Although, still lingering among the Pachydermata, I have now left behind
me the ponderous and unwieldy forms which inhabit the wild and wooded
tracts of the earth's surface, and come to the group called Solipeda,
from the one round and horny hoof which encircles all the feet; one toe
is apparent; and two points on each side, under the skin, represent
lateral toes; besides which there is, underneath, a soft pad, or what is
generally termed the frog, which touches the ground when the animal
walks.
Strength, beauty, and activity, are all combined in horses; their
elegantly shaped head, with its long pointed ears, and large eyes, is
carried high or thrown back; and while they rapidly glance into the
horizon, to look for friends or foes, their well defined nostrils sniff
fresh vigour from the passing breeze; but this is not all--these same
ears laid flat back upon their head tell you that they have been
affronted, and mean to be revenged for the insult; when they are upright
they are listening to sounds, which their rider cannot hear, and when
they are pointed forward they rejoice in the affectionate voices of
those whom they love. Those full, hazel eyes denote passions of various
kinds, are often turned full of parental love on the offspring which
gambols by their side, or of gratitude upon their kind masters,
following their benefactors with a melancholy look, when they take their
departure. Those nostrils are dilated sometimes with anger, at others
with the pleasures of the chase; and the arched neck, the broad muscular
chest, the graceful, curving lines of the body, the well-shaped, sinewy
limbs, sometimes slender and delicate in their proportions, bear these
beautiful creatures over hill and dale almost with the swiftness of a
bird; while their long mane and tail float in the air, as if the
creature whom they adorn were about to soar to heaven.
In a state of freedom, horses are swift, fierce, and inquisitive; they
herd together in large numbers. The males evince the most faithful
attachment to the females, and protect them and their offspring to the
death. The latter are fond and devoted mothers.
In activity, there is no animal which more decidedly takes its character
from its early masters or instructors; their admirable qualities are
heightened; their fierceness becomes courage; their wild actions are
turned into play, and their attachment and sagacity are only surpassed
by those of the dog. On the other hand, most of what are called their
vices may be traced to their early training. Allowances must, of course,
be made for natural disposition, which varies as much in the brute
creation as it does in man; and I have met with ill-tempered horses,
which have been so from the moment they were taken from their native
forests; but generally speaking, the horse becomes the protector, the
companion, the friend, of his possessor. When dead, every part of him is
useful; and when living, all his energies make him one of the greatest
blessings which a beneficent Creator has bestowed on the earthly lord of
all.
Horses' teeth are so important a part of their history, that although
this book does not profess to treat of science, it would be incomplete
if I did not briefly point out how distinctly they shew the age of the
animal. First of all, however, it should be known, that the mouth seems
to have been expressly formed for the bit, by which man controls this
admirable creature; for, corresponding with each angle of the mouth is a
space between the teeth, in which it lodges with the greatest
convenience. The front teeth, or incisors, begin to appear when the
horse is fifteen days old, and amount to six in number in each jaw. All,
from the first, are at the top, or crown, hollowed into a groove. The
two in the middle are shed and replaced at three years and a half, the
two next at four and a half, and the two outside, called the corner
teeth, at seven and a half, or eight. The grooves on the crowns, become
effaced, and the tops of the teeth are more triangular as age increases.
The females have no canine teeth; but the males always have two small
ones in the upper jaw, and sometimes two in the lower; the former appear
when they are four years old, the latter at three and a half; they
remain pointed till the horse has attained six years, and when he is ten
they begin to grow loose, and expose their roots. They have six grinders
in each side of each jaw, with flat crowns, and the plates of enamel
which surround the dental substance, appear in them like four crescents.
The life of horses generally lasts about thirty years; but they have
frequently been known to exceed that age. Then, however, mastication has
become difficult, they get lean, or what is called out of condition; and
old favorites, if they are attended to as they ought to be, after long
and faithful services, have their food bruised, and even cooked for
them. It is surprising to see what entire rest frequently does for them,
even at an advanced age; and I have seen them, in consequence of it,
again taken into a degree of service when they have been supposed past
all work.
