HORSES BY ROGER POCOCK Author of "A Frontiersman" Founder of the Legion of Frontiersmen Editor of "The Frontiersman's Pocket Book" WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PROFESSOR J. COSSAR EWART, F.R.S. LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1917 FIRST EDITION ... FEB., 1916 REPRINTED ....... JUNE, 1917 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR PUBLISHED BY MR. MURRAY. JESSE OF CARIBOO. THE SPLENDID BLACKGUARD. CONTENTS. CHAP. INTRODUCTION I. THE ORIGIN OF THE HORSE II. THE ORIGIN OF HORSE VARIETIES III. HABITS OF OUTDOOR HORSES IV. THE CONQUEST OF THE HORSE V. THE HORSE IN HISTORY VI. HORSEMANSHIP VII. THE PLEASURE HORSE VIII. THE SOLDIER HORSE CONCLUSION INDEX {vii} PREFACE. By PROFESSOR J. COSSAR EWART, F.R.S. Roger Pocock's book is in many ways remarkable. It affords evidence of far more erudition than seems compatible with the unsettled and busy life of a frontiersman. In some parts it is highly speculative, deals with problems rarely discussed or even mentioned by hippologists, in others it is severely practical, and affords evidence of the close study of horses and horsemanship in all parts of the world. The more the reader knows of cosmic changes and of the origin, history and habits of horses, wild, feral and tame, the more he is likely to be fascinated by "Horses." The chapters on the History of the horse and on horsemanship are highly suggestive and interesting, but at the moment those on the Pleasure Horse and the Soldier {viii} Horse claim and deserve most attention. We soon forgot about the loss of over 300,000 horses in the Boer War, with the result that when the World War broke out in 1914 we were as deficient in horses as in men and munitions. If the suggestions made by a horsemaster who knows more about Range than Indoor or Pleasure horses--suggestions as to the breeding, rearing, and management of military horses--are duly considered we may have an ample supply of suitable horses for our next war. J. COSSAR EWART. UNIVERSITY, EDINBURGH, _September_, 1916. {ix} INTRODUCTION. In the world where the horse lives there is one god. This god is only a human creature, soldier by trade, stockrider, groom, or drayman, but from him all things proceed. So far as the horse knows his god made the girth gall and the harness, the oats and the weather, and most certainly provides a lump of salt to lick, a canter over turf, or any other little scrap of Heaven which falls into the world. So he hates his god or loves him, fears or trusts him, trying always to believe in him, even if he has at times to kick the deity to make sure he is really divine. His religion, his conduct, his whole value, depend upon that poor god, who is usually well-meaning enough although wont to practise a deal of ignorance. To get better horses one must improve the strain of gods.