CHAPTER IV 



THE HORSE— JUDGma AND HANDLING 



The ability to judge horses and to determine their 

 relative values for definite purposes is usually acquired 

 only by experience. There is no short-cut way of de- 

 terming the merits or soundness of a horse. The horse- 

 man must familiarize himself thoroughly with the 

 animal; and the better he likes a horse the better judge 

 he will be. Some points which are recognized as impor- 

 tant by good judges are mentioned below. These points 

 are, of course, not infallible, but they may be suggestive 

 to the novice. 



AGE 



The age of a horse determines, in a general way, 

 the limit of its usefulness. Still, it is not always a 

 sure guide to follow. A well-preserved horse, of good 

 disposition and nervous temperament, is often younger 

 at sixteen, as far as activity and usefulness go, than 

 many another horse is at eight. But the average horse 

 has reached the limit of his usefulness at twenty years 

 of age. Exceptional cases may not have entirely out- 

 lived their usefulness at thirty, and instances are re- 

 corded of horses having lived for more than fifty years. 



A horse's age is commonly determined by an exam- 

 ination of the individual teeth. This is usually an ac- 



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