Horses of the West
The Preston Town & Country Library located in Hot Springs, Montana often culls its numerous shelves of reading material and turns some of it loose to a set of shelves just inside the entrance, offering it to its patrons. That is where I found a beautiful little book on horses and ponies for the taking. The Observer's Book of Horses and Ponies by R.S. Summerhays was printed in Great Britain by publishers Frederick Warne & Co. LTD of London and New York. The book provides a description and history of one hundred and eleven breeds and varieties of horses with 85 illustrations. The book is one of 40 such books in the Observer's Pocket Series with diverse topics such as cats, commercial vehicles, basic aircraft both civil and military, railway locomotives, music, wild animals and trees. In the introduction to the book there is discussion on horse breeding in the United States, citing the fact that Christopher Columbus was responsible for re-introducing the horse to America via the West Indies. One of the first horses discussed is the Albino, which it states is a colour type, not a breed that has been fostered and developed in the Americas since 1937. The foundation sire is to have been "Old King," foaled in 1906 and believed to have been of ArabianMorgan stock, and a great number of circus and parade horses were descended from him. The American Quarter horse began in Virginia in the early days of the colonies as a race horse. Owing to the lack of cleared sites for proper race courses short improvised tracks called "race paths," were cut out of the virgin wilderness, about a quarter of a mile long, and so the horse bred to race these was called a "Quarter Horse." These quick starters and fast sprinters were originally bred from a cross of the Thoroughbred stallions and native mares, the latter of Spanish origin brought into Florida through the Carolinas. The genealogical point starts with an English Thoroughbred "Janus," which flourished in Virginia and North Carolina between 1756 and 1780. These horses became a favorite of the cattle men for rounding up cattle. The American Saddle horse traces its genealogy back to horses from the Thoroughbred together with horses from Spain, France, Africa and the East. The officially designated founder of the present saddle horse is the Thoroughbred "Denmark" foaled in 1839 with the blood of "Messenger," also running in this breed. The specialty of the breed is the gaits which it exhibits in the show-ring, for which it is now exclusively bred. The Appaloosa, a spotted horse well loved by circuses, is derived from a breed of horse developed by the Nez Perce Indians in the Palouse country of Central Idaho and Eastern Washington, developed primarily for war purposes. An interesting note is that something akin to the Appaloosa has been found in ancient Chinese paintings dating back over 3,000 years. A ?[Z[\? \H???H\????\? H???Y??[??\? ?X? ?\?H[Y\?X?[?X??Y[????[??\???\?]?Y???H ????[\?Y???H?[?\?[?[ \?XK?H[??[?]\?[ H ? ?[?????H?H ???[?]? H] H?^H ?[[???\?[?[??[?? ?X? ?\???[Y[? M?L?[? H?Y[?[?[?Z[???[? ?H??\?[? ?H??\???\??X\??\?[?[??[?X?YY ? ?H H??H] ? Y[? H ?\?[ ? ?\?H ? ?Z?[??X]Y ?]?[?\?HX\?\?\? ???[?H ?\?H[[??^X? ?\X?\??[\?[??H ?\?]?[? X[ H \??\?Y??H\??H ?[H?H HK??\?^H[? ]?H ? Y?\?H?X\???? ?????\?[? ?H]\?[????????\?H \?H\ YY ?[X\?[ H ? H?\?[? ?[ZY?\?[??\?? H Z[??? ?\?\??[Y\?X?K?H?[YH]\?[??\?\?]?Y???H H?[?\?Y\?[???YX[?[?? ? ?[??\? ?X?[? \????Y\????H H?[?\?Y\?K H?[YH?]?[? ?\????X][????^?Y\??[???[?\??Y?[????^????Y? ???H?X?H[? MLNH H?\?? ?YH??\? ??H ?Y[?[? H?]??? ? \?[?? HY ?[? \?\?? H??]Z\?Y?\?X[?H? Z\???\? ? ?^YY[? ?\?H?\ \?Y?H H[?X[??[????H \?H??\? ?\?\? ?? \?H?\?[??\? ?\?H??Y ? ??[H H?X]Z[??\?H ?\?H ?\?[?\? \\? ?][? \? \?K H?\??Z[?? H[?X[? ?KH ?? X??[?X[???YY[??[? ?[X?[??H \?H????????Y\????HH?[?\? ???YX[?[?? ??Y?? ?YK[? ?\?\ YY ? H ?[\?[?[?? [?[YXX?H]\?[???]?\?H??????\? ?\? ?\ ?\?[?Y[?X[?H ? ?[??H ?Y\?[???X?[?][????H????[?[??Y\?X?]Y H]\?[???X?[YHH \?Y?[Y? ?YKZ??K[? ?\? B??