.w V^' HIS'TS m^^^J^'^S^cKm^'^ " vv^V"' HINTS TO PURCHASERS OF HORSES. HINTS TO PURCHASERS OP HORSES. *' Ne, si facies, ut sape, decora MolU falta pede est, emptorem iuducat biaatem Quitd pakbr% clunes, breve qu6d caput, ardua cervis. Horace, Lib. I. Sat. 11. LONDON : PRINTED FOR CHARLES KNIGHT, TikLUUAlt EAST* LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES, Northuml»erlaDd.court. PREFACE. The following little Treatise is intended to convey a correct idea of the proper shape and action of the horse ; and also, by pointing out the various imperfec- tions to v^rhich he is subject, as well as the best method of discovering those de- fects, to render the purchase of the ani- mal, usually considered an affair of hazard, a matter of comparative security. VI PREFACE. In order to give full force to the fol- lowing observations, certain expressions, in use amongst horse-dealers, and per- sons conversant vt^ith horses, have been found indispensable ; which, not being generally understood, are printed in italics. CONTENTS. Page Hints to Purchasers of Horses - - - i POINTS REQUISITE TO FORM A PERFECT HORSE. The Head 3 Neck - - - - - - -4 Shoulders ------ 5 Back and Body ----- 6 Thighs and Hind- Leg's - - - - 7 Elbows and Fore -Legs - - - 7 Pasterns .--..-- 9 Feet 9 THE PACES OF THE HORSE, &c. &c. The Walk - 11 The Trot - 12 The Gallop - - - - - - 13 Cutting- - - - - . - - 16 Colour 25 General Indications - - - - 35 Vlll CONTENTS. Page The Mouth - 27 Temper .,,„»- 33 Hot Horses - - - - - - 34 Slug-gish Horses - - - - - 36 Shyness .----- 37 Starting - - - - - - 38 DIRECTIONS TO PURCHASERS. The Eyes ------ 40 The Age ----- - 43 The Jugular Vein - - - - - 48 The Position ----- 49 Knees - ^ - - - - 50 The Legs - 51 The Feet 54 The Hocks ----.- 57 The Hips 53 Shewing - 59 Lameness, how discovered ... 60 Fencing . - . - - . gi String Halt - - - - - - 61 How a Horse should be shewn - - 62 Wind ----.-.63 Injurious Habits, &c. - - . - 07 Injuries of the Back - - - • 69 Conclusion ----»• 70 HINTS PURCHASERS OF HORSES. There are so many good horses of comparatively different shapes, and so many, which possessing the same useful properties, are widely dif- ferent in general appearance, that it would be difficult to single out any particular horse as the standard of perfection. Attention to the following points, which are indispensably requisite to form a perfect animal, will en- able those who are fond of a horse, to judge with accuracy of the good- ness of his shape ; and, as he pos- sesses these necessary qualifications in a less, or a greater degree, to de- cide that he is more or less distant from that standard, of which I am endeavouring to give what, I fear, will prove an imperfect idea. POINTS REQUISITE TO FORM A PERFECT HORSE. THE HEAD. The head should be small, and free from fleshiness ; not projecting in front from the forehead down- wards, (which is called Roman-nosed,) but, if any thing, rather hollow in that part, than otherwise; it should be wide across the forehead, and taper towards the muzzle, which should be small and thin. The bot- tom jaw should be wide underneath B 2 at the junction with the neck, so that the gullet may not be con- fined. The nostrils should be large, and open ; and the ears long. The eyes should be lively, clear, and bold, and placed well towards the front of the head. NECK. The neck should be light, clean, and hollow at the throat ; the crest fine, firm, and arched at the top just behind the head, and strong and muscular at its union with the shoulder. SHOULDERS. The shoulders should rise, and run well into the back, so that, when the animal is mounted, the rider's toes may be behind its fore- legs. The withers should not be thin, but strong ; though quite smooth, and free from lumps on each side : the points of the shoul- ders, most particularly, should be light, and nicely rounded off. The bosom should not be heavy, and prominent, nor yet narrow and con- fined. 