The origin of horses is involved in so much obscurity, that it has given
rise to frequent speculation; not as in the dog, with regard to the type
of the race, but the quarter of the globe where they were first located.
It appears to me, that the greatest mass of opinion is in favour of
Tartary, or Central Asia, where it is supposed that the only existing
wild race now lives, all the rest in a state of freedom, being feral, or
descended from domesticated pairs, which have again become wild. Some of
these are also on the steppes of Tartary; but immense numbers inhabit
the extensive plains of South America, which are supposed to be the
descendants of the Spanish horses, and to have escaped from the
conquerors of that continent. Large herds also run about in various
parts of North America and Africa; and smaller numbers in England, where
they have dwindled to ponies. Mr. Bell, whose authority few would dare
to dispute, thinks that the Egyptians were the first people who brought
the horse into subjection, and that Africa contained the original race;
but the ancient mysteries of the East are only now beginning to be
opened to us; and, I suspect, we shall find that the Egyptians derived
their horses, as well as everything else, from the still older Asiatics.
It would be in vain to attempt, in a work of this kind, to describe the
different species and varieties of horses; I shall, therefore, quickly
pass on to a small selection from the numerous anecdotes placed before
me, a few of which are the results of personal experience. Before I do
this, however, it may be as well to make a few observations concerning
their food. They are eminently vegetable feeders; grains and dried
grasses, such as hay and straw, also clover, being preferred when they
are in constant service. The more valuable sorts are seldom much used
while they are feeding entirely on green grass. They are extremely fond
of the niceties which are so often bestowed on pets, such as bread,
apples, cakes, etc.; and some are passionately fond of sugar. M.
Frederic Cuvier taught one he constantly rode, to play certain tricks,
rewarding him for them with sugar; and, if the provision contained in
his pocket were not sufficient, he would stop at a road-side inn, and
procure some more for the horse. Accordingly, when the sagacious animal
came again to these houses, he would perform the same antics which had
before procured him the sugar, and then stand still, as if again to
receive his reward. While speaking of this creature, I may as well
mention, that he delighted in pulling down his own hay, and feeding the
goats, which lived on the other side of his palings, with it; and once,
when he was fed with straw, on account of some malady, his companions,
who ate at the same manger, were so concerned at what they thought his
inferior fare, that they pushed their hay to him.
Horses have not the least objection to animal food; and it has been
often given to them when they have been obliged to perform immense
journeys, or to undergo any very great exertion. It, however, excites
them very much, and, if not judiciously bestowed, makes them fierce and
uncontrollable. Stories are told of poor men, who, when the despots of
the East have ordered them to give up their favourite horses, have fed
them on flesh, and rendered them so unmanageable, that the tyrants have
no longer desired what they once thought a prize. Horses will also drink
strong ale, etc., with the greatest relish; and oat gruel, mixed with
it, has often proved an excellent restorative for them after an unusual
strain upon their powers. They will not refuse even spirits or wine,
administered in the same manner; but it is very questionable if these
are equally efficacious. There is no telling, however, what strange
inconsistencies domestication will produce in the matter of food; for
cats have been known to refuse everything for boiled greens, when they
were to be had.
The following account is abridged from Mr. Kohl's description of those
Asiatic horses, which are bred in the steppes, and are private property,
although he calls them quite wild.--"Only in the heart of Tartary can
the horse be found perfectly in a wild state. One herd in the steppe
will consist of 1000 horses; but the keepers of herds will have several.
Dressed in leather, with a girdle which contains the implements of his
veterinary art; a black lambskin cap on his head, the _tabuntshik_, or
herdsman, eats, drinks, and sleeps in his saddle; has no shelter, and
dare not even turn his back upon a storm, as the creatures do for whom
he is responsible. In his hand he holds a whip, with a thick, short
handle, and a lash from fifteen to eighteen feet long. Then he must have
a sling, with which he takes unerring aim at each individual of his
straggling herd; then a wolf-stick, with a knob of iron at the end,
hangs from his saddle; and a cask of water, a bag of bread, and a bottle
of brandy are necessary parts of his equipment. He pays for every horse
that is lost; in ten years he is worn out, yet is unfit for any other
life; he lives in constant dread of horse-stealers, notwithstanding
which he steals them himself.
