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PERPETUATING THE ARAB HORSE. There can be no gainsaying the fact that more sentiment lias been displayed in regard to the Arab horse than to any other breed of the animal. Stay-at-homes whose ideas of the Arab horse have been gained by reading "The Arab to His Steed," air.l similar literature, would in the generality of cases be wofully disappointed were they to visit the animal at home, for the fact is, my experience teaches me, that as a rule he is 110 better treated than our own horses. As we all know, the Arab was the great factor in the production of our present thoroughbred race horse, but how far his descendants are an improvement, botli in regard to speed and staying powers, lias been proved over and over, again. I think one of the sorriest sights I ever ssiw in connection with racing was at Mewmarket England years ago. when Lord Stratlmairn was challenged for "The Whip," which was then in liis possession. "Tlie Whip" was a trophy supposed, I think, to have been presented by Charles I., to be run for over the Beacon course, four and a half miles, aud to be challenged for each year. On the occasion of which I speak. Mr. Blunt, noted for his affection for the Arab, challenged with one of his Arab horses; to run against which Lord Stratlinalni depended upon a broken-down thoroughbred with one leg and three "stringers," but with all this disadvantage he beat the Arab by three-quarters of a mile. On several visits to Cairo I have been in touch very close touch with some of the owners of "desert steed," and for horse coping they had David Harum "skinned a mi.e." I was commissioned to buy a horse for a friend to ship -to England. I did so and, wanting a pedigree, found I had not the slightest difficulty- in getting it. or, in fact, half a dozen If required and all different. Even then, years ago, things were getting into bad shap-; in regard to the pure-bred Arab horse, and It muse have gone from bad to worse; but I hsive just heard from a friend who deals extensively in Arabs to go to India, that a society lias been formed in Cairo for preserving the pure-bred Arab, which is so essential for renovating the different breeds of horses. The many changes that have taken place, and sire still going on. in the lives and habits of the Bedouins of the Syrian and Arabian deserts, have been producing a fatal effect on the Arab horse, which gradually diminished in numbers and deteriorated in quality. Buyers of pure-bred horses, whether private individuals or government officials, complained rightly of the yearly increasing difficulties: 1 In getting first-class Arab lios-ses; 2 of being certain of the purity of their origin. Now. to meet this great demand, the society intends arranging annual shows and auction sales, at which they will be able to offer first-class representatives of the Arab horse for the purity of which they will certify. Consequently the aims of tlie society are: 1 Starting si stud book of the AtsiIj horse containing two parts: the first to include only the purebred, or of desert origin horse: the second to bo j open to all Eastern horses, so-called. Outsiders generally suppose that horses bred in I Egypt, Syria, Asiatic Turkey, Algiers, etc., are sill 1 pure-bred Arabs. Ths Is a fallacy, for only si sma.I percentage of the above-named breeds can claim that 1 distinction: the remainder, which are called "Eastern horses," having all In a greater or lesser degree an infusion of various alien breeds. The. pure-bred I Arab is to be found only a among the different I Bedouin tribes roaming over tlie Arabian and Syrian i deserts and Mesopotamia and in Nejd; b in a few pi-ivate studs in Egypt; c in three or four studs in Europe and America. I 2 To encourage Arab horse breeding in Egypt, the country which is most adapted to that purpose, 1 as It possesses all the essentials necessary to insmv success in rearing the Arab horse viz.. dry dese"t air and hard, dry ground; a hot, even climate and, practically speaking, no rainfall. All these condi- tions make It possible to keep both mares and produce all the year round out in the open, without shelter of any kind, and thus insuring their retaining I that hardiness of constitution, those clean, strong j legs and wonderfully sound lungs which sire the principal characteristics of the Arab horse. Egypt is also favorably situated as a central rallying point for the Arab horse, being close to the Arabian peu- insula and Syrian desert. Arab blood is essential for improving and renovating other breeds, but the thoroughbred Arab has neither the height nor the substance for heavyweight riding horse, nor for carriage horses. Th" best all-round horse for riding, driving or military purposes is undoubtedly the Anglo-Arab. Arabs crossed with cart marcs have given the best results; as. for example, the Percheron and the Russian Orloff trotter, which latter is the descendant of an Arab stallion and a Danish mare. To demonstrate at the shows of the society the utility of crossing pure-bred Arabs with other breeds, it is proposed to have classes for those breeds which trace back their origin to such crosses, or have been periodically rocrossed again with Arabs. Such are the Russian Sfreletzs breeds, the Cossacks and the Rasropchine horses; the Frencli Anglo-Arabs and the Hungarian horses. These classed would proves how enduring the Arab blood is when used judiciously, for notwithstanding that in some cases many decades have passed since the crossing was made, the descendants still retain the best characteristics of the Arab horse. I All lovers of the pure-bred horse will join in I wishing this new society every success in a tough I proposition. W. R. Gilbert, in Rider and Driver.