6 BACK AND BODY. The girth should be wide, and deep. The loins should be broad, and rising on each side of the spine ; but the back-bone itself should not be high, which is called roach-hacked. The body should be deep, and round in the ribs ; the hips should be quite smooth, and the space very- long from them to the root of the tail, which should be almost in a straight line with the back. THIGHS AND HIND-LEGS. The thighs should be large, and muscular, and continue so to the hocks, which should be large, lean, bony joints ; and the leg should be short from thence downwards. The hind legs should stand well under the top of the animal, and not with the hocks bowed out behind him. ELBOWS AND FORE-LEGS. The elbows should stand square, not jammed into the chest, nor yet inclining out^wards. The arms should be large, and muscular, like 8 the thighs, but should taper in a shapely manner towards the knee. The knees should be great, flat joints, and not recede from the straight line of the leg, (which shape is called calf- knee' d.) The legs should stand straight, not twisted in, nor out at the ancles. The space between knee and fetlock cannot be too thick, too short, or too flat ; and so clean, that you may see, or at least feel, the suspensory ligament, as it is called, clear, and distinct to its roots. PASTERNS. The pasterns should not be small in circumference, nor long, and bending, as it were, with the ani- mal's weight ; nor yet should they be short and upright, but partaking of the pliability of the former shape, with the strength of the latter. FEET. The feet should be round, and wide at the heels; the frog large, and sound ; and the sole concave. Yet, possessing these perfections in shape, a horse is of no value un- *-. 10 less a good mover; and I think that a plain horse, when a good goer, is far preferable to a fine shaped one, with middling action. This brings me next to mention 11 THE PACES OF THE HORSE. THE WALK. A horse, in his walk, should be- gin by stepping boldly away, with his knees well bent, and his foot up, and placed down again flat; the feet if any thing first ; with his hind legs tucked close, and following his fore legs regularly : he should not go with a hind and fore leg of the same side at a time, (which pace is termed ambling,) but in exact, and well-timed motion. 12 THE TROT. The same is to be observed in his trot ; the knee should be bent, and the foot up, and sent straight fore- ward, not dishing on either side. The motion should be from the el- bow, as well as the knee, for horses that step from the knee alone, soon tire themselves, and are always slow, putting the foot down nearly in the same place whence taken up. The hocks also should be tucked close together, and go well under the animal, with the same regularity which I mentioned as requisite in 13 the walk. The fore and hind legs should go together, and not at twice, as if the animal had a joint in its back. Observe, in all good trotters, the the rider can see the knees at every step without leaning forward in his saddle. THE GALLOP. A horse, in his gallop, should not go high, ^i\d fighting, with his knees too much bent ; nor should his fore- legs be confined ; they should be put boldly forward, not confined, and pottering, not romping, and 14 scrambling, but clear and straight away from the elbow; with the hind legs thrown well under him, and not lolloping after him, making him go all on his shoulders. The gallop is a pace more used in the field, than on the road, and hunters are chosen more with reference to it, than either to the walk or the trot. Speed is quite indispensable for a hunter ; and when hounds are running fast, while a slow horse is killing himself by going at the top of his pace all the time, and conse- quently at the utmost stretch and exertion, a fast horse is going within 15 himself y and without either trouble or distress. Long slow stepping horses never go well through deep ground ; and they are equally bad across ridge, and furrow. Those that roll in their gallop are the same. Horses to live across a country, should go with quick collected steps ; they can then get through dirt, and over ridge and furrow, and can jump at very short notice. In the gallop, and indeed in all paces, good use of the hind legs is absolutely necessary ; for from these all the spring is made ; and no horse 16 can possess either speed, safety, or strength of action, without it. CUTTING. Here be it observed, a horse in all his paces should go clear, and not cut, or touch one leg with the other. He cannot go too near if he does not go to cut. Those horses go to cut their fore-legs, that hook in their heels ; when low actioned, and in their slow paces, they hit their an- cles ; and when high goers, and moving fast they hit their knees ; sometimes they hit midways, on the 17 splent bo7ie, between knee and ancle. 