298 THE HORSE IN SERVICE 



he lias either an erroneous or exaggerated notion. " Picked out 

 of the bushes " means bought cheaply from, an obscure owner who 

 had no conception of the house's ultimate value. It represents the 

 practice of buyers who measure their profits by the ignorance, in 

 horse matters, of those from whom tliey buy. 



With the exception of drafters, the horse breeder receives a 

 smaller percentage of the price his colt eventually brings than 

 in the case of any other live stock product. It is true that most 

 farmers are not equipped with time or facilities to properly 

 school or train high-class saddle, show, or race horses, the ex- 

 pense of which is usually worth about as much as the original 

 cost of the green horse, but they frequently do not receive full 

 value for their product in the rough, to which they are justly 

 entitled. 



In order to produce salable colts and to realize full value for 

 them, the breeder must keep himself well infonned as to the 

 character of the horses that are topping the markets. And the 

 horse that brought the high price years ago may not be the best 

 seller to-day, since market demand is continually undergoing 

 some modification which should be taken into account by the 

 producer, if he is to be successful. Furthermore, the breeder 

 should be able to see, in prospect, into just what his colt is 

 capable of developing. 



A knowledge of dealers, conditions of sale, and other essen- 

 tials also aids materially in negotiating a satisfactory sale. 



The particular class desired will of course depend upon the 

 purpose for which the horse is purchased. It is important, how- 

 ever, that the requirements of some definite class shall be met, as 

 those horses which are off type or misfits constitute the remnant 

 stock of the horse market for which the lowest price and least 

 profit are realized. 



First-handedness. — Service in the city usually draws the 

 line between first- and second-handedness. Marked evidence of 

 a horse's being second-handed consists of the blemishes and minor 

 unsoundnesses which come as a result of wear and tear, siich as 

 puffs, sprung knees, and cocked ankles. The dealer in buying 

 first-hand country horses prefers that they should be untrimmed 

 in any way. 



