10 THE FAMILY HOliSE. 



in a day. Every other family of horses crossed with them has been 

 benefited by the cross, and many of the most renowned roadsters of 

 to-day can claim an inheritance of Morgan blood. 



The Cleveland Bay has within the last few years become an im- 

 portant element among American horses. It descends from a race 

 which was chiefly bred in the vale of Cleveland, England, and were 

 famous in the old coaching days. The modern Cleveland Bay has 

 been refined by occasional crosses with thoroughbreds. It is a rather 

 long-bo diod, rangy, stylish horse, weighing from thirteen to fifteen 

 hundred pounds, deep bay with black points. For moderately heavy 

 work, such as drawing a coupe or a two or three-seated family wagon 

 it is a useful and satisfactory horse. French coach horses are of 

 still more recent introduction to this country. Though bred in 

 France, they originated from crosses of the EngUsh Norfolk trotters 

 and thoroughbreds. They are clean-limbed, strong, spirited and 

 moderately speedy. Their importation has made a valuable addition 

 to the stock of American horses. Percheron and other French draft 

 horses have become widely disseminated through the country. They 

 weigh from fifteen to eighteen hundred pounds, and even more ; 

 are docile, intelligent, and active for such large horses. Especially 

 are they good walkers, even with a heavy load. Such horses are 

 wholly unsuitable for light driving, but on a suburban place of 

 a few acres one of them is often kept for general purposes. It is 

 used to plow and perform other work in the field, or hitched to 

 a carry-all will trot off with the entire family. 



Western ponies have come quite largely into use in the Western 

 and Middle States. Those from the Southwestern plains are called 

 Mustangs, and descend from Spanish horses. They are from thirteen 

 and a half to fourteen hands high, and weigh from eight hundred 

 to nine hundred pounds. A very usual color is a yellowish dun or 

 *' buckskin," with a dark stripe down the back. They are active 

 and spirited, and if they have been long held in captivity, are likely 

 to be tricky. But this is due more to the savage manner in which 

 they are " broken " and used, than to any inherent viciousness. If 

 treated kindly from the first, they are docile, useful little animals 

 for light family work. The Indian pony or " Cayuse," which comes 

 from the Northwest, is hardier and ordinarily less spirited than the 

 Mustang. Both kinds have the substantial advantage of cheapness. 

 There are dealers who buy up large droves of them from first hands, 

 bring them east, and sell them at comparatively low prices. 



It is not to be supposed that any set of rules can be laid down, 

 which will enable a person wholly unfamiUar with horses to select 

 one, relying entirely on his own judgment. It is always desirable to 



