SADDLE HORSES 71 



The best market age is five to eight years, after seasoning and 

 development is complete, and before the best useful period of life 

 is very far advanced. 



Unbroken horses are not very salable, and it will not pay to 

 market them until they have been well broken, thoroughly accus- 

 tomed to use, and even seasoned to work. 



Finally, however useless fat may be as to its intrinsic value, fat 

 horses sell better than poor ones, and it will pay well to have 

 horses fat before attempts are made to sell them on the general 

 market. 



Horse Sales 



The great horse sales are very interesting in many ways, chiefly 

 on account of the rapidity and volume of business. None but 

 experts can follow them, and yet in spite of the rapidity and seem- 

 ing recklessness of these sales, every obligation is strictly carried 

 out and the buyer has a certain time in which to prove his pur- 

 chase and return it for a refund of the price if it does not prove as 

 represented. 



A common method of description is to hang out a placard with 

 one or another of the following legends : 



"At the halter," " Worker only," " Wind and work," "Service- 

 ably sound," " Sound." 



T^ie sign " at the halter " guarantees absolutely nothing. The 

 buyer takes his horse as he finds him and runs his own risk. His 

 purchase may be blind, lame, fitly or wind broken, and he may 

 balk, kick or run away. The bill of sale does not recommend him 

 as having a single useful quality, and there would be in this case 

 no " come back." 



If " worker only " is the tale, the horse may be blind, lame or 

 wind broken, but will work as well as he is able and does not or- 

 dinarily balk. It is the least that can be given by way of guarantee. 



" We are using Bickmore 's Gall Cure on our own teams. It is for supe- 

 rior to any remedy we have ever tried for sore shoulders on horses, 



fyeimer B'os, , Winnipeg, Man., Canada.'' 



