36 PURCHASING FROM THE STABLES. 



four to seven hundred rupees, but you cannot expect 

 a fresh sound horse of height, caste, and appearance, 

 for so small a sum. 



The price of a high caste, well built, fresh Arab, 

 of five years old, is enormously increased by a little 

 height ; for every inch you will have to pay five hund- 

 red rupees. If fourteen hands one inch of this de- 

 scription can be bought for one thousand rupees, 

 fourteen hands two inches, with the same qualifica- 

 tions in every respect, would be fifteen hundred rupees ; 

 fourteen hands three inches with ditto, would be two 

 thousand rupees. And the increased height is well 

 worth the extra money ; for a large high caste, fault- 

 lessy formed, and fresh Arab of this age, is as diffi- 

 cult to find as a large diamond. 



Two horses, very nearly resembling each other, 

 may be very differently priced : take for instance, two 

 of valuable caste and build, one having rather a 

 straight shoulder, the other an oblique one ; or one 

 rather a thick neck, the other a light one ; the latter, 

 all other points equal, would for the saddle be worth 

 fully double the former. So also a blemish, though 

 not detracting from the actual utility, will often re- 

 duce a handsome horse from fifteen hundred rupees 

 down to one thousand rupees ; in the same manner as 

 a dab of greaser or paint will ruin the value of a dress- 

 coat : the coat may be still as useful, but not for ap- 

 pearance. 



Hecollect, a horse's price is not according to the 

 vulgar error, " what he'll fetch," for many a ruined 

 horse, with a good name, often fetches more than his 

 original worth, when fresh ; and vice versa ; but the 

 real intrinsic value of a horse consists in what you 



