A DISSERTATION on HORSES
Wherein it is demonstrated, by Matters of Fact, as well as fromthe Principles of Philosophy, that INNATE QUALITIES do not exist,and that the excellence of this Animal is altogether mechanicaland not in the Blood.
By William Osmer
London:
Printed for T. Waller, 1756
Summary: Osmer shows us, by what he argues against, the primitivestate of horse-breeding in England where a superstitious belief inbloodline with no attention to conformation rules. This isdifficult for the modern reader to even visualize, after the late19th century development of conformation norms for all breeds ofanimal. Notable for a description of horse raising and use amongthe nomad Arabs, evidence of the survival of the ancient Nisaeanbreed in Turkey, and stories of the Godolphin Arabian.
Transcriber's Note: I have retained most of the originalspellings, as it may be valuable to see how such things havechanged over the centuries. These odd spellings are marked with adouble asterisk (**) not referencing any sort of note. The use ofcapitalization or all-caps is as in the original.
A DISSERTATION ON HORSES
Whoever supposes that Mess. Heber and Pond, or even Mr. JohnCheney, were the first who published accounts of Horse-racing,will find himself much mistaken, for there lived others above ahundred years before them, who not only published accounts ofHorse-racing, but acquainted us with the history of the wrestling,backsword-playing, boxing, and even foot-racing, that happened intheir days; and from them we learn also who were the victors, andhow the racers came in.
Amongst these, lived a man whose name was Homer, a blind orobscure man (for they are synonimous** terms) who occasionallypublished his book of sports, and to him we are obliged also forthe pedigree of many Horses that were esteemed the best in histime. This man was said to be poor, in little esteem, and totravel about the country to sell his books; but though hiscircumstances were very low, his understanding, it seems, was not,for he always took care to pay his court to the great personageswherever he came, and to flatter them in the blood of theirHorses. But though he was little esteemed in his life-time, yethis book of pedigrees and genealogy of Horses was thought souseful, that he was greatly honoured for it after his death. Andwhat is more strange, though the place of his nativity wasunknown, and no country would receive him as a member of theircommunity when living, yet when dead, many nations contended forthe honour of it; but whatever arguments each country may producefor the support of its claim, nothing is more evident than that hewas an Englishman; and there is great reason to believe he wasborn somewhere in the North, though I do not take upon me to sayit absolutely was so. His partiality however, to that part of thekingdom, is manifest enough, for he pretended to say, that a goodracer could be bred in no place but the North; whereas, lateexperience has proved that to be a very idle notion. But as thenorthern gentlemen were the first breeders of racing Horses, so itis very probably they were also the first subscribers to his book,and then we shall find his partiality might arise, either from hisgratitude to these gentlemen, or from its being the place of hisnativity, or perhaps from both.
There was in the North in his time, a very famous Stallion calledBoreas: Whether the present breeders have any of that blood left,I