OF FARRIERY. 



48S 



security tliat he is. at least, not a man of 

 straw. It is natural to suppose that a dealer 

 has an opportunity of selling' a Horse at a 

 better price than most other individuals, and 

 it being his trade, it is but reasonable that he 

 should have his profit. It is an expensive 

 undertaking, accompanied with very consider- 

 able risk ; for the Horses must be kept in 

 saleable condition, however long they may lie 

 on hand, and we have no doubt there may be 

 many instances in which the dealer may sus- 

 tain an actual loss. In recommending a tyro 

 to commence his buying from a dealer, we do 

 so on account of believing it to be the least 

 hazardous of any other ; for we will not in- 

 dulge the aspirant for obtaining knowledge of 

 the Horse, in the hope that he may gain it 

 withaut suffering some pecuniary losses, as 

 well as disappointment. 



After he has gained some experience, it 

 will be quite time enough for him to enter the 

 bazaars and repositories, to trade on his own 

 judgment. If he has a taste for this pursuit, 

 he will not rest satisfied till he has matured 

 his judgment, and he will find no greater 

 pleasure than in exercising it. 



Dealers never like to take a Horse back, 

 and whenever this is done, the purchaser 

 must expect to make some considerable sacri- 

 fice. No man likes to return money for any 

 article that he may have sold in his shop ; 

 but to a dealer in Horses, it is particularly ob- 

 jectionable. Persons who discover a Horse 

 returned, may naturally enough suppose that 

 it was from some fault ; and although the fact 

 might be from sheer caprice, still his value 

 would be decreased in the opinion of those 

 who knew it, and before the Horse can be 

 sold for his former value, he must wait till a 

 stranger comes, who may know nothing of his 



being a returned Horse. Persons conversant 

 with buying and selling Horses, never think 

 of returning them, unless from unsoundness ; 

 but the unskilled, or those persons not being 

 in the habit of disposing of Horses, may natu- 

 rally apply to the party to take them back 

 again, and think him, perhaps, an unfair 

 dealer if he refuses, on their allowing him a 

 few guineas to boot. The fact is, a quick re- 

 turn is the very soul of horse-dealing ; for 

 without it, the expeuce soon eats the profits 

 up. A fresh Horse is more likely to meet with 

 a purchaser, than those which may have lain 

 longer in his stables ; hence the dealer's re- 

 pugnance to returned Horses. 



A dealer has enough to do to give satisfac- 

 tion to all the various claimants upon him. 

 It is not enough that he has to please the 

 master or purchaser of the Horse ; but he has 

 too often to please the master's master (the 

 groom) ; he is often the most unreasonable of 

 the two. A douceur, from one to ten guineas, 

 is given by the dealers. Of course, the influ- 

 ence of grooms is too powerful to be treated 

 with indifference ; and consequently they are 

 propitiated by sharing in the profits of the 

 dealer, according, we suppose, to the implied 

 agreement. 



In going to look out for a Horse in a dealer's 

 stables, you will no doubt soon attract the 

 notice of an attendant, who will soon endea- 

 vour to put the Horses into a fidgetty state by 

 his presence, in all probability with a whip in 

 his hand. Restrain all this ; your object is 

 to see the animal in a state of repose, and as 

 far from any exciting cause as possible. It 

 may be difficult to take a quiet survey ; for 

 the attendant is not always obedient to you, 

 but often will persevere in exciting, what you 

 want to see in a quiescent state, and you are 



