A Dissertation On Horses: Wherein It Is Demonstrated, By Matters Of Fact, As Well As From The Principles Of Philosophy, That Innate Qualities Do Not Exist, And That The Excellence Of This Animal Is Altogether Mechanical And Not In The Blood.

Osmer shows us, by what he argues against, the primitive state of horse-breeding in England where a superstitious belief in bloodline with no attention to conformation rules. This is difficult for the modern reader to even visualize, after the late 19th century development of conformation norms for all breeds of animal. Notable for a description of horse raising and use among the nomad Arabs, evidence of the survival of the ancient Nisaean breed in Turkey, and stories of the Godolphin Arabian.