CHAPTER IV.

SELECTING A MOUNT.

The purchase of a saddle horse requires a grave amount of consideration, especially as ignorant persons are apt to think that “anything will do for a beginner.” Every second person to whom you make known your requirement will be ready to put you in the way of securing “the nicest little horse in the world.” Gentlemen friends from every quarter will have something cut and dried for you to invest in; amateur dealers will persecute you; professionals will harry your life out; John, the coachman, will make himself odious by recommending some highly undesirable animal and stolidly determining to see no virtue in any other. You won’t know at first what his object can possibly be, but by-and-by you will find out that he and the owner of the property have come to an agreement concerning a certain little “tip” to be made over to John, in the event of his inducing you to become the possessor of the decided acquisition in horseflesh on which his own affections are set; and then, when you decline to be victimised, John will assume a stony appearance, and obstinately refuse to be interested in any other purchase.

You should be slow to select a horse, with a view to buying him, unless you can command the aid of a competent and disinterested judge. Do not take the _onus_ upon yourself, for I grieve to say there is not any species of trade in which there is so much dishonesty and such a terrible amount of deception. If, however, you should happen to be thrown altogether upon your own resources, act thus (or get some one to do it for you): Go to the most respectable of the trade; it is your best safeguard. In former times, men like Scott and Anderson were so far above suspicion that the veriest tyro was safe in their hands. There are others of the present day of whom the same may be said. Find out one of them, tell him to what price you can go, and see _the best_ that he can give you for it. If he happens to have what pleases you in price and appearance, get the animal examined by a reliable veterinary surgeon, and ask for a trial. Buy nothing without it. If refused, rest assured that something is amiss. Dealers and grooms, even the honestest of them, have ways of their own for pulling horses together, and making them step up and show themselves: ay, and for covering their defects, too, of which ladies, as a rule, know nothing at all. Therefore, when you fix upon an animal, get him _ridden_ by a friend on whose judgment you can rely,--not in a hurried manner, in the dealer’s yard, but for an hour or so upon the road--and also for a turn upon grass. A correct opinion can then, but not otherwise, be formed concerning his paces, and the amount of training and discipline to which he has been subjected.

A lady’s horse should, as I have said, possess perfect manners. If he romps with his head, pulls heavily against the hand, leans weightily upon the bit, crosses his legs, goes clumsily upon his shoulders, or, in short, renders his rider in any way uncomfortable or unsafe, he is as unsuitable for you as though he were addicted to some actual vice. To be brief, he is not fitted for his office.

If, on the contrary, he can be ridden upon grass with a common snaffle and a single rein--not pulling, and going well up to his bridle--the making of his mouth has at least been properly attended to; he is fit to be a lady’s horse. I do not consider that any animal is so who requires a curb; but the subject of bitting is of too great importance to be merely touched upon here. I shall give some practical advice about it in a future chapter.

In the event of your purchasing a horse from a friend, adopt precisely the same rules as though buying him from a dealer, unless the animal be one with whom you are perfectly well acquainted. In such a case his price will be the only question; but if there is nothing amiss with him, and your friend is a person of honesty and good sense, he will freely grant you both a trial and an opinion, and will be rather pleased than otherwise that you should demand them, as the responsibility of the sale will then be lifted from his shoulders.

In selecting a horse, discard anything that is too large. A lady who is not a welter-weight does not require a weight-carrier, nor does she look well upon one either. See that he has good fore-legs, and has not any tendency to being what is termed “over at the knees,” for if he has an inclination that way he will be very likely to come down, and a sure-footed horse is positively essential to the comfort and safety of a lady rider. Bent knees denote a weakness of the muscles and tendons of the back of the leg, and are therefore to be reckoned as fatal to a roadster, although, strange to say, they are not thought nearly so objectionable in a racer, his price being in some instances not very materially lessened by them. This is owing to the fact that in the gallop they do not tell against an animal, while in the trot they do, very materially. “Diamond,” who was, some years ago, the winner of many important races, was so marred in appearance by this defect, that when standing still he always looked ready to topple over upon his knees; yet sportsmen know what a brilliant cross-country performer he was, and what a price Joe Anderson--dear old man! still living, and hearty, though deaf as any post--gave for him after his win at La Marche.

