30 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



have been quite justified if he had been asked to 

 take him back, in offering fifty as the maximum 

 price in his then condition ; though no doubt had 

 such a case occurred, the owner would have set 

 down the dealer as a rogue for making such an 

 offer. Now none of this falling off in point of 

 condition arose from any ill usage or intended un- 

 kindness, but solely from want of judicious ma- 

 nagement. He had come from a stable where all 

 was done right ; he went to one where all was 

 done wrong. It would have been uncourteous in 

 me to say so on seeing him : indeed, I conceived 

 it to be unnecessary, considering the horse told this 

 pretty plainly himself. Of some of his master's 

 peculiarities in managing horses at work I shall, 

 perhaps, have occasion to speak by way of eluci- 

 dation of some other matters ; I have said enouo-h 

 for my purpose here. 



I have said that every horse will suffer from 

 coming from a good master to a bad one : this is 

 indisputable. I have also added that most horses 

 will improve by coming to a better home than the 

 one they may have left ; but the inexperienced 

 purchaser must bear in mind that better treatment 

 does not always mean increased feeding or dimin- 

 ished work : that must, of course, depend on the 

 quantity the animal had had of each. If the feed- 

 ing had not been in adequate proportion to the 

 exertion, the horse would improve either by in- 



