Monarch of the Animal World

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 478, 6 October 1928, Page 17

Monarch of the Animal World

An Answer To Those Who Claim the Horse Is Doomed

('Written for THE SUN by

C. E. CRAIG.)

PEAKING at a luncheon” given by the New Zealand Veterinary Associa t i o n recently at Wellington, Major-General R. Young, G.O.C. New

Zealand Military Forces, did not hold out much hope for the veterinary world as he thought “It looked as If the poor old horse was doomed.” There is a growing tendency in this era of invention and industrial achievement to belittle the usefulness of man’s recognised greatest friend —the horse —which leads innumerable peo-

pla to conclude that his sphere of general activity is not only cramped, but in the not distant future will be ended. While it is universally admitted that the wonderful strides made during the last decade by the motor in its various forms has caused the duties of the equine family to be restricted, it is a mistaken theory to suggest that the horse is passing from power altogether. The utility animal is certainly not in such keen demand to-day, his place having been usurped in many walks of life by the all-powerful car. Where transit in the good old days was made

by coach, with a well-groomed, prancing team ahead, the übiquitous petroldriven conveyance holds pride of place. "Where vehicular transport of goods was the only means of supply

and exchange, the motor-lorry holds the balance of power. Where the neat horse and gig did yeoman service for the family jaunt in the open air, the run-about has firmly mastered the situation. This conquest of the horse by mechanical power was inevitable and chiefly due to the superior speed and power of the motor-car with its many labour-saving devices. Nevertheless, i tlm wonderful achievements of the horse before the advent of the motor : will not readily be erased from the ! mind of man. The horse will have its place in history.

The gallantry and bravery of the war-horse of the earlier period have been the theme of poets, who have sung for future ages the epic story of the horse in war-time. The late Adam Lindsay Gordon, whose works teem with his appreciation of horses, has written thus of the horse on the battle field.: — Did they quail, those steeds of the squadron slight? Did they flinch from the battle's roar? When they burst on the guns of the Muscovite,

By the echoing Black Sea shore? On! on! to the cannon’s mouth they stride, With never a swerve or a shy, Oh! the minutes of yonder maddening ride, Long years of pleasure outvie! No slave, but a comrade staunch, in this, Is the horse, for he takes his share. Not in peril alone, but in feverish bliss. And in longing to do and dare.” The horse may probably never be required to play a prominent part again in the battlefield, invention having supplied other means of transport. The armoured motor-car, the tank, and the airplane will replace the horse in war areas of the future. But there is one sphere where the all-powerful motor-car is unable to dethrone the horse, and that is in the realm of sport. With all its speed and thrills, the motor cannot impart that degree of excitement and enthusiasm in the world of recreation that is provided by the horse. From time im

memorial the horse has supplied exciting sport for the people of all nations, has been the means of satisfying the cravings of a public bent on diversion from the hum-drum features of every-day life. Sport, generally speaking, spells relaxation, and .he public has, through the ages, set aside so many hours of its day to its pursuit. Of all the forms of sport in which horses play their part, racing has the strongest hold with the public. It has been termed “The Sport of Kings.” This is surely” v a misnomer, in view of

its universal appeal, but it can with accuracy be termed a “kingly sport.” Is not the horse the king of animals? RV'rg i s no t confined to the horse alone. A. B. (“Banjo”) Paterson has claimed that everything races. To quote a little of his argument: Why, everything races, no matter Whatever its method may be: The waterfowl hold a regatta; The ’possums run heats up a tree; The emus are constantly sprinting A handicap out on the sands, And the cockatoo parrots are hinting Of races to far away lands.

PASTORAL —A typical New Zealand farm, with a stalwart team, of horses before the plough. As a medium for the regular supply of thrills and excitement, the horse’s hold on public affection is as secure to-day, as at any time-in its history or in fact even more so. The advancement and progress made in recent years in the development of a super-horse is meeting with wonderful success. In both the galloping and trotting sports enormous strides are being made in the breeding of high-grade, blue-blooded, dyed-in-the-wool and stamped-in-every-link type of animal. The noble steed of to-day is being bred for speed and yet more speed, while stamina—that all important factor—is being developed to the utmost capacity. Those who consider the “days of the horse are numbered” have possibly not given due consideration to the sport-

ing side of the question. Otherwise, if sincere in the expression of their belief that the poor old horse is really doomed from the viewpoint of military and general usefulness, they would readily admit that as the idol of the sporting brotherhood, the world over, the horse is more than holding its own. Even opponents of racing today are being forced to admit that remarkable progress is being made in the breeding of horse flesh, which, despite the opposition to the industry, is placing it and the horse on a higher plane in the public estimation. The horse, as king of his particular realm, is maintaining the high purpose of his creation. He was made to be of assistance to mankind, and nobly a d well has he carried out the fundamental object of his existence. In their own generation the wise may sneer ; They hold our sports in derision; Perchance to sophist, or sage or seer , Were allotted a graver vision. Yet, if man, of all the Creator plann'd , His noblest work is reckoned, Of the works of His hand, by sea or by land, The horse may at least rank second. And then, what of the hunting field? <Cjan man’s inventive brain devise some

THE TROTTER. THE PACER AND THE RUNNER IN ACTION— This sketch shows the three gaits which horses assume when travelling at speed, in the relative positions which the speeds of the different gaits would place them. The trotter (left) strikes , at the completion of each stride, on the fore-foot of one side and the hind-foot of the opposite side: thus always the legs of the same side move in opposite directions, the fore-foot being raised before the hind-foot of the same side passes over to its landing position. The pacer ( centre ) moves the two legs of the same side together in perfect rhythm, both when leaving the ground and when landing: this gait is clearer from interference than the trot and is a little faster. The runner (right) differs entirely from the two others, in that at the end of each stride he lands on one hind foot. After the impetus of the next stride has been given by the hindquarters, the weight is placed entirely upon one fore-leg before the animal leaves the ground. It is this peculiarity of stride in the runner that places so much more strain upon the thoroughbred racehorse than is borne either by the trotter or the pacer. Both the latter, with only a light harness upon them, bring their weight down upon two feet, whereas the weight of the runner and of its mount is thrown entirely upoii one.

contraption that will bring about the passing of the horse from the haunts of the hunting world? The answer is emphatically “no.” Nothing can usurp the power of the horse in this exhilarating, exciting and popular pastime. And the sport which leads across country with the hounds is, to say the least of it, a “princely” one, patronised as it is to the fullest extent by the popular Prince of Wales. The exploits of the future monarch of the

British Empire over the big country have at times staggered his future subjects, and it has been repeatedly hinted in higher circles that an end Should be put to his pranks with the horse before the horse puts an end to his Royal flighness’s prospects of ever reaching the throne. But the Prince merely laughs at these fears and continues to indulge in the sport he loves so well, and to prove to the world at large that, in his opinion, the “poor old horse is many removes from being doomed, or past its sphere of usefulness.” It must not be forgotten, too, that even as a utility animal, the horse is still playing his not inconspicuous part. There are at least a few departments where the motor or tractor cannot hope to displace man’s faithful friend.

The horse is the thing! You may have the thrills That come with the gasolene; You may have the spills And the pace that kills In your auto or flying machine; For the flyer that flies In the vaulted skies Must come to earth if his engine dies. But the fire that lies In the horse's- eyes Is the spark that lives and intensifies. So here's to the horse —The King.