316 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



the late Mr. Jenney's death, and there are but few- 

 good mares. A few have been brought from the 

 North, but generally Cleveland mares, with coaching 

 shoulders a mistake in a county where they so sel- 

 dom get the size for a coach-horse, and had better 

 try for hunters and hacks. 



Go where you will, you always find some one who 

 wants a good hunter or a good hack ; but although 

 every one wants either one or the other, few will take 

 the trouble to breed one. Many have not the con- 

 veniences, and many think they may not live long 

 enough to ride one they do breed. The wonder is, 

 not that there are so few riding horses, but that there 

 are so many. All people in these days look to a 

 quick return ; and as a riding horse is at least five 

 years old before he is worth anything, they think it 

 " a bad spec," and too long to look forward. There 

 are plenty of race horses, cart horses, and coach horses 

 bred; and the why and wherefore is, because they 

 come quickly into use. A racing colt is put into 

 training at 20 months old ; a good cart colt is worth 

 at least 35 guineas at a year old ; and the London 

 coach horses, by thorough-bred horses out of Clydes- 

 dale or Cleveland mares, are bought by the dealer at 

 three years old at an average price of 100 guineas. 

 As regards the two latter descriptions, the mares are 

 put to the horse before they are three years old, and 

 don't " lie rest" more than two months in the year ; 

 and, being young, throw strong healthy foals. Still, 

 even when they have plenty of good blood-horses to 

 pick from, farmers are sadly careless what their mares 

 go to. We have too often seen them flock, for the sake 

 of saving a guinea or two, to one of the seventeen 

 hands clothes-horse kind, with legs like stilts, a 

 middle like a tobacco pipe, and a back of a length 

 which would put him at a premium in the Ports- 

 mouth market, where sailors are popularly supposed 

 to consider it a great point gained in their eques- 



