THE HORSE 207 



difficult to advise without knowing the exact 

 price the man can give, and how bad a rider he 

 is. A horse with four good sound legs, and a 

 character of being a genuine performer, but a 

 slight whistler, will enable the beginner to see 

 some sport, and at the same time teach him 

 how to ride. If he has a friend in whose judg- 

 ment he has confidence, he should ask his advice 

 about any horses that are going to be sold by 

 auction, and with a little trouble he may get 

 hold of decent animals at low prices. Remember 

 that people send horses up to auction to sell 

 them, and want to get as much money as they 

 can, and beware of letting out to anybody 

 except your one friend that you are a possible 

 purchaser. 



A horse that is up to fourteen stone, has plenty 

 of quality, and is a good performer over a 

 country, with the addition of manners, is worth 

 from one hundred and fifty to three hundred 

 pounds, but anything outside the range of that 

 degree of excellence has no certain market value. 

 The seller's idea of his horse's value is always 

 higher than that of the buyer, and we must not 

 blame the former for getting the best price he 



