THE HORSE ; HOW TO BUY AND SELL 



When the extensive and widely ramified trade in horses 

 is considered, the prevailing ignorance of the public as to 

 the laws both physical and civil, relating to then^ sound- 

 ness or unsoundness, is a matter of surprise. 



Many people appear to think that such knowledge is 

 confined to the larger dealers and proprietors, so that, 

 when a private individual — though a really bad judge of 

 horse-flesh — succeeds in selling, most innocently, a horse 

 that a short time afterwards becomes lame, he immedi- 

 ately acquires the reputation of being "a knowing one" 

 — ^' a deep hand;" etc. 



It is hoped this little work will aid m protecting botli 

 buyer and seller from useless litigation. It will be my 

 aim both to free the Warranty from the fallacious security 

 with which it too often invests the purchaser, and to re- 

 move the bugbear terrors that surround the seller and too 

 often prevent his obtaining a proper value for a horse. 

 From not knowing the extent of liabilities incurred by 

 the warranty, he is led from motives of prudence, to de- 

 cline warranting even horses that are sound. I shall also 

 sliow when a horse should not be rejected because he is 

 unsound, and why, frequently, a sound horse should be 

 avoided. 



The late Professor Coleman used to say, ^^ any devia- 

 tion from nature is an unsoundness." The opinions of 

 most writers, since his time, embrace the same doctrine. 

 To differ from the learned professor altogether would 

 ])Q presumptuous; although, I tlimk, whilst he put his 

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