124 THE HORSE 



a leg, pronounced by several good judges to be undeniably good, go to 

 pieces directly, and a bad one stand, that I can only come to the conclusion 

 that no certain opinion can be formed from a mere inspection. This is a 

 great source of loss to the dealer who buys his horses after a long rest, 

 and with their legs looking fine and sound ; for even the necessary 

 "showing out" will make many give way, and lameness ensue of a 

 character which will not warrant a "return," yet sufficient to prevent a 

 profitable sale. A horse sore from work is cooled down, physicked, and 

 put into a loose box ; he is then blistered, and kept without more than 

 quiet exercise till he is to be sold, and by that time his legs are as fine 

 as the day he was foaled. Now, I defy any one, however skilful, to detect 

 the inherent weakness ; but there it is, and on the first week's severe work 

 the inflammation returns as bad as ever. The park-hack not requiring 

 legs to stand severe work, his place is well filled by any horse of good 

 temper, safe, and showy action, and of elegant shape. Good temper is 

 necessary, because, as these horses are not worked hard, they speedily 

 become unmanageable if they are naturally of a vicious disposition. Work 

 will quiet almost any horse ; but in order to have a horse pleasant to ride 

 at all times, whether fresh or stale, he must be of a very tractable temper 

 indeed. Many horses which will come out of the stable, when fresh, in a 

 state of fiery and hot impatience, rearing and kicking like mad animals, 

 will, when in good work, be as quiet as donkeys ; and hence it is not 

 always wise to reject one showing these qualities, nor yet is it prudent 

 for a bad horseman to mount one without previous riding, although he 

 may know him to be quiet enough when regularly worked. 



THE LADIES' HORSE 



THIS VARIETY OF THE HORSE should be a perfect park-hack such as I 

 have already described, but moulded in somewhat longer proportions, so 

 as to give room for the habit to spread without quite eclipsing the animal. 1 

 Many a hack looks extremely well under a man, but when a side-saddle 

 and habit are on him, he shows nothing on the near side from the point 

 of the shoulder to the hip, and hence is not adapted in appearance to a 

 lady's use. A back too long to carry the weight of a man above 9 

 stone is yet strong enough for a lady of average proportions, who seldom 

 weighs, even with an eighteen pound or twenty pound saddle, more than 

 10 stone, and many not near so much. This formation also gives a softer 

 canter, and therefore possesses every good quality desired for a lady's use 

 without any drawback. To be in proportion to this increased length of 

 body, the neck should also be long, and thus an animal is well chosen for 

 a lady which would be rejected by most male judges for their own use. 

 In point of soundness, mouth, and temper, he must be unimpeachable, for 

 the legs are far more tried by the canter than by any other pace, and 



1 The fashion in habits has been continuously in the direction of closer skirts since the 

 above indictment was penned against the ladies, and the present editor feels unable to endorse 

 the charge of bad " hands " when recollecting the many occasions he has been "pounded " 

 with a screw, but with a fast-fading " vision of fair women " in front. 



