TIIK IRISH HOUSE. 107 



to convey his newly-acquired property. The Shetlander was scarcely 

 more than seven hands high, and as docile as he was beautiful. ' Can we 

 not carry him in your chaise ? ' said his friend. The strange experiment 

 was tried. The sheltie was placed in the bottom of the gig, and covered 

 up as well as could be managed ^vith the apron ; a few bits of bread kept 

 him quiet ; and thus he was safely conveyed awaj^, and exhibited the 

 curious spectacle of a horse riding in a gig. 



In the southern parts of the kingdom the Shetlanders have a very 

 pleasing appearance harnessed to a light garden-chair, or carrying an 

 almost baby-rider. There are several of them now running in Windsor 

 Park. 



THE IRISH HORSE. 



In some of the rich grazing counties, as Meath and Roscommon, a large, 

 long blood-horse is reared, of considerable value. He seldom has the 

 elegance of the English horse ; he is larger-headed, more leggy, ragged- 

 hipped, angular, yet with great power in the quarters, much depth 

 beneath the knee, stout and hardy, full of fire and courage, and an ex- 

 cellent leaper. It is not, however, the leaping of the English horse, 

 striding as it were over a low fence, and stretched at his full length over 

 a higher one : it is the proper jump of the deer, beautiful to look at, diffi- 

 cult to sit, and, both in height and extent, unequalled by the English 

 horse. 



In the last forty years, immense improvements have been made in 

 Ireland in all kinds of agricultural stock. The Irish hunter is now one 

 of the most valuable of his class, .with abundance of bone and breeding. 

 Ireland is the nurseiy for re-mounting our cavalry, and should a regiment 

 leave the country wdth inferior horses, it only proves the great want of 

 judgment in the officer who has had the selection of them. 



There are very few horses in the agricultural districts of Ireland ex- 

 clusively devoted to draught. The minute division of the farms renders 

 it impossible for them to be kept. The occupier even of a good Irish 

 farm wants a horse that shall carry him to market, and draw his small 

 car, and perform every kind of drudgery — a horse of all- work ; therefore 

 the thorough draught-horse, Avhether Leicester or Suffolk, is rarely found. 



If we look to the commerce of Ireland, there are few stage- waggons, or 

 drays with large cattle belonging to them, but almost everything is done 

 by one-horse carts. In the north of Ireland some stout horses are em- 

 ployed in the carriage of linen ; but the majority of the garrons used in 

 agriculture or commercial pursuits are miserable and half-starved animals. 

 In the north it is somewhat better. There is a native breed in Ulster, 

 hardy, and sare-footed, but with little pretension to beauty or speed. 



CHAPTER V. 



BREEDING AND BREAKING IN. 



A VOLUME of itself would be required to do justice to a subject possessing 

 so many features of interest and importance as the effects of breeding 

 on our different classes of the horse. Our observations, therefore, on it 

 will necessarily be "brief and of a general nature. That breeding hab- a 



