CHAPTER III 

 THE MODEL SADDLE HORSE 



"Nothing is really finished until it is beautiful." 



Soundness, good conformation, level gaits, a grace- 

 ful carriage, and an air of breeding, as well as many of 

 the minor points which we have been discussing in the 

 last chapter, are essential for any sort of horse; be he 

 hack or hunter, but there are certain special qualifica- 

 tions which differentiate the hack from the hunter; cer- 

 tain points more necessary to one type of work than 

 to the other. 



For example, in the hunter we demand strength, 

 speed, and ability to perform over fences. Appear- 

 ance, with the possible exception of the "show" hunter, 

 is but a secondary consideration. On the other hand, 

 in the hack* comfortable gaits, manners, training and 

 good looks are the prime requisites, while in the show 

 hack even gaits and manners seem entirely and com- 

 pletely secondary to " looks "—and "looks" alone. 

 This is particularly true in this country where the 

 judges at horse shows seldom, if ever, ride the exhibits 

 to test their paces. 



However, in the model hack we should demand that 

 to looks be added good gaits and good manners. Looks 

 alone are not sufficient, for if the animal does not give' 

 you a good ride he fails in his first duty. On the other 

 hand, mere comfortable gaits in a horse do not con- 

 stitute him a hack. If that were the case many hunt- 



* The word "hack" probably originated in the Andalusian "jaca," 

 pronounced "haca," which denoted the common horse of the country. 



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