42 LIGHT HORSES: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



that is so essential to good action. That the Hackney is 

 destined to become ere long a very popular animal in the 

 capacity of a coach horse, was made evident some time 

 ago, when Lord Hastings disposed of a pair of gigantic bays, 

 which had drawn his carriage upon state occasions, and which 

 were still pure-bred Hackneys. Their great stature, however, 

 as may be seen by a reference to the observations which have 

 already appeared above in reference to the height of Hackneys, 

 should not be a matter of surprise to breeders, who, now that 

 experienced persons on all sides are doing their utmost to 

 improve the horse, may reasonably expect to find an increase 

 of stature amongst the members of their studs. Good food and 

 careful housing must always lead to the development of an 

 animal's frame, so long as such benefits are not carried to 

 extremes, but when a certain height at shoulder say 15.3 

 hands is reached, every additional fraction of an inch will 

 be a difficult matter to secure. Exceptional horses, such as 

 Lord Hastings' bays, will always be appearing, but although 

 the occurrence of such giants will be more frequent, it will be 

 many a long day before 16.1 or 16.2 hands comes to be 

 regarded as anything but an exceptional height in a Hackney. 

 The question of temper is always an important one in the 

 selection of a horse for business or pleasure purposes, and it 

 will usually be found that the more docile an animal is, the 

 greater will be his courage when the pinch comes, whilst 

 his value will, of course, be far greater than that of an evil- 

 dispositioned beast, who at any moment is liable to injure his 

 owner and stable companions in one of his displays of temper. 

 Fortunately, for the reputation of the breed to which they 

 belong, Hackneys are the most amiable of horses, and the 

 appearance of a vicious stallion in the show ring is almost 

 unknown amongst exhibitors, but, unhappily, it is neither the 

 nature nor the breeding of many a savage horse that has made 

 him what he is. Bad breaking, the tricks of shallow-pated 

 grooms, and the teasing some youngsters receive from the idle 

 loafers adult and juvenile who contrive to gain admission 



