THE PURCHASE OF OLD HORSES. 113 



CHAPTER XIII. 



HINTS ON PURCHASING. 



Purchase of old horses — Those best worth buying — Value of a trial ; other con- 

 siderations — The best seasons to buy — Legs and hocks : uncertain durability 

 of; cases of indifferent legs standing severe work — Wapiti, Virago, The 

 Deformed — Curbs, spavins, and their results — Defender's thorough-pin — 

 Unsound horses best sold — Horses should stand well — The foot and its size ; 

 signs of speed — Moderately-sized horses preferred — Large and small horses 

 and examples : Cainerhie, Touchstone — The first railway-van — Durability of 

 small horses illustrated in the case of yoe Miller and his performances — 

 Exceptional instances of the same in large horses j Rataplan, Fisherman — 

 Contrast of the running of small and large horses as two- and three-year-olds 

 and examples : Parole, Heroine, Wild Dayrell, See Saw, The Earl, and 

 Crucifix — Roarers — The earliest yearling race — Inferences to be drawn from 

 the preceding — Reasons for trial before parting with large horses — Observa- 

 tions on warranty ; curious instances — Chronic lameness of horses in strong 

 work. 



In offering some observations on the purchase of horses, it 

 is my intention to endeavour to describe the sort most Hkely 

 to repay the purchaser. In buying old horses — that is, those 

 whose form is known in pubHc — regard should not be had to 

 their performances only, but also to their soundness and the 

 condition in which they were run. Nor is this all : their breed- 

 ing, size and shape should be considered, and also the prospect 

 they offer of becoming good brood mares or sires at the stud 

 should they break down. A well-bred, good-looking mare, or 

 horse, that has run well, would be worth more lame than a 



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