136 THE SADDLE HORSE. 



carriage and saddle horse in one animal, Sir George Stephen 

 says : 



" There is not one horse in fifty that is adapted both for the saddle and 

 for harness ; I once had a galloway that rarely stumbled in harness, though 

 he would not have carried the best rider, of feather weight, half a dozen 

 miles without as many falls. Yet he was perfectly sound, and continued sound 

 for five years that he remained in my possession." — The Adventures of a 

 Gentleman in Search of a Horse, p. 12. 



In his book entitled Horses and Stables, p. 466, Sir F. 

 Fitzwygram gives the following advice to the purchaser of a 

 saddle horse : 



" In measuring a horse or judging of his height and size by sight, take 

 care that he stands on a level with yourself. Dealers generally stand a 

 horse, if under-sized, on higher ground, or if over-sized, on lower ground 

 than the intending purchaser. 



Want of a fair amount of breeding should be an absolute bar. 



Reject a horse with a big coarse head. 



With a small sunken eye. They are generally obstinate and sulky. 



Of a color light of the sort. 



With a long slack back. It will not carry weight. 



With a hollow back. The formation is weak. 



With flat sides. They will not do work nor look well. 



With a slack loin, /. e., undue length between the last ribs and hind 



quarters (sacrum). They are often bad feeders and will run up 



light with work. 

 With a light loin, /. <?., want of breadth over the loins. They run up 



light with work. 

 With scraggy hips. They never do credit to feeding, particularly if also 



slack in the loins. 

 With a bad girth, /. e., * light through the heart.' This formation will 



always cause trouble in saddling. 

 With a thick or short neck. 



Unless it has a good rein. With a clumsy neck the head is in conse- 

 quence badly set on. Without a good rein a horse will never 



break tvell, or be pleasant to ride. 

 With very low withers. The saddle will be apt to work forwards, and 