"From Easter to October the herds graze day and night in the steppes. In
the winter they are sheltered at night by mounds of earth, and a sort of
roof, from the north. The stallions and stronger horses take possession
of the shed, and the rest stand outside, huddled together. In severe
winters, sickness and death overtake them, and those who survive, walk
about like specters. But when they eat the young grass, which appears
when the snow is melted, they are as wild and mischievous as ever. The
stallions seem to consider themselves as the chiefs of the herd; and one
of these, by right of strength, is the chief _par excellence_. Sometimes
one stallion will have affronted the rest, and all combine to turn him
out; and then he will be seen apart from them, with a few mares
attending him.[7] Occasionally two herds will fight for right of
pasture; the mares and foals keep aloof, the stallions flourish their
tails, erect their manes, rattle their hoofs together, and fasten on
each other with their teeth; the victorious party carrying off several
mares.
"In the spring come the wolves, being very fond of young foals; so they
constantly prowl round the herds, never attacking them by day if they
are numerous; but come at night, and if they are scattered, they make a
rush upon their victims. The stallions, however, charge at them; and
they take flight only, however, to return and secure a straggling foal,
to whose rescue the mother comes, and herself perishes. When this is
found out, a terrible battle ensues; the foals are placed in the centre,
the mares encircle them, charging the wolves in front; tearing them
with their teeth, and trampling them with their fore-feet, always using
the latter, and not the hind feet; the stallions rush about, and often
kill a wolf with one blow; they then pick up the body with their teeth,
and throw it to the mares, who trample upon it till its original form is
utterly destroyed. If eight or ten hungry wolves should pull down a
stallion, the whole herd will revenge him, and almost always destroy the
wolves; who, however, generally try to avoid these great battles, and
chase a mare or foal separated from the rest, creep up to them,
imitating a watchdog, and wagging their tails, spring at the throat of
the mare; and then the foal is carried off. Even this will not always
succeed, and if the mare give alarm, the wolf is pursued by herd and
keeper, and his only chance of escape is to throw himself head-foremost
down the steep sides of a ravine.
"The horses suffer more from thirst in summer than from famine in
winter; the heat is intolerable, there is no shade, and each horse tries
to protect itself by its neighbour's body. In the autumn the owners of
the herd call them in to thresh corn; the turf is removed, the ground
beaten till it is very hard, and a railing placed round it; the corn is
spread, and five hundred horses at a time are driven into the enclosure;
they are terrified by the crackling straw and the noise of the whip over
their heads, and the more frantic they are the sooner is the corn
threshed."
The attachment of Arabs to their horses, the extreme beauty of these
animals, which form part of the family, and are sometimes more precious
to their owners than wives or children, have become proverbial. They are
managed by kindness; and nothing can exceed the indignation of the
owners when they behold any attempt to manage a horse of any kind by
means of the whip. It is the Arabian which, imported through Spain, or
direct to England, has produced so much improvement in the European
stock. An Arab mare of pure descent, had, by means of the Moors, found
her way to the north western coast of Africa, where she was purchased by
an English officer. At first I was a little disappointed in her
appearance, for she was thin; but as her foal became independent of her,
and learned to eat, she recovered her condition, and I was never tired
of looking at her. To all who delight in admiring wild, unrestrained
action, there could not be a much greater treat than to have the gates
of the Government-House spur closed, and turn her and her child loose
into it, while we stood upon the veranda to watch them. At no time did
she ever walk; but went every where with a light, dancing step. And on
these occasions the frolics, the gestures, were past all description;
standing at one corner, her fore feet stretched out, she would appear
to wait for the pretty little son who trotted up to her; when, in a
moment, almost so as to elude sight, she would bound completely over
him, and take her stand at another corner; then back again, and round
and round, till it seemed to me that all the tricks taught by Ducrow,
the waltzing and quadrilling excepted, must have been suggested by
watching the movements of wild horses. A curious adventure happened to
that little foal, which is worthy of record. A year or two after this,
the groom took him to the river to wash his legs, and as he turned to
come out again, a crocodile bit him; he struggled for a moment and fell;
this frightened the crocodile away, and the poor young horse was dragged
from the water's edge; the formidable teeth of the reptile had nearly
separated the foot from the leg, and it hung by one tendon. There seemed
to be no alternative but to shoot him; however, a native suggested to
his owner, that there was a famous Moorish doctor then in the place, and
if any one could cure the horse, he could; at any rate it was worth the
trial: the man came, was very quiet, did not promise anything, but
united the parts, bandaged them together, had the patient fastened down
in the position in which he chose him to lie, and after some weeks of
careful tending, the animal was restored to his master even without
blemish. It was only by passing the hand along the parts which had been
severed, that the scar could be detected; and he was afterwards sold for
a handsome sum.
