THE COACHEKS. 199 



mercial article rather than coach horse. He 

 must be upstanding and commanding in out- 

 look, long in neck, round of barrel, apple- 

 smooth in quarter and with a bit of range to 

 him so that he may not have a cobby or squatty 

 appearance. His throttle and head must be 

 neat and bloodlike, his tail well carried and his 

 temper good, for he has many weary hours of 

 standing still to do while milady makes her 

 calls or while waiting for the train. His action 

 must be high and free in front, though by no 

 means exaggerated and speed is not^ required 

 of him. In short the heavy carriage horse 

 must be an aristocrat all over or he does not 

 fill the bill. Majesty of mien and step are his 

 distinguishing characteristics. 



Dealers who cater to the highest trade tell me 

 that they prefer these carriage horses under 

 rather than over 16 hands. As to the limit of 

 weight, it is hard to say. Weight has little to 

 do with establishing value in a carriage horse. 

 Still we may safely place the limit of 1,250 

 pounds as abundant to go with a height of 16 

 hands and preserve the proper proportions. 

 British buyers are more eager bidders for 

 horses over 16 hands than the best eastern buy- 

 ers are. In John Bull's island they still stick 

 to the older-fashioned heavy type of carriage 

 and consequently they require the larger sorts, 

 not so much as necessary motive power as to 

 preserve the due relation between horses and 

 vehicles. 



