THE HACKNEY. 87 



ing and wear and tear of the feet. A horse with too great " knee action " will 

 not always be speedy ; he will rarely be pleasant to ride, and he will not, in the 

 long-run, be safer than others. The careless daisy- cutter, however pleasant on 

 the turf, should indeed be avoided ; but it is a rule, not often understood, and 

 sometimes disputed, but which experience will fully confirm, that the safety 

 of the horse depends a great deal more on the manner in which he puts his feet 

 down, than on that in which he lifts them up : more on the foot being placed 

 at once flat on the ground, or perhaps the heel coming first in contact with it, 

 than on the highest and most splendid action. 



When the toe first touches the ground, it may be readily supposed that the 

 horse will occasionally be in danger. An unexpected obstacle will throw the 

 centre of gravity forwa'rd. If the toe digs into the ground before the foot is 

 firmly placed, a little thing will cause a trip and a fall. 



For pleasant riding and for safety also, a hackney should not carry his legs 

 too high. His going a little too near to the ground is not always to be considered 

 as an insuperable objection. The question is, does he dig his toe into the 

 ground ? 



He should be mounted and put to the test. Let his feet be taken up and 

 examined. If the shoe, after having been on a week, or a fortnight, is not 

 unnecessarily worn at the toe, and he is felt to put his foot flat on the ground, 

 he may be bought without scruple, although he may not have the lofty action 

 which some have erroneously thought so important. 



Every horse, however, is liable to fall ; and hence comes the golden rule of 

 riding, "Never trust to your horse" but always feel his mouth lightly. He does 

 wrong who constantly pulls might and main ; he will soon spoil the animal's 

 mouth. He does worse who carelessly throws the reins on the neck of the 

 horse. Always feel the mouth lightly. The horse may thus have occasional and 

 immediate assistance before he is too much off the centre of gravity, and when 

 a little check will save him. By this constant gentle feeling he will likewise be 

 induced to carry his head well, than which few things are more conducive to 

 the easy, beautiful, and safe going of the horse. 



The road-horse may, and should, like the hunter, possess different degrees of 

 breeding, according to the nature of the country, and the work required of him. 

 When approaching to thorough-bred, he may be a splendid animal, but he will 

 be scarcely fitted for his duty. His legs will be too slender ; his feet too small ; 

 his stride too long ; and he will rarely be able to trot. Three parts of blood, or 

 even half, for the horse of all- work, will make a good and useful animal. 



The hackney should be a hunter in miniature, with these exceptions. His 

 height should rarely exceed fifteen hands and an inch. He will be sufficiently 

 strong and more pleasant for general work below that standard. Some will 

 imagine, and perhaps with justice, that the portrait which we give of the 

 road-horse represents him as somewhat too tall. He certainly should be of a 

 more compact form than the hunter, and have more bulk according to his 

 height ; for he has not merely to stand an occasional and perhaps severe burst 

 in the field, but a great deal of every-day work. 



It is of essential consequence that the bones beneath the knee should be deep 

 and flat, and the tendon not tied in. 



The pastern should be short, and although oblique or slanting, yet far less so 

 than that of the race-horse or the hunter. There should be obliquity enough 

 to give pleasant action, but not to render the horse incapable of the wear and 

 tear of constant, and, sometimes, hard work. 



The foot is a matter of the greatest consequence in a hackney. It should be 

 of a size corresponding with the bulk of the animal, neither too hollow nor too 

 flat ; open at the heels ; and free from corns and thrushes. 



