THE HORSE. 699 



Youatt considers crib-biting unsoundness; and it is, at all events, a very bad habit, that 

 materially injures the sale of a horse. If the manger shows signs of being bitten by the 

 horse, do not purchase the animal until you have seen him eat. The teeth of an old &quot; cribber &quot; 

 almost invariably show signs of this habit, being much worn on the outer edge, but in young 

 horses it will not always be noticed. 



When the horse is turned out of his stall and faces the light, observe whether he shuns 

 it, and partially closes his eyes; if so, his eyes are weak; if, on the contrary, he looks boldly 

 about, with a bright and lively expression, his eyes are not only good, but you may infer that 

 he is both spirited and tractable. Examine the head carefully. If it is thoroughly good, 

 light, lean, and graceful, with tapering, sharp-pointed ears, ever moving and restless, the eyes 

 animated and prominent, the forehead broad, the muzzle firm, the nostrils large, and the 

 whole well set upon the neck, you may be pretty sure that it belongs to a good horse. 



If the eye is not bright and lively, it should be carefully examined. Sometimes the eye 

 will look very natural, and the horse appear bright and well, yet be perfectly blind. If the 

 horse is entirely blind, you may easily detect it, for though some horses move about very 

 easily and handily when perfectly blind, you will soon notice the defect if you watch him 

 and permit him to move about freely. If you are suspicious that, although not entirely 

 blind, his sight is defective, you may determine it by passing some small object like a stalk of 

 hay rapidly before his eyes, and at a short distance from them, taking care that the substance 

 be not large enough to create any perceptible motion of the atmosphere, for a blind horse 

 will wink at the least unnatural current of air. 



The appearance of the head is a pretty sure index of the age of the animal, and the 

 inexperienced buyer will do well to rely as much upon this general appearance as upon the 

 appearance of the teeth; for with a saw and a filing-iron old teeth may be made to resemble 

 so closely those of a young horse as to deceive even pretty good judges. In the old horse, 

 the eyes are usually a little sunken, and the hollows over the eyes are deepened, the lips are 

 less firm and close, and the mouth shows the long use of the bit. If the head is satisfactory, 

 next examine the legs, and see that they are not too long, are wide, flat, bony, and free from 

 flesh below the knees and hocks. When the muscles are well developed, and stand well out 

 from the bones, and are free from any fat or meat, they can be distinctly traced by the eye 

 through the skin. See that the horse stands squarely and equally upon them, and that they 

 are neither stretched too far apart nor gathered too much under him. Examine closely 

 whether there be any unnatural enlargements or bunches on either leg. If none can be 

 detected by the eye, then pass the half-closed hand carefully down each one, pressing the leg 

 moderately, to determine whether there are any bunches or scars concealed by the hair. 



Look carefully at the hocks for spavins, curbs, or thoroughpin, for, although the latter 

 do not constitute unsoundness, yet they are objectionable. Pass the hand carefully down the 

 back sinews to detect any unevenness in the muscle. If any little bunches are found, or the 

 cord is anywhere enlarged, examine carefully for any scar that may indicate that the injury 

 was an external one. If there are no signs of any such injury, and especially if the muscle at 

 this point feels sore, reject the animal. The back sinews have been strained, if not ruptured, 

 and there is little chance that he will ever be able to endure hard service. Search for 

 bunches on the inside of the fetlocks; if you find them, or scars, you will attribute them to 

 the horse s cutting. If the scars are old, and the horse being in very high flesh yet travels 

 very close, it will be wise to reject him, for in ordinary flesh he will be likely to cut, and this 

 is one of the most unpleasant defects in the horse, and one that is very difficult to remedy. 

 Press the hand closely and carefully around the pastern, for ringbone, or cling-fasts, that are 

 just commencing to form, and will be detected more easily by the hand than the eye. This 

 is the more important, as ringbone is one of the worst kinds of unsoundness, and the horse 

 may not at all times and in all instances be sufficiently lame to enable the buyer to detect it. 



