THE HORSE. 183 



bishopric, at a county table that evening. ' Why, that my friend 

 Dick has more guts than brains,' was the prompt reply. ^ 



Buying from a dealer is a difficult matter to treat of. Many 

 and many a good hunter has been bought in this way, for 

 not a penny more than he was worth, and many and many 

 a one will so be bought hereafter, no doubt. Nevertheless, you 

 must remember that you are buying on the responsibiUty ofone 

 man's word. The dealer has probably bought this horse in one 

 of two ways : either at first hand, from out of one of the large 

 fairs, or from some farmer who has done so, and then kept the 

 nag by him to grow in wisdom and stature. In either case the 

 dealer cannot well have much more than faith to go on, for 

 his estimate of the animal's powers. No doubt he beheves 

 thoroughly every word he tells you : far be it from us to dis- 

 parage his honesty, and indeed, we consider a horse dealer in 

 a large and thriving business to be as honest as any tradesman 

 of his inches, though, no doubt, the atmosphere of the stable 

 and ' the rattle of the hat ' does exercise an untoward influence 

 on some men's moral natures. But it is obvious that, whatever 

 a man may think and honestly believe of the possibilities of a 

 horse, his belief must have less practical value than the pubHc 

 estimate formed of a horse that has been ridden in the face of 

 day, and several hundreds of prying eyes, by a good man to a 

 good pack of hounds across a good country. 



That experienced judge of horseflesh, who wrote under the 

 name of ' Harry Hieover,' has observed : ' My first, best, and 

 most strenuous advice to any man wanting horses, not being a 

 thorough, good, practical judge, yet wishing to keep the money 

 together, I shall write in large characters — never buy for your- 

 self.'- To get a friend w^ho has the qualities you lack to put 

 them at your disposal is, no doubt, much to be recommended — 

 if you can find such a one. To be asked one's opinion is 

 always flattering in any matter, and especially in the matter of 

 horseflesh, wherein judgment and shrewdness, the capacity for 



1 The Post and Paddock, ch. xiii. 2 77^^ Pocket and the Stud. 



