ON THE HORSE IN GENERAL. 101 



great and conftant: for it is a bufmefs which 

 often fails from being trufted intirely to igno- 

 rant grooms ; to reflecl upon the difiant period 

 to which a man muft attend the reward of his 

 labour and expence, and that after all, he may 

 purchafe Horfes at much lefs coft than he can 

 Dreed them, is dilheartening. It is indeed true, 

 that the breeders of a great part of our Horfes 

 are not reimburfed the coft ; of which they 

 would be convinced, were they in the habits of 

 calculation. But that objection is of no vali- 

 dity againft capital flock, which muft inevit- 

 ably, for a feries of years to come, command 

 an adequate price ; and if we take into the 

 queftion the univerfal deftruclion of Horfes 

 throughout the whole continent, occafioned by 

 the prefent mod cruel and difaftrous war, and 

 that they muft be, in part at leaft, recruited 

 from hence ; I think it may be very fafely 

 pronounced, that at no former period, was 

 the profpect. of breeding fo inviting as at the 

 prefent moment. 



Various complaints have been made againft 

 the too great number of Horfes bred in Eng- 

 land, which I believe to be totally groundle.fs, 

 on any account, as far as relates to Horfes 

 intended for the faddle, and quick draft; for 

 which no other animals can be placed in fub- 

 ftitution ; as to cart-horfes (the leaft ufeful of 



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