THE PURCHASE OF OLD HORSES. 113 
CHAPTER XIII. 
HINTS ON PURCHASING. 
Purchase of old horses—Those best worth buying—Value of a trial; other con- 
siderations—The best seasons to buy—Legs and hocks: uncertain durability 
of ; cases of indifferent legs standing severe work—Wapiti, Virago, The 
Deformed—Curbs, spavins, and their results—Defender’s thorough-pin— 
Unsound horses best sold—Horses should stand well—The foot and its size ; 
signs of speed—Moderately-sized horses preferred—Large and small horses 
and examples: Camerine, Touchstone—The first railway-van—Durability of 
small horses illustrated in the case of Hoe Miller and his performances— 
Exceptional instances of the same in large horses; Rataplan, Fisherman— 
Contrast of the running of small and large horses as two- and three-year-olds 
and examples: Purole, Heroine, Wild Dayrell, See Saw, The Earl, and 
Crucifix—Roarers—The earliest yearling race—Inferences to be drawn from 
the preceding—Reasons for trial before parting with large horses—Observa- 
tions on warranty; curious instances—Chronic lameness of horses in strong 
work, 
IN offering some observations on the purchase of horses, it 
is my intention to endeavour to describe the sort most likely 
to repay the purchaser. In buying old horses—that is, those 
whose form is known in public—regard should not be had to 
their performances only, but also to their soundness and the 
condition in which they were run. Nor is this all: their breed- 
ing, size and shape should be considered, and also the prospect 
they offer of becoming good brood mares or sires at the stud 
should they break down. A well-bred, good-looking mare, or 
horse, that has run well, would be worth more lame than a 
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