THE HEAVY MACHINER. 111 
into the beautiful outline so frequently displayed in Hyde Park. Oblique 
but muscular shoulders, short backs, and long though strong quarters, 
with a great deal of ground covered below, constitute the remaining points 
characteristic of this horse, and leave nothing to be desired except that 
more of the same sort should be annually bred. The broughams of London 
take those of inferior shape and action, but some of them are furnished 
with horses of nearly as much fashion and action as the cabriolets and 
carriages of the most aristocratic houses. Still, on the whole, there is no 
doubt that the latter take off the cream of this variety of horse. 
THE HEAVY MACHINER. 
OUR OMNIBUSES AND VANS are supplied with a most wonderfully active 
yet strong kind of horse, which is in some measure obtained from the 
breeders of the last variety, being too plain in appearance, and sometimes 
too heavy in action, for private use. Their price is so low, averaging 
“bout 30/. when sound and five or six years old, that no one would 
be remunerated by attempting to breed them exclusively for the purpose 
to which they are finally put, and hence they are to be considered as the 
blanks in the breeder’s lottery planned for other and more valuable kinds, 
such as the carriage horse or hunter, or as agricultural stock which have 
paid for their keep since their second year. Thirty or forty years ago 
such a class of animals was quite unknown, and there was no medium 
between the coach-horse or poster and the true cart-horse. Of late, 
however, as our roads have been improved, it has been discovered that by 
placing heavy goods on springs they may be moved at the rate of six 
miles an hour in as great weights by these horses as were formerly drawn 
by the dray-horse at two and a half or three miles per hour. The pair- 
horse omnibus also is a modern invention, and many are now drawn 
eight miles within the hour conveying twenty-six passengers, besides 
the coachman and conductor, whereas sixteen used to be the full comple- 
ment for four horses, and with the use of a lighter vehicle. In those 
districts where the soil is ight and G.O. ploughs are in vogue, the agricul- 
tural horses are so active that a selection from them will give a number 
of useful heavy machiners; and some horses which refuse to work steadily 
at plough, will take to faster work with comparative kindliness. This last 
sort, however, do not bear a fast pace, but up to six miles an hour they 
can perform extremely well. The action of our omnibus horses is re- 
markably good for all useful purposes, being so safe that one rarely sees 
a mistake, and when a fall occurs it is almost invariably from a slip and 
not from a stumble. Much of this improvement in action is due to the 
absence of the bearing-rein and the general use of the snattle, leaving the 
animal at liberty to move without the dreadful restraint which was 
formerly so indiscriminately imposed. 
THE PHAETON-HORSE, GIGSTER, OR FAST TROTTER. 
BETWEEN THE NORFOLK AND AMERICAN TROTTERS, which may be taken 
as the types of the two kinds of trotting developed in the horse, there is 
a very considerable difference. I have already described the latter, but it 
remains for me to say a few words about his English rival. In both there 
must be a considerable infusion of Lastern blood, not for the purpose of 
giving pace, but endurance. Many a low-bred animal can trot a mile in 
oretty fair time, but he cannot keep his pace up; and tndeed when very 
