The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-08-01
Points of a Good Horse.

Zadok Pratt, in late lecture on the
horse, gives his opinion of what constitute
good points:
He should be about fifteen and a half
hands high; the head light, and clean
made; wide between the nostrils, and the
nostrils themselves large, transparent and
open; broad in the forehead; eyes promi-
nent, clear, and sparkling; ears small,
neatly set on; neck rather short, and well
set up; large arm or shoulder, well thrown
back, aud high; withers arched and high;
legs fine, fiat, thin, and small boned; body
round and rather light; though sufficient
ly 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 pos
sessing horse of this make and appear
ance, and weighing eleven or twelve hun
dred pounds, may rest assured he has
horse for all work, and a bargain well
worth getting hold of.
Mr.. Pratt is now seventy years of age,
and has always been an admirer of fine
horses, and is competent judge. There
are in Mr.. P.'s lecture many valuable
hints. We give two or three:
Care Of Horses. horse can endure
labor all the time. A few months in pas
ture, after being high fed and worked for
several years, will renew his energies, Us
stated periods of rest and recreation will
preserve the vital energies of man unim-
paired through 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, might say,
that I 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 teamsters in my employ, l
had slow moulded man by tie 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 I ever
knew. His horses would look better on
the same feed than those Of any other,
and they always appeared in good cond!-
tion, while those in charge of others gave
unmistakablc Evidence of improper usage.
Forty, fifty, and even sixty hundred weight
has he drawn over the Catskill mountains
with one pair of horses, and / am only
doing him an act of justice to say, that he
never wore out o lash, and hardly snap
per in the whole time. Whilst, other
teamsters had sick horses, his were always
in good condition The whole number of
teams had in one year, averaged in eve
ry three working days 1900 pounds to
Prattsville, and 5000 pounds to Catskill,
distance of thirty-six miles, making
about two and half millions of pounds
in all. / mention these facts as illustrat-
ing the great benefit of a good manage
ment of horses and of roads.
In feeding horse, it should be remem-
bered that corn has a tendency to make
him slow, as may be witnessed in the slow
moving corn-fed horse of Ohio. Oats
are more suitable to develop all mis- quail
ties, and from ten to sixteen quarts per
day should be given.
Age Of Horses. with regard to the
natural longevity of a horse, nothing can
be said with certainty. They have been
known to live thirty, or forty, and in some
instances even sixty years, but i'll usage
frequently destroys them before they are
nine or ten. think that under ordinary
circumstances fourteen years would be 6
fair average. -
i Breaking.-Too much Importance car
not be placed upon the judicious break
ling and management of this noble animal
It should be like that -of a child; by NJ
other means can horse be reduced to ;
cheerful and ready obedience. A sulleI
and dogged submission will result, it il
true, from cruel and brutal treatment, bu
a prompt and eager response to, the wisl
of rider can be obtained by patient kind
! ness. 1 think there are few horses baulk,
by nature and that the most are made ST
by drivers, who are possessed of less brain
than the horse himself"
HoGs.--In selecting hogs, get shor