EQUUS, the horse, in natural history, a genus of mammalia of the order of Be Hum. Generic character : upper fore-teeth pa rallel, and six in number ; in the lower jaw six, rather more projecting; tusks on each side, in both jaws, remote from the rest ; feet with undivided hoofs. There are six species, and very many varieties.
E. caballus, or the common horse. The elegance, grace, and usefulness of the horse entitle him to particular atten tion, and certainly confer upon him a pre-eminence above all other quadru peds. There are few parts of the world in which horses are not to be found ; and in various parts of Africa they maintain their original independence, and range at pleasure in herds of several hundreds, having always one or more as an advanc ed guard, to alarm against approaching danger. These alarms are expressed by a sudden snorting, at which the main body gallop off with the most surprising swiftness: In the south of Siberia also, and at the north-west of China, wild horses are to be found in considerable abundance ; and it is stated, that differ ent herds will carry on hostilities, and one party frequently surround an enemy inferior in number, and conduct them to the hostile territory, manoeuvring perpe tually to baffle all their attempts to escape. On each bank 'of the river Don, towards the Pains Mceotis, horses are found wild, but are supposed to be the descendants of domesticated horses, be longing to the Russian army occupied in the siege of Asoph, at the close of the seventeenth century. In America, like wise, horses are found wild in vast abun 'dance, sweeping the extensive plains of !Buenos Ayres, and the Brazils particu larly, in immense herds. They are ta ken by the inhabitants, by throwing, with great dexterity, a noosed cord over their heads, at full speed ; and are often de stroyed merely for their hides, as an arti cle of commerce. These American hor ses are the descendants of those which were introduced by the Spaniards on their discovery of America, as none pre viously existed on that continent. They_ are, in general, small and clumsily form ed, and their height is rarely above four teen hands. In the deserts of Arabia, it has been stated by several writers, wild horses are extremely abundant ; but Shaw and Sonnini, with greater probabi lity, confine their appearance in that country to the borders of the desert, the latter not supplying materials for their subsistence. Mr. Bruce mentions the horses of Nubia as unequalled in beauty, and far superior to those of Arabia. Of the former little notice has been taken but from that observant traveller; of the latter the fame has long been distinguish ed ; and the Arabian horse, celebrated for his beauty and swiftness, has been long exported to the most remote coun tries of Europe, to correct and improve the native breeds. In Arabia, almosreve ry man possesses his horse, which lives in the same apartment, or tent, with his family, and is considered as constituting by no means the lest important part of it. Harsh and violent applications, such as the whip or spur; are rarely inflicted on it. It is fed with the most regular at
tention, and cleaned with incessant assi duity. The Arab occasionally appears to carry on a conversational intercourse with his horse, and his external attach ment to this animal excites in return a corresponding affection. The horse be ing purified under his management from every vicious propensity, and guarded a gainst casual injury with the utmost soli citude, suffering the infant children to climb its legs without the slightest at tempt to kick or shake them off: The Arabs never cross the breeds of horses, and preserve the genealogies of these ani mals for a considerable number of ge nerations. The horses of Barbary are in high reputation, also, for speed and ele gance, as are likewise those of Spain. In various parts of the East, as in India and in some parts of China, there exists a race of these animals, scarcely exceeding' the height of a large mastiff; and with. their diminutive size are generally con nected not a little intractability and mis chievousness. In no country of the globe has the breeding of the horse been attended to on more enlarged and philo sophic principles than in Great Britain ; and with such success have the efforts of the English on this subject been at tended, that their horses are in the high est estimation throughout Europe, and in periods of national tranquillity consti tute an important article of exportation. Their race-horse is not excelled in fleet ness or beauty by the coursers of Barbary or Arabia, and in supporting a continu ance of intense effort is far superior to them both. Details of the exploits of English racers form a subject of extreme interest to a particular description of readers, and cannot be considered by any admirers of nature as beneath attention. Out of innumerable instances which have been authenticated, we shall just men tion, that Bay Mahon, belonging to the Marquis of Rockingham, ran four miles on the York course in seven minutes and forty-four seconds. The celebrated Chil ders is supposed to have been the fleet est horse ever known in the world. He was opposed by all the most distinguish ed horses of his day, and what is, per haps, unprecedented in such a variety of contests, in every instance bore off the prize. He is stated to have run a mile in very little more than a minute, and his general progress on a four mile course was at the rate of eighty-two feet and a half in a second. Eclipse was almost equally swift with Childers, and was con siderably stronger. His form was by no means considered as handsome, as indeed his dimensions deviated very considera bly from those which were supposed to constitute the standard of perfect beauty in the horse; but, on the most minute examination, his structure was found to be contrived with the most exquisite me chanism for speed. This horse died at the age of twenty-six years, which, though unquestionably great, has been often considerably exceeded. Matchem, ano ther celebrated racer, died at the age of thirty-two. For the race-horse, see Mam malia, Plate XI. fig. 1.