I have not the objection that most persons have to a hollow-backed horse, especially when designed to carry a lady’s saddle. It is infinitely preferable to anything approaching a roach-back, and animals distinguished by it are, strange to say, generally possessed of a variety of excellent points--extreme good temper and docility being among the most prominent. An unduly marked sinking of the spine is certainly not to be desired, but an animal who has what grooms term “a touch of a dip,” need not on any account be rejected for it.

A wise purchaser will always make a careful examination of the angles of the lips. A decided hardness about them, although an unfavourable symptom, need not condemn the animal; it may have been occasioned by abuse of the bit, or by the use of an improper one. A cicatrix on the mouth is a defect, as showing that the true skin has been removed from its place, and if a decided induration, or anything like a lump can be felt in the vicinity of it, evidence is afforded that the animal is a puller. He ought not to be purchased for a lady’s use.

A good foot is an indispensable adjunct. I am not in favour of over long, or excessively sloping pasterns, although they are preferable to those that are either too much shortened, or unduly _upright_. Where the latter defect exists, it indicates, in my opinion, a thickening and rigidity of the flexor muscles, and produces an unsafe method of planting the feet, particularly in walking. A light, supple pliant pastern is a great beauty. I have often watched a thoroughbred racer trotting over turf. The fetlock actually _tips the ground_, or seems to do so, at every step, and if elasticity and slenderness of this portion of a horse’s anatomy were to be regarded as indications of weakness, very few finely-bred animals would ever pass the post at all.

Strong _high_ hoofs, with broad, firm, well-shaped heels, are most desirable; though I know that in saying this I am challenging a large array of contrary opinions. I have heard many persons found their liking for low hoofs on the ground that an excess of horny substance checks expansion, and pinches the internal substance. This is, with all due respect, a fallacy. The hoof _cannot_ press upon or injure the internal portion of the foot, any more than a well-developed skull can bruise or hamper the healthy brain which it has been created to protect. I cannot believe in the excellence of short, straight hoofs, with narrow heels, nor can I forego my opinion, although once or twice I have had to fight for it, that the best bred and safest horses have their feet standing close together, with the toes pointing _forwards_, in preference to a tendency to point either outwardly or in. The leg should be straight and firm, the knee-joint flat and broad, the shin hard, the forearm lengthy, and the limbs large and well-developed where they emerge from, or rather join, the trunk. The thorax should be wide; a narrow one is invariably accompanied by low withers (a great defect), and by upright shoulders, which is another. As it is, moreover, sacred to the purposes of respiration and circulation, its proper dimensions should be regarded as an all-important point.

A nice horse, in colour, for a lady to ride is a dark chestnut or bay. Browns and blacks are generally serviceable also, but greys and roans are objectionable, owing to the hairs coming off upon the habit. About fifteen-two is a good height for a horse which is to carry a rider of average proportions. He should have well-set _sloping_ shoulders--oblique pasterns--clean, shapely legs--firm feet--and long, easy, _swinging_ action, which is vastly better and more comfortable than that chin-knocking motion which lovers of what is showy run after and affect. The lady’s horse should carry his head handsomely, being neither a star-gazer nor a borer, and his back should be somewhat longer than might be thought altogether desirable in a horse intended for a man to ride, in order to give ample room for the side-saddle. He should have a moderately high forehand, be firm and flexible in all his movements, and be at least 20 lb. above the weight he is meant to carry; by which I mean that if you are, say, 8½ st., or from that to 9 st., and that your saddle and appurtenances (including your riding gear) weigh 2 st. extra, or a trifle over, you should select for your use an animal well up to 13 st. or thereabouts. To overweight a horse is both cruel and unwise, especially when a lady is the aggressor--which sounds strange, as female equestrians generally ride with tolerably light hands, and rarely stop out for any great length of time together, except on particular occasions. Nevertheless, their position on horseback, sitting far back and in a side attitude, entails a good deal of additional fatigue upon an animal; nor has the lady’s horse the advantage (a great one) which pertains to that of a man--namely, being eased now and again by the rider standing in the stirrups when galloping, or jumping off for a moment or two when opportunity offers.

