GENERAL REMARKS AND INFORMATION. 3 



many inexperienced persons. Horse buying is generally 

 an awkward matter even to those who understand the 

 animals, but worse for those who are inexperienced as 

 to the way they can be got up for sale. 



I have been very much struck during the last few 

 years with the number of accidents that happen where 

 people have met with their death, and others have been 

 injured. In many cases it has been simply through 

 having a fresh horse and not understanding it. In 

 other words, the animal was not what he was repre- 

 sented to be. I do not mean to say there are no honest 

 horse dealers, but I do say this — they are few and far 

 between in comparison to the number of dishonest ones. 

 I have had a great deal to do with horses during my 

 life, and find in many cases a horse-dealer will often 

 sell a gentleman a horse, telling him he is a first-class 

 animal and will just suit him, when the man knows all 

 the time it will be of no use to the purchaser. The dealer 

 will often go so far as to send another man to buy the 

 horse back, of course, for less money, and will send 

 the gentleman a worse one in its place. No matter 

 what neighbourhood people go into, if they are thinking 

 of buying a horse they scarcely dare tell anyone, or 

 they will be tormented by a lot of horse-dealers. The 

 latter are not wise in their day and generation, if they 

 were they would treat people honestly. 



There is a splendid opening for honest horse-dealers 

 in our country at the present day. Suppose, for instance, 

 a gentleman buys a horse of a dealer, and the animal 



