AUSTRALIAN HORSES.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 317, 26 March 1875, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN HORSES.

| (From the report of tlie Indian, Government agent.- # '■ f •

Muclrhas been said and written on th''- . hardiness of. .-..the > Australian horses, and which has been attributed to the effect ofclimate and> food'.., .-A*s". evidence - it: is stajeV.Hhat longjounieys-have been -pertonned by horsesHwitir no other, siistehtince than grass. Without in any way dispariiging lhes" assertions. I inny" le pmnitted to"-mention that though ' v= ry lo.ig ionrnevs have been-performed in the Australian. Colonies; itjis^not.usual to demand., more from a horse. : as a day's .journey,,.than is required from the Cape, horse in Pouth Africa tr frnni'the''English horse.to iireat 7Wtaiir~^ixty. and . eighty, miles .have been accomplished bv ifie' frequently in Kaffir land .And, the Cape Colony," t lie horse having no oilier food during the journey than, gt ass. - In .England. , s-ixly miles a clay ii 110, uncommon distance to ride or drive one hoxse, and eighty have not inifiequently been dona by me in the. hunting; seasons. , Jjt.,isj;iu-ged jthat-lthe .horse in, IW>"»gla»id>-i&*not-fed-on-grggß-:-this is admitted, but the hunter has to' -endure -privation tis jdngl ;aijd in'man iongei w vhah ! a p'erforlmng .tfie* same distance in "tiny of the Culeniesi>■ where*, {jfassahffimds^^ince:;^."i§..nft v atlowed' food during Ahe.:time, he is.'abseni- -from his• .6tSb!e, 'which .isonietimcs .exceeds ten on.: tvwlwJMWrs.- these assertions advanced a& proo& ef tiie eaperbrity of

Australia??*"horses,''cannot by received- "as posses'stiTg' absolute weight. That horses can 'from™grass in the Austr.uli.uri have had sufficienUproof, ..but -.to- argue ■that "this is the result of some superiority,; existing from, cij mate;, is, I think vlallacious, and .slwuid t Jo the fact that the grasses are much jess succulent and far more nutritive than the grasses produced in England,-»in short, partake of the character of good.sound hay. The conclusion I arrive at is,'that it is not'because a horse is produced in either Australia, the Cape of Good Hope, Arabia,or •England, he should possess superior powers of endurance and bear greater privation ; but a horse bred in one of these countries, with'"a conformation adapted for. the performance of a special task, can accomplish it as readily as one bred in another, the circumstances under which it is performed being ecjual: In further illustrauon of this I may mention that the 12th Lancers, at-the-commencement of* their service in the Kaffir war, were mounted on horses purchased previous to the arrival "off the regiment. .Many ot these, from being totally unfit, were cast and sold, and a number were shot daily when " patrolling, from bejjjg unable to proceed with the column ; so that t in Uss .than a year" not more than a 100 horses: were efficient. 400 remounts of i a different description - were .then purchased,- out of which not one was . shot in consequence of inabilitj* to continue the march, and they- were ~generally.~considered.as efficient as cavalry . troop..horses_,in^En fe land.r But it must be admitted that sonic countries offer greateradvantagts for. breeding than others; also that,. certain . conformations and qualities predominate 1 with; one elass more than, with others.. For instance,-the docility of -the-Arab is -proverbial^;--his legs, though not large, are niechanic'ally well formed," tlie- tendons and ligaments consequently little hable'to sprains or lacerations hisT pasterns are lougand add to his elasticity of gait; but. their obliquity and connection" with.the, bones above are such :that rup-'-ture ; or extension of the suspensory liga-ment'£\'-break down") is never met with. His ribs are round though notTdeep, and 'his abdomen not too large, hence he retains condition with a moderate allowance of food, ancfspeedily recovers from fatigue, die is wide; at the withers, proving that his anterior ribs are.round,, and a> large cubi-cal.space-is Hhus afforded, for a- develop, ment of lungs and heart." Ilis'back is : short l arid wide,-. and loins well clothedwith r muscle.,, These : several qualifications -being the rule; and not the exception, have entitled - 'tlie" well-deservedv character of carrying weight, "performing long journeys,; and enduring privation" liut the almost invariable want of obliquity 'of the shoulder,.or more properly speaking tlie angle famed.-by.the,blade arm bones, renders; him a-..bad;hack,■■■.■and therefore his : mechanical powen of recovering his jequihbriu.n after stnkiug-'one foot against ; an inequality -is greatly reduced. 1 The English-,horse:, presents such;'a;variety of shapes that-nor description will-suffice lor the-- classy. : but. hunters and frequently Slacks are selected possessing all the qualifications of the -Arab, exee'pt perhaps? hisextreme docility a"nd length of pastern ; and in -addition, with shoulders adapted for.j-iding at either a walk or a . gentle trot • over"the rouglust ground. .The' size""oT the English horse'gives to him greater speed. The horses bred in the Australian Colonies also present a variety of fdrnns spme so, constructed as to be comparatively' Worthless, and a very large portion, possess evei"* requisite for speed or 'endur/iti"e, combined with such formation of shoulders as to vender them' excellent hacks."' " ' .