30 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



able agents, too, are not the rara avis they used to be. 

 To return. 



We v/ill suppose you are not over-particular as to colour, 

 and that the venerable saw, "a good horse is never of a 

 bad colour,'' has its due weight with a sensible man. 

 Grey, chestnut, roan, bay, brown, or black, there are good 

 ones of all. Bay or brown, with black legs and hoofs, are 

 usually most obtainable, and, all other points being equal, 

 most desirable. Greys are handsome, but as they grow 

 older and white, stain themselves so frequently by lying 

 down that much more washing is necessary; add to which, 

 their hoofs are often white, and softer and less dense than 

 those of black-footed horses. 



To describe a " good sort" of horse is, perhaps, not a 

 difficult matter. A really good sort of horse cannot well 

 be put quite out of his place ; he is capable of all services 

 that can be required of him, with the reservation of the 

 two extremes — racing, or the waggon. Even for these, if 

 he is well bred, he would make a tolerably good fight for 

 the one, and his pluck and courage would, to the extent of 

 his strength and weight, make him a most willing rival of 

 '* Gee woa," if the ingratitude and cupidity of man should 

 destine him to such degradation and suffering : by no 

 means an improbable ending of his career, and that often 

 under circumstances at which the humane sportsmaa 

 revolts. 



There can be no doubt but that " a good sort " is a 

 valuable acquisition to any man who wants a horse to 

 perform well any purpose for which such sort is necessary 

 or desirable ; but he may not get what performs a particu- 

 lar kind of work in a superior manner notwithstanding ; 

 and we may sometimes, and under peculiar circumstances, 

 show our tact and knowledge of horses, by purchasing one 

 for a given purpose, which our judgment may tell us is 

 really of a good sort, even for that purpose, or indeed 

 any other. 



A really good sort of horse is fit more or less for any 

 purpose to which we may apply him, and will do that 

 purpose moderately well ; but it by no means follows he 

 may be more than moderately good in any of them. A 

 good sort of horse has so often been described by abler 

 pens than ours, that we will not enter into the minutiae of 

 description here. 



