CHOOSING. 33 



hocks. The tail should be set on lower than the 

 hip-bone, but not much ; otherwise it will detract 

 from the horse's appearance very much j and though 

 a low goose-rump is serviceable the horse will not 

 sell for as much with it. Horses with low set-on 

 tails often have their hind legs bent under them, 

 which is not a recommendation. 



Standing behind the horse, the thighs should be 

 rather wider than the hips, and the hock sharp and 

 thin, and not round and clumsy. 



Having now given my reader an idea how to judge 

 of the shape and outline of a horse, independently 

 of his size, breeding, or the purpose you want 

 him for, I will endeavour to instruct him as to 

 the choice of a horse, and give him some general 

 rules which will assist him in selecting one that 

 he will not be disappointed with. I will begin by 

 pointing out that, as no one except a good judge 

 with experience ought to buy a horse without either 

 a veterinary surgeon's opinion or a warranty, he 

 should not, therefore, give his mind too much to 

 simply detecting faults, and thereby prejudice his 

 judgment as to the general merits of the animal. 



Many a man has done this, and the result has 

 been that he has bought a horse which has been 

 possessed of no good qualities or merit at all, excei:>t 

 being free from unsoundness, and which was next to 

 useless to him when he had got him. A horse may 

 be perfectly sound and yet have no constitution to 



D 



