may be , it was to London that he repaired when political unrest in Paris bade him seek a new sphere of activity . 59

By a stroke of good fortune M r . Dennis

’ O K elly selected the young French v et er i nary surgeon to dissect the carcase of the

- 1 8 great race horse E clipse in February , 7 9 . “ S ai n bel did the work , and wrote an Essay on the Geometrical Proportions of E clipse , which attracted immediate notice and esta blished his reputation as a veterinary anatomist . H e still cherished his scheme for founding S a Veterinary chool , and his abilities now being recognised , it was taken up by the

1 1 Odiham Agricultural S ociety . I n 7 9 S ai n bel had the satisfaction of seeing the school established , in the shape of a farriery with stabling for fifty horses . H e did not live to see the success that was destined to attend his enterprise , as he died in in his fortieth year . During the two years of his work as principal , however , he had laid down the lines on which scientific veterinary practice should be conducted ; in the words “ S ai n b el of his biographer, may justly be looked upon as the founder of scientific veterinary practice in England ( D i ct i on a ry

a t n a l B r a of N i o i og phy ).

1 2 GEORG E IV . ( 8 0

I n George I V . the Turf had , perhaps , the 6 0 most ardent supporter it ever boasted among our sovereigns , though the unfortunate Escape affair caused him to renounce the sport altogether for many years ( 1 7 9 1 - 1 8 1 0)

The K ing was passionately fond of horses , and never wearied of trying hacks and hunters he got together a splendid breeding stud at H ampton Court . I n the last year of his reign he increased the number of Royal

2 Plates to 43, of which 7 were run for in

S 1 6 E ngland , cotland and Wales , and in I reland "he was also instrumental in bringing about vast improvements in the royal buckhounds . The legislative measures of George I V . were a bill to entirely relieve agricultural horses from taxation , the duties thereon having been reduced by George I I I . in the last year of his reign ; and a bill to relieve horses let for travelling of the duties that had been imposed upon them by his father .

1 0 WI LLIAM IV . ( 83

William I V . had no great love of racing , and his personal attitude towards the sport is well reflected in his oft - quoted order to “ start the whole fleet for the Goodwood 8 1 0 . Cup of 3 H e was , however , fully alive to the national importance of racing , and did 6 1

s omething to encourage it , presenting the J ockey Club in 1 832 with one of the hoofs

200 of Eclipse set in gold , which , with £ given by himself, was to be run for annually “ by horses the property of members . The Eclipse Foot ” appears to have brought fields

for only four years , and then remained an ornament of the J ockey Club rooms at New

market .

1 8 2 I n the same year, 3 , a new schedule of weights was appended to the Articles for

’ the K ing s Plates ; this shows that the weights to be carried varied somewhat according to the places where the races were

was run . N o scale prescribed for New

n market , the conditio s being left for settle

1 8 ment by the J ockey Club . I n 37 , the last

’ year of William s reign , the number of Royal 8 Plates had again increased and stood at 4 ,

S 1 . 34 in England and cotland , 4 in I reland The king continued the breeding stud at

’ Hampton Court which his brother had b e qu eat hed to him if his affection for the Turf

h e was slight , deserves the greater credit for having maintained it .

The reign of William I V . saw the coach ing age at its best , for rapid travel by road was raised to a science only a few years before its extinction by the introduction of 6 2

im railways . Good roads , good horses and proved coaches i n combination rendered it possible to cover long distances at a uni

1 0 1 0 formly high speed , from to % miles per hour being the rate at which the mails ran x between London and E eter , London and

York , and other important centres .

H E R M AJESTY Q UEEN VI C TO RIA .

A c c . U 20 1 8 . J NE , 37

The sale of the H ampton Court S tud is the first noteworthy event of H er Majesty ’ s

’ reign . The step taken by the Queen s advisers , with Lord M elbourne , the Prime

M inister, at their head , was deeply regretted by all interested in horse breeding , as one seeming to imply that the national sport would no longer receive the patronage of the

Throne . A respectful but strong memorial against the sale was presented by the J ockey

2 Club , but without avail , and on October 5,

1 8 37 , M essrs . Tattersall disposed of the stud before a crowded audience , which included buyers from France , Germany , Russia , and

i n other foreign countries . The catalogue 6 8 cluded 43 brood mares , which brought 9 , 5

1 1 8 guineas ; 3 colt foals , guineas ;

filly foals , guineas ; and 5 stallions , 6 3 including The Colonel and Actaeon and two 6 imported Arabs , 3, 55 guineas . Actuated by patriotic motives and u n

fi n e a willing that so horse should go abroad ,

M r. Richard Tattersall bought The Colonel for guineas ; a price which was then considered a very large one . The total realised by sale of the stud , including a couple of geldings , was guineas .

