169 



CHAP. V. 



THE DIFFERENT VALUE OF DIFFERENT HORSES. THE BEST 



JUDGE OF A HORSE. CASES IN POINT. — THE PRICE OF 



PERFECTION. 



In making so wide a distinction as I do between 

 persons who understand horses and those who do 

 not, I feel myself called on to give some little 

 explanation of what I mean, otherwise I may 

 unintentionally give offence where and when I by 

 no means intend to do so; for understanding a 

 thing or its reverse are only relative terms as to 

 how far the knowledge or the want of it is con- 

 cerned. There are certainly some men who do 

 not know a good-looking horse from a brute — 

 thousands that are no judge of a good sort of one, 

 or a good goer. 



An uncle of mine went a good deal further. 

 He said that, provided two horses were both 

 black or white — or, as he termed them, red, — 

 and about the same size, he could see no difference 

 in them. My discernment as regarded his medals 

 or black-letter volumes I dare say was about the 

 same thing. 



There are, perhaps, few men exactly like my 



I 



