COACH HORSES. 351 



gelding, the property of Mr. Lawrence, of Shrewsbury, 

 earned 1,440/. in the Holyhead mail. 



Coach horses live very high — in short, as the term is, 

 their belly is the measure ; but I do not find that (barring 

 contagious diseases), where their owners are good judges 

 of condition, they are much subject to disease. Were 

 hunters to eat the quantity of corn coach horses do, their 

 constitutions would not stand it, because their work 

 is not regular. A coach horse is certain to sweat four 

 days out of five, which keeps his blood pure, and almost 

 does away with the necessity for physic, of which, in 

 general, they have but a small portion — perhaps not so 

 much as they should have. I like to see flesh on a 

 coach horse, if it be good flesh. It is quite a mistaken 

 notion that fat horses cannot go fast in harness ; they are 

 more powerful in draught than thin horses ; and having 

 nothing but themselves to carry, the flesh does not injure 

 their legs, as in riding. 



A horse in a fast coach ought not to work more than 

 four days without rest, as he becomes leg weary, and 

 wears out the sooner. His system also becomes too 

 highly excited. A horse a mile, reckoning only one side 

 of the ground, is about the mark. Thus we will say that 

 ten horses shall work the coach up and down a ten-mile 

 stage, which gives eight at work and two lying at rest. 

 Every horse then rests the fifth day. In slow, heavy 

 work, coach horses will do their ground every day in the 

 year, barring accidents or illness, but ' it is the pace that 

 kills.' 



The average ot coaching stock in slow work may be 



