CHOICE OF A HORSE. 19 



stallions, and that they are being "boomed" in the 

 United States, where one hackney used to be bred we have 

 now a dozen. Breeders appear to be sacrificing power 

 and the old thickset build to lightness and quality. The 

 shows so much patronized by those who want to make 

 a name to attract foreign buyers, by others who have 

 something to sell, mainly fostered by parvenus, whose sole 

 aim is to keep themselves right in the eye of the gullible 

 public, do not show that we are making any improvement. 

 The best horse at Islington was passed over the other day 

 because " the runner " who showed him knew not the art 

 of bringing out his magnificent action, the premier prize 

 going to a horse that is decidedly weak behind. 



The correct type cob should, for easy mounting, be about 

 fourteen hands high, must have a sweet head — many of 

 these hackneys and roadsters have beautiful Arab-like heads 

 — perfect shoulders and legs, long straight quarters, and a 

 great deal of substance. I have seen many such, admirable, 

 jaunty, and pleasant walkers, a few easy trotters, though 

 generally with round wheel-like action, but only one or two 

 able to canter fairly well. The only hackney with good hind 

 galloping action I have seen is " Dr. Syntax." It has often 

 struck me that the mating of an Arab sire, one with action, 

 such as Colonel Willoughby's " Elston," now standing at 

 Murrel Green, Wincfield, Hants, with the old-fashioned 

 thick-set hackney mare would be productive of the best 

 results. 



The game of polo and the rage for galloway and pony 

 racing, both on the flat and over hurdles, has created a 

 demand for quite a different cob from that we have just 

 referred to. These bantamized racers take us back a 

 century or more to the days of "the little gray horse" 

 " Gimcrack." Judging from an engraving now before me, 



