DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6553#0222
APPENDIX.
143
body, and broke through with his hinder legs, without any other
injury than a scratch below his stifle. The whole leap was about
eighteen feet in breadth. The horse has also good length for his
size, but he has not the shape of a race-horse ; what his progeny
might eventually turn out is another question.
Several of the other horses shewed blood, and were of good
substance and height. The Shereef himself, when at the Pyra-
mids, rode a five-year-old bay horse, which had the appearance
and action of an English hunter; and one of his attendants was
mounted on an animal of unrivalled beauty and animation.
Although of low stature, he was the strongest and most magni-
ficent war-horse I ever saw ; but he was old, and had been in the
stud at Shoubrah. I saw also in the Shereef's stables a bay
and a fine five-year-old grey mare, belonging to one of his sons,
and one or two other clever horses, any of which I could have
obtained with much less trouble, and with less expense, than the
yearling. They were in better condition than the horses belong-
ing to the Pacha, but in point of value could not be compared
with the best of his stud, which I have already described to have
been brought from Mecca; indeed, 1 believe that some of them
were taken from the Shereef s stables.
It is to be observed, that most of the best, and highest bred
horses from Mecca, and from the Hedjas, had great bone, and
were of good size, (like the grey, and the chestnut Wellesley
Arabians), they had also the finest muscular shape, and indica-
tions of high blood; but, with a few exceptions, particularly
amongst the mares, they have not the length and character
esteemed in England.
The horses in the mountainous parts of Syria are of a different
breed and form from the Arab, with which, however, they are
often crossed, they are taller and larger, but not so muscular.1
The Druses of Mount Lebanon, (although, from the extreme
difficulty of the roads, mules might have been supposed preferable
to horses,) were finely mounted, chiefly on mares, and have
a highly picturesque costume, composed of shawls of rich and
various colours.
I tried a great many horses at Beyrout, and bought two
grey mares, that answered for the journey, but neither of them
were of any real value. One of them, a slight white mare, shewed
1 It is probable that the mountain Arabs mentioned in our old stud-books
were of this race.
143
body, and broke through with his hinder legs, without any other
injury than a scratch below his stifle. The whole leap was about
eighteen feet in breadth. The horse has also good length for his
size, but he has not the shape of a race-horse ; what his progeny
might eventually turn out is another question.
Several of the other horses shewed blood, and were of good
substance and height. The Shereef himself, when at the Pyra-
mids, rode a five-year-old bay horse, which had the appearance
and action of an English hunter; and one of his attendants was
mounted on an animal of unrivalled beauty and animation.
Although of low stature, he was the strongest and most magni-
ficent war-horse I ever saw ; but he was old, and had been in the
stud at Shoubrah. I saw also in the Shereef's stables a bay
and a fine five-year-old grey mare, belonging to one of his sons,
and one or two other clever horses, any of which I could have
obtained with much less trouble, and with less expense, than the
yearling. They were in better condition than the horses belong-
ing to the Pacha, but in point of value could not be compared
with the best of his stud, which I have already described to have
been brought from Mecca; indeed, 1 believe that some of them
were taken from the Shereef s stables.
It is to be observed, that most of the best, and highest bred
horses from Mecca, and from the Hedjas, had great bone, and
were of good size, (like the grey, and the chestnut Wellesley
Arabians), they had also the finest muscular shape, and indica-
tions of high blood; but, with a few exceptions, particularly
amongst the mares, they have not the length and character
esteemed in England.
The horses in the mountainous parts of Syria are of a different
breed and form from the Arab, with which, however, they are
often crossed, they are taller and larger, but not so muscular.1
The Druses of Mount Lebanon, (although, from the extreme
difficulty of the roads, mules might have been supposed preferable
to horses,) were finely mounted, chiefly on mares, and have
a highly picturesque costume, composed of shawls of rich and
various colours.
I tried a great many horses at Beyrout, and bought two
grey mares, that answered for the journey, but neither of them
were of any real value. One of them, a slight white mare, shewed
1 It is probable that the mountain Arabs mentioned in our old stud-books
were of this race.