74 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



This is what takes place nearly every day in a dealer's 

 yard. A customer tries to be clever with the dealer, and 

 meets more than his match. The groom has made more 

 out of his employer than the dealer has. 



Presently up rides customer number two, the right sort. 



*' Good morning, dealer. Look here ; I am looking for 

 a well-mannered hunter — something you can recommend. 

 I want him for a gentleman." 



Out comes the bay again. 



" Well, what about this one, dealer ? " 



And the dealer proceeds to answer without exaggeration. 

 The bay is bred so-and-so ; has had three months' school- 

 ing ; has been ridden several times to hounds; pulls a bit 

 more than the dealer likes, but seems to be coming to his 

 hands nicely. With another month or so of schooling he 

 should make a very good hunter, 



*• How much ? " asks customer number two. 



" Four hundred and twenty-five." 



The horse is tried, liked, and bought. 



When would-be buyer number one learns from buyer 

 number two that he bought his horse for four hundred and 

 twenty-five, he protests. " Oh, confound that dealer ! He 

 tried to sell me that horse this morning for five hundred 

 dollars. I shall never patronise him again. Every horse- 

 dealer I ever had anything to do with always tried to get 

 the best of me." 



This is one example of the average buyer, the average 

 dealer in horses, and the wrong and the right way to buy a 

 horse. Don't ask a dealer if his horse is sound and then 

 feel for unsoundness. Look him over carefully, if you like, 



