AUSTRALIAN HORSES 



about, and can therefore invest his money with some degree 

 of certainty, though sudden cases of unsoundness often occur, 

 and horses occasionally develop very undesirable peculiarities 

 at extremely short notice ; but the purchaser of a strange 

 horse always runs a considerable risk even if he is a good 

 judge. 



Fortunately, however, the services of an honourable and 

 competent member of the veterinary profession can usually 

 be obtained to examine as to the horse's soundness before 

 the sale, as the different lots are usually on view at the 

 Repository for at least a day before they come under the 

 hammer. This opportunity for assuring himself of the 

 soundness of the animal he fancies should never be neglected 

 by the amateur; indeed, the "vet's guinea" is always well 

 spent when a horse is the subject of a deal, whether public 

 or private. Every possible means should also be taken to 

 ascertain whether the selected horse is a victim of any stable 

 vices, such as crib-biting, wind-sucking, or the like ; and 

 enquiries should be made, if it is impossible to acquire the 

 required information by personal observation, as to whether 

 the animal feeds well, and if his motions are regular and 

 satisfactory. Very often a good deal may be learned 

 from the men attached to the establishment, but though a 

 judicious tip 'often goes a long way in this direction, there 

 is always a chance of the man having also been retained by 

 the owner of the horse to say a good word for it ; and besides 

 this, too much cannot be expected from the servants of an 

 establishment of the kind. 



As regards the descriptions attached to the horses in the 

 sales' catalogues, it may be stated that the proprietors of 

 the leading marts make it a practice of publishing these, 

 and the conditions usually are that if they are supplied by 

 the vendor they are to be regarded as warranties. Thus a 

 horse described as a good hunter is taken to be warranted 

 sound in wind and eye. (See Buying, Repositories) 



Australian Horses, or Walers, as they are called in India, 



i6 



