290 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 



this matter, but that there is much deception in the horse, and 

 that even the best judges and smartest dealers are sometimes 

 liable to be deceived and cheated in a horse-trade, I do know. 



Once, many years ago, I swapped horses with a minister, 

 whose excuse in wishing to make this trade was that his horse, 

 weighing some 1,100 or 1,200 pounds, was too heavy for him, 

 and as I had a compact Morgan-built chunk of about 900 

 pounds in weight, he liked him much better. He guaranteed 

 his horse " sound as the Rock of Ages " so far as he knew ; of 

 course he would not warrant him because he was not a horse 

 man or a dealer ; he did not, of course, know what would hap- 

 pen to the horse afterwards, but at that time he believed him 

 to be absolutely sound. After the trade was made and the 

 goods had changed hands, I found that his horse had a slight 

 spavin coming on, and so slight as to be scarcely noticed, only 

 on closest examination, yet enough to lame him after a hard 

 drive. 



On sending a delegate to interview the minister concerning 

 his horse trade and who pretended that he knew the minister 

 must necessarily be cheated in trading with a horse man and a 

 dealer, the good soul got cleverly out of it by saying that he 

 should not have made the trade only that he knew that his 

 horse had a spavin coming and would soon be so lame as to be 

 useless to him. 



It is frequently the case when one, having a horse that does 

 not suit him in every particular, feels inclined to " swap " or 

 trade him off for something different, as for instance : one has a 

 good horse, sound, kind, and all right but when turned out in the 

 field is very hard to catch, so much so that the owner resolves 

 not to be bothered with him, but trade him off for one that is 

 good to catch, but comparatively good for nothing when 

 caught. 



Another has a horse that is all right except that he pulls a 

 little hard on the bit, so he swaps him for one that does not 

 pull on the bit but requires to be pushed with the whip, instead, 

 in order to get anywhere with him. 