M. de Lamartine tells an interesting story of an Arab chief and his
horse, which is highly characteristic. They, and the tribe to which they
belonged, attacked a caravan in the night, and were returning with their
plunder, when some horsemen, belonging to the Pasha of Acre, surrounded
them, killed several, and bound the rest with cords. Among the latter
was the chief, Abou el Marek, who was carried to Acre, and, bound hand
and foot, laid at the entrance of their tent during the night. The pain
of his wounds kept him awake, and he heard his own horse neigh, who was
picketed at a little distance from him. Wishing to caress him, perhaps
for the last time, he dragged himself up to him, and said--"Poor friend!
what will you do among the Turks? You will be shut up under the roof of
a Khan, with the horses of a Pasha or an Aga; no longer will the women
and children of the tent bring you barley, camel's milk, or dhourra, in
the hollow of their hands; no longer will you gallop free as the wind in
the desert; no longer will you cleave the waters with your breast, and
lave your sides, as pure as the foam from your lips. If I am to be a
slave, at least you may go free. Return to our tent, tell my wife that
Abou el Marek will return no more; but put your head still into the
folds of the tent, and lick the hands of my beloved children." With
these words, as his hands were tied, the chief, with his teeth, undid
the fetters which held the courser bound, and set him at liberty; but
the noble animal, on recovering his freedom, instead of galloping away
to the desert, bent his head over his master, and seeing him in fetters,
and on the ground, took his clothes gently between his teeth, lifted him
up and set off at full speed towards home. Without resting he made
straight for the distant, but well-known tent in the mountains of
Arabia. He arrived there in safety, laid his master down at the feet of
his wife and children, and immediately dropped down dead with fatigue.
The whole tribe mourned him, the poets celebrated his fidelity; and his
name is still constantly in the mouths of the Arabs of Jericho.
The Arabs have five noble races, among which that of Kohlan is the most
celebrated for its beauty, temper, courage, memory, and almost human
intelligence.
The value which the Arabs themselves set upon their horses may, perhaps,
be exemplified, when I say, that the before-mentioned mare (Cora) had
been brought to the coast in some secret manner; and as soon as it
transpired where she was, a comparatively insignificant Sultan of the
interior, sent to offer goods for her to the value of three hundred
pounds. When her master left Africa, he sold her to a general officer,
and I never heard what became of her after that. The following is a
_short_ pedigree of one of these valuable creatures:--"In the name of
God, the merciful! The cause of the present writing is, that we witness
that the grey horse Derrish, of Mahomet Bey, is of the first breed of
Nedgdee horses, whose mother is the grey mare, Hadha the famous, and
whose father is the bay horse, Dabrouge, of the horses of the tribe
Benihaled. We testify on our conscience and fortune, that he is the
breed concerning which the prophet said, 'the true runners, when they
run, strike fire; they grant prosperity until the day of judgment.' We
have testified what is known, and God knows who are true witnesses." Six
signatures verified this pedigree.
