CH. XVI HACKNEY 38 1 



America has had no other advantage, it has raised 

 the standard of form in the driving-horse. The best 

 horse will be one resulting from judicious crosses of 

 the hackney and the trotter, improving the form 

 of the latter by giving him a finer head, a better 

 carriage of it, and a less sloping rump, and by 

 heightening his action without too much diminishing 

 his speed. 



The free forward action, with sufficient height, 

 which some exceptional trotters possess, is the per- 

 fection of gait for either the road or the park, and 

 in any horse, a trot approaching it, can be often 

 improved by judicious handling under the saddle. 



The Morgan horse, formerly a great favourite in 

 New England, is in many respects not unlike the 

 hackney, both in good qualities and defects. He 

 is ' near the ground,' that is, rather short-legged, as 

 is shown by his heavy weight compared with his 

 height, and this form, although in some eyes it 

 detracts from showiness, is the best adapted to hard 

 work in harness or under the saddle, as many hard 

 riding hunting-men know ; lego-mess is a great fault 

 in a horse. 



This breed, less talked about now than formerly, 

 has had a strong influence upon the horses of New 

 England ; it combines the good qualities of fair 

 speed, great endurance, fine up-headed carriage, and, 

 above all, good temper ; the defects being want of 

 size, and a certain coarseness and shortness of neck. 

 Having rather upright pasterns, the Morgans lack 



