From the half-bred hunter we pass by insensible gradation to the ordinary saddle- and carriage-horses. The ideal carriage-horse, however, is more of a distinct breed than the hunter, and known as the Cleveland Bay. It has been produced by mingling the blood of the thoroughbred with that of a horse of stouter make than that of the hunter type.
The record broad jump for the hunter, we might mention in passing, is variously stated to be from 33 to 37 feet!
Photo by. T. Fall] [Baker Street.
DONKEY.
This is a typical English coster's donkey, and won the first prize at the Southwark Show.
The Shetland Pony.
This is a native of the Shetland Islands, and remarkable for its small size, docility, and hardihood. It is allowed to run nearly wild, and made to forage almost entirely for itself. In the winter it grows a coat of great length, which, soon becoming matted, forms a most effective protection against cold and wet. The Dartmoor, Exmoor, and New Forest are likewise small breeds, but lack the symmetry and beauty of the Shetland.
Cart-horses.
Under this head are included all the large, heavily built draught-horses. These are of European origin, and without intermixture of foreign—Asiatic or African—blood. In England the most important breeds are the Black or Shire Horse, the Clydesdale, and the Suffolk Punch. These are wonderful instances of the results of selective breeding towards a definite end—large size, accompanied by great physical strength and powers of endurance. To accomplish this, speed has had to be sacrificed.