HOW TO BUY A HORSE 27 



surgeon of position. If he is left to his own 

 resources, however, he cannot exercise too much 

 caution as to whom he has transactions with, and he 

 will be acting very unwisely if he buys a horse from 

 a stranger, or even under the hammer unless the 

 animal is sent up by some reliable person and has a 

 warranty with him. Many a serviceable animal, 

 and more especially those used for draught, a^e 

 worn more or less about the legs, the hocks in 

 particular having been affected by the constant 

 strain of starting a heavy load ; and here again the 

 ^novice would be hopelessly at sea if left to his own 

 judgment in distinguishing the infirm animal from 

 the workable. The beginner, however, should never 

 allow himself to be persuaded into buying a crock 

 at any price, for if he does so in the hopes of repair- 

 ing the infirmities he will assuredly find, even if the 

 horse is set upon his legs again, that it would have 

 been cheaper for him to have started with a sound, 

 even though a slightly blemished, animal. A palpably 

 infirm horse can only be resuscitated to the advan- 

 tage of his owner by skilled treatment, and if the 

 beginner has to pay for this and place his veterinary 

 surgeon's bill on the top of the price paid for the 

 horse, he will be a very lucky man if he does not 

 find his bargain a most expensive one in the long run. 

 The practice of permitting their coachmen to buy 

 their horses for them is a common one, especially 

 amongst business men, or ladies who have neither 

 the time nor judgment to transact their own business. 

 Although the custom is open to grave objection^ as 

 it is a direct temptation to a servant to lose sight of 

 his master's best interests in the exercise of his 

 natural desire to feather his own nest, it has one 

 recommendation, and one only, in its favour. This 

 lies in the fact that if a man selects a horse, he may 

 be reasonably expected to procure one that he can 

 drive and which is sound, else he would be liable to 



