The exterior of the horse / by Armand Goubaux and Gustave Barrier.

  • Armand Goubaux
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The exterior of the horse / by Armand Goubaux and Gustave Barrier. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    937/954 page 903
    and who, as a rule, will harness tlie better one of the two on the left side and the poorer one on the right. In this manner it will be easy to find ont if there is between them a great disproportion in vigor and in the gait, a différence which would perhaps not hâve been otherwise per- ceived. The horses are lield by an assistant standing between them, who makes them, according to the orders of the purchaser, successively walk, back, turn to the right and to the left, after which, if the trial is satisfactory, there is nothing more to be done but to Ilitch the horses to the carriage. This is the most diffieult and most important pro- cedure of ail, and great attention should be paid to it. Ail dealers possess vehicles of various sorts intended to train and to exhibit mated horses. The purchaser makes the pair pass before him in every direc- tion ; finally, lie gets on the seat and drives, or employs sonie trust- worthy person to drive for him. The foliowing qualifications must be found in horses that are to be mated: lst, identity of race, energy, and tempérament; 2d, equality of âge ; 3d, equality of heiglit, form, and lengtli ; 4th, harmony of the gait ; 5th, the same quantity of force and good breeding ; 61h, the sanie kind of coat. The last point, which is really only a matter of fashion and taste, is at présent sometimes waived. Often, not to mention little details which cannot be absolutely alike in the two horses of one pair, such as white feet, or some peculiar mark on the head, a radical différence of the coats is accepted, and very fine coach teams are to be seen composed of a dapple-gray and a bay. Of course this combination will not give the perfection of elegance which would resuit from absolute similarity in the two subjects, but with respect to their value, such a' pair will frequently be better mated and more easily found, and, therefore, will cost much less. § 5. Horses which may be mounted or driven at will. There are horses which may be indifferently driven to a carriage or mounted, according to the pleasure of the owner. Let us liere remark that the advantages of this double utilization are less absolute than relative, and more imaginary than real. A good saddle-horse always loses in value by being driven much, just as the driving-horse makes an indifferent saddle-horse. In this respect, it is with horses as with hunting dogs. If the latter are indifferently employed as bird-dogs or rabbit-dogs, etc., tliey will soon lose their good qualities for eitlier service, but afterwards will tend to return to the spécial use for which they hâve the greatest aptitude ; the true sportsman will hâve none of them, and lie is right.
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