HINTSTOPURCHASERS OF HORSES.
To decide by the first appearance of a Horse, as to what he may prove on continual Exercise, is a perfection of Judgment which not even Experience itself can confer. Those erudite Equestrians,Will WhipcordandSam Spur, candidly assured us, that
HORSES WHICH ARE FOR SALE
are usually so pampered and highly fed, and have the interstices of their Muscles so filled with Fat, that their real shape,i. e.their form when in full Exercise, and with their ordinary Food, cannot be imagined.
If Dealers meet with a Horse that is unable to stand to the work theyrequire of him, they let his Business be so light, that it may be merely Play to him—and so keep him in Condition till they can dispose of him.
Appearances are so deceitful, that the above-named skilful Jockeys confessed to me that they frequently found themselves mistaken. In the selection of a Horse, we rarely seek for latent good qualities, when the Eye is disgusted by deformity. A Horse of true proportions strikes the fancy of every beholder; we immediately assent to the beauty of the object, and take it for granted that Symmetry must be accompanied with either Strength or Swiftness. True Judgment is displayed in selecting a Horse possessing great powers, under the cover of an ill-favoured outward appearance, and discriminating from among those of a pleasing form such as are devoid of them.
Many who have written on Horses have attributed much tothe influence of Colour on the Constitutions of Horses; but we fancy that Colour is often suffered to bias the decision on a Horse’s Goodness, when it should be considered merely as it relates to hisBeauty. Many will not buy a Horse which has aWhite Leg; butWhite Legsare as likely to fly asBlack Legs.
Mr. Mennill, of Leicestershire’s, famous hunter, “Whitestockings,” had four White Legs; and a better hunter never leaped a Gate.Childershad White Legs.
A Horse of symmetry and good action should not be undervalued from any peculiarity of Colour. Good Judges of Horses are very indifferent to the irregularity of Marks, &c. Thus much, however, is certain, that some colours denote Strength and Hardiness more than others, and are also more Beautiful; as the Dappled Grey,—Bays, particularly the Dappled, Golden, and Blood Bays, with the Legs, muzzle, tails, and list down the back black, Nutmeg Greys, Dark Duns, with mane, muzzle, tail, and legs, Black.
A mealy Bay and light Chesnut, or what is commonly called Sorrel, are for the most part delicate in Constitution. The latter is also often of a hot and choleric disposition.
As the Proverb says,
“A Good Horse cannot be of a Bad Colour.”
“A Good Horse cannot be of a Bad Colour.”
“A Good Horse cannot be of a Bad Colour.”
“A Good Horse cannot be of a Bad Colour.”
Few things are more difficult to find than Horses that are exactly what you wish.
“It is a cruel thing to say, but a very true one, that amongst the present breed of Horses in this nation, a man of any tolerable judgment can hardly find One in Fifty for his purpose, whether designed to Draw or Ride.”—Wm. Osmer on Horses, 8vo. p. 59.
Many of the Defects of Horses cannot be discovered till they have been in your possession some days. As that experienced Equestrian,Mr. Geoffrey Gambado, said, some Horsedealers, like some other Merchants, are “not a bit honester than they ought to be.”
Mr. Hanwayobserves, that “If theGentleman24seldom treats hisFriend, (and hardly ever an indifferent person,) withstrict honour in selling a Horse!—what are we to expect of those who have been bred among Horses?”—Hanway’s Travels, 8vo. 1757, vol. i. p. 206.
The only safe, and indeed the only satisfactory plan, both to the Seller and to the Buyer of a Horse, is to
“Try,Before you Buy,”
“Try,Before you Buy,”
“Try,Before you Buy,”
“Try,
Before you Buy,”
asCapt. Bindoncautions you, “Don’t fall in Love with himbefore you Ride him.” In hisGentleman’s Pocket Farrier, printed at Edinburgh in 1731, of which most of the works with a similar title are incorrect copies, with merely another name to them.
Deal with a respectable Man, to whom you have been well recommended, and stipulate, that if after a Trial for a day or two, you do not like your purchase, that upon paying a certain Sum you may return it. This sort of Agreement will not always be acceded to, unless you are knownto the Dealer, and are a constant Customer.
If you have a Pair of Horses on trial, the usual charge for them, you finding provender, is about Two Guineas per Week:—Try them by driving them two or three times seven or eight Miles into the Country, where there is a good Hill to go up, such as Highgate or Hampstead Hill, you will soon find out what kind of Temper they are of:—if they have any lameness, or defects, &c.—and if theywork equally, and step well together, which is extremely important;—if they are not of equal Courage and equal Pace, your Coachman will be obliged to be continually whipping one of them, in order to keep him to his Collar; and he cannot flog the Idle horse without hurting the feelings of his Industrious companion, and also those of the Persons he is driving, who, if they have any humanity, will not bear to see the willing suffer for the sluggishness of the Lazy. Moreover, every time the Whip is used the Horses spring forward, and the Carriage goes in aHop, Step, and a Jump kind of style, which is extremely disagreeable.
Sluggish Horses are good for Nought, but to drag a Cart. Your own Arms will be almost as soon tired in making them move their Legs, as if you had travelled as far on your own Feet.
The following paragraphs are from “The New Method of Managing Horses, by the Thrice Noble, High and PuissantWilliam Cavendishe, Duke, Marquess, and Earl of Newcastle,” fol. 1667:—
“Be not afraid of a Horse who shewsStrength,Spirit, andStomach: a Horse having them cannot choose but be made aReady Horse, if he be under the Discipline of an Understanding Hand and Knowing Heels.
“When a Horse doth notRebelit shews Weakness and faintness ofSpirit, and no Courage. Where Nature is much Wanting, it is hard for Art to supply it.”—P. 199.
“Tryingis the only way toknow Horses.”
