THE COACH HORSE. 133 



pleasantest style of coach horse to drive, that we are not likely to find ourselves 

 in agreement with all our readers upon this subject. The old stagecoach- 

 men used to say that they liked the big, heavy horse for a hilly team, and 

 the small, compact, quick-stepping, fast-galloping little horse for a flat stage. 

 We must remember that in those days, when the coach was the only con- 

 veyance of the country, the loads were very heavy, and no doubt the big, 

 heavy-plodding horse put his shoulder well to it, and got the coach up the 

 hill with less trouble to himself and his coachman, than the smaller and 

 lighter team of horses would have done. In these days, when the road 

 coaches only carry passengers and no luggage to speak of, even if there is 

 any at all, we should prefer for all sorts of roads short-stepping and small 

 though thick horses. They are infinitely pleasanter to drive. Anybody who 

 has had the experience of taking off a big, lolloping team of rather under- 

 bred horses who are very tired, and have been hanging on the coachman's 

 hands for the last two or three miles of the stage, will understand what a 

 pleasure and a relief it is to feel the quick, sharp trot of a little team of 

 fresh horses. 



" Difference of opinion exists as to the respective heights of wheelers 

 and leading horses. Some like them exactly the same size, others prefer 

 a big wheel horse and a little leader ; others again like a thick, low wheel 

 horse and rather a taller and slighter leader. In our opinion, this latter is 

 the perfection of a team. It looks better when they are coming to you, as 

 well as when you are sitting on the coach. We do not think, however, it 

 really signifies either one way or the other. We have driven teams of horses 

 of all sorts and shapes and sizes, and we have found them to go equally well, 

 whether the leaders were the same size, or larger, or smaller than the other 

 horses. It is a matter of ' taking the eye,' and for appearance we prefer the 

 small, thick wheeler and the tall, light leader. 



" But there are gentlemen who, having had too much to occupy them in 

 their youth, and having more leisure as they get further on in life, might 

 wish to start a team, and might refer to these volumes for advice how to do 

 so. To them we would say, get your wheel horses as strong as is consistent 

 with activity. If you have the choice between the good-actioned horse that 

 is not quite so strong and a stronger horse that is not quite of such good 

 action, the judicious course will be to buy the good-actioned horse. 



" As regards the stamp of horses for a long and hard day's work, there is 