1 8 0 Thirteen years later, in 5 , the clear H R H sightedness of . . . the Prince Consort , saw that the dispersal had been a mistake , and that year saw the fo undation of a new

1 8 stud which flourished until 94, when it was sent to the hammer . Regarding this second

dispersal , it was urged that the stud did not pay its expenses ; and although it produced S e The Earl , pringfield and La Fl che , good judges , including the late General Peel , were of opinion that the ground , on which for so many years Thoroughbreds had been reared , was tainted and therefore needed rest . I n 1 840 the fifth Duke of Richmond brought in a bill to repeal those clauses of

1 3 George I I . which still remained on the S tatute Book limiting the value of stakes , and this measure passed into law, not with out opposition ( 3 and 4 Vic . S ome interesting evidence bearing on our subject 6 4 was given before the S elect Committee on

1 . Gaming which was appointed in 844. Mr J ohn Day gave it as his opinion that t he breed of horses had much improved during

- fi v e the twenty to twenty years preceding, the improvement being apparent in riding and draught horses ; Mr . Richard Tattersall

’ O im shared M r . Day s pinion as regarded provement , but thought fewer horses were

1 8 6 1 8 bred . About 3 or 37 farmers were in such a state that they could not , or did not think it worth while to breed ; by consequence the industry had fallen off and there was a scarcity . Railways , in

’ Mr . Tattersall s opinion , had affected the “ market . The middling sort does not sell in consequence of railways ; horses that used to fetch £ 40 now bring £ 1 7 or Riding horses sold better than the middling

u class , but h nters did not fetch half the price

they did in former years .

The result of this investigation , as far as

the horse question is concerned , was briefly summarised in the follo wing passage of the

’ Third Report of the Lords Committee . They thought it desirable that this amuse “ u ment should be pheld , because , without a f the stimulus which r cing af ords , it would f be di ficult, if not impossible , to maintain

6 5 that purity of blood and standard of excel lence which have rendered the breed of E ng lish horses superior to that of any other country in the world .

The last statement was borne out by Mr . ’ t Tattersall s evidence . H e said hat he had sent horses t o every part of the world except

China . America and the countries of Europe have been purchasing the best stallions and mares money could buy in England during the last hundred years and more .

’ I n 1 845 the number of Queen s Plates stood at 51 36 in Great Britain and 1 5 in

1 86 1 I reland . I n the scale of weights was remodelled and made applicable to all the Plates wherever run ; and in the same year it was enacted that “ none of H er Majesty ’s

Plates shall be run in heats . S ome few abortive attempts to control racing by law have been made since H er

’ 1 86 0 Majesty s accession . I n Lord Redes dale introduced into the H ouse of Lords a bill to stop light—weight racing by fixing the minimum weight at 7 stone . This measure

was withdrawn , Lord Derby and Lord Gran

a ville , also member of the J ockey Club and leader of the Liberal Party in the H ouse of

Lords , promising on behalf of the J ockey Club that that body was prepared to deal 6 6 with the matter ; but nothing was done in the direction indicated .

1 8 0 . I n May , 7 , Mr Thomas H ughes , the

t o member for Frome , brought in a bill amend the laws relating to racing . This bill proposed to make it unlawful to race any horse or mare under three years old , and to make the Queen ’ s Plates open only to horses four years old and upwards .