I had marked out a selection of quotations as proofs of the high
qualities of the noble horse; but I must now be as brief as possible,
and not profit too much by the interesting labours of others. I
therefore continue my own observations. When staying on the borders of
the river Gambia, I saw two of the native horses which belonged to the
stud of the Commandant there; they had been brought from the interior,
and taken from a wild herd; but they were totally unlike the races
hitherto described. The mare, of a reddish brown, had been some time
domesticated, and was docile and well behaved; neither of them
possessing sufficient character to be referred to the Barb, the
Dongola, or the Nubian breeds. They were undersized, and not handsome;
the male, who had not been long from his native forests, was the best
looking; carried his head well, was strongly and compactly made,
especially about the shoulders, and there was much fire about the head,
which, however, was far from handsome; his legs were slender and
well-shaped. The peculiar circumstances in which I was placed, rendered
it necessary that I should, for the sake of health, take horse-exercise.
There was nothing which could carry me except this little grey horse;
for I could not persuade those around me to let me mount Cora, because
they said she had so hard a mouth: so a side-saddle was put on, and a
man with a skirt tried the grey once or twice; he was tolerably quiet,
and without much disturbance, he went pretty well for a few weeks; the
only trouble being to get upon his back. He, however, had one great
peculiarity, which manifested itself rather awkwardly, when a party of
us started to go to a distance. He could not endure strangers, and would
not suffer any of his own kind to approach him who did not live in the
same stable as himself. This was great affectation in a horse just wild
from the woods, but so it was; the instant my companions approached me,
he made a bolt, his heels went into the air, and it was in vain to
resist his fancy. We returned the next day, and while fording a creek,
which we had crossed in a canoe the day before, one of our party forgot
my horse's peculiarity and came up to me; he darted fairly out to sea,
and not till he found himself off his legs was he frightened;
fortunately alarm made him tractable, and I easily turned his head and
landed in safety. Wishing however, to punish him, I galloped him home,
four miles through loose sand, which was over his fetlocks; far,
however, from being subdued, when I had dismounted and went to pat his
check, he tried to bite me.
The beauty and excellence of English horses, taken as a whole, have been
acknowledged to surpass those of the rest of the world; their speed,
their enormous leaps, their long journeys, their strength, have been
frequent themes of admiration; and I regret that I cannot fill more
pages, with the histories that are recorded of them; but there are many
excellent books on that subject alone, which may be read with great
advantage; and I pass on to a very clever hunter, called Nannie, who
belonged to my father, and who performed a feat, thought, in my
childhood, to be unique, but which I have of late seen mentioned in the
papers, as accomplished by other horses. In those days, gentlemen seldom
retired from the dinner table, without being at least elated; and, on an
occasion of this sort, my father, by way of summing up his favourite's
wonderful abilities, said, "he was sure she would, at his bidding, jump
over the supper table," which was then set out for about twenty persons.
Being an only daughter, I was often allowed to exceed the hours at which
children are usually sent to bed; and I was therefore present during the
whole scene. Doubts were expressed, bets were laid, the parties became
excited; and Nannie was ordered from her stable, bridled and saddled, as
if for her master's riding. She was led into the room; the gentlemen
were all assembled, the table was glittering with lights, glass, and
silver; the room was also brilliant; and at first, Nannie was a little
surprised. The chairs were set on each side of the room; but, as the
seats were pushed under, they only added to the height; my father
mounted, and said, "Over, Nannie": the docile creature poised herself on
her hind legs, stretched out her neck, as if to measure the distance,
and cleared the whole; the only ill effect arising from which, was, that
the marks of her hoofs were left in the carpet. This clever mare
constantly opened the door of her stable, and went to warm herself at
the fire in the harness-room; but her affection for her master had more
than once preserved his life. On one occasion, it is supposed, he had
slipped off her, and been unable to get on again; when, overcome with
sleep, he folded his arms, rested them against her side, and laying his
head upon them, remained there in a sound slumber. It was presumed they
had been in this posture a long time; and, had she moved, his life would
probably have been endangered by the fall, for they were close to a
steep declivity. On another occasion she came home, neighed at the door
of the dwelling, and did not offer to go to the stable; the family were
aroused, servants rose, she trotted back, and stood by her master, who
was lying senseless by the side of the road. They must have fallen
together, as on his chest was the mark of one of her feet, probably made
in getting up again. He was only stunned, and in a few days recovered
from his fall, while she was more than ever loved. She was a chestnut
mare, with a white star; and very like her, was another, called Peggy,
which, from having belonged especially to our mother, we, as children,
claimed as ours also; and I have always, when recollecting her, been
able to picture to myself the intimacy between horses and human beings
in an Arab family. We crawled over her, we seated ourselves upon her
without bridle or saddle, we clung to her neck when she had no room for
us on her back, and we sat upon her as she herself lay in her stall.
