462 REPORT ON THE TRANSIT OF STOCK. 



of stock by road — in other words, making the animals convey 

 themselves by the use of their own feet — may be termed the 

 natural mode of transit, if its antiquity, simplicity, and the 

 small amount of artificial help required be considered. The 

 animals themselves do all the labour, man only giving intelligent 

 guidance to their movements. To describe minutely anything 

 so well known, seems unnecessary, and a brief outline of its 

 general features will probably be sufficient for the purposes of 

 this inquiry. 



Horses are usually conveyed singly or in pairs, threes and 

 even fours, and are walked along at the rate of about 3 miles 

 per hour ; they are seldom sent more than 25 to 30 miles (about 

 one day's journey), greater distances being usually done by rail. 

 Horses are usually baited once in every five hours, or for about 

 each 15 miles of the journey. The only descriptions of the horse 

 tribe which present any difficulty in transit are unbroken colts 

 down to foals, unaccustomed to any kind of control, and full of 

 the buoyant, playful spirit of early youth, they exhibit as much 

 objection to being either led or driven as any obstinate member 

 of the porcine race, and it certainly is a very awkward business to 

 get them quietly along a road. The method usually adopted is 

 to lead along with them the dam, or any horse with which they 

 are acquainted, when they readily follow. Where this, however, 

 cannot be done, there is nothing for it but to put on a halter, 

 and administer the first lesson in " breaking." Ponies of all ages 

 are frequently conveyed in droves, and generally walk along as 

 quietly and circumspectly as so many sheep. These are often 

 walked hundreds of miles, and are treated very much as mountain 

 sheep, being walked slowly along by day, rested by night, and 

 expected to pick up most of their living by the way; and a 

 very poor living it generally is, as is witnessed by the poor con- 

 dition and spiritless appearance they have when they reach the 

 south, country markets. Nevertheless, they do not appear to be 

 permanently injured by this treatment, natural hardihood (being 

 natives generally of high and bleak districts) apparently enabling 

 them to bear great privations with comparatively little harm. 



The horse is pecuniarily so valuable, and besides occupies so 

 high a place in our affections, that his wants are seldom over- 

 looked or forgotten, while he bears walking so well, that for 

 moderate distances there seem few disadvantages, and scarcely 

 any evils attending this mode of transit. Of the latter, the 

 greatest is the chance of contact with diseased animals ; but as 

 the consideration of this falls in with, the general question of 

 disease in reference to transit, it is deferred in this and through- 

 out the sections describing the modes of conveyance. It therefore 

 seems only necessary to add here one suggestion, which, as it 

 will certainly enable the horse to bear better the fatigues of 



