VETERINARY EXAMINATIONS. 37 



price not much more than you stipulated to give, there is an 

 end to the search. The money should not be paid before the 

 trial or the examination, and if the dealer is respectable 

 and cares for his good name, he will deal fairly with a customer 

 who trusts him. No verbal warranty, can, as a rule, be relied 

 upon. If a dealer verbally warrants a horse sound, or free 

 from vice, or quiet to ride or drive — though few dealers who 

 do not desire lawsuits will do either — and the animal turns 

 out differently, the chances of a favourable issue of a trial in 

 a court of law, if he will not take the horse back, are very 

 risky. If the horse does not suit after purchase, a reputable 

 dealer will change it for another, though probably he will 

 expect more money. After a long experience of dealers, this 

 mode of purchasing can be recommended to those who have 

 neither the time, patience, skill, or judgment to buy in fairs or 

 at auctions. The latter are quite as risky as fairs, unless the 

 horses are well known before the sale. 



BUYING FROM PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS. 



In buying from private persons, if they are known to the 

 buyer or his friends as trustworthy, there is less hazard than 

 in purchasing at fairs or auctions. Nevertheless, if the 

 character of the horse is not known, or his good or bad 

 qualities not apparent, much circumspection is generally 

 necessary. The old maxim holds good here as elsewhere, 

 that "the buyer hath need of a thousand eyes, but the seller 

 only one ; " and in selling a liorse, conscience is often strangely 

 kept out of the way. If the capabilities of the horse are in 

 doubt he should be tried and carefully tested, and a veterinary 

 examination obtained. A clear understanding of the terms of 

 purchase should always be arrived at. 



VETERINARY EXAMINATIONS. 



As a general rule, if it is desired to be on the safe side 

 with regard to soundness or practical usefulness, the horse- 



