46 THE HORSE 



i6-2 or thereabouts and capable of performing its work at 

 a slow trot, though the butcher seems to be one of the 

 principal offenders in working his horse at the fastest 

 pace possible. There is no surer method of wearing the 

 animal out. It is the pace which kills, and when it does 

 not kill its effects are detrimental in some other way. 

 If tradesmen would conserve the energy of their horses 

 by exacting a moderate amount of work within a limited 

 number of hours they would find it much more economical 

 in the long run ; many a veterinary surgeon's bills would 

 be saved, to say nothing of the annoyance and in- 

 convenience caused through enforced idleness in conse- 

 quence of lameness or some other injury. A good horse 

 master will always take particular care that his horses 

 are regularly fed, regularly watered, regularly groomed, 

 and consistently worked ; but a bad horse master will 

 violate all the foregoing principles and then wonder why 

 the animals placed under his charge are so unsatisfactory, 

 both in the stable and out of it. 



Both vanners and tradesmen's horses comprise Suffolks, 

 Percherons, Hackneys, GaUoways, Russian ponies, Welsh 

 ponies. Dale and Fell ponies. Highland ponies, and crosses 

 derived from any of the foregoing. There is just as wide 

 a range in the prices of these animals as there is in the 

 quality of them and the breeds from which they have been 

 derived. If a tradesman is purchasing a horse the cheapest 

 guinea's worth that he can obtain will be that of having 

 the animal examined by a qualified veterinary surgeon 

 as to its soundness and, if necessary, suitability for the 

 purpose for which it is required. But price and suitability 

 are matters which chiefly concern the intending purchaser. 



Horses of this class can be bought at the various horse 

 repositories, at fairs, markets, or from private vendors, 

 and various other sources. A cob or a pony suitable for 

 a tradesman can usually be got at prices ranging from 

 £i5-£35 or £40, whilst a van horse will probably cost 

 55 or 60 guineas, sometimes more, seldom rather less. 



