C)2 ABLE-BODIED HORSES. 



combined with pace that the thorough-bred shows his 

 matchless powers. 



I remember once taking the reins, or, in road 

 phrase, " working" for a few stages on one of our 

 heavy six-in coaches. Now three tons we will allow 

 a tolerably decent weight for four horses to trot 

 along with. I thought the coach heavy, and had the 

 curiosity to drive on to a weighing-bridge : three 

 tons seven hundred was our weight, a pretty good 

 dose at even the moderate pace of eight miles an 

 hour ; and, let me tell those who know even less than 

 I of such matters, a pretty good dose " for he wot 

 drives them." Over thirteen miles of this ground I 

 was accommodated with four as seemingly sound able- 

 bodied horses as could be seen, and positively fat. I 

 shook my head at the team, and no more liked them 

 than I subsequently found they did the coach or the 

 stage. The horse-keepers had no difficulty in getting 

 off the quarter-cloths in time : God knows, had a 

 roller been on over them they could have unbuckled 

 it. I soon found a little " waking up" was necessary; 

 but I as soon found that this waking up was not to 

 be accomplished by a hint: nothing but a stroke 

 (and that ditto) that would flay the hide of a whale 

 had any effect ; and then unless the ears and inside 

 the thigh were visited in the quickest succession, the 

 two fore legs w r ould have stood still while you were 

 giving an accelerator to the hind ones. Save me 

 from able-bodied horses ! They rolled along, however, 

 somehow, and did their thirteen miles in the allotted 

 time. I know they also pretty nearly did me. The 

 next was a kind of make-up-time stage : four light 

 goodish-looking nags were put to ; they scratched 

 along over a nine-mile stage without any trouble in 



