BEST FRIEND OF MAN

Southland Times, Issue 24000, 15 December 1939, Page 21

BEST FRIEND OF MAN

Always regarded as the best friend of man among the animals, the horse has been domesticated from, the earliest times, as shown by Assyrian and Egyptian sculptures. In England the Ancient Britons possessed cavalry and used scythe-wheeled chariots drawn by horses. The introduction of tournaments in the reign of Henry II and of racing soon afterwards stimulated the breeding of horses until it became a big industry in the British Isles.

New Zealand horses are mainly descended from British stock and fresh importations of stallions and mares are made continually to introduce new blood and improve the standard in the Dominion. It was in Britain that the foundations for New Zealand breeders were laid, because over the centuries different types of horses for special .purposes were evolved there and it was a simple matter to transfer stock to New Zealand and continue operations.

The sport of horse racing has been of the greatest importance in maintaining the standard of light-horse I breeding in New Zealand and in keeping alive public interest Imported British thoroughbreds have left their mark on the Dominion’s stock through the years by imparting stoutness, speed I and good conformation. Many of the most notable hunters have been descendants of stallions imported for racehorse breeding. On the other hand several stallions brought from England to sire remounts have left successful racehorses. Two of these were Gienapp and Day Comet. Of saddle horses the thoroughbred heads the list. It is seen in its finest form in the racehorse and it has a considerable strain of Arab blood in .its composition. It stands about 16 inches high and should have a long, lean head, sloping shoulders, short, deep back, muscular quarters and slender legs. Other riding horses are the hunter, hackney and the pony. The hunter is often a thoroughbred, especially in Ireland, but many good hunters have been produced by mating a thoroughbred with a carriage horse. A hunter must possess speed and be good and quick at fences. The hackney is an old breed, records of which go back to the fourteenth century. It is a great trotter and formerly was much used as a saddlehorse, but of later years more attention has been paid to its development as a harness horse. Imported hackneys have sired many outstanding showring horses in New Zealand. The pony is a small breed of horse ranging in height from as little as nine hands to about 14 hands. It is an ancient inhabitant of Great Britain and even now roams in a half-wild state on Exmoor and Dartmoor and in the New Forest and elsewhere. The cob is a term applied to a sturdy, short-legged horse suitable for saddle work.