AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 425 



big feet often enough fail as racers, yet I have 

 known some good 'uns with big feet. Still, an 

 ordinary-sized foot, according to the size of the 

 horse, is best to like. A heavy-topped horse 

 must have good bone under him to carry him, 

 with plenty of muscle along with it. Extra 

 good horses, generally speaking, have a good 

 strong neck; but, like everything else, there are 

 exceptions; you want to take the generality. I 

 like a good blood eye in a horse. A bad-eyed 

 horse has generally a bad temper. 



" Now I have known several dipped-backed . 

 ones very smart. Castanette, the dam of Fan- 

 dango, was very low in the back, and Farthin- 

 gale, about the same year, owned by Mr. George 

 Payne was very dipped in the back, yet she was 

 very smart. A horse called Cherry Brandy, 

 owned by my father, was awfully down in the 

 back; yet he w^as very smart as a two-year-old 

 and useful as a four-year-old. Of course, he 

 didn't go on improving. When he wasn't good 

 enough to win races himself, he could always 

 tell us when the others were not. A little horse 

 we had, called Knapton, was very hollow in the 

 back. Old Wm. I' Anson had him first, and he 

 won for him a race at Catterick Bridge. Mr. 

 John Jackson then bought him, and my father 

 had him for a bit ; he was a ver}^ speedy horse. 

 A horse is all the better with good, deep back 

 ribs. In regard to long and short necks, I prefer 

 a medium neck. Crucifix was a good mare, and 

 she had a very long neck; but Priam was very 

 short necked. Horses, as I have said, go in all 

 shapes. For my own fancy, I like a nice long, 



