THK HOKSE. 57 



ground in the interim. Before he reached his 

 journey's end, the gentleman was benighted, and lost 

 his way, but trusting to the sagacity of his steed, he 

 threw the reins upon his neck, and in half an hour 

 was at his friend's door. 



A foreign Professor, of Halle, relates the follow- 

 ing : — A friend of his riding home through a wood 

 in a dark night, struck his head against the branch 

 of a tree, and fell from his horse stunned. The steed 

 immediately returned to the house which they had 

 lately left, and pawed at the door until some one 

 rose and opened it. The aniinal turned about, and 

 the man, in astonishment, followed him : the faithful 

 and intelligent animal led him to the place where 

 his master lay senseless upon the ground. 



Hundreds of other similar anecdotes of the saga- 

 city of the horse might be added if space permitted, 

 or if there were any novelty in I'elating them. 



THE farmer's horse. 



The farmer's horse is one that has to undergo all 

 sorts of drudgery, both for business and pleasure ; 

 ridden or driven to market, or church, or on a visit 

 to some rather distant neighbour, or sometimes lent 

 to a friend to go anywhere. For this kind of horse, 

 the best standard is reckoned about fifteen hands 

 and two inches ; that is, higher than the road horse. 

 An animal, with a shoulder thicker, lower, and not 

 so slanting, as that in the roadster, is preferable for 

 the collar; and collar-work is that for which the 

 farmer's horse is chiefly destined. Horses for this 

 purpose should be stout and compactly built, with- 

 out being particularly heavy ; and if they are half- 

 bred, meaning that they have some blood in their 

 veins, so much the better. The farmer's horse 

 requires both weight to push forward, and activity 

 to get over the ground. 