'Nothing is more objectionable than such interfering action ; the wound it inflicts creates always of necessity inflammation and filling of the leg ; and it frequently occasions a horse to fall very suddenly. The act of cutting with the hind legs, though not of such consequence as with the fore, makes the joints large, and weakens them by the repeated sore it occasions. Cutting behind re- sults either from the hocks being open and wide apart, in which case the toe comes in contact with the ancle ; or from the hocks being in- c 18 clined too much inward, in this case the end of the heel does the mis- chief. There are very few horses that do not hit their hind-legs some time or other; particularly when young, and weak, and often when weary with long and great exertion. But observe, those that cut from natural causes, either behind or be- fore, never receive any permanent benefit from an alteration in shoe- ing ; which method of remedy una- voidably curtails the natural size, and alters the natural shape of the foot, and not only does not obviate the imperfection, but, if persisted in, 19 occasions lameness in addition. 1 should strongly recommend that a horse, who goes to cut his legs, be rejected. Those horses that dkh the foot outwards, never cut their fore-legs ; and though some judges do not con- sider such method of going to be perfect action, it is by no means objectionable. Where coach-horses and others worked upon the stones, from the state of the pavement, ne- cessarily slip and slide about, and are unable to deliver their feet with any degree of certainty, dishing the foot outwards quite precludes the C 2 20 possibility of hitting, notwithstand- ing the difficulty they experience in obtaining foot-hold. It is also particularly desirable that a horse in all his paces be a quick stepper, and that he go very lightly with his fore-legs, but hit the ground hard with his hind-legs ; or to use a horse-dealer's phrase, he should trot over a street paved with eggs without breaJcing one with his fore-legs, but bore holes with his Mud, Horses with quick light action, seldom wear their legs out, if they are not used when too young, which 21 ruins all horses ; and the reason of their lasting is, that they do not hammer the ground, and shake themselves all to pieces, which heavy slow movers do, but going free of all concussion, they do their work without detriment to them- selves, and with pleasure to their riders. But action is in a great degree referable to the position and make of the shoulders ; and having al- ready mentioned what their shape ought to be, I shall now give the reason why it depends so much upon their form and situation. In 22 the first place, when the shoulders are low and upright, the weight the animal carries is directly upon his fore-legs ; it is not then to be won- dered at, that he experiences diffi- culty in using them lightly ; and as, instead of being/rom /wm, they stand quite under him, he has equal diffi- culty in putting them forward. He is therefore evidently more liable to stumble ; and when he does trip, the load he carries being almost more forward than his fore-legs, prevents him recovering himself, and down he comes. When the shoulders are themselves loaded at top, as well as 23 upright, there is a double imper- fection ; for then there is a natural weight, as well as the weight artifi- cial ; and when they are loaded at the points, they occasion great hea- viness of action, and if the animal is a high goer, he hits the ground so much the more forcibly; the objec- tion to which has been already stated. Horses with bad shoulders may go well for a short time ; but after six or seven miles' journey they begin to make mistakes, and as their shape is not calculated for move- ment, so their action cannot con- tinue. 24^ Though the fore-legs, from their very situation, always bear the greatest portion of weight, yet, when the shoulders lie back, more of the weight is communicated to the spine ; and being thus removed from the fore-legs, they have less impediment to motion, and their position being then forward, is na- turally more favourable to the office they have to perform. Good action may be considered equivalent to strength. This is con- firmed by the fact of many horses with great substance, when bad goers, failing in their joints; while 25 slighter horses with good action are seldom found to give way, even car- rying the same weight. Of this I have seen very many instances; which circumstance alone shews how necessary it is that a horse be a good goer. COLOUR. There is an old saying, '' a good horse is never of a bad colour;'* yet a whole coloured horse, that is, without white, is esteemed the best. Mealy-coloured horses are mostly soft, as are blacks, and very light 26 chestnuts, with much white about them. GENERAL INDICATIONS. A great body, and sheath, and small head, indicate a good consti- tution ; and a great head, and light body the contrary. An experienced person can tell a soft horse, or a hot one, in a great degree, by the ex- pression of the countenance : there is a great deal evinced in the head, which experience alone will enable you to discriminate with advantage. 