32 LIGHT HORSES '. BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



invaluable production, the introduction to the first volume 

 of the Stud Book, will be found to have expressed a closely 

 reasoned opinion on the subject, the truth of which, especially 

 as he quotes from co-existent authorities, it is impossible to 

 question. Mr. Euren states roundly that " the construction 

 of railways had a speedy effect on the breeding of Hackney 

 horses," and this circumstance doubtless affords some ex- 

 planation for the lack of popular support the breed received 

 a couple of generations ago. Before the benefits of 

 Stephenson's great invention were offered to the public, 

 farmers in all parts of the country were compelled to go to 

 market on horseback, and, in the words of Mr. Euren, it was 

 "no unusual thing" for them to ride fifty or sixty miles a- 

 day to and fro. Now the British agriculturist, whatever 

 his other imperfections may be, has always been regarded 

 as a solid man at all events, from an avoirdupois point of 

 view ; and consequently it must have been a powerfully- 

 built horse that was used to carry him. The animal, more- 

 over, could not have been a sluggard, for time is valuable 

 when marketing transactions are on the tapis; and, there- 

 fore, it must generally be conceded that the horse the farmer 

 bestrode must have been fast as well as strong. In making 

 use of the expression fast, it is perhaps desirable to state 

 that the trot is not the only action in which the Hackney 

 should excel, for the style in which he walks is a point that 

 should always be taken into consideration by judges of the 

 breed. Few horses are capable of negotiating a long 

 journey at a trot with a heavy man upon their backs ; and 

 even if they were, it is to the last degree improbable that 

 many men would be forthcoming who were able or willing to 

 ride for twenty miles at this pace. It is, therefore, necessary 

 when selecting a Hackney to bear this in mind, as none of 

 the old-fashioned farmers would have cared to lose time 

 when easing their horses, owing to the animal they rode being 

 a slow walker. 



We are, therefore, pretty well able to estimate what the 



