14 SADDLE HORSE. 



m nature, I would answer, that woman, lovely woman, 

 before whose charms the soul of man bows with re- 

 verence and submission, stands unparalleled ; next to 

 this matchless paragon, a beautiful horse displays 

 nature in her highest polish and greatest perfection ; 

 his gay and cheerful appearance, proudly prancing 

 and bounding, his elegance of shape, smoothness ol 

 limbs, polish of skin, due proportion of form, and 

 gracefulness of action, united to a mild, soft, faithful, 

 and patient disposition, raise him far above the rest oi 

 the brute creation. I shall now proceed to lay down 

 some rules, and to give some hints, for the examina- 

 tion of a horse previous to a purchase being made, to 

 prevent the liberty of exaggeration, which is too fre- 

 quently taken by dealers in those animals, and which 

 too often terminates to the serious injury of the pur- 

 chaser. 



It is to be much lamented, that men who entertain 

 a proper idea of honour in all the common affairs of 

 life, so soon as they become the owner of a horse, 

 feel at liberty, without being sensible of doing violence 

 to their morals, to knock off two or three years from 

 his real age, and express themselves, with apparent 

 delight, of services, gaits, and qualities, to which he 

 never had any sort of claim or pretention ; carefully 

 keeping a secret every vice and defect to which he is 

 subject. I do not pretend to say this is the case with 

 all who exchange or sell a horse, but that it has often 

 occurred no person will deny. If a fraud can be prac- 

 tised at all, it is sufficient reason for the inexperienced 

 and unsuspecting to be placed on their guard. When 

 a horse is offered for sale, I would advise the pur- 

 chaser to ask one question, viz : Is he in all respects 

 perfectly sound? Should a cheat be practised on you, 

 under such circumstances, an action would lie against 



