Page:Horse shoes and horse shoeing.djvu/428

 the roads seldom allowing the passage of wheeled carriages.

The Court travelled on horseback, the ladies even being obliged to resort to this kind of conveyance. The 'equus dextrarius,' or war-horse, was in high favour, and kept only for state occasions or for battle; while the 'equus discopertus,' or hobelar, was used for quick travelling. The light cavalry soldiers, who rode these small horses or hobbies, were called hobelars. This convenient-sized creature was also that generally ridden in hawking and other sports of a like character, as it was hardier and more conveniently managed. All appear to have been regularly shod; and in the illuminated manuscripts of this period, the greatest pains is taken to represent the shoes and nails. This will be seen by referring to the annexed engraving (fig. 148), copied from the Louterell Psalter, perhaps one of the finest manuscripts in existence, and now in the possession of the Weld family, Lulworth Castle, Dorsetshire. It is supposed to belong to the 14th century, and is a most valuable document for reference with regard to the domestic history of that period in England.

The subject is a gentleman hawking, and mounted on