17 



light and dark of all colours, and, in a general way, 

 those on the darker side will be the better horses, but 

 to lay down definite rules on the subject is an utter 

 impossibility. This subject will be more fully con- 

 sidered in a subsequent chapter. Practice, and not 

 theory, is the regulating factor in the selection and 

 purchase of horses. White markings on the faces 

 and legs are sometimes objected to for matching 

 purposes, but when matching is not a necessity, they 

 should never be considered. 



HORSES ARE NOT BORN VICIOUS. 



It is sometimes . supposed that horses are born 

 vicious, but such a supposition, in the opinion of the 

 writer, is a complete mistake. Vice is imported into 

 their characters, as a rule, by being mistouched, 

 mismanaged, and, to a great extent, by general 

 unkindness. Vice proper is never apparent in the 

 colt ; it is only when he becomes a horse that it 

 begins to manifest itself. Were the principle of vice 

 inherent in horses, it would be quite reasonable to 

 expect it in young colts just the same as in matured 

 horses. Vice is never found in a colt if left to himself. 

 Much mischief is often done to young foals by lads 

 teasing them. Foals, played with in this way, acquire 

 tricks which generally develop into the worst forms 

 of vice, and a greater number of horses are ruined, 

 when they are mere foals, by boys, than people are 

 aware of. In fact, foals that have been made tricky 

 very seldom evolve into quiet, useful horses. Boys 



C 



