ROAD HORSES. 117 
be thick, but it is absolutely necessary that he should 
have a fine head and clear, intelligent eyes, with a 
good space between and above them. An English 
authority declares, “There was never yet a first-class 
race horse that had a mean head,” and I believe 
this is equally true of roadsters. The ears also 
are an important point; they should be set neither 
close together nor wide apart, and it is of the utmost 
consequence how they are carried. A lively, sensible 
horse, one who has the true roadster disposition, will 
continually move his ears, pointing them forward and 
backward, and even sideways, thus showing that he is 
attentive and curious as to what takes place about 
him, and interested to observe what may be coming. 
A beast with a coarse head, narrow forehead, dull, 
timorous eyes, and ears that tend to incline away 
from each other when held upright, and which are 
apt to be pointed backward,—such a horse is one 
to avoid as certainly deficient in mind, and prob- 
ably in courage and in good temper as well. Many 
lazy, sluggish animals of this sort are considered 
eminently safe for women to drive; and so they are 
until the harness breaks or something else fright- 
ens them, when they become panic-stricken and tear 
everything to pieces. On the other hand, a high- 
strung but intelligent horse will quickly recover from 
a sudden alarm, when he finds that after all he has 
not been hurt. The manner rather than the fact of 
shying is the thing to be considered. 
When we come to inquire how good roadsters are 
bred, the answer can be given with more confidence, 
for the source of their endurance and courage is always 
found either in Arabian or in thoroughbred blood. 
