Hozv to Buy a Horse. 293 



they will point to one horse and say, ^^ That, Sir, 

 is the best horse in England," and then turn to 

 another and say, ''That one, Sir, is much better 

 than him.'' The writer once heard one of these 

 men say, '' That he did not mind what they called 

 him as long as they did not call him a fool, for 

 this world was made up of sharps and flats, and 

 as there were always two flats born to one sharp, 

 there was always a good stock to work upon, 

 and there was no credit in doing a fool." There 

 are many gentlemen who fancy they do know 

 what a horse is, and think they cannot be done, 

 who are quite disgusted when they get an animal 

 from one of the professional copers which turns 

 out a rank screw. When I use the term dealers 

 in such a sweeping condemnation, I would have 

 my readers understand that I refer to copers at 

 fairs, and the advertising gentry ; that there are 

 honest dealers is without a doubt, but they are 

 men who have a name at stake, who will have 

 their price for a horse, and do not deal after the 

 Jewish manner of asking twice as much as they 

 intend to take. It is by far the best plan for 

 purchasers to go to such men, who will let them 

 have a horse on hire with the option of purchase ; 

 if they have to pay a little more at the first 

 (which is doubtful), they have a fair chance of 

 trying the animal. In buying a horse the hand 

 should be drawn over the ribs and the fingers 

 pressed firmly beneath them ; if the skin appears 

 tight and unyielding, it may be inferred that the 

 animal is hidebound, and consequently labouring 

 under some internal disease. I would most par- 



