138 LIGHT HORSES I BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



than a pony, if only on account of their larger appetites, and the 

 extra price that has to be paid for harness and traps to fit them. 

 The number of ponies, moreover, that are at work, in pairs, 

 in the London streets has sensibly extended during late years, 

 for van owners and the like, who must have their work trans- 

 acted with reasonable despatch, and who cannot afford to 

 have their animals blundering and falling about the streets, 

 appear at last to have arrived at the opinion that a pair of 14 

 or 14! little ones this is rather transgressing the pony stand- 

 ard, by the way are far better adapted for this purpose than 

 wastrels standing a hand and a-half higher at the shoulder. 



Of course, too, when it comes to the question of working in 

 coal mines, the little ones are quite in the front, but their suit- 

 ability for such work need scarcely be discussed in a general 

 notice of ponies, as it concerns a very small section of the 

 community mine owners, to wit. On the other hand, the 

 thousands of mouths which are daily dependent for bread 

 upon the labours of the costermongering fraternity would 

 fare but badly if the latter had to rely solely upon the 

 humble donkey as an animal of draught. At the exhibition 

 of ponies and donkeys, bona fide the property of London cos- 

 ters, which took place at the People's Palace, in July, 1892, 

 the owner of a pony informed the writer that he had tried 

 donkeys, but found them quite unsuited for the particular work 

 his animals were expected to perform, and he added with 

 emphasis " There's one or two of my mates who's a lookin' 

 for a good pony, but they can't find 'em." This forcible allu- 

 sion to the dearth of useful ponies that exists in London, is one 

 that might be borne in mind by owners of waste land, where 

 they might be inexpensively reared, as when a demand exists 

 it is only reasonable that some efforts might be made to 

 supply the same. 



Having thus alluded very briefly to a few but only a few of 

 the rather prosaic, but perfectly legitimate uses to which 

 ponies may be put, some reference may be made to the loftier 

 walks in life to which their energies and capacities may be 



