The horse : with a treatise on draught / by William Youatt.

William Youatt

Date:: 1859

Credit: The horse : with a treatise on draught / by William Youatt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

26/624 page 10

$The Thessalians always maintained their character as the first and the choicest of the Grecian cavalry. In point of fact, it was the only part of the country in whicli horses could with decided advantage be bred. It abounded in rich pastures, whereas the rest of Greece was comparatively dry and barren. Blundeville, who was an excellent classic as well as horseman, says:— “ The horses of Greece have good legges, great bodyes, comely heads, and are of a high stature, and very well made forwarde, butt not backwarde, because they are pyn-buttocked. Notwithstanding, they are verye swift, and of a bolde courage. But of all the races in Greece, both the horses and mares of Thessaly for their bewtie, Ingnesse, bountie and courage, of all authors are most celebrated. For which cause Xerxes, on his coming into Greece, made a running of horses in chariots to be pro- clay med only in Thessalia, because he woulde have his owne horses to runne wythe the best horses in Greece. Julius Caesar, also, beying Dictator of Rome, knowyng the courage of these horses, was the first that ordeyned them as a spectacle before the people to fyghte wythe wylde bulls, and to kyll them.” From various of the Greek authors we can very satisfactorily trace the rapid improvement which about this time took place in the character and management of the horse. It has been stated that the soil and pioduce oi Greece were not favourable for the breeding of horses, and that it could be a matter of profit only in Thessaly. They soon, however, became necessary in almost every part of the country, both for offence and defence: therefore, in most of the cities, and particularly in Athens and in Sparta, in order to induce the inhabitants to keep the requisite number, a new order of citizens was instituted, deemed the second in rank m the commonwealth, and distinguished by certain lionouis and pii\ileges. The equites, or knights in the Roman republic, were formed on the same model. . . It is in some of the first Grecian sculptures that we first see the bit in the horse’s mouth, but it is not always that we do see it; on the contrary there is frequently neither bridle, saddle, nor stirrup. It however was frequently necessary to make use of cords or thongs, in order to confine the horse to the place at which it suited the rider for awhile to leave him. These cords were fastened round the animal’s neck, and may be seen in several of the ancient figures. According to some writers, the occasional struggles of the animal to escape from these trammels, and the strength which he exerted in order to accomplish his purpose, first suggested the idea of harnessing him to certain machines for the purpose of drawing them; and it is very evident that soon after this it must have occurred to the horseman, that if this rope were put over the head, and over the muzzle or perhaps into the mouth of the animal, he would be moie easily fastened and led from place to place, and more securely guided iind managed whether the man be off or on his back. Hence arose the biidle. It pio- bably was at first nothing more than a halter or cord by which the horse was usually confined. An improvement on this was a detached coidoi rope, with prolongations coming up on both sides of the mouth, and giving the rider much greater power over the animal; and aftei that, for the sake of cleanliness, and to prevent the wear and tear of the rope, and also giving yet more command over the animal, an iron bit was fitted to the mouth, and rested on the tongue, and the bridle was attached to each end of it. It was the common snaffle bridle of the present day, the iron being jointed and flexible, or often composed of a chain.. lhere were, however, no cross pieces to these bits at the mouth, but simple knobs or bulbs, to the inside of which the bits were attached. Bits and bridles of this kind occur frequently in the Athenian sculptures$

The horse : with a treatise on draught / by William Youatt.

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