27 THE MOUTH. Another indispensible requisite is, that a horse have a good mouth, and as this does not depend half so much upon the mouth itself, as upon the neck, and its junction with the head and shoulder, I must repeat what I have said upon that subject, in order to explain how the mouth depends upon its form and position. First, it is requisite that the top of the neck, behind the ears, be rather arched, and the throat underneath hollow, and free from fleshy sub- 28 stance : the head then is placed in a situation to bend inwards ; but if the top of the neck be straight, and without the curvature, there is no natural disposition to bend ; and if at the same time it be stopped up at the throat, how can it be acted upon by the bridle ? it must remain fixed ; and all chance of stopping a horse with such a neck, is at the animal's discretion, not at the will of the rider. It is no less necessary that the neck be muscular at its union with the shoulder ; for here it should re- sist the actioa of the bridle. It is 29 only required that the head rein well in to make a good mouth ; and that is effected by the shape I have just described. But if the neck be weak at the shoulder, it gives way the moment you pull at the bridle, and up flies the head into the air, and the ears into the rider's mouth ; and if he try to stop the horse in his gallop, particularly down hill, the head is pulled quite on one side, before he can make any impression on the animal. This sort of neck, weak at the shoulders, and without the curvature at the top, is what is termed an ewe-neck^ so and is equally objectionable in point of utility, as of appearance. Horses with such shape are obliged to be ridden in martingals, in order artificially to produce the effect of dropping the head to a go- vernable situation. They are par- ticularly dangerous in the field, where good mouths are most essen- tial; because when without mar- tingals, they cannot see where they are going, and are liable to fall at every hedge, ditch, and furrow; and when ridden with them, they are always in danger of being pulled into their fences. 31 When the formation of the neck is such as I have described it ought to be, the head is so placed, that it is next to impossible the mouth should be bad; and though there are horses that do not answer the bridle on one side of the mouth, this is the eiFect of having been im- properly bitted at first, and may, if the animal be young, be easily re- medied by a judicious application of the breaking bits. It is absurd to imagine, that by placing a sharp piece of steel in the mouth of a horse, you can bring his head into a situation different from S2 that in which nature has placed it, and to which, from the muscular conformation of the neck, it refuses to submit ; you may place it under temporary restraint by such means, in the same manner that your own body, or any part of it, may, by some circumstance or other, be sub- jected to an unnatural position ; but as it is painful to you, so it is to the animal ; and on that account we so frequently see the mouth bleeding under the influence of such severity. I am not maintaining an opinion that different bridles are improper, or useless, for different horses ; or 33 that sharp bits are quite unneces- sary ; I am merely affirming the im- possibility of making a mouth good by any bridle whatever, where the head is placed on to the neck, or the neck united to the shoulder, improperly. TEMPER. The temper or disposition of a horse ought also to be considered. A horse should be perfectly do- cile, and free from vicious propen- sities. He should possess courage, and mettle, without being hot, vio- D 34 lent, or nervous. A vicious horse is generally distinguished by the expression of his eyes, which, in- stead of being fixed upon objects before him, are constantly glancing backwards, as if the animal was in- tent upon, or watching the mo- tions of the rider, or persons about him. HOT HORSES. A peculiar expression of the eye, indicative of the disposition, exists also in most horses that are hot and violent ; a knowledge of which 35 cannot be fully communicated by description, and must be acquired by experience. Hot horses are objectionable, be- cause they are unpleasant to ride in. company with others, and generally fatigue themselves by their constant and excessive irritability. They very