I have always thought it a pity that ladies do not select their saddle horses with a view to their being somewhat in keeping with their own style of appearance. It would be an immense advantage if they did. A slender, willowy figure will always look best on a light-limbed animal--one of spirit and breeding, full of quality, and as nearly as possible thoroughbred--whereas a rider of more matronly build should select an animal of medium height, with broad, strong back, powerful quarters, big, healthy hocks, and stoutly-built forelegs. She will look infinitely better on him, and be more safely carried, than if mounted upon a slender weed.

So much for appearance. Now a brief word about other matters.

Do not buy a horse that is not a good walker, however perfect he may seem to be in other respects. I have always attached great importance to an animal’s walking powers. It is a pace more generally adopted than any other when out for a pleasure ride, and if you really want to enjoy this last-named recreation, have nothing to do with an indifferent walker, though he be offered you for a song.

About four and a half miles an hour is a good walking pace--excellent, indeed, when _leaving_ stable. The horse that accomplishes it will generally walk at the rate of five miles an hour when coming home. A good walker will neither stumble, drop, shuffle, nor break. Everybody knows what the first and third mentioned of these defects signify. “Dropping” is a most uncomfortable fault: a sort of inclination to _duck downwards_ in front, or indeed more generally with the hinder part of the body. Few young horses that are not overweighted are apt to do it, and when they do, it is a sign of weakness of the muscles; they are unsafe to ride. “Breaking” is an inclination to get into a canter, or trot, and is one of the symptoms of defective training. I like to see a horse walk steadily down hill, with head well up, and feet firmly planted. It is an excellent test.

“Brushing” is a dangerous drawback, and so is “cutting.” The first means striking one ankle against the other: the second is hitting the shoe against the other leg--a practice which involves considerable wounding and bleeding. Fast trotters frequently do it--therefore, if selecting one, look out for its signs. A horse that cuts or brushes with the _fore_-legs is thoroughly unfit for saddle use: he may come down like a shot at any moment.

The training of a lady’s horse should render him steady in every respect: perfectly quiet to mount, light mouthed, and ready to obey the smallest touch of the rein, without showing skittishness. An animal that bounces about when his mouth is felt, or whilst waiting to be mounted, is anything but a treasure to possess. He should not be a puller, though ridden in any description of bridle--nor should his action when trotting be rough or _jerky_. If this latter be not looked to, his rider will constantly suffer from undue fatigue.

That a lady’s horse should be sound and healthy is nothing short of a necessity--nor ought he to have any glaring defects, or blemishes, visible about his person--although a single one, if it be trifling--the result, say, of a former wound, blister, or scar--need not cause him to be rejected; in fact, it often happens that some excellent animals can be had quite cheap at the end of a hard hunting season, because they have got a little bit knocked about, although in many cases it does not tell against them in the smallest degree.

Very many persons--Irish at all events--will remember the beautiful “Adonis” who created so marked a sensation in the parade of prize-takers before the Lord-Lieutenant at one of the last of the Dublin Horse Shows, that was held in the grounds of the Royal Dublin Society in Kildare Street. He had a conspicuous blemish on the right side of his chest, the result of a car-shaft that had been driven through his body only five months previous to the show; yet his patching up had been almost perfect, and he commanded an excellent price, though nothing at all to be compared with the sums I had been offered for him before the accident occurred. This carries out what I have said respecting the chances of being sometimes able to secure a good animal, even a prize-winner, at a comparatively low figure, owing to some outward blemish, which, although slightly disfiguring, is not in any way prejudicial to the health, action, or general appearance of the intended purchase--or to his real value, when considered from a “useful purpose” point of view.