Mr . H ughes . in introducing his measure , said that between 1 843 and 1 86 8 the number of two - year - olds running had i n

of s creased fourfold , while the number race of a mile and upwards had decreased , and urged that the system which had grown up tended to cause deterioration in the

a breed of horses . As was well known t

- was his the time , M r . H ughes indebted for

ir facts and figures to S J oseph H awley . This bill was read a first time by 1 32

the votes to 44, but was withdrawn in following J uly . Great and radical changes had come over the Turf d u ring the twenty - fi v e years men

t ion ed . by Mr H ughes , but they were only incidental to the general process of Turf development which has been going on since the advent of the railway . I n 1 836 the travelling van was first 6 7 used for conveying a horse from training quarters to the race course . Lord George

’ L i chfi eld s Bentinck , who managed Lord racing stable , resolved at the last moment

S t . to run Elis in the Leger , and astonished the betting fraternity by producing him at Doncaster in time for the race ; to do this he had borrowed a van which had been constructed to carry fat cattle to Smithfield

S . S t how The fact that Elis won the . Leger to which he had been brought in this , then

novel , fashion no doubt did something to stimulate the practice of transporting race horses thus ; but the van was gradually

- superseded by the horse box , which was

b 1 8 first employed for the purpose a out 40 .

Railways , as they spread over the country , did much to increase the number of meet ings held and to increase the numbers of

entries . We find that in the period between 1 827 and 1 837 the number of horses run ning increased from in the former year to 1 2 1 3 in the latter ; while during the

1 86 0 period between , when railroads had

1 8 0 become numerous , and 7 , the number of horses running rose from in the former

2 6 year to , 5 9 in the latter . The development of the daily sporting press and t he spread of the telegraph system 6 8 have also contributed to the changes on the

Turf. By quickening the interest of the h people in racing , these factors have elped t o t increase the at endance on race courses , “ e ” and at gate money m etings , to enhance the funds at the disposal of promoters , whereby the latter are able to offer in prize money sums beyond the conception of our grandfathers in the early years of the c entury . With the increase in the number of meet i ngs , of horses running and the value of prizes , other changes have gradually crept i n . The Challenge Whip remains the

- solitary survival of the old four mile races . W The hip , it may be well to remind the reader , was originally the property of Thomas

en Lennard , Lord Dacre , whose arms are graved upon it . Lord Dacre was created

1 6 Earl of S ussex in 7 4 by Charles I I . "he

was devoted to the Turf, and it is believed that he left his Whip (a short , heavy , old fashioned jockey - whip with hair from the t ail of E clipse interwoven into the ring on t he handle) as a trophy to be run for at

m . 1 1 New arket H e died in 7 5, but the first r ace for the Whip does not appear to have

’ " 6 b 1 . n een run till 7 5 , when M r Fe wick s

’ ’

M at ch em . won from Mr Bowles Trajan . 6 9

S - 8- Gimcrack , Mambrino , hark , Pot os , D un gannon , Thormanby , and many other famou s horses hav e run for the Whip . The course

1 1 is the Beacon , 4 miles furlong 7 7 yards , and the weight to be carried is 1 0 stone . The tendency for years has been in fav our of short races at the expense of long distance

ewmarke events . At the N t Craven meeting of 1 820 there was one race of about three

miles , five races of two miles or over , twenty of about one mile and two of under one

mile . At the N ewmarket Craven meeting of 1 900 there were three races of about

six one mile and a half, of about one mile ,

and eleven of five or six furlongs . The necessity for breeding race horses that could carry from ten to twelve stone twice or

thrice in an afternoon over a four - mile

course has disappeared altogether . I n his place we have the animal which can carry seven stone over six or seven furlongs at a pace that would probably have left Eclipse

hopelessly behind , but which is useless for

- any purpose off the race course . The highly artificial existence to which

our race horses are now subjected , jealously

protected from change of temperature , and forced in preparation to take part in two

- r year old aces , has done much to impair 7 0

fitness to beget horses that will stand work

i in the hunt ng field or on the road . This is a result of the changes which have come over the English Turf during the century .