When she was ill, we administered the medicine, almost quarreling as to
who should take the gruel to her; when she heard our voices, whatever
pain she was in, she saluted us with a neigh; she was patient under
every infliction, accommodated herself to every fancy, and, with her
prudence and good temper, was often instrumental to our safety. Although
she had been a hunter, and was a lady's horse, she went well in harness,
and used to run in a curricle, with all the fiery spirits whom my father
chose to drive; and we must have been dashed to pieces more than once,
but for her steadiness and forbearance. At last, we were obliged to part
with her; that is, we were going to live where we could not keep her;
and a friend took her into his park, where she was to remain free all
the rest of her life. Five years after, I was sitting at an open window,
in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, and a sound met my ear. "If ever
I heard Peggy's step," I exclaimed, "that is it; she is now coming along
the road." I was disbelieved; but in one minute after, the still
beautiful creature, though thirty-three years old, was at the gate: we
rushed to her; we called her; she answered us; she danced about; she
rubbed her face against ours; she looked for the same caresses, the same
niceties which she used to get from us--and half an hour quickly passed
in mutual caresses. The gentleman in whose park she had been living, had
found her so fresh, that he had ridden her by easy journeys, to London,
and during his few days' visit, sent her to see us--she lived two years
after that, and died of old age, without a struggle.
[Illustration: WILD HORSES AND WOLVES.--Page 330.]
A friend told me the other day, that a horse had been in the habit of
going with his master a certain road, and stopping at the same inn,
where those who fed him always threw some beans into the corn put before
him. After a time, he and his master went from that part of the country,
and remained away for two years, then the same habits were resumed, and
the same inn frequented; the latter, however, had changed its owners.
While enjoying his dinner, the rider was informed, that his horse would
not eat, that he appeared to be perfectly well, but there was something
wrong about the corn, which they knew not how to rectify, for it was the
very best. The gentleman went to the stable, the horse neighed, looked
at him, and then at the manger, and it struck him suddenly, that the
animal missed the food he had been accustomed to receive there, and no
where else. "Throw some beans in," he said to the hostler; he was obeyed;
and the horse looked at him as if to express his thanks, and took his
meal contentedly.
I terminate these anecdotes with one concerning a cart horse, which I
never saw in print, but once. He had frequently given proofs of great
sagacity; but the chief was the following:--"During the winter, a large
wide drain had been made, and over this, strong planks had been placed
for our friend, the cart horse, to pass over to his stable. It had
snowed during the night, and had frozen very hard in the morning. How
he passed over the planks on going out to work, I know not; but, on
being turned loose from the cart at breakfast, he came up to them, and I
saw his fore feet slip: he drew back immediately, and seemed for a
moment at a loss how to get on. Close to these planks a cart load of
sand had been placed: he put his fore feet on this, and looked wistfully
to the other side of the drain."
The boy who attended this horse, and who had gone round by another path,
seeing him stand there, called him. The horse immediately turned round,
and set about scraping the sand most vigorously, first with one hind
foot, then with the other. The boy, perhaps wondering what he was going
to do, waited to see. When the planks were completely covered with sand,
the horse turned round again, unhesitatingly walked over, and trotted up
to his stable and driver.
[7] This seems to confirm the opinion of the Indians concerning the
solitary elephants.