THE COACH-HORSE. 79 



and having more leisure as they get further on in life, might 

 wish to start a team, and might refer to these volumes for 

 advice how to do so. To them we would say, get your wheel- 

 horses as strong as is consistent with activity. If you have the 

 choice between the good-actioned horse that is not quite so 

 strong and a stronger horse that is not quite of such good 

 action, the judicious course will be to buy the good-actioned 

 horse. 



Also we should recommend a coachman to teach his horses 

 to go both at wheel and before the bars, as he will find their 

 readiness to work in either place a great convenience. Of 

 course the least troublesome, though it may prove to be the 

 most expensive, way of finding a team will be to go to a well- 

 known dealer. But the lover of coaching will find more 

 amusement, and interest, and fun, in picking up horses for 

 himself, and for this purpose visits to TattersalFs, Aldridge's, 

 or Mr. Rymill's at the Barbican, &c., afford a very large choice 

 of animals, of all sizes, and shapes and colours. Then, again, 

 if a gentleman has leisure and time to devote to it, he can 

 look round some of the great country emporiums, such as 

 Reading, Rugby, Leicester, Swindon, and other country towns, 

 which should provide him with something that suits his fancy. 

 If the beginner is content to get nice fresh but raw horses, not 

 at all a bad plan is to buy from the farmers. This entails a 

 little horse-breaking, which is not bad practice for a beginner. 

 It may cost a little in paint from the vagaries which young 

 horses indulge in, but it is perhaps more pleasant and more 

 satisfactory to sit behind and drive a team of your own breaking, 

 than it is to be furnished with everything to your hand by the 

 dealers. 



As regards the stamp of horses for a long and hard day's 

 work, there is nothing can beat a thoroughbred one. The 

 more blood you have in horses you drive, the better you will 

 be able to do long and trying journeys. Still such animals are 

 scarcely what we should designate by the word coach-horses. 

 If you have not very long stages to go, you can indulge your 



