48 HOW TO BUY A HORSE. 



these men in the eyes of the pubHc if any complaint 

 is made against them. It is foolish to hope that, by 

 going to a * respectable ' dealer, one may be certain 

 of getting a good horse for a good price. If a dealer 

 can sell an inferior horse for a long price he will do 

 so ; and there is no dealer who does not occasion- 

 ally find that he has worthless horses on his hands. 

 I have bought experience of dealers in purchasing 

 horses in England, America, France, and some 

 other countries, and I have never found a man 

 who had horses to sell feel bound to protect the 

 interests of the buyer. If a man trades in horses 

 to obtain a livelihood, he would bring himself into 

 a state of bankruptcy if he exposed or admitted 

 the defects of his horses. The plan, then, of 

 demanding a trial would apparently bring ruin 

 upon those who are engaged in horse-dealing, 

 for they would be unable to dispose of their bad 

 bargains ; but the increased prices that good horses 

 would bring in might, in a measure, balance such 

 losses, and, besides, we are considering the subject 

 from the purchaser's point of view. There is no 

 one so expert in judging the value of horses that 

 he can decide without trial upon the usefulness of 

 an animal. Of course there are visible defects that 

 may prove at the first glance that the horse is 

 incapable of doing work, but there are many horses 



