32 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



indifferent to sights and sounds such as cars, automobiles, etc., 

 which frighten many horses. It is readily apparent that a thor- 

 ough education is much more necessary in some classes of horses 

 than others, for on the crowded city streets where there are often large 

 numbers of pedestrians it is quite necessary and essential that a 

 horse should "keep a level head." 



Sex. Sex is not of great importance in the market; however, 

 geldings sell better than mares for city use, as there is some liabil- 

 ity of mares being in foal, and if not, the recurrence of heat is ob- 

 jectionable; but for farm use and the southern trade, mares are pre- 

 ferred because farmers buy horses with the expectation of breeding 

 them. 



Breed. The breed to which a horse belongs has but little in- 

 fluence upon his market value as long as he has individual excel- 

 lence; possessing this he will always find ready sale at a good price. 

 Some buyers, however, do discriminate against certain breeds, 

 claiming they are more subject to ills and lack stamina; hut this 

 is likely to be due to individuality more often than to breed. If a 

 horse belongs to the draft or chunk class (Southern chunks ex- 

 cepted) he is the more appreciated by buyers if he shows evidence 

 of a predominance of draft blood. 



General Appearance. The general appearance of horses has 

 much to do with their market value. If able to shape themselves 

 well in harness very plain horses often make a stylish showing and 

 enchance their value materially. They should be spirited and 

 energetic, which generally comes from being well fed. They should 

 be well groomed, the hair short and sleek, lying close to the body 

 and possessing a lustre which is indicative of thrift. Clipping of 

 the foretops and limbs should not be practiced as it is an indication 

 of staleness or second-hand horses. The presence of the foretop 

 and feather leaves no doubt as to the freshness from the country. 

 An exporter remarked to the writer that for foreign trade it de- 

 preciated a horse $25.00 or more, to remove the foretop. The pull- 

 ing of the mane and docking of the tail should not be practiced as 

 this is the business of the dealer who caters to a certain class of 

 trade. The feet should be in good condition, solid, and of a good 

 length hoof, which is necessary to hold a shoe. It must be perfect- 

 ly evident that if a dealer retains a horse until he grows good feet 

 before being consigned to the market he must be bought corres- 

 pondingly cheap to recover this loss. 



MARKET CLASSES. 



A market class is an outgrowth of a demand that exists for 

 horses of a certain well defined, specified type, height, weight, con- 

 formation, and action. If a demand for a certain class should cease 

 to exist then there would no longer be such a market class; or if 

 there should arise a new and sufficient demand for a certain type 

 of horse, then there would be created a new class. The use to which 

 they are put, in a large measure, is responsible for and determines 

 the different market classes. On the Chicago market, which is the 

 largest horse market in the world today, are found six distinct mar- 



