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HONARCHS AND THE HORSE British Kings and Queens Have Greatly Encouraged Racing. , Only Few English Sovereigns "Who Failed to Aid In Fostering the Thoronghhrcd Many Stallions Lost In "Wars. To show how intimately the thoroughbred is connected with the history of England and that high state of civilization which that country represents, one has to go behind the English Stud Book, itself over 200 years old, and there one finds the monarchs of centuries ago fostering the progenitors of the thor- oughbred of today. And it is worthy of note that the best kings of England from King John to King George V. helped the industry, while the few sover- eigns who did not aid in the work are those who in part at least failed to endear them- selves to the English people. The close stu- dent of the horse and his admirers, at the present time, will not fail to see the reason for this, for a man in whatever walk of life he may be, who loves a good horse, invariably has a character which causes his neighbors to like him and who, taken all in all, is of the kind which makes for the brother- hood of man. King John was a firm believer in the bene- fits to bo derived from the introduction of eastern blood into the industry of England. He, in fact, founded a stud at Eltham and the almost everlasting effects of the introduc- tion of such blood is proven by the fact that at Eltham and vicinity there can yet be seen traces of this work of King John. 1 And even in those days the work was no J easy one. Assailants were not as plentiful as at present, but wars were common and then, as now, war destroyed many horses. . Furthermore, in those days the best chargers -were stallions, and when captured or destroyed the injury was great indeed to the breeding industry. During the Wars of the Hoses England lost a goodly part of her best horses, but Henry VIII., in another war, Drought many of them back. He followed this up by re-establishing the Eltham Stud and also founded new studs at Hampton Court and Windsor. His superintendent was given the title of "Keeper of the Barbary Horses," and he must have been a keen student of breeding, for he sent all the way to Italy and brought back English horses which had been captured in the wars, to cross with new ones from the East The Marquis of Mantua had one particularly good stallion which he sold to England for the weight of the horse in silver. ELIZABETH ATTD EASTEBTT BLOOD. Queen Elizabeth was one of the most famous horsewomen of her time. She rode well and always insisted upon having the best She was not in the last afraid of a horse and, in fact had little use for the meek and passive kind. She recognized the value of eastern blood to improve other breeds and best of all she put her ideas into practice, forming new studs at St Albans, Greenwich and Waltham and bolstering up the studs at Hampton Court and Windsor. It is proven by history that those monarchs who helped the horse industry were also kings and queens who did other great work for England, while those who neglected the breeding farms were inclined to be careless In other ways. The history of the world is the story of the building up and pulling down of institutions and nations. The thoroughbred horse has always been on the right side of this eternal conflict He is a product of the builders and this is perhaps why the wreckers aim so many shafts at him. During the reign of King James L racing became the greatest sport in England and to this day it is regarded as the only infallible test of the thoroughbred horse, the blind justice of the winning post being its best recommendation. It was during the reign of James I. that racing becameia. national institution in Scotland and it as also during the life of this monarch that the Mar 1th am Arabian was imported. During the reign of Charles I. the Duke of Buckingham brought in the Helmsley Turk, which afterward turned out to be a good sire and the industry was booming when the wars, which came before the Commonwealth, made great inroads and almost wrecked the whole structure. The choicest mares and best stallions were sacrificed, for then as now, the thoroughbred never faltered in the face of danger. That unflinching blood was commencing to tell. , When the restoration was brought about, Charles H. started in to rehabilitate the horse breeding industry. There were some good stallions left, so he sent men to Arabia after mares. About twenty of these finely bred animals made the long journey and these are ; known in history as "The Royal Mares of King Charles." IMPORTED FAMOUS BYERLY TURK. William and Mary encouraged the industry by every possible means, and it was during their reign that the Byerly Turk was in-ported. This horse was owned by Captain Byerly and was used by him as a charger in the Irish campaign. He afterward became 1 one of the most famous horses in the whole world. Queen Anne was from first to last a racing monarch, and a short time after she was crowned, the Darley Arabian became famous. He was the second of the three pillars of the English Stud Book, the first being the Byerly Turk. During Queen Annes reign, twenty-three stallions in all were brought from the East to England and on her command the breeding of good horses was commenced the on scientific principles. She not only sent men to the East, but searched Europe for eastern sires. It was during her reign that the third great horse of history was secured. This was the world-famous Godolphin Arabian, bought in Paris in 1728. When this horse died in 1753 men came from hundreds of miles to attend his funeral and a chronicler of the time says that a favorite cat sat disconsolate on the horses grave. King George I. did not become much interested in the horse breeding industry, but the Duke of Cumberland, a son of his successor, was the founder of the famous Ascot race course. He also established studs at . Cumberland and on the Isle of Dogs, where it is said Eclipse was foaled. This brings us up to the establishment of the English Stud Book in which authentic record has been kept of thoroughbreds since the eighteenth century. t t 1 t t " j 5 S j i I 1 I i j j :
