WARRANTING A HORSE SOUND. 33 



horse sound, because in his opinion he will not 

 remain so; for it is but opinion at best; and 

 though probably a correct view of the case, still 

 it is not a certainty : therefore the examiner, in 

 justice, must pass the animal sound, though he 

 would not purchase him for himself or another 

 person. 



If we purchased subject to the general opinion 

 of the veterinarian, as to whether, from what he 

 sees, he w^ould recommend the horse being pur- 

 chased on the score of being one likely to stand 

 sound, it would be quite a different affair ; but 

 this is a responsibility few professional men would 

 take upon themselves, and it is an ordeal that few 

 sellers would submit their horses to. 



Thus it will be seen, that, though a horse may 

 be passed sound, and very properly so, still we 

 may get one that, in three months, will be, in 

 stable phrase, " as lame as if his leg was broke:" 

 and no fault to be imputed either to the seller or 

 the veterinarian that passed him. Therefore, use 

 all the precaution we may, there must always 

 remain considerable risk as to a horse standinjr 

 sound in work ; and if, as some persons would do, 

 we buy one that has " never done a day's work," 

 instead of this diminishing the risk, it adds to it 

 much more than if we bought one sound nt the 

 time out of an omnibus, or even street cab ; for 

 such have proved their capability of standing 

 D 



