Buying a Hunter 75 



and then, if you wish, ask the question. Do not ask 

 the age of a horse and then look into his mouth. Go the 

 other way about it, or keep away from any man whom 

 you would suspect of deceiving you. Go to a dealer who 

 has his reputation to make or keep, and go as straight 

 about the bargain as you would in buying a yard of cloth. 



An honest dealer, because his point of view is imper- 

 sonal, knows better than one's friends what one wants, pro- 

 vided, that is, one tells him just how much of a horseman 

 one is. It may be humiliating, but it is the best and only 

 way. There is hardly a man in the business that will not 

 fit you out in this way with as much care as if you were 

 his own son. If, for any reason, he fails the first time, go 

 back and tell him the difficulty. Most dealers will take 

 an endless amount of pains with such a customer, changing 

 horses until he is suited. Go preferably, if you are a hunts- 

 man, to some dealer in a hunting county. Let him give 

 you a mount and ride with you to learn the degree of your 

 horsemanship. If you are not sufficiently advanced in 

 horsemanship to adapt yourself to all sorts and conditions 

 of horses, be sure to try the horse yourself. You may find 

 a thousand-dollar horse so uncomfortable for you that he 

 would give you no pleasure, while another one at half the 

 money would fit you perfectly. 



If you must take some one with you, take some profes- 

 sional dealer who knows just what kind of horse you 

 require, agreeing beforehand to pay him a certain commis- 

 sion if you buy. If you are buying of a farmer, beware 

 lest he is ignorant in regard to soundness. He may tell 

 you his unsound horse is sound simply because he does not 



