kingdom]
AGRICULTURE 189 exceptions, long since been abandoned. The frame of the power depending upon the efficiency of the former. To be thoroughbred is light, slender, and graceful; its limbs are classed as a hackney an animal must be over 14 hands clean cut and sinewy, its skin is fine, its hair is glossy, high, that is, exceeding 56 inches. and its eyes are bright and intelligent. Being so The Pony differs essentially from the hackney in the highly bred it is apt to be nervous and excitable, and is matter of height, the former being required not to exceed sometimes unruly, but its speed, resolution, and endurance, 14 hands. There is, however, one exception, the nature as tested on the racecourse, are beyond praise. The de- of which is made clear in the following extract from Sir mand for hunting horses has, during recent years, been Walter Gilbey’s Ponies Past and Present, 1900 :— productive of useful efforts to improve their quality by Before the establishment of the Hackney Horse Society in 1883 crossing thoroughbred stallions with half-bred mares, and dividing line between the horse and the pony in England work of this nature has been readily undertaken on many the was vague and undefined. It was then found necessary to dishorse-breeding farms, stimulated by the premiums offered tinguish clearly between horses and ponies, and, accordingly, all by the Royal Commission on Horse-breeding. A good animals measuring 14 hands or under were designated “ponies,” type of hunter horse should be thick and strong on the and registered in a separate part of the (Hackney) Stud Book. record of height, with other particulars as to breeding, &c., back and loin, with long, powerful quarters and muscular This serves to direct breeders in their choice of sires and dams. The thighs, and hocks neatly shaped and clean. The head standard of height established by the Hackney Horse Society should be long, lean, and blood-like, and the eye full. A was accepted and officially recognized by the Royal Agricultural mahogany-brown colour is in high favour, then black, bay, Society in 1889, when the prize-list for the Windsor show conpony classes for animals not exceeding 14 hands. The or dark chestnut. Greys, roans, and light chestnuts are tained altered polo - rule, which fixes the limit of height at 14 hands less popular. 2 inches, may be productive of some little confusion ; but for The Yorkshire Coach-horse is extensively bred in the all other purposes 14 hands is the recognized maximum height Horth and East Ridings of York, and the thoroughbred has of a pony. Prior to 1883 small horses were called indifferently taken a share in its development. The colour is usually bay Galloways, hobbies, cobs, or ponies, irrespective of their height. or brown, the legs being black. The mane and tail are Native ponies include those variously known as English, abundant, but not curly. A fine head, sloping shoulders, New Forest, Exmoor, Dartmoor, Cumberland and Weststrong loins, lengthy quarters, high-stepping action, flat morland, Highland, Shetland, and Connemara, the lastlegs, and sound feet are characteristic. The height varies named comprising—according to Professor J. C. Ewart— from 16 hands to 16 hands 2 inches. The Cleveland Bay five types, viz., Andalusian, Eastern, Cashel, Clydesdale, is a near relation of the Yorkshire coach-horse, and and Clifden. Ponies range in height from 14 hands down is bred in various parts of Yorkshire, Durham, and to 81 or 9 hands, many Shetland ponies not exceeding the Northumberland. He is adapted alike for the plough, latter. As in the case of the hackney, so with the pony, for heavy draught, and for slow saddle work. Some thoroughbred blood has been used, and with good results. specimens make imposing-looking carriage horses. The One object of the pony breeder is to control size,—to comcolour is light or dark bay, with clean black legs, and press the most valuable qualities into the least compass. black mane and tail. Though rather coarse-headed, He endeavours to breed an animal possessing a small head, the Cleveland Bay has a well-set shoulder and neck, a perfect shoulders, true action, and good manners. A comdeep chest, and round barrel. The height is from 16 to bination of the best points of the hunter with the style and 17 hands. finish of the hackney produces a class of weight-carrying The Hackney has come prominently to the front in recent pony which is always saleable. years. The term Nag, applied to the active riding or trotThe Shire horse owes its happily-chosen name—of quite ting horse, is derived from the Anglo-Saxon knegan, to neigh. recent application, however,—to Arthur Young’s remarks, The Normans brought with them their own word haquenee, in the description of his agricultural tours during the or hacguenee, the French derivative from the Latin equus, closing years of the 18th century, concerning the large a horse, whence the name hackney. Both nag and black old English horse, “ the produce principally of the hackney continue to be used as synonymous terms. Shire counties in the heart of England.” Long previous Frequent mention is made of hackneys and trotters in to this, however, the word Shire, in connexion with horses, old farm accounts of the 14th century. The first note- was used in the statutes of Henry VIII. By the various worthy trotting hackney stallion, of the modern type, was names of the War Horse, the Great Horse, the Old English a horse foaled about 1755, and variously known as the Black Horse, and the Shire Horse, the breed has for cenSchales horse, Shields, or Shales, and most of the recog- turies been cultivated in the rich fen-lands of Lincolnshire nized hackneys of to-day trace back to him. The breed- and Cambridgeshire, and in many counties to the west. ing of hackneys is extensively pursued in the counties of The Shire is the largest of draught horses, the stallion Norfolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Lincoln, and York, and commonly attaining a height of 17 to 17.3 hands. Though in the showyard competitions a keen but friendly rivalry the black colour is still frequently met with, bay and brown is usually to be noticed between the hackney-breeding are more usually seen. The lighter colours, such as chestfarmers of Norfolk and Yorkshire. Hackneys include nut, roan, and grey, are not so much in favour. With their both riding horses and driving horses. The aim of the immense size and weight—1800 lb to 2200 lb—the Shires breeder is to produce an animal which is saleable at an combine great strength, and they are withal docile and early age, which can be bred and reared at moderate intelligent. They stand on short stout legs, with a plentiexpense, and which can be broken in without much risk. ful covering—sometimes, perhaps, too abundant—of long Excellent results have followed the use of hackney sires hair extending down the back of the limbs from knees upon half-bred mares, the latter being the offspring of and hocks to pasterns. The head is of medium size, and thoroughbred stallions and trotting mares. As regards broad between the eyes. The neck is fairly long, and well the movement, or, as it is termed, the “action” of the arched on to the shoulders, which are deep and strong, hackney, he should go light in hand, and the knee should and moderately oblique. The chest is wide and full, the be so elevated and advanced during the trot as to be seen by back short and straight, the ribs are round and deep, the the rider projecting beyond the breast, whilst, before the hind quarters long, level, and well let down into the foot is put down, the leg should be well extended. Above muscular thighs. The cannon-bones should be hat, heavy, all, the hackney should possess good hock action, as and clean, and the feet wide, tough, and prominent at the distinguished from mere fetlock action, the propelling heels. A good type of Shire horse combines symmetrical