We must , however, retrace our steps and glance at the endeavours to improve our horses which have been made within the last thirty years . The year 1 87 3 saw the appointment of the Select Committee generally known as Lord Rosebery ’ s Committee “ to Enquire into the Condition of the Country with regard to H orses , and its Capabilities of S upplying any Present or Future Demands ” for them . This committee did not con sider the question of Racing ; their labours during their sixteen sittings were restricted to eliciting facts from the witnesses con cerning the breeding and supply of horses of the generally useful stamp ; and much valuable evidence was given before them . e To summaris them briefly , the main points of their Report were as follows The Committee considered that so far as the Army was concerned it seemed to be admitted that the mounted branches were never better horsed than they were now "M r . H . R . Phillips had given evidence that I rish mares were chiefly used in the

7 1

Army . They were not prepared to r ecom mend the formation o f Government breeding studs on the Continental plan , deeming it better that the military authorities should c b u ontinue to y as private customers . They did not recommend any check on the use of unsound stallions , though admitting this to be a great evil ; to restrain owners of unsound sires from offering thei r services for hire would , they thought , be construed

bu t as interference with individual liberty ; , if practicable , they would have prizes given at agricultural shows to sou nd stallions which covered mares at a low fee . They also recommended (and this was the only one of their recommendations adopted by the H ouse of Commons) the abolition of taxes on horses which operated as a deterrent to farmers who would otherwise pay more

n attention to breedi g . The evidence given before them showed that there appeared to be no scarcity of Thoroughbreds "high class hunters had increased in price and more in proportion than other horses , but those who could afford to pay could generally find what they required . There was a general decrease in the number of horses in England ; the evidence pointed to a great scarcity of agricultural horses , 7 2 and while the Cleveland Bay and old fashioned H ackney or Roadster had become x e tremely rare , we had been obliged of late years to look abroad for supplies of harness horses . The causes of deficiency in these breeds were ( 1 ) the export of mares ; ( 2) the i h creased profits accruing to sheep and cattle rearing , and ( 3) the increased demand for horses , consequent on increased population w and augmented wealth , hich produced a relative scarcity . The Committee recorded great improvements during the few years preceding in Cornwall and Devon , where r forme ly few horses had been bred . The value of the work performed by this Committee was much qualified by the disinclination of its members to hear any evidence which did not bear directly upon Thoroughbreds and the production of saddle horses Perusal of the mass of evidence given by numerous witnesses shows that the Committee would hear little or nothing in relation to the condition of H arness

H orse breeding , apparently holding that very important department of the industry as without the scope of their inquiry . I t is difficult to u n derstand why this attitude was adopted , but the published minutes

7 4 the number exported ten or fifteen years previously (say about the year M r . Phillips replied that the foreigners had always taken as many as they could get . H orses of roadster stamp are not less necessary to the efficiency of the British army than to Continental armies ; but while the Committee displayed the greates t care and assiduity in their investigations con cerning the causes of dearth in saddle

t he horses , they passed over not less impor

u tant question of harness horse s pply, as though holding that a matter of no account . I t is to be regretted that the Committee did not ask questions as to the enormous number of mares purchased for France ,

Germany , Russia and Austria , and also enquire concerning the use to which the mares are put in those countries . The answers would have been instructive , for it is now well known that fifteen out of every twenty of them were medium and heavy weight hunter mares - many of them stale for riding to hounds , but in every other respect suitable for breeding . These foreign buyers had no prejudices "they bought the mares with the V iew of breeding stock of the type most suitable for the requirements of their respective countries "the mares had 7 5

plenty of thoroughbred blood in their veins , and it remained for breeders to select stallions of the right stamp . H ence the demand from all continental countries for H ackney sires which began sixty years a go and which has continued ever since . H ow urgent was the necessity for atten tion to this department of horse - breeding was very fully demonstrated by Earl Cath 1 cart in a paper which was published in the j ou r n a l of the Royal Agricultural Society o f England about ten years afterwards . Lord Cathcart adopted the practical method o f obtaining from friends who had long experience , their opinions on the condition of the breeding of horses o ther than thorough breds and the communications sent by these gentlemen make up the bulk of t he paper referred to . There was but one opinion among Lord

’ C athca r t s correspondents who , it must be

noted , wrote quite independently of one m a nother . To briefly sum arise their state

ments , they deplored the disappearance of

the old - fashioned thoroughbred with bone

1 H alf B r ed H or ses for Field a n d R oa d ; Th ei r ” M n n d a a n t urn al ft h . . r ee n a e e o o e . . B di g g m , j R A S E

l ar t 1 N o . . v o . . xix , p , xxxvii 7 6

t he and stamina , and the disappearance of Cleveland breed and the H ackney of the ’ thirties . Many infl uences had been at work to bring about the regrettable change in t he stock of the country . The spread of railways had put an end t o the demand for coach horses and roadsters , and the men who used to ride everywhere In the old days had given up their hardy and enduring saddle horses for the more luxuriou s

t s sea in the train . At the same time buyer from France , Germany , and other Con t i n en t al the countries , having discovered willingness of English breeders to part 'with their breeding stock if sufficiently tempted , purchased every good mare money could command .

