36 PONIES. 



in the neighbourhood of joints, such as the fetlocks, 

 etc., are either indicative of hard wear, or of wear 

 brought on through working the animal before its 

 arrival at maturity. With regard to age, for the 

 purchase of a Hackney, a good deal will depend 

 upon the purposes for which it is required, and upon 

 the temperament of the individual who is going to 

 use it. For drivers of nervous disposition, an 

 aged — say ten years — horse, that has been well 

 schooled in traffic, will be the most suitable ; but 

 for ordinary purposes, to do work in town, a horse 

 at six years should be selected. 



The prices of Hackneys vary considerably, but 

 a good Hackney pony can be purchased at thirty- 

 five or forty guineas ; but several hundreds are 

 commonly paid for show purposes. The average 

 price for a fairly good Hackney, about fifteen-three 

 hands, is seventy-five guineas. This remark does 

 not, of course, apply to show animals. 



Ponies. 



The term " pony " should be restricted to horses 

 not exceeding 14.2, or at the outside 14.3, hands ; 

 in fact, what may be regarded as the typical heights 

 range from the diminutive Shetland, at, say, eight 

 hands (thirty-two inches), up to the thorough-bred 



