HOW TO BUY A HORSE. 5 1 



those which raise their feet high from the ground. 

 No horse that trips is safe to ride, and while horses 

 of extravagant action soon become leg-weary, there 

 is a medium between these classes in which safety 

 lies. In all of its paces the horse should raise each 

 foot clear of the ground, and plant it flat and firmly ; 

 the action should be true, even, and free. The 

 opinion of a veterinary surgeon should be taken 

 upon the condition of the animal, and he should be 

 asked specifically whether the horse has corns, con- 

 tractions, or any defects in the feet, and whether 

 the back tendons are in any way affected, for horses 

 are often pronounced ' sound ' when they are really 

 unsafe to ride, by reason of weakness in the fore- 

 legs or of some faults in the feet that may not 

 render them technically unsound. It is a severe test 

 of the manners of a young horse to ride it when 

 ' fresh ' after a rest of two or three days, and if it 

 have any vice, tricks, or bad habits, they will pro- 

 bably be shown under such circumstances. A 

 spirited animal will almost invariably jump about 

 and make a few curvets, perhaps make a pretence 

 of being shy; but if it be not violent, and after a 

 short time becomes steady, it may be presumed to 

 be of a good disposition. Riding a horse with a 

 loose rein over rough ground is not always a test 

 of its sureness of foot, for some horses will take 



