02 ABLE-BODIED HORSES. 



combined with pace that tlie thorough-bred shows his 

 matchless powers. 



I remember once taking the reins, or, in road 

 phrase, " working" for a few stages on one of our 

 heavy six-in coaches. Now three tons we wdll allow 

 a tolerably decent weight for four horses to trot 

 along with. I thought the coach heavy, and had the 

 curiosity to drive on to a weighing-bridge : three 

 tons seven hundred was our weight, a pretty good 

 dose at even the moderate pace of eight miles an 

 hour ; and, let me tell those who know even less than 

 I of such matters, a pretty good dose " for he wot 

 drives them." Over thirteen miles of this ground I 

 was accommodated vvdth four as seemingly sound able- 

 bodied horses as could be seen, and positively fat. I 

 shook my head at the team, and no more liked them 

 than I subsequently found they did the coach or the 

 stage. The horse-keepers had no difficulty in getting 

 off the quarter-cloths in time : God knows, had a 

 roller been on over them they could have unbuckled 

 it. I soon found a little " waking up" was necessary; 

 but I as soon found that this waking up was not to 

 be accomplished by a hint: nothing but a stroke 

 (and that ditto) that would flay the hide of a whale 

 had any effect ; and then unless the ears and inside 

 the thigh were visited in the quickest succession, the 

 two fore legs would have stood still while you were 

 giving an accelerator to the hind ones. Save me 

 from able-bodied horses ! They rolled along, ho^vever, 

 somehoAV, and did their thirteen miles in the allotted 

 time. I know they also pretty nearly did me. The 

 next was a kind of make-up-time stage : four light 

 goodish-looking nags were put to ; they scratched 

 along over a nine-mile stage without any trouble in 