Again , the craze for height had done something to impair the merits of what

v roadsters the foreigners left us . The Cle e lands were ruined by crossing with leggy

r ecom inferior thoroughbreds , whose sole men dat ion consisted in their height at the shoulder and which were wanting in every useful quality .

- The value of the half bred hunter was .

’ also insisted on by Lord C at hca r t s corres — pon den t s all of them men who had right x . . S a to form an opinion M r Maynard ,

7 8 — survives n o w only in a few out - o fthe - way

a s corners of the country , and is regarded an interesti n g relic of by - gone days where s it does exist , we can form perhap a vague idea of the extent of the change . About the year 1 830 upwards of coaches w ere running daily out of London alone . “ We need not , thanks to N imrod and other chroniclers of the coaching age , remain content with a vague idea of the number of h horses then in use on t e roads . I t is easy to take a single route and reckon up the stud required to work a coach running “ ” thereon . The usual stage for a team was from eight to ten miles , and making

&c. due provision for rests , accidents , , the proprietors estimated the needs of a coach “ ” at one horse per mile one way . There

a fore coach running from London to York ,

200 200 miles , and back , required about f 00 horses ; rom London to E dinburgh , 4

b 00 miles , and ack , about 4 horses ; from

1 London to Exeter, 7 5 miles , and back ,

1 about 7 5 horses . On roads where the passenger traffic was o " heavy , c aches were numerous as many as twenty - fiv e ran daily in the summer

’ during the thirties from London to Brighton .

The s distance by road is about sixty mile , 7 9 whence it would seem that no fewer than horses were used by the coach pro

ri et or s p on that route alone ; probably more , as competition was keen and the speed maintained was hard upon hor seflesh . The average working life of a horse in a fast road coach was about four years , according to N imrod . H ence the coach proprietor found it necessary to renew one fourth of his stud at a cost of from £ 25 to

£ 45 per head every year . Mr . Chaplin , who owned five “ yards ” in London in the

’ thirties , had upwards of horses at work in various coaches on various roads , and would therefore have been obliged t o purchase about . worth of horse s every year . When the railway banished the coach from the highroad , which it did with con siderable rapidity , these great coaching studs were necessarily given up , and a market for horses of the most useful stamp

disappeared . An eminent proprietor gave

- the qualities required in a road coach horse. "“ for fast work as follows First requisite ,

action ; second , sound legs and feet , with power and breeding equal to the nature and length of the ground he will work

t he upon ; third , good wind , without which 80

first and second qualifications will not avail

f r in very fast work o any length of time . bad The hunter and racer are good or , chiefly in proportion to their powers of respiration ; and such is the case with the

- road coach horse . The practical disappearance from our country of such horses as those used in the mail and ordinary coaches and in post carriages was nothing short of a national calamity . They were horses of the essen t iall u y seful stamp , sound , hardy and endur ing , j ust such animals as are indispensable for cavalry , artillery , and transport work on a campaign . And though the full import ance of the loss which had befallen us was

ret r iev evident , the difficulties in the way of ing our position as breeders was not less evident . The breeding of horses had ceased t o u be remunerative , and as a natural co se

u en ce q men had ceased to breed them , preferring to devote their energies and capital to stock of a stamp for which they could depend upon finding a market . Any horses of the useful class that were produced o h f und their way , if worth aving , into the

h . ands of foreigners , as we have seen

1 88 l I n March , 7 , Lord Ribb esdale took the matter up and in a very able speech

81 drew the attention of the H ouse of Lords to the question of the “ H orse Supply for

