THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN, ETC. 63 



who follows my former advice, to consider well what 

 kind of a horse he wants, is more or less competent 

 to judge. 



I will offer a preliminary remark which may assist 

 him. A well-bred horse is rarely able to carry much 

 weio-ht if he stands less than fifteen hands and an 

 inch ; a half-bred horse will often carry great weight 

 though he does not exceed fourteen. It is difficult 

 to define exactly the difference in appearance be- 

 tween well-bred and half-bred horses. To the eye it 

 is intelligible at a glance, but it may guide the ob- 

 servation in some measure to notice that there is a 

 general lightness and promise of elasticity about 

 the former, which the latter usually want ; the head 

 is smaller, the crest higher, the mane and tail more 

 silky in their form, the hocks and legs are flatter, or 

 have that character, which the jockeys describe as 

 " clean ;" the root of the tail is better defined, the 

 outline of the hind legs from the hock to the fetlock 

 is perpendicular : the muscles are usually more dis- 

 tinctly developed, and the tendons are more tense to 

 the touch : the feet are smaller, and their pastern 

 joints are commonly longer and more oblique. Their 

 action is yet more distinct ; the high-bred horse does 



