36 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



out by private gentlemen, or by such dealers as 

 Elmore, Anderson, and other first-rate men in the 

 trade. Such breeders find that when they have 

 a superior horse, they can get a long price for 

 him ; and, on the other hand, when they unfor- 

 tunately breed a bad one, or, at least, a bad-look- 

 ing one as to shape and action, that they can get 

 very little for him ; and, indeed, such dealers as I 

 allude to would not buy him at all. Breeders of 

 this class, therefore, unlike the small farmers, soon 

 learn to distinguish between fine horses and ordi- 

 nary ones, and know that having bred a horse will 

 avail them nothing, unless they have bred a good 

 one. They soon learn the value of London action 

 for London horses ; and also racing action, or 

 something very like it, for horses intended to be 

 made first-rate hunters of. Such horses range in 

 price from ninety to a hundred and fifty; for, 

 now-a-days, a fine young horse, with first-rate 

 action for harness, is worth quite as much as one 

 intended for a hunter. It is true that when the 

 one becomes a hunter, he may be worth consider- 

 ably the most money ; but it must be borne in 

 mind, that the horse with fine action is almost 

 certain to make a first-rate harness-horse ; but the 

 one with equally promising action as a hunter 

 may not be worth a farthing as such when put 

 to the test. Therefore, although the purpose for 

 which the latter bids fair is of a higher order than 

 that for whichwe design the former, the chances 