Military and I ndustrial Purposes . H e ren dered a tribute to the work that was being don e by private persons and by societies and associations , thanks to whose endeavours the breeders of Shire horses and Clydesdales were prospering . The brisk foreign demand for British stock proved its merit , but so long as halfbred horses suitable for remounts and all useful purposes were as scarce as they were , while we were importing horses to the value of over a quarter of a million

c - sterling annually , in luding harness horses

- and match pairs of carriage horses , we had evidence that we were not breeding high class horses up to the demand for our own daily increasing needs . H e urged that the money given in Queen ’ s Plates be diverted from its then use and devoted to subsidising approved stallions , which should serve at low fees ; and that large prizes should be offered from the public purse for foals , yearlings , and two

- year olds . As regarded military horses he advised the purchase of two - year - olds to be kept at maturing depots till old enough to take in hand ; and in recommending . the system of direct purchase from the breeder 6 82 referred to the fact that direct purchase

N athan si us was approved by Baron , the

French I nspector General of Remounts , in a letter which that officer had addressed to the present writer . Lord Ribblesdale paid me the compliment of seeking my assistance in his task "and in order to obtain the actual views of the

- horse breeding interest in England , Colonel

S ir S i r N igel K ingscote , J acob Wilson

1 88 and the writer met in February , 7 , and drew up a series of questions . These questions were printed and sent out to between three and four hundred of the best known horse - breeders in the K ingdom to all , in point of fact , whose experience would lend weight to their views and whose addresses could be secured . The principal questions put were as follows

“ he 1 . ssu n t at an an n u a ran t ro t Q. A mi g h l G f m G overn men t of b e m ad e for t he en cou ragem en t of th e ree n of halfbred o ses t o w o i n ou r b di g h r , h m y opin ion ou ght su ch gran t t o b e en t r u st ed for di s t ribu ti on Wh ether t o a speci ally con st it u ted B oar d ofTr u st ees or t o an y oth er b ody " —I it r r f 2 . s ou n n h st u t on o Q. y opi io t h at t e di ib i t he ab ove G r an t sh ou ld t a ke t he for m of a s u bsidy i n t h e sh ape of Premi u m s for Thoroughbr ed S ta lli on s coverin g at a m od erat e fee similar t o t h ose offered by ’ t he H u n t er s Impr ovem en t S oci et y a t t heir A n n u a l r n ow an d t s ea r th e o a r cu t u ra Sp i g Sh , hi y by R y l Ag i l l Societ y at N ewcastle "

84

date of his August speech , Lord Ribblesdale had made use of them to influence the Government in the desired direction ; for the speech appeared to be framed solely for the purpose of affording Lord Salisbury opportunity to declare the intentions of his

Government .

I n brief, the Premier announced that it was proposed to devote the money theretofore given as Queen ’s Plates to breeding that this

sum , a year, would be made up to by a small addition to the Estimates and that it was proposed to assign the duty of administering the fund to an independent

on Trust . The Royal Commission H orse

Breeding was appointed , consisting of the

Duke of Portland , the Earl of Coventry ,

n M P Lord Ribblesdale , M r . Chapli , . M r . i . S r F . G . Ravenhill , M r J ohn Gilmour,

J acob Wilson and Mr . Bowen J ones ; and , acting in concert with the Royal Agricultural S ociety , the Commissioners , in December

1 88 . 7 , issued their first Report This document stated that only in recent years had any further necessity arisen to encourage breeding apart from private enterprise ; the scarcity of horses was due , in their opinion , to the creation of large breeding studs by foreign Governments , who 85 came to us for their stock and caused a

drain upon our resources . The Commission reported “ there was little doubt that the Queen ’ s Plates had failed to fulfil their purpose ; but perhaps it had been nearer the mark to say that the Royal Plates had ceased to fulfil their

u original purpose , owing to the m ltiplication of valuable stakes which reduced the Royal hundred - guinea prizes to third - class rank and rendered them useless as factors in the encouragement of breeding . The Commis sion recommended the abolition of the Royal Plates and the application of the money thereto devoted to a scheme of Queen ’s

Premiums , under which sound and approved thoroughbred sires should stand in specified districts and under control of a local com

mitt ee . , serve mares at a low fee The

scheme was at once adopted , and has

worked well in practice . The year 1 896 saw the appointment of the Royal Commission to I nquire into the H orse

