THE HACKNEY HORSE. 4! 



discussed, a few observations may now be directed to the 

 scarcely less important walk, which is so priceless a blessing 

 when added to the other virtues of a good saddle horse. 

 There is no compromise about the true Hackney walk, as the 

 possessor of it steps out all round, throwing his front legs 

 well before him, and his back ones right under his body in a 

 style that makes his stride enormous. Many of the leading 

 Hackney stallions of the present day are by no means good 

 walkers, and more's the pity, as if they possessed the gift and 

 transmitted it to their stock it would add most materially 

 to their worth as sires, and to the value of the youngsters 

 in the market. Without the least desire to draw invi- 

 dious distinctions between the respective merits of different 

 horses, it is impossible, when alluding to the walk of a 

 Hackney, to avoid drawing the attention of our readers to 

 the grand walking action of Mr. Tom Mitchell's chestnut 

 Ganymede, who was bred by Mr. John Wreghitt, in 1888, by 

 Danegelt, from a mare by one of the numerous Phenomenons 

 whose names adorn the pages of the Stud Book. A superb 

 mover in both paces, Ganymede is simply the perfection of a 

 walker when exhibited in proper condition, which has not 

 always been his fate. So long as breeders pay attention to 

 the walk of their horses, they are pretty certain to find a sale 

 for the animals, as most persons who ride have reason to 

 appreciate the value of an animal who, when trotting is 

 impossible, can get over the ground at a good pace. 



It is, of course, a self-evident fact that many Hackney 

 owners never have any occasion or desire to ride their horses, 

 and in selecting an animal for harness purposes, the great 

 difficulty in finding the right sort of shoulder is materially 

 diminished. A shoulder for a riding horse must necessarily 

 be long if the equestrian expects to secure a comfortable 

 mount, but neither the length nor the slope of his shoulder is 

 a matter of such vital importance in the selection of a harness 

 horse, provided always that each of these required points is 

 sufficiently developed to ensure that freedom of the shoulder 