“I told you that Marks, Colours, and Elements, are nothing at all to know a Horse by; they are butPhilosophical Mountebanksthat talk of suchToyes. Nay,Shapeis nothing to know the Goodness of a Horse—the best Philosophy is to Try him; and you may be deceived then, if he be a Young Horse;—Colts alter extremely both inSpiritsandStrength. What Judgment can one give of aLittle Boy, whatKind of Manhe will prove? No more can one give a Judgment of a Colt, what Kind of Horse he will prove.Ridehim andTryhim; that is the bestPhilosophyto know him by.”—P. 104.
“A Young Horse ofThree Years Oldis but aGristle,” saith his Grace of Newcastle, in p. 202 of his Book.
“For any Man that would havea Horse of Usein his ordinary occasions, or forJourneys, orHunting, I would never buy a Horse till theMark be out of his Mouth,i. e.till he beSevenyears old; and if he be sound Wind, Limb, and Sight, he will then last you Eight or Nine Years.
“A Young Horse will have as manyDiseasesas a Young Child, andyou will have to leave him with your Host at some Inn, and hire another Horse for your Occasion; and have your Host’s Bill, and the Farrier’s, which will come to more than your Horse is Worth; and there’s yourYoungHorse; but your heartyOldHorse shall never Fail you.”
There is more Trouble in looking afterOneYoung Horse than in taking care ofTwoold ones.
Let the Horse you select for trial be stripped—let your own Servant (who being a stranger to him will not know how to humour defects or conceal any dispositions he may have to vice, &c.) walk and trot him in a strait line, on a paved piece of Road, such as is used for this purpose at the Veterinary College at Saint Pancras; while you stand alternately before and behind him; observe well if he has any inequality in his motions—see if he steps firmly on the ground—stop him often—put him on again—observe whether in setting off he has a partiality for either Leg, beyond that which seems to be natural toHorses in every part of the World, of taking off with the Left.
If a Horse is Lame with one Leg, it is sometimes disguised by putting in a Stone between the Shoe and the sole of the other foot, which is so judiciously contrived as to make him pick them both up alike.
The best way to discover Lamenessis to have the horse rode so as to be heated; let him then be put into the stable till he get cool, when take him out for another trot, and examine again.
They sometimes bring Horses for trial, heated, by which many bad qualities and defects are concealed; dull Horses are animated, while the vicious pass as mere mettlesome; with many other disadvantages to the Purchasers, endless to mention. The best way is to get to the Dealer’searlyin the Morning, before you are expected, and you will so find out more defects than any other way.
If the Horse be heated, let him be turned into the Stable till he gets cool; go up to him by yourself—examine him—observe his generalmanners, and, above all, to judge of his Temper watch his Eye:—a Horse never plays a vicious trick, or thinks of one, without shewing his intention to do so by his Eye;—study the Eye of a Horse during the usual operations of the Stable, and you will be enabled to form some opinion of his Temper and Disposition.
The following account was given to me by a friend who has had great experience in Horses:
“There can be no doubt that a vicious Horse is to be known by his Eye:—I took a Horse to Mr. Professor Colman, at the Veterinary College, St. Pancras, to be examined previous to purchasing;—he had on a water-deck, the Day being Wet; the wind caused it to flap against his sides, and he reared and plunged most violently. Mr.Colman, whose Judgment respecting Horses I had previously repeatedly consulted with the greatest advantage, after looking at him for a few minutes, decidedly pronounced him to be a Vicious Horse. I begged Mr. C. to tell me whether he judged so from his plunging occasioned by what ismentioned: he said No, from his Eye; he was constantly trying to look back:—however, I bought the Horse; and sure enough the Professor’s prognostic was perfectly true—he was decidedly vicious! the very next day he attempted a grand go at kicking and plunging, and did great damage to my Carriage.”
For the following Advice, we are indebted to as Honest a Man as any that deals in Horse-Flesh.
“I have found many persons who have purchased Horses of me, very inquisitive and troublesome about their Eyes; indeed, as much so as if their Eyes were any way concerned in the action of the Animal. As I know they are not, I give myself very little trouble about them:—if a Rider is in full possession of his own, what his Horse has is perfectly immaterial.
“Be sure to buy aBroken-knee’d Horse, whenever he falls in your way: the best bit of flesh that ever was crossed will certainly come down one day or another; whereas, one that has fallen, (and sacrificed himself pretty much,) never will fall again, if he can help it.
“Buy any thing but aThreatener. By the Threatener, Man himself, the Lord of the Creation, who subdues all the Animals that range the Forest, is himself kept in fear and trepidation!—This ingenious Animal has the sagacity, at every step, to threaten thefracture of his Rider’s neck, probably with a view to abolish the practice of Riding; but has, at the same time, the good sense not to fall quite down, lest he should accidentally break his own. As amongst Pigeons, so amongst Horses, there areTumblers: the feat is, however, performed differently, and varies a little in its effects on the performers: the Pigeon executes it without any thing on its back; the Horse seldom achieves it without somebody upon his. To the latter, therefore, we must give the greatest share of merit, who ventures to perform upon a hard Road what the other does only in the Air, without even a cloud to brush against. The one seeming to prefer the Milky, and the other the Highway.”—See the Duke of Newcastle onHorses; Lord Pembroke onBreaking Horses, &c. 12mo. 1761; Mr. Berenger’sArt of Horsemanship; and Dr. Bracken and Mr. Gibson’s Books.
See a Comprehensive Abstract of the various Acts of Parliament relative to “Stealing Horses,” “Buying Stolen Horses,” “Killing or Maiming Horses,” &c. in p. 1046 of the Second Volume of Sir George Chetwynd’s comprehensive Edition of Dr. Burn’s Justice, 8vo. 1825.