THE BROUGHAM HORSE. 129 



fit for Pickford's vans ; light weeds, more suited to a butcher's flying cart ; 

 prancing giraffes, that, if black, would be in place in a mourning coach ; 

 plodding cobs, travelling with necks poked out like a harnessed pig. Fortu- 

 nately, many people are content with anything that will draw them, and no 

 more think of looking at the form of a horse than at that of a locomotive 

 steam engine. 



" But the brougham horse proper, although he may have many defects, 

 should have certain qualities. He may carry such an exaggerated forehead 

 as to make riding him out of the question ; but he should stand well, in a 

 noble attitude, and should move with a certain grandeur of action, the very 

 opposite of the quick, sharp pace of a mail-phaeton pair. He may have 

 an ugly head, which can be concealed in a very elaborate bridle, and a 

 shabby tail which can be supplied by a false one, but he must carry both 

 well. In a full-sized brougham, weight is indispensable ; in a light, single 

 or miniature brougham, a blood horse is more appropriate. In either case 

 the size of the horse should be in harmony with the size of the carriage. 

 It is as great an error in taste to use a large beast like a camel, almost lift- 

 ing the fore wheels off the ground if he make an extra stride, as to have a 

 horse so small, and working with his neck so low, that he is lost in the shafts. 

 If full of courage he will very soon be worn out by overweight. 



"A first-class brougham horse (according to a great authority at 

 Knightsbridge, who long had the exclusive selection of the late Emperor 

 Napoleon's harness-stud) should be long and low, full-barrelled, and from 

 15 hands to 15 hands 3 inches high, according to the size and weight of 

 the carnage. Nothing looks worse than a horse too small or too tall. In 

 the one case he seems buried in the shafts and harness ; in the other he is 

 constantly pulling up the wheels, and by his size dwarfs the brougham. He 

 should have a broad chest, a lofty crest, a broad back (if rather hollow it 

 is no objection), a flowing mane, a full tail well carried, presenting a com- 

 bination of breeding and power. His action should be grand, stately, ma- 

 chine-like, forward action all round, each foot keeping time as truly as 

 Sir Michael Costa's baton. Champing his bit, arching his neck, and bend- 

 ing his knees, he should trot eight miles an hour, and be able to do twelve ; 

 for although the brougham is not intended, when drawn by one horse, to 

 be rattled along like a hansom cab, there are times when you are really 

 hurried, late for an appointment with a lady, or a secretary of the state 



