The Horse in History

CHAPTER I. Page

PAGE Rameses; early Egyptian chariots—Horses of Babylon and of Libya—Erichthonius; horse of Job; horses of Solomon—Early circus riding—Dancing horses of the Sybarites; the Crotonians' stratagem—Homer's “Iliad”; Menesthus; early wagering—Patroclus; Achilles; Euphorbus; Hyperenor—Horses and chariots of the Thracians—Ancient Greeks and horsemanship; decline in the popularity of war chariots; inauguration of cavalry—Xenophon on horsemanship—White horses 1

CHAPTER II. Increasing Interest in Horses—Herodotus; Thucydides; War

Increasing interest in horses—Herodotus; Thucydides; war chariots of the Persians—Horses represented on coinage—Wooden horse of Troy—The Parthenon frieze; Greek art—Plato; white horses—The procession of Xerxes; horses and men sacrificed—The horse of Darius—Horse racing introduced among the Romans—Xenophon and Simo—Early horseshoes, bits and bitting; ancient methods of mounting 23

CHAPTER III. Xenophon Disliked the “american” Seat—Cavalry Organised

Xenophon disliked the “American” seat—Cavalry organised by the Athenians—Cost of horses twenty-three centuries ago—Aristophanes; Aristotle; Athenians' fondness for horse racing—Alexander the Great; Bucephalus—Story of Bucephalus; his death—Famous painters of horses: Apelles, Pauson, Micon—Mythical flesh-eating horses of Diomed—Hannibal's cavalry of 12,000 horse—Coins—Posidonius; horses of the Parthians, Iberians and Celtiberians 45

CHAPTER IV. Virgil on the Points of a Horse—Cæsar's Invasion—Abolition

Virgil on the points of a horse—Cæsar's invasion—Abolition of war chariots—Precursor of the horseshoe—Nero's 2000 mules shod with silver; Poppæa's shod with gold—The Ossianic and Cuchulainn epic cycles; Cuchulainn's horses—The Iceni on Newmarket Heath; early horse racing in Britain—Horses immolated by the Romans; white horses as prognosticators—Caligula's horse, Incitatus; Celer, the horse of Verus; the horse of Belisarius 67

CHAPTER V. Mahomet Encourages Horse-Breeding—Procopius; a

Mahomet encourages horse-breeding—Procopius; a misstatement—Early allusion to horse races—Figures of horses cut on cliffs—Roland and his horse, Veillantiff—Orelia, Roderick's charger—Trebizond, Alfana; Odin's mythical horse, Sleipnir—Horse fighting in Iceland—Some horses of mythology: Pegasus, Selene, Xanthos, Balios, Cyllaros, Arion, Reksh—Arab pedigrees traced through dams—Influence of the horse upon history—Courage of Julius Cæsar's horses 86

PART II. From the Conquest to the Stuart Period

FROM THE CONQUEST TO THE STUART PERIOD

CHAPTER I

The Conqueror's cavalry—Horse fairs and races at Smithfield—King John's foolish fad—The Persians and their horses—Relics of Irish art; what they indicate—Simon de Montfort the first master of foxhounds—The king's right to commandeer horses—Sir Eustace de Hecche; Battle of Falkirk—Marco Polo and white horses; curious superstitions—Edward III. and Richard II. encourage horse breeding—Battle of Crecy 107

CHAPTER II. Richard Ii.'s Horse, Roan Barbary—Thoroughbred English Horses

Richard II.'s horse, Roan Barbary—Thoroughbred English horses characteristic of the nation—Chaucer; Cambuscan's wooden horse—Don Quixote's Aligero Clavileno—Horse race between the Prince of Wales and Lord Arundel—The Chevalier Bayard; his horse, Carman—The Earl of Warwick's horse, Black Saladin—Joan of Arc—King Richard's horse, White Surrey—Charles VIII. of France's horse, Savoy—Dame Julyana Berners—Wolsey's horsemanship—Queen Elizabeth's stud 127

