268 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Mar. 12, 1830 



LIBRARY or L'SErUL KNOWLICPUii. 



[C*<iliiiii<l< frmptft SCO.] 

 CHAPTER IV. 



THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF ENGLISH 

 HOUSES. 



Tlie reader is now prepnrcd for tlie history 

 nnil ditflinguisliiiig character of the various breeds 

 of EngHsh liorses. If we were coiii])Osing a tren- 

 lisc on the horse adapted for general readers, we 

 Bhoidd coininencc with the racer, or tlioroiigli- \ 

 bred horse, wliich, if it lie not considered as the , 

 parent of every other hrscd, yet enters into, and , 

 adds, or often gives, the only value to it. Reiiiein- ! 

 bering, however, the title of our work, we will ' 

 begin with those which arc occasionally or chiefly l 

 employed for ngricuhiirul purposes. First stands 

 the Hoiulslcr or Haeknti/, whether used by the 

 farvier to ride over his grounds, or for the longer 

 journeys of business or pleasure. 



The roadster varies much in dillVrcnt districts, 

 and according to the whim or capiicc of the rider. 



Tlie olil Knglisli liackney, now, fortunately, 

 little known, is the origin of our best saddle-hor- 

 ses, whether for the road, or the field. 



TUB ROAD UORSK. 



Tlie Roail Horse ! more diflicult to meet with 

 in perfection, than even the hunter or the courser. 

 There are many reasons for tliis. The price of 

 the hackney, or the horse of all work, is so low, 

 that he who has a good one will not part with 

 him ; and it is by mere acijident that he can be 

 nbtaincd. There are also several faults that can 

 be overlooked in the hunter, but which the road- 

 liorse must not liavc. The hunter may start, may 

 be awkward in his walk, or even Ids trot ; he may 

 liave thrushes or corns; but if he can go a good 

 slapping pace, and has wind and bottom, wc can 

 put up with him, or pr't/c him; but the hackney, 

 if he be worth hating, must have good fore logs, 

 and good hinder ones too ; he must be sound on 

 bis feet ; eve" tempered ; no starter ; quiet in what- 

 ever biluniion he may be placed ; not heavy in 

 liand ; and never dis)iosed to say his prayers. 



If there be one thing more than any other, in 

 which the possessor, and, in his own estimation at 

 least, the tolerable judge of the horse, is in error, 

 it is the action of the road-horse : " Let him lift 

 bis legs well," it is said, " and he will never come 

 down." 



In proportion, however, as he lifts his legs well, 

 will be the force with which he puts them down 

 again ; the jar and concus.'-ion to the rider ; and 

 the battering and wear and tear of the feet. A 

 horse with too great "knee action" will not al- 

 ways be speedy ; ho will rarely be pleasant to 

 ride, and he will not, in the long rim, bo safer 

 than others. The careless daisy-culler, however 

 ideosant on the turf, should indeed ho avoided, 

 unless the neck of the riilcr be previously insured; 

 yet it 18 a ruli: not often understood, and sometimes 

 disputed, but which experience will fullly con- 

 firm, — that the safety of the horso depends u 

 great deal more on the miiniicr in whirli he puts 

 Ins feet down, than on that in which he lifts them 

 up : more on the foot bi'ing placed at once flat on 

 the ground, or perhaps the heel coming first in 

 contact with it, than on the highest and most 

 splendid action. 



When the too first touches the ground, it may 

 bo cosily supposed that the hor«e will occasionnllv 



topple over. An unexpected obstacle will throw 

 the centre of gravity forward, and down he will 

 come. If the toe dig into the ground before the 

 foot is firmly placed, a little thing will cause a 

 trip and a fall. I 



Let the farmer who has a gtunibler, look at the 

 shoes of his horse. In what part is the wear and 

 tear? — The toe of the shoe will become round, 

 or even be altogether gone, before the heel is 

 scarcely touched. ' 



For pleasant riding, and for safety also, a hack- 

 ney should not carry his ttgs too high. His going | 

 a little too near t<i the ground is not always to 

 be considered as an insuperable objection. The i 

 question is, does he dig his toe into the ground ? 



JMount him, and put him to the test. Take up | 

 his feet and examine them. If the shoe, after; 

 having been on a week, or a fortnight, is not un- \ 

 neces.-;arily worn at the foe, and you feel him ]nil 

 his foot flat on the ground, do not scruple to boy i 

 him, nay, esteem him a '■ choice-gifted hackney," r 

 although he may not have the lofty action which i 

 some have erroneously thought so necessary. 



Every horse, however, is liable to fall, and 

 therefore comes the golden rule of riding, "iicrer i 

 trust to your horse," — always feel his mouth light- j 

 ly. He docs wrong, who constantly pulls might 

 and main ; he will soon spoil his liorse's mouth, ! 

 and render the nrm-aching work always necessary. 

 He does worse who carelessly throws the reins 

 on the neck of the horse. ,1lways feel the mouth 

 lightly ; you will thus be able to give the aninal 

 assistance imr.xediatily, before he is too much otl'| 

 his centre, and when a little check will save liim. 

