74 THE HORSE. 



chased from the dealer's hands are at once put to work 

 without due consideration, some severe disease often ac- 

 crues, which, if it does not kill them off, may render 

 them cripples for life. When this really occurs and it 

 is by no means unfrequent, the purchaser blames the 

 vendor, who does not deserve it. because, were he not to 

 keep his horses in the finest possible condition, he could 

 not command a high price for them. This accounts for 

 the general complaint of the difficulty in obtaining good 

 saddle horses. 



SADDLE HORSES. 



To make a good saddle horse' is a work of time, and 

 during the process of training he must be ridden by good 

 horsemen who know what they are about. To break him 

 in well, you will subject him to many little accidents; 

 and certain little things, the result of the exercise, will 

 be sure to make their appearance, which will be construed 

 to be the result of work. Over-fastidious buyers will often 

 be thus deceived, and reject a well-trained saddle' horse 

 for a sleeker animal whose action is not set. Therefore 

 let it be noted as a fact, that until certain crotchets and 

 fancied imperfections are overlooked, and are no longer 

 bugbears, we shall want good saddle horses. Those 

 who are fortunate enough to possess such a treasure 

 will not part with it until it is fairly worn out; nor 

 would a dealer be at the trouble of producing another, 

 unless he could insure for it a price commensurate with 

 the pains required for the operation. 



It is a common complaint that the horses of the pres- 

 ent day do not lift their feet sufficiently high, in the 

 same way that they did when saddle horses were more per- 

 fect, this fault in them being erroneously attributed to 



