SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 297 



tion was called to a beautiful dark chestnut mare, and being in 

 hands of parties unable to hold her she was about to be sold at 

 auction for whatever she would bring. Her pedigree was well 

 established and would be furnished the buyer as soon as it 

 could be obtained from the breeder. At the sale she showed 

 well in harness ; I bought her ; she was drugged to death and 

 died that night. 



I once bought a horse at auction in Brighton, a very smooth 

 and pretty bay horse of the Ethan Allen type, absolutely 

 sound in wind and limb, " not a pimple on him," smooth as a 

 mole, handsome and stylish, so far as appearances went. I ob- , 

 tained him at a very low price. He proved to have a cancer on 

 the penis and lived but a short time. 



I once had a tenant on a farm of mine that had a horse 

 that was all right and suited him in every respect save one, 

 and that one fault was in not standing for him to shut the lane 

 gate near the house on his return home after having driven 

 him out ; he would stand all right going from home, but on his 

 return was so anxious to get to the barn that he would not 

 allow his master time to shut and fasten the gate. 



He, consequently, swapped him for one that he could not 

 use with safety anywhere, and was obliged to make a second 

 trade. The second time he got a horse that not only would 

 stand for him to shut the gate, but would stand whenever he 

 felt in the mood, and no amount of whipping or coaxing would 

 make him do other than stand. 



I once sold to a neighbor of mine in Connecticut a pair of 

 coal black Canadian horses for $500. They were a good pair, 

 young, sound, and all right, and worked together. One of 

 them was of a more nervous disposition than the other, and 

 consequently rather the better horse of the two, especially so 

 as a single driver on the road. This sale was made in the 

 spring, and after haying that summer their owner told me he 

 was well suited with them, and that they were the best team 

 he had ever owned, but some time during August of that sea- 

 son, while out driving the nervous one, he Avas suddenly over- 



