The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-19
Purchasing Horses.

rev persons WHO puICnaSe anu use
horses are able to make selection of an
animal with sufficient knowledge of
what they are buying. 1t is rarely that
a horse is bought, except upon faith in
the declarations of the seller, and hap
hazard sort Of dependence upon luck.
The consequence is that man is very
frequently "stuck" in his bargain, and
when he suspects or discovers it, he
thinks it no harm to put off the beast
upon some other purchaser in the same
way that it wgs palmed off on him. 'Is
he all righ.?" asks the would-be pur-
chaser. "Well, I bought him so, and so
far'as i know'he is albright" replies the
seller, trying 70 make believe to his own
conscience thst he really knoacs very little,
although he may think great deal.
Now, it is very easy for any person of
judgment to learn to know when he is
buying horse whether the animal is
sound or not: Blemishes speak of them
selves, but unsoundness, requires a close
inspection and some. knowledge for its
detection. The feet are the most usual
seat Of unsoundness in work horses.
From the general careless habit of caring
for horses and the reckless manner in
using them, there is a large proportion
of them unsound in the feet. But dis
ease Of the feet is easily detected, al
though. there may be no. apparent lame
ness. An intending purchaser should
have the horse brought out before him,
and watch the animal as he stands at
rest. Ifthe owner is continually starting
the horse into motion and urging him to
"show off," something may be suspected ;
because it is when the horse is at perfect
rest that his weak points are divulged.
IF the horse is sound, he. Withstand
squarely on his limbs, without moving
any of them, the feet being placed fiat
upon the ground, and all the legs plumb
and naturally posed. If one foot is
thrown forward with the toe pointing to
ground and the heal raised, or if the foot
is lifted from the ground and the weight
taken from it, disease of the navicular
bone may be suspected, or at least ten
derness, which is a precursor of disease.
If the foot is thrown out, the toe raised
and the heel brought down, the horse has
suffered from damitis-founder--or the
back sinews have been sprained, and he
is Of little future value. When the feet
are all drawn together beneath the horse,
if there has been no disease, there is a
displacement of the limbs at least, and
a weak disposition of the muscles. If
the horse stands with his feet spread
apart, or straddles with tie hind legs,
there is weakness of the loins, and the
kidneys are disordered. When the knees
are bent and the legs totter and tremble,
the beast has been ruined by pulling, and
will never. be right again, whatever rest
and treatment he mayhave. Contracted
or Informed hoofs speak for themselves.
IF the eyes are of blush or milky
Scast, they constitutionally tend to opthal-
mia, aud there will be certain trouble
there. IfSthe- ears are thrown back
wards, the temper is bad; if theySare
thrown forward and the horse starts
nervously at every movement or sound,
he will probably be a shier; and unsafe
to drive. If the hind legs are scared,
he, has beenTazkicker.i If the kneesare
!. blemished, he is apt to stumble. If the
skin is rough and harsh, and does not
move easily and smoothly to the touch,
the horse, IS a heavy eater and has poor
Digestion When these peculiarities are
absent, and there is nothing to cause sus-
piciaa.in any other way, the horse may
be taken to be all right so far as sound
ness of foot, limb and digestive organs
are concerned Disease or imperfection
of the respiratory organs may be discov-
cred by pinching or holding the throat,
by observing the behavior of the horse
when he is speeded, or by placing the ear
at the side of the chest, when any sound
heard other than clear, resonant one, is
indicative of trouble.-Rurai New YORKER.