often refuse their food after work ; and when in the stable listen to the lease noise, particularly after hunting ; and the sound of a horn, the crack of a whip, or the barking of a dog, throws them into a state of great agitation. D S 36 SLUGGISH HORSES. Dull, sluggish horses, without any mettle whatever, are generally- good for nothing ; and it is less fa- tiguing to walk, than to ride them. I do not object to a horse being rather lazy for a hunter, because the cry of the hounds, and the com- pany of other horses, exhilarate him sufficiently, while pursuing the sport, to render the constant appli- cation of the spur unnecessary ; but I should certainly object to such a horse for other purposes. A warm hackney is pleasant to 37 ride a journey on the road, or to go a distance. He may fidget, and pull for the first mile ; but after- wards his warmth subsides into freedom of going, and there is nothing required but a still seat, and a steady hand on the bridle. These are the only exceptions to be made in favour of either sluggish, or of warm-tempered horses. SHYNESS. Many horses are shy, and cringe when you approach them in the stall : they also dislike being han- dled, particularly about their heads, 38 This shyness results more frequent- ly from their having been treated harshly, than from any natural ti- midity. Persons employed in the management of young horses, too often get out of temper with, and abuse them ; and for want of a little patience many animals are spoiled for ever. STARTING. There are other horses that are subject to start, and jump out of the road at the sight of any new object. They are often rendered worse by bad riders, who v/hip and spuE 39 the animal the moment he takes fright; the consequence is, that when any thing unusual presents itself^ they are not only alarmed at the object itself, but are terrified at the recollection of the treatment they have received. Having thus briefly shewn what is requisite to constitute a good horse, I shall add a few useful di- rections to purchasers, which will facilitate the examination of the animal, and render the buyer less liable to be imposed upon by the ad- vantageous manner in which horses are usually exhibited. 40 DIRECTIONS TO PURCHASERS. Of course every man wishes for a sound horse, without defect in wind, limb, or sight. The various imper- fections which occur in each I shall endeavour to point out, and I begin with the eye, THE EYES. When the animal about to be pur- chased is at the stable door, before he is brought out, examine his eyes ; the light coming up'm them in that situation- will enable yoa to discover 41 any defect that may exist. Re- member both eyes must be in an equal degree of light ; and regard- ing this, observe that there be no difference in the eyes, for if they be not alike, one must be diseased. If both eyes be clear, and hazel round the pupil, and the pupil itself be blue, and free from any white specks termed cataracts ; if it con- tract in the light, and dilate when in the shade, you may conclude that the eyes are good. If the eye be blue round the pupil, or the pupil itself be in the least degree affected with cataracts, if it do not diminish. 42 or enlarge, as the light i.s more or less upon it, in all these cases it is a defective eye. All weeping, cloudy, dull-looking eyes, are un- sound ; and if there be the least ap- pearance, in any way, of disease in this very important organ, reject the animal. THE AGE. l^exi examine the mouth to as- certain the age. Yearlings and two- year-olds are alike in mouth, and. must be judged by general appear- ance. At three years old, the horse. 43 has four horse teeth, two above, and' two below, in front of the mouth, which supply the place of the suck- ing teeth. At four, he has eight horse teeth^ four above, and four below, having the corner teeth only sucking teeth. At five years old these are gone, and the mouth is up; that is, all the teeth are horse teeth, and the tusk is up on each side of the mouth, A dark mark, or hol- low, is generally observable in all the teeth in the bottom jaw at just five years old; and the tusks are concave in their inner surface. At six, the two middle teeth have quite ^^K: lost this marl^, and the tusk is higher up, and longer, and not so concave. At seven, the next two teeth have lost it, and the corner teeth only have the mark left in them. At eight it has grown out of these, and no mark is left at all. The tusks also become longer, and instead of being concave in their in- ner surface, become convex; the horse is then termed aged. There is a great deal