Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-08-04
POINTS OF A GOOD HORSE.

Zadok Pratt, in lecture on the horse,
gives his opinion Of what constitute good
points:
He should be about fifteen and halfhands
high the head light and clean made wide
between the nostrils, and the nostrils them
selves large, transparent and open broad in
the forehead eyes prominent, clear and
sparkling ears small, neatly set on; neck
rather short, and we'll set up; large arm or
shoulder, we'll thrown back, and high with
ears arched and high legs fine, fiat, thin, and
though sufficiently large to afford substance
when it is needed full chest; affording play
for the lungs back short, with the hind
quarters set on rather obliquely. Any one
possessing horse of this make and appear
ance, and weighing eleven or twelve hundred
pounds, may rest assured that he has a horse
all work, and bargain well worth getting
hold of.
Mr.. Pratt is now seventy years of age,
and has always been an admirer of horses.
and is competent Judge. There are in Mr..
P.'s lecture many valuable hints. We give
two or three:
Cure Of HorSes.-No horse can endure
labor all the time. A few months in pasture,
after being high fed and worked for several
years, will renew his energies, as stated peri
ods OF rest and recreation will preserve the
vital energies of man unimpaired through a
long life and by wise law of Providence,
which is as beneficial to the beast as to the
man, horse will do more labor in the six
days than if he were worked the whole seven.
In reference to the peculiar excellence Of
the horses of New York, l might say, that ]
have driven a pair two hundred and forty
miles in three days, or eighty miles per day
without injury. Amongst the many hundreds,
and perhaps thousands, of drivers and team
sters in my employ. l had slow moulded
man by the name of Dana Brown, who drove
for me some ten years, and always drew the
largest loads in the same time, and with less
fatigue to his horses, than any other driver |
ever knew. His horses would look better on
the same feed than those of any other, and
they always appeared in good condition,
while those in charge of Others gave unmis-
takeable evidence Of improper usage. Forty.
hity and even sixty hundred weight has he
drawn over the Catskill mountains with one
par OF horses, and l am only doing him an
act OF justice to say, that he never wore out
q iash, and hardly snapper in the whole
time. Whilst other teamsters had sick hor-
ses, MS were always in good condition. The
Whole number Of teams / had in one year,
aSeragea IN every three working days 2600
Pounas 10 irattsville, and 5000 pounds to
Catskill, distance ofthirty-six miles making
anout two and half millions of mounds in
all. l mention these facts as ILLUSTRATING the
great peneht ola good management ofhorses
In ieedlng horse, it shouldbe remembe,oa
that corn has tendency to make him SLOW
as may be witnessed in the slow MOVING corn
fed horse Of Ohio. Oats are more suitable 70
develope all his qualities, and from ten ~
sixteen quarts per day should be given.
Age of Horses.-With regard to the nat.
ural longevity OF horse, nothing can be said
with certainty. They have been known tC
live thirty or forty, and in some instance,
even sixty years, but Il usage frequently de
stroys them before they are nine or ten.
think that under ordinary circumstance
fourteen years would be fair average.
Brealing.-Too much importance ,anno
be placed upon the judicious breaking am.
management of the noble animal 1t shoul,
be like that of child; by no other meani
can horse be reduced TO a cheerful ans
ready obedience. A sullen and doggea sub
mission will result, it is true, from crntl ant
brutal treatment, but prompt and eager re
sponse to the wish Of a rider can be obiaine,
by patient kindness think there are Few
horses baulky by nature, and that then mos
are made SO by drivers, who are possessed o
less brains than the horse himself