 By this constant gentle yec/nig- you will likewise i 

 induce him to carry his head well, than which :ew | 

 things are more conducive to the beautiful, safe, 

 and easy going of the horse. 



The road-horse may, and should, like the hun- 

 ter, possess different degrees of blood, according 

 to the nature of the country, and the work re - 

 quired of him. When approaching to thorough- 

 bred, he may be a splendid animal, but he will 

 be scarcely fitted for his duty. His legs wil be 

 too slender ; his feet too small ; his stride too 

 long ; and he will rarely be able to trot. Three 

 parts, or half, and for the horse of all-work, even 

 less than that, will make a good and useful ani- 

 mal. 



The hackney should be a hunter in miniature, 

 with these exceptions: — His height should rarely 

 exceed lifteen hands and an inch. He will be 

 sufficiently strong and more pleasant for gcnettal 

 work below that standard. — Ho should be id' a 

 , more cnni])act form than the hunter : — more hulk 

 according to his height, for he has not merely to 

 Is^d an occasional although severe burst, but a 

 great deal of every day w»rk. 

 I It is of essential consequence that the bones 

 I beneath the knee should be deep and flat, and the 

 I tendon not tied in. 



The pastern should bo short, and although ob- 

 1 liquo or slanting, yet far le.ss so than that ol' the 

 race-horse, and considerably less than that of the 

 j himter. There should be obliquity enough to 

 I give pleasant action, but not enough to render 

 tho horse incapable of the wear and tear of con- 

 stant, and sometimes hard work. 



The foot is a nnitlcr of the greatest consequence 

 in a hackney. It should be of a size correspond- 

 ing with the hulk of the animal, neither too hol- 

 low, nor too flat ; open nt tho hcols ; and free fr»m 

 corns and thrushes. 



The fore legs should be |>erfectly etrai K 

 There needs not a moment's coiuideralion ic ' 

 assured that a horse with his knees bent, 

 from a slight cause, and especially if he be o c 

 weighteil, come down. 



The back should be straight and short, yet 

 ficiciitly long to leave comfortable room for)* 

 saddle between the shoulders and the AucA- 

 out |iressing on either. Soaic persons jiref jec 

 hollow-backed horse. It is generally an easy iw 

 lo go. It will canter well with a lady ; bi 

 will not carry a heavy weight, or stand n * 

 hard work. 



The road-horse should be high in liic forehi » 

 round in the barrel ; and deep in the chest : 

 saddle will not then press too fonvard, but 

 girths will remain, leilhout crupper, firmly fix« 

 their proper place. 



A hackney is far more valuable for the plea; 

 ne.ss of his paces, and his safety, good ten 

 and endurance, than for his S[ieed. We ri 

 want to go more than eight or ten miles ii 

 hour; and, on a journey, not tuore than si 

 seven. The fast horses, and especially the 

 trotters, are not often easy in their pace-, 

 although they may perform very extraoril 

 feats, are disabled and worthless when the sli 

 horse is in his prime. 



Mont of our readers probably are horse 

 Their memories will supply them with man 

 inst;ince of intelligence and fidelity in the h 

 an<l particularly in the hackney — the everj 

 companion of man. 



A friend of ours rode thirty mUes from 1 

 on a young hoi-se which he had bred, and \\ 

 had never before l>een in that part of the con 

 The road was ditficult to find, but by dmi o 

 quiry, he at length reached the place he soi 

 Two years jiassed orer, and he had again i 

 sion to take the same journey. No one rodi * 

 horse but himself, and he was perfectly as- 

 thai the animal had not since been in that i 

 tion. Three or four miles before he rcnche 

 journey's end, he was benighted. — Ho had t< 

 verse moor and common, and he could sca^!i 



see his horse's iiead The r.iin began 



"Well," thought he, "here I am, far from 

 bouse, I know not, nor can I see an inch o 

 road. I have heard much of the memory o «< 

 horse, — it is my only hope now, — so my 

 fellow," throwing the reins on the horse's . 

 '■ go on." In half an hour he was safe i 

 friend's gate. 



The following anecdote, given on the autb^: 

 of Professor Kruger, of Halle, proves hoti 

 sagacity and fidelity of the lioi-se. — A friend o 

 riding home through a wood in n dark i 

 struck his head against the branch of a tree, 

 fell from hi> horse stunned. The steed imi 

 atcly relumed to the house which they had \fl 

 left, and which was now closed, and ihe fain 

 bed, and pnwetl at the door until some one 

 and opened it. He turned about, and the 

 wondering at the alTnir, followed him: tho 1 o 

 ful and intelligent animal led him to the 

 where his master lay senselcss-on the ground 



Cunningham, in his valuable account of 

 South Wales, vol. i. p. 2<>S, says, " A frn : 

 mine, in the habit of riding a good deal, i 

 that whenever he ajproarhed a golly, his 

 cious horse invariably opposed his « islirs to 

 at the particular spot he hod been orrusloiii' 

 always endeavoring to load ofT to another |> i 



i' 



T:-: 