of difference in the mouths of horses : some have lost the mark in all, except the corner teeth, even as early as five years old ; others have the front teeth in 45 the top jaw, projecting over the bottom teeth, at the same age ; and I have seen horses at seven years old, v^ith the corner teeth appearing like those of a five-year-old. You may form some idea of the age from the appearance of the mouth in ge- neral, when the marks are no longer visible. If the corner teeth do not appear long, and running forward, as it were, to the front of the mouth; if they retain their square shape, and shut well together; if the tusks are not blunt, and have the least concavity in their inner surface, you may conclude that the horse is not 46 very old, particularly if his head be not gray/ and not very hollov^ above the eyes ; though this latter shape sometimes exists in young horses. A concave tusk is the most certain criterion of youth; and as mares have no tusk at all, they must be judged with reference to what I have said about the corner teeth. It is here necessary to mention^ that the difficulty of acquiring an accu- rate knowledge of the age of horses by their teeth, is very much in- creased by the tricks that are prac- tised. It is generally allowed that no 47 horses are fit for work till at least five years old ; and it is a common custom with great breeders in the north, and with many dealers, to pull out the sacking teeth when the animal is rising four years old ; the mouth is forced by these means, for the horse-teeth succeeding soon after the operation, the animal ap- pears to be a five-year-old. To detect such deception, regard must be paid to the tusk. Every horse, upon attaining the full age of. five, has the tusk completely up on each side of the mouth; but in forced five-year-old mouths the tusk is 48 only just making its way through the gums. There frequently exists also in the latter an irregularity in the front teeth, as well as a back- wardness in the growth of the tusk. Forced mouths vary in their ap- pearance according to the time of performing the operation ; and the habit of observing horses' mouths will alone enable you to ascertain where any artifice has been prac- tised. THE JUGULAR VEIN. Mark that both jugular veins are perfect, and that a free circulation 49 through them exists ; as there are horses, which from having been un- skilfully blooded, and from subse- quent inflammation, have lost the vein, a defect of some consequence. THE POSITION, When a horse is brought out, al- low him to be placed with his fore- legs up hill ; because if his joints be at all bent over, or his legs shaken, you will best discover it by such position. Whenever the animal is placed with his forelegs in a gutter, or down hill ; or whenever the per- E 50 son shewing him is continually pull- ing at the bit to make him shift his legs, that he may stand advantage- ously, be assured that his joints are impaired, and that he cannot stand firmly. KNEES. As the horse stands, examine his knees, and ascertain that no marks exist in front of them. These marks are generally the symptoms of his having been down, and even were they occasioned by other means than falling, the blemish is the sam6. 51 and equally detracts from his value. Next look inside the leg just under the knee, and if any scars be visible, or the hair stick up, you may con- clude that he cuts in his speed, or fast paces, Mark well that a similar scar do not exist at the ancles, or the hair appear brushed; for such marks are solely produced by the act of cutting, which, I before ob- served, is generally a natural, and therefore incurable defect in action. THE LEGS. Take notice that the legs should E 2 52 not be tottering, and inclining for- ward either at the knee, or ancle ; and that the ancle joints should not be large in front. The back sinews, also, should not appear bowed out behind, nor feel thick ; the symp- toms of their having sustained some injury. The legs should be flat, and not round ; neither should they feel soft and puffy; but wiri/ and hard. Both legs should be alike ; for if one be larger than the other, it is an injured leg. Never buy a horse with a big leg, for a sound one, even though he be warranted. You need not mind a splent, or bony 53 excrescence on the shank, unless it be so situated as to interfere with the suspensory ligament, or project so much as to be hit with the other leg in going. Ringbone-?, or enlarge- ments on the pasterns and coronet, are easily perceived from a diffe- rence in the two legs ; as it rarely occurs, even when both legs are af- fected, that they are affected equally Incipient ringbones will sometimes produce lameness, even before they are observable without very minute inspection. 