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ORIGIN OF THE THOROUGHBRED. A correspondent has asked the American norsc Breeder "What is a Thoroughbred?" and that paper lias replied that when applied to horses the term thoroughbred is understood to mean an annual of a breed that has been bred in England for generations to race at the running gait. Horses were raced in England for at least six hundred years, and probably i-onsiderable more than that before the thoroughbred breed was established. During all those years the breeders of Tate .horses id England had doubtless endeavored to improve the sieed and other race-winning qualities of their racing stock by careful selections of sires and dams of demonstrated merit. Tiie eminent English writer, J. H. Walsh btone-henge, author , of the valuable standard work, "ihe Horse in the Stable and the Field," stated that the breed of race horses known as thoroughbred was established alwut 1750. The foundation stock from which this breed. "was Created as stated by Stone-lienge was as follows: First Native mares used for racing and bred from Spanish and English strains, the former most probably descended from the Barbs of Morocco. Second Markhams Arabian, imported in the time of James the First, and most probably there is not now the slightest strain of his blood extant. Tli I rd Places White Turk, extensively used, and to him most of our best horses can be traced through Matchcm. Fourth The three Turks, brought over from the fiiege of Vienna in 1CS4. Fiftli The royal mares imported by Charles the Second, who sent his "Master of th,e Horse to the Levant" especially to procure them. These are also mentioned in all the best pedigrees. There are two classes of thoroughbreds, one of which includes only such descendants of King Charles roval mares as were by pure Barb, Arabian or Turk stallions, without the admixture of other blood: while the other class includes animals that are direct descendants in the paternal line of the first class, and have inherited not less than live un-liroken crosses in the material line of the thoroughbred of the first class. As we understand it. all such animals, regardless of their speed ability or other race-winning qualities, were eligible to registration as thoroughbred In the old English Stud Book, and no distinction was made there between the two classes above named. All horses are thoroughbred whose sires and dams trace in every line to animals that are registered in the English Stud Book, whether they are clean-cut and show quality or not. The thoroughbred horse of America is a descendant of the English thoroughbred. There were three horses to one or the other of which the English thoroughbred is largely Indebted for his most valuable finalities. They were Byerley Turk. Darlev Arabian and Godolphiu Arabian, all of which were undoubtedly pure-bred horses of the desert. Most of the best thoroughbreds of the present time am descendants of English Eclipse. Matchem or King Herod. Eclipse was a direct descendant in the paternal line of Darley Arabian: Matchem of Godolphiu Arabian, and Herod of Byerley Turk. The dam of Herod was inbred to Darley Arabian through Flying Cinders. The dam of Matchem was by Crofts Partner, a son of JIgg, by Byerley Turk, and the dam of Eclipse was by Regulus, a son of Godolphiu Arabian.