B reeding I ndustry in I reland . Though the enquiry resolved itself into a comparatively narrow issue , a very large amount of x evidence , much of it e ceedingly interesting

and instructive , was recorded . I n pursuance of their policy of encouraging the breedi n g 86

of all live stock in I reland , it was proposed to send over selected stallions , thoroughbred and roadster , for the use of owners of mares

- in the horse breeding districts . There was much diversity of Opinion on the propriety Of establishing hackney sires in a country so famed for its hunters , and the principal object of the Commission was to take the opinions of experts on the proposed step . While the majority of witnesses were averse from the introductio n of the hackney

- o - sire , on the ground that the happy g lucky methods of the small I rish farmer would lead to intermingling of blood to the ultimate deterioration of the I rish hunter, it was generally acknowledged that the bone and substance of the hackney was eminently desirable in many districts to improve t he character of the local stock . Could a workable system of mare regis t rat io n have been devised to prevent hunter mares being sent to hackney sires in those counties where hunter - breeding is a valuable industry , there can be no doubt that the introduction of such sires would lay the foundation in I reland of the breed of high class harness - horses in which Britain is so h singularly deficient , and whic could be pro du ced in I reland with as much , if not greater,

88

y ears , one after the other, till at the present day every breed is represented by a body whose sole aim is to care for its interests .

L IG H T H ORSE S .

’ The H u n ter s I m r ovemen t S oci et p y , founded

1 88 . S . . . 1 2 5 ecretary , Mr A B Charlton , ,

S . Hanover quare , London , W

The H achn e H or se S oci et y y , founded

1 88 1 2 . S . 4 ecretary , M r Euren , , Hanover S quare , W .

The Clevelan d B a H or se S oci et y y , founded 8 S . . . 1 8 . 4 ecretary , Mr F W H orsfall , Potto

Grange , N orthallerton , Yorks .

The Yor hshi r e Coach H or se S oci et y ,

1 886 . S . founded ecretary , M r . J White ,

Appleton Roebuck , Yorkshire . The Tr otti ng Un i on of Gr eat B r i ta i n

a n d I r ela n d 1 88 . S . , founded 9 ecretary , Mr

. S x E Cathcart , 7 , Trinity quare , Bri ton ,

London .

h P c t T e P ole on S o i e 1 8 . y y , founded 94

S . . . . ecretary , Mr A B Charlton

The N ew For est P on S oci et y y , founded

1 8 1 . S . . St . 9 ecretary , M r H Barbe ,

Lymington , H ants .

P et 1 The S hetla n d on S oci 8 1 . y y , founded 9

S . ecretary , M r . Robert R Ross , 35, Market

S . treet , Aberdeen Y H H EAV ORSES .

The Shi r e H or se S oci et 1 8 8 y , founded 7 (as the English Cart H orse S ociety ; name

S . changed in ecretary , Mr J .

Slou h ro v e 1 2 a S . g g , , H nover quare , W

The u lh H or se S oci et f 1 1 S o 8 . f y , ounded 9

S . S ecretary , Mr Fred mith , Woodbridge ,

Suffolk .

The Cl desda le H or se S oci et y y , founded

M a cM ila 1 88 . S . e 3 ecretary , Mr Archibald g ,

S . 93, H ope treet , Glasgow

L on don Ca r t H or se P a r ade S oci et y ,

8 . S 1 8 . 1 2 founded 5 ecretary , Mr Euren , ,

S . H anover quare , London , W The dates when these S ocieties were established are given , as the information eloquently bears out that passage in the Report of the Royal Commission on H orse

n breedi g which refers to private enterprise . VINTON ’S S PORTING B OO

M L P N E RS E N G N D V o s. an d , I . II . 215 . each AN I A AI T OF LA l , Fifly Pai n t er s w ho s e w o r ks appe rt ai n t o A n i mal Life a n d

u st rat ed . Si r L E GI L B E Y ar t Ill By WA T R , B .

’ B L S G D R EC RY C oth i . t 5s . b P st , g , o 55 . 4 d . AI Y H U NTI N I TO l l y ,

i DR D S P R N G L B R R Y . ve V o s . 55 . each P ost r e UI O TI I A F l , ; F e , 5 5 . i a r — m et e Carr e ee . 1 Th co 25 s . . e P ost an d t h e P add ck o . 2 pl , —, g F — . Scar et . 3. Scott an d Sebr i h t . 4. Saddle an d i i n S r o . l g l 5. ” i m of Th e D r u i d T es .

