TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 425 



gives his rider a pleasant ride. Rough-gaited horses are not 

 useful saddle horses. 



4. Manners. The intimate relation between horse and 

 rider calls for the very best of manners. Conduct that would 

 be tolerated from a horse in harness may be very disagreeable 

 if the horse is under saddle. The very nature of the use to 

 which the saddler is put makes manners one of the prime es- 

 sentials. 



5. Knowledge of gaits. To a considerable extent the 

 value of the saddle animal is measured by his knowledge of 

 the gaits. As this is largely a matter of training, it is placed 

 fifth in the list of requirements. There must be no mixing of 

 gaits; each gait must be distinct, and the horse should change 

 gaits promptly and easily at the signal from the rider. 



6. Endurance and durability. This implies a good middle 

 and enough substance combined with quality of bone and joints 

 to insure good wearing qualities. Although a pleasure horse 

 and hence not asked to do extreme labor, nevertheless real pleas- 

 ure does not come to the rider who knows his horse to be delicate 

 in bone, or otherwise liable to injury, if called upon to do hard 

 work. 



7. Color. Dark colors are much preferred, including 

 bay, brown, chestnut, and black. Flashy colors such as dap- 

 ple gray, roan, dun, cream, white, and parti-color are too con- 

 spicuous for ordinary saddle use. 



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SADDLE TYPE. 



Size and weight. These are quite variable depending on 

 the character of the work and the weight of the rider. The 

 height is usually from 15-1 to 15-3 hands, and the weight from 

 1,000 to 1,150 pounds. A gaited horse of 15-1 hands and 1,000 

 pounds is termed a "lady's saddler/' or if a walk, trot, canter 

 horse, a "lady's hack;" but for heavier riders larger animals 

 are required, some men needing a horse standing over 16 hands 

 and weighing 1,200 pounds or even more. For the sake of 

 comparison the heights and weights of the various sub-types of 

 saddle horses are here given : 



Type Height Weight 



Five gaited.. ..15 16 9001200 



Three gaited 14-316 9001200 



Hunter 15-216-1 10001250 



Cavalry 15 16 9501200 



Polo pony ...14 14-2 8501000 



