The origin and influence of the thoroughbred horse . with one hand, and grasping thebit with his other; on the right is a Scythian putting hobbleson the fore-feet of a horse, which is standing quietly. It hasbeen remarked that this last horse is the only one of thosepourtrayed which resembles in type the Kirghis horses ofmodern times. The large heads and thick shaggy manes of themajority show them to be closely related to the little horsesof the Sigynnae of central Europe. It is possible that thoserepresented with hog manes may be another breed, but it is farmore likely that the hogged manes a
The origin and influence of the thoroughbred horse . with one hand, and grasping thebit with his other; on the right is a Scythian putting hobbleson the fore-feet of a horse, which is standing quietly. It hasbeen remarked that this last horse is the only one of thosepourtrayed which resembles in type the Kirghis horses ofmodern times. The large heads and thick shaggy manes of themajority show them to be closely related to the little horsesof the Sigynnae of central Europe. It is possible that thoserepresented with hog manes may be another breed, but it is farmore likely that the hogged manes are simply due to individualtaste in the owner or the artist. In Plinys^ time it was believedthat a mare was rendered less erotic by hogging her mane. ^ Antiquites de la Russie meridionale, by Prof. Kondakof, Count J. Tolstoi,and M. S. Eeinach (Paris, 1891), pp. 88, 295—8 (from which my figure iscopied). 2 H. N. VIII. 164 : equarum libido extinguitur iuba tonsa. Ill] AND HISTORIC TIMES 131 Although some of the blood of the ancient horses probably. still flows in the veins of the horses of the steppes, and in thelarge agricultural breed, yet as all the horses of superior quality, 9—2 132 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. whether stud or agricultural, are descended wholly, or in part,from Dutch, Danish, Mecklenburg, English, and Arab sires andmares imported at various times since 1712, it will be best todefer our account of modern Russian breeds until after we havetreated of the various stocks of medieval and modern timesfrom which they are derived. Just as the Cossack pony from the steppes, though completelymodified now by foreign blood, is yet lineally descended fromthe small steeds of the Scythians and Sarmatians, so the oldestelement in the breeds of the various Turko-Tartaric tribes, whomay be taken as the modern representatives of the Massagetae,Sacae, and other cognate tribes, is probably derived from thehorses of the last-named peoples. It is very important to notice that
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