BUYING AND SELLING HORSES 187 



never buy a horse short in front, but I've seen a 

 pony with no front at all carrying a thirteen-stone 

 man absolutely top of the Hunt, and never making 

 a mistake. I won't buy spavins, but I like curbs. 

 I only buy screws with a big " if " in them, as the 

 stamp of thing I like is worth what I could never 

 give, so I try to get the stamp, very much post- 

 marked by fate. Slight whistlers I find often 

 come right or never get worse, it depends on 

 whether they improve when they gallop on. 

 Never buy a whistler which begins to choke after 

 a mile or two. Pullers almost all have their bits, 

 a very long double bridle and no curb chain is my 

 patent. I find the curb chain frets horses, and is 

 useless. 



You may buy an affable-looking beast in a fair 

 and find that it folds up like a hammock chair 

 when it is tired of going on, and only fire will stir 

 it. Johnny had a mare of this description. 



"Black mare gone, Johnny? " I asked. 



" She is so. A young gintleman bought her at 

 Cahermee, the craythur. Sure she might be 

 tirened of sleepin' now." The ' craythur's ' 

 owner was probably even then collecting furze 

 bushes to make Colleen get up. 



Another playfully rubs your legs against walls. 

 We had one like that at home, Nancy, she nearly 

 ground me to powder once. The horse which 

 crosses its legs on the flat is to be avoided if you 

 can find it out, before it kills you. 