CHAPTER III. Inauguration and Development of the Royal Stud—Exportation

Inauguration and development of the Royal Stud—Exportation of horses declared by Henry VIII. to be illegal—Sale of horses to Scotsmen pronounced to be an act of felony—Riding matches become popular—Ferdinand of Arragon's gift of horses to Henry VIII.—Henry's love of hunting—King Henry stakes the bells of St Paul's on a throw of the dice—Some horses of romance—Horse-breeding industry crippled in Scotland 148

CHAPTER IV. North America Without Horses When Columbus Landed—Scarcity

North America without horses when Columbus landed—Scarcity of horses at the Conquest of Mexico—Francisco Pizarro; his cavaliers terrify the Indians—Emperor Charles V. sends horses to King Edward VI.—David Hume, “a man remarkable for piety, probity, candour and integrity”; his practices in connection with horse racing—Queen Elizabeth fond of racing; condition of the Turf during her reign—Stallions fed on eggs and oysters—Lord Herbert of Cherbury's antagonistic attitude towards the Turf—Some horses in Shakespeare's plays—Performing horse and its owner publicly burnt to death—Horses trained by cruelty 168

CHAPTER V. King Henry Viii. and Queen Elizabeth Passionately Fond of

King Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth passionately fond of hunting—John Selwyn's remarkable feat in the hunting field; the monument at Walton-on-Thames—Don Quixote and his steed, Rosinante; Peter of Provence's wooden horse, Babieca; Clavileno and the Cid's horse—Mary Queen of Scots' favourite horses—Queen Elizabeth's retinue of 2400 horses—Arundel, Aquiline, Brigadore—The horses of Anatolia and Syria—Sir Robert Carey's historic ride from London to Edinburgh in sixty hours—The horses of Napoleon I. 187

PART III. From the Stuart Period to the Present Day

FROM THE STUART PERIOD TO THE PRESENT DAY

CHAPTER I

Arrival of the Markham Arabian, the first Arab imported into England—Newmarket village founded by James I.—Decline of the “great horse”—The Royal Studs—James I. organises a race meeting on the frozen River Ouse—Superstitious beliefs concerning horses—James I. meets with a grotesque riding mishap—Prosperity of the Turf—Riding match between Lord Haddington and Lord Sheffield—The Turf vigorously denounced as “an evil likely to imperil the whole country's prosperity” 202

CHAPTER II. First Races of Importance Run At Newmarket—Races in

First races of importance run at Newmarket—Races in Hyde Park—The Helmsley Turk and the Morocco Barb—Racing introduced into Holland—Importation of Spanish stallions into England—Prince Charles's riding master, the Duke of Newcastle—Increasing cost of horses—Marshal de Bassompierre; his loss through gambling, £500,000 in a year; Sir John Fenwick—Sir Edward Harwood's pessimism—Cromwell's Ironsides—Armour discarded—The opposition to stage coaches; Mr Cressett's theory; Charles II. favours their adoption 222

CHAPTER III. The Commonwealth's “ordinance to Prohibit Horse

The Commonwealth's “ordinance to prohibit horse racing”—Revival of racing under Charles II.—The King a finished horseman—The figure of Britannia—The Royal Mares—Formation of the thoroughbred stud—Thomas Shadwell's cynical description of life at Newmarket—Spread of horse racing in Ireland—Jockeys at Newmarket entertained by Charles II.—Sir Robert Carr; the Duke of Monmouth's connection with the Turf—Annual charge for horses of the Royal household, £16,640—Newmarket under the régime of the Merry Monarch; the Duke of Buckingham 242

CHAPTER IV. Arrival of the Byerley Turk—Roman Catholics Forbidden to Own

Arrival of the Byerley Turk—Roman Catholics forbidden to own a horse worth over £5—Henry Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, on the manners of the age—King William III.'s death due to a riding accident—The Duke of Cumberland's breeding establishment in Queen Anne's reign—Arrival of the Darley Arabian—The Godolphin Arabian—Royal Ascot inaugurated by Queen Anne—“Docking” and “cropping” condemned by Queen Anne; attempt to suppress these practices—The story of Eclipse—Some horses of romance—Copenhagen and Marengo 261

