14 HOKSE PORTRAITURE. 



telling you what is not apparent, history, pedigree, con- 

 stitution, tricks, &c. 



PEECEPTOK. When I made you the promise of teaching 

 you my craft of managing and training trotters, I hardly 

 expected you would give me so good an opportunity, for 

 I should judge, from the looks of your string, that you 

 had nearly a specimen brick of all kinds, and I will wager 

 a dozen of wine that I can give a good guess at their 

 different natural qualities. What they have acquired 

 from bad teachings would be harder to tell. Let us move 

 to the stable, where we will become more particularly 

 acquainted. Looking at a horse in his clothes is a good 

 deal like telling what a book will be from knowing the 

 author you have a notion of his ideas ; and you can see 

 a horse's eye a great part of the animal, for I never 

 knew a good one that you could not see something of his 

 character in the eye. Yet the spirit and will may be there 

 without the capability of performing : that you have to 

 judge of from the form and muscular development. 



Trotters "go in all forms," as well as runners. 



There would have been more truth in the proverb if it 

 said a variety of shapes all tending to the same model. 

 Some time I will acquaint you with what I consider the 

 best form for a roadster ; and what is more enjoyable than 

 a drive, such a morning as this ? A good horse, light, 

 easy running wagon, with the road smooth, so that you 

 can let him "g-long," and work off the superabundance 

 of animal spirits that the fresh air you speak of gives a 

 horse, as well as those birds that are giving vent to theirs 

 in joyous song and animated flight. For youngsters like 

 you, a gallop may be more congenial to the hot blood, 

 but when you arrive on the shady side of fifty, then the 

 smooth running wagon is the thing. 



PUPIL. Fond as I am of mounting the back of a 