DRY FLY E N M G . 25 5 . n et . u strat ed . B E DE C M H TO OLO Y Ill y FR RI .

n t B E M D FLY . e . D E RY S G; 155 C . H u an FI H I N y FR RI m . Illu str a

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E E a n d dd a n E S O F TH C S s d n d s . H Y L . LAY HA , O By ARR 25 . 6 d .

LE V ES R M N NG D RY ES S EX 2 o s A F O A H U TI IA I N . V l , 2] E UCH M Y E R B UR GH M cAdam By H . B A A P

P os Free. . i t M D RS S s . W. . E N E C M E E . G M L TT ON WH I T , By A , .

E RGE S B B S R . A . Si r L E G , £ 3 35 . TE GI L B E Y LIF OF O TU By WA R ,

M n P RS E S "B r eeds an d a a emen t . ost r e G e . 1 LI HT HO g F , 35 0d .

M . u str at L V E S C K J R C ed. C oth I TO OU NAL AL ANA Ill l , P a er cover s t . 6 d . 1 5 . b P ost os 25 1 . By p , p , y , 5 4 d .

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l u r l i 5 . n e t s r . d . s a i on s . Oc a o c o r ce 2 o ee 25 Il t t t v , th g lt , p i , p t f , 4 T horou ghbred an d O t her Pon ies P u blzshed 1 99 3 W a r k H i o f ace or ses S n ce 1 B ei n a e i se an d ith Rem s on t he e ght R h i 7 00. g R v d

A N R E . r i n s En lar ge d E di ti on of PO NIE S PA S T D P E S NT Wi th T en I llu st at o .

Oc a o c o i ri ce 5 . n et os r ee 5 . d . t v , l th g lt , p 5 p t f , 5 4

H u n t er r Si es P u bllshed 1 903 - S u es ion s for B r ee i n H u n ers r oo er s a n d G en era ur ose H o rses . B gg t d g t , T p l P p y W W L R I L r . C H A R L S . I N D A L . . R H on . 1 . i r A T L S E G B E Y B a t II . E T II I ight ~ FR D R W W . . R N C H . c a a r r 6 d . os I C K W . R N C H . I V . O o e co e s E E E T T E t v , p p v , ; p t r ee d f , 7 .

H or ses for t h rm — u est on e A y a s gg i P u bleshed 1 902

O c a o a er co er s 6d . t v , p p v ,

H or se - ree n i n n an an d n a an d r H or ses b di g E gl d I di , A my roa Ab d P u blzshed 1 901 S e en een C a ers H orse - b r ee i n i n n an E i C a ers H or se- b r ee n v t h pt , d g E gl d ; ght h pt , di g

- i i n e us ra i o n s . O a Abr oa i r ee n a es H orse b ree i n i n n a . ll c o d ; Th t p g , d g I d N I t t t v ,

c o i ce 5 . n os ree d . r 2 et 25 . l th , p ; p t f , 3

n r n H or se s t e r r ee n ear n . Ridi g D ivi g , h i B di g R i g p wh hed 1 901 An A ress e i er e i n L o n o n o n M arc 2 1 88 an d D i scu ssi o n er eon b the dd d l v d d h , 5, th y K t M r ’ a e D u ke ofWe s i n s er E ar C arr i n on S i r e i n sco e he la e . E dmu n d l t tm t , l gt , Nig l g t , t

a er sal l an d o er s . e ri n 1 01 . Oc a o r i ce 25 . n et ; o s ree 25 . d . T tt , th R p t 9 t v , p p t f , 3

ma H or ses i n w ar ar e S ll f P u bllshed 1 goo Ar gu m en ts i n fav ou r of thei r u se for light caval r y an d mo u n ted i n fan tr y . I llu st rated

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d . u s ra i on . O c a o c o i r i ce 25 . n et os ree 25 . Ill t t s t v , l th g lt , p p t f , 3

n ma a n t r of n n A i l P i e s E gl a d Pu bli shed 1 900

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5 . n e t gilt , £3 3 .