54 THE FEET. Be particularly attentive to the feet ; for according to the old say- ing, no foot, no horse. First of all observe that one foot should not be less than the other; and that they should not be indented, or hol- low, round the crust. The crust it- self should not be brittle, and broken where the nails have been driven ; nor should there exist in it any cir- cular cracks, or longitudinal fissures from the coronet downwards, which last are termed sandcracks. The heels should not be drawn together, 55 and contracted ; nor should the frog be small and ragged, nor discharge a foetid matter, which disease is called a thrush. The horn at the heels should be as high as the frog ; for if lower, the heels will be liable to corns; and the sole should neither be flat, nor convex. It is obvious no horse can continue sound with these imperfections in the feet ; and it frequently happens that horses with very finely-formed feet, are very lame from a hidden cause with- in the hoof. Some Veterinary Sur- geons consider such description of foot-lameness hereditary ; but as it 56 is not my intention to treat of the diseases of horses, I shall not enter further into the subject. I should strongly recommend the perusal of Mr. Coleman's book on the foot of the horse, as admirably calculated to convey the fullest knowledge of that very important part of the ani- mal. If the legs and feet be smooth, that is, free from the defects I have iust mentioned, you may imagine .that all is right in the fore part of the horse. 67 THE HOCKS. Next examine the hocks : observe that, as you stand on either side of them, there should not be any pro- jection at the back of the joint called a curb; and as you stand behind them, that the inside of the joint down below should be free from little knots, or bony excrescences, which are bone spavins ; and on look- ing at them in a slanting direction, that there should be no tumour above, or blood spavin. Look down between the horse's forelegs for these defects, as it frequently hap- 58 pens that they are better seen from that view. An enlargement of the cap of the hock does not often cause lameness, though it is a ble- mish ; but enlargements on each side of it, which upon pressure fluc- tuate from the inside of the joint to the outside, are termed thorough pins, which are in fact windgalls, and often cause very obstinate lameness. THE HIPS. Look that both hips be of the same height, as horses are met with having the defect termed doivn of a hip. m SHEWING. Having thus examined the horse as he stands, let him be run down slowly, on a rough, or stony decli- vity, at the end of a halter, without any support to his head, or any whip near him. If he go boldly, with his knees bent, and his foot flat, and firm to the ground, without dropping his head, you may con- clude that he is sound before ; and if, on running him up hill, he go with his hocks regularly together, and not dragging the toe, nor drop- ping from the hip, you may buy him 60 as free from lameness. If he go pottering on the toe, and feeling, I should not recommend him to be bought for a sound one. LAMENESS ; HOW DISCOVERED. Take notice, that in examining a horse for lameness, you have only to look at his ears ; for all horses that are lame before, drop their heads when they throw their weight on to the sound leg ; and those that are lame behind throw their heads up when the sound leg comes to th$ ground. 61 FENCING. Whenever a horse stands in the stable fencing, that is, with a foot out under the manger, it is a certain sign that something exists uneasy to him, and may give you just rea- son to suspect unsoundness. STRING HALT. String halt, or a singularly high motion, or twitching up of the hind legs, is too glaring to escape obser- vation; it does not constitute un- soundness, though it lessens a 62 horse's value. Bone spavins not unfrequently occasion a similar Dl^-*nA^i,ixj thod of going. HOW A HORSE SHOULD BE SHEWN. Always have the horse you are about to purchase shewn quietly ; because, when he is agitated, a slight lameness may escape your observation; and always see him ridden, that you may judge how he loears himself, and how he uses his legs and feet; for many horses are pleasant to ride, that are unpleasant 63 to look at when ridden ; and dealers never fail to put you immediately upon their backs, when their riding is pleasanter in the feel, than in the appearance, I may here also