CHAPTER V. A Retrospective Summary—the Beginning of the End—Superstition

A retrospective summary—The beginning of the end—Superstition of the horseshoe—The Bedouins and their horses—Some classic thoroughbreds of modern times—Horses hypnotised—The Derby and the Oaks—Horse racing in Mongolia—Conclusion 281

INDEX 295

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Knight, Death, and the Devil Frontispiece From an engraving by Albert Dürer.

Combat between Amazons and Attic heroes. Fourth century, B.C. 19 From a Greek vase in the British Museum.

Greek coins showing horses in the early centuries before Christ 27

The Emperor Trajan, showing Roman style of riding 33 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

The Emperor Theodosius, showing saddle 33 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

A Parthian horseman, showing Parthian style of riding bareback 33 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

Sarmatian horse and warrior, meant to represent horse and rider in armour made of plates of bone or of horse-hoof 33 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

A portion of the Parthenon Frieze, executed by Phidias about the year 440 B.C. 39

Roman soldier about to adjust “stocking” used in place of shoes 44 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

Roman soldier about to mount on off side 44 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

A Mauritanian horseman, showing how the Mauritanians and Humidians rode without saddle or bridle 44 From Richard Berenger's “The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

Alexander the Great on horseback, about 338 B.C. The figure is believed to represent Bucephalus 55 From a bronze in the British Museum.

Persians fighting with elephants against the Romans, about the time of Pyrrhus, 280 B.C. This picture has been wrongly attributed to Raphael 62 From an engraving.

Caligula on horseback. About 37 A.D. 79 From a figure in the British Museum.

Bayeux tapestry supposed to represent the Battle of Hastings, 1066 110

Statue of Colleoni by Verrocchio in Venice 203 From a photo by R. Anderson, Rome.

Van Dyck's famous picture of Charles I. on horseback in the National Gallery, London 225 From a photo by Franz Hanfstængl.

Oliver Cromwell on horseback 233 After the painting by Van Dyck.

Horses of the Cavaliers, seventeenth century. From a painting in the possession of his Majesty King Edward VII. 243 From a photograph by Franz Hanfstængl.

The Duke of Schonberg on a typical charger of the early seventeenth century 257 After the painting by Sir G. Kneller.

Flying Childers, bred by Mr Leonard Childers in 1715, is said to have been “the fastest horse that has ever lived” 269 From a photograph by A. Rischgitz.

Mr O'Kelly's Eclipse, the most famous thoroughbred stallion ever foaled, 1764 273 After the painting by G. Stubbs.

Napoleon at Wagram 279 From the famous painting by Vernet at Versailles. From a photo by Neurdein frères.

Wellington's famous horse, Copenhagen 280 From an engraving (Photo by A. Rischgitz).

Flying Dutchman, foaled 1846 285 From a life-size painting by Herring. By kind permission of the Earl of Rosebery. From a photograph by W. E. Gray.

SOME WORKS CONSULTED

Of the many volumes the writer has consulted whilst engaged in compiling this book, the following are among the more important. The list is arranged alphabetically, according to the authors' names. To the authors or editors, as the case may be, and to the publishers of these works, the writer here begs to acknowledge his very deep indebtedness for the assistance he has derived from consulting the volumes named.

ARRIAN (F.)—“The Anabasis of Alexander.”

AUREGGIO (E.)—“Les Chevaux du Nord de l'Afrique.”

AZARA (F. DE)—“The Natural History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay and the River La Plata.”

BERENGER (R.)—“The History and Art of Horsemanship.”

BLOUNT (T.)—“Antient Tenures.”

BLUNT (W. S.) “Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates.”

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