26 



Centaur ; 



I 



SELECTING THE HORSE. 



"Let your -wisdom be your p;uide." ' 



N choosing your steed it is as well to 

 remember the genuine old saying — that 

 a good horse is never a bad colour — but 

 in setting up the first *' Turn Out " there 

 are often man}' difficulties to surmount 

 in, this respect, it being the wish or desire 

 on the part of the purchaser, or those of 

 his family or friends whom he may 

 consult, that the horse shall be some 

 particular colour ; and the height, age, 

 make, and price is carefull}^ laid down ; 

 in fact the undertaking is gone into with 

 such apparant nicety, and made of so serious a moment, that 

 certain precise items are ultimately determined upon, and 

 thereby it, almost becomes an absolute necessity that the 

 speculator shall be measured for his wants, e're he can be (to 

 use the old trade term) carefully or successfully fitted. 

 Newspapers are frequentlj^ looked over with the object of 

 meeting with some advertisement of an animal calcula4:ed to 

 answer the exact purpose, and after considerable searching, 

 a horse is found tbat will propably suit in every respect, 

 an(f a journe}' is made for the special purpose of purchasing. 

 On arriving at the address given, it is invariably discovered 

 that an omission has been made in the notice, viz., that the 

 horse has been cloicn; or, is aged; perhaps too young; a mere 

 baby, and, like a cub bear, has all its troubles before it ; or, 

 has once run away ; is a kicker ; crib biter ; not quiet in 

 harness or ^^ ith children ; is given to shying ; requires a lot 

 of whip, or is vicious tempered ; in i'act, the probability of 

 numerous faults or shortcomings are likely to be found, 

 unless the would-be purchaser has had some previous 

 correspondence with the advertiser before waiting upon him. 

 The excuse, then, to get otit of the business is invariably 

 the price, or some sort of un satisfactory termination is 

 invented on one side or the other for the purpose of closing 