men- tion, that whatever pace the horse, when you see him ridden, is con- tinually kept in, that pace is his best; and whatever he is hurried out of, he cannot do at all, or be well assured that no opportunity would be lost of exhibiting it. WIND. With regard to wind, some horses 64 naturally possess greater freedom of breathing than others; for in- stance, a horse with large open nos- trils, a wide gullet, a rather short neck, and a deep, wide chest, has generally superior wind, to one with the contrary shape. There are two kinds of disease injurious to the wind; one is an affection of the windpipe, which creates whistling and roaring ; the other, an affection of the lungs, which produces broken wind. The usual way to discover the first of these imperfections, is, to go 65 up to the animal in the stall ; and taking fast hold of his head, flourish a stick about him suddenly, or strike him; if he groan he is a roarer. But this method will not detect a mere lohistler : the surest way, therefore, is to gallop the horse with a bridle tightly curbed, and at the same time agitate him as much as possible. If he make a wheezing noise, or blow with the same kind of sound as is produced by blowing upon a knife placed be-^ fore one's mouth, he is not sound in his wind. The state of the wind is frequently ascertained, and with p 66 great accuracy, by the sound of the cough ; and in the following manner. Grasp the windpipe at the throat tightly, and then immediately let go the hold; the horse is sure to cough. If he cough bulli/, that is, if the cough sound like the lowing of a bull, the disease I just men- tioned is in existence. If he cough short and hacking, the lungs are af- fected, and he is broken icinded; but if the cough be long, and shrill, the wind is good. Be careful to leave hold of the windpipe the mo* ment you have compressed it ; for if you hold it long, the horse will 67 cough shrill, even if he have imper* feet wind. Always gallop a horse as well as make him cough; though a horse with the roaring, or the short cough, should be rejected immediately. By making a horse cough, ano- ther advantage arises; vi^,, that you may discover if he be affected with a cold ; in which case, upon compressing the windpipe, he will cough repeatedly. INJURIOUS HABITS. Crib-biting is a bad habit to which many horses are addicted. It con- F 2 68 sists in taking hold of the manger, and at the same time drawing in the breath, accompanied with a gulping noise. The effect of it is loss of flesh and condition in the animal, and sometimes injury of the wind. Wind-sucking is nearly the same, only without taking hold of the manger. As these habits are not always discoverable during the short time you are in a dealer's stable, it is ad- visable to have the horse you are about to purchase warranted free from these defects, in addition to the warrantry of soundness, as the 69 latter does not provide against them. It is also prudent id have the horse v^arranted free from restive- ness ; though you may discover this by riding him several times past his own stable-door ; if he be restive, he will manifest his self-will by en- deavouring to turn in, and rearing if you attempt to prevent him. INJURIES OF THE BACK. Injuries of the back, which are not unfrequent, are discovered by backing the animal ; and if he per- form the retrograde motion with any 70 the least degree of difficulty, he has experienced some serious dorsal injury. There are other imperfections which I need not mention, as none but the lowest description of persons would keep for sale horses possess- ing them. CONCLUSION. 1 shall therefore conclude with advising all persons, as the surest way to be fortunate with horses, always to buy those that are young and sound ; without blemish, with 71 good action, and most particularly with good mouths ; as one of the first things to be observed is, that a horse bend to his bridle. You may- just as well ride a pig, as a horse without a mouth; and a wooden horse, as one without action. Be assured, if your horses be purchased with attention to these directions, and you should be at any time, from unforeseen circumstances, compel- led to offer them for sale unexpect- edly, they will meet with plenty of customers. Never encumber yourself with screws ; they require more attention 72 than sound horses; they do less work ; are worth nothing for sale ; but contribute to lessen the opinion of your judgment, and bring your stable into confirmed disrepute. LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES, Nortbuinbcrland'eotifU -Xm^:: 'f-m^^ t- >«r- ■■\ ''