The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-03-13
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 10.
A Maine Horse Mart.

Harper's Weekly furnishes, with illustrative
sketch, the following gossip concerning Maine
horses and horse-dealers:
at is my opinion said Mr. Bishop, the
we'll known Bulls Head dealer. who has been
for forty years in the business, that there are
no horses in this country to be compared with
those that come from Maine I don't mean,
mind you, that nothing good comes from any
where else, for that isn't SO; but the Eastern
horse wears better than any have seen. Be-
ing sblocky' in build, he has something to run
on, while the long-legged, thin-bodied, narrow
headed animal that comes from elsewhere
starts Off well, and makes dash, but he's like
a comet-that's the end of him. The Maine
horse holds his own, and keeps getting better
and better all the time, and is good to the last
I'd rather have Just the tail of Maine horse
than whole horse from anywhere else. That
old fellow OF mine out there in the wagon is
one of them. 1 drive him for common. Bring
him out of the stable any day and he'll make
his sixteen miles an hour right here in the city
Nobody can pass him. He's as gentle as
kitten; woman can drive him. Snap whip
within an inch of his ear and it won't startle
him. You might throw pack of lighted fire.
crackers under him and he wouldn't move
peg. never tie him anywhere. 1 can stand
here and tell him to go, and he won't bulge
an inch; but the minute get into the wagon
and take those lines in my hands, and give
the word he's off like flash.
Mr.. Kelly's picture of the Androscoggin is
as true as photograph. There's Auburn one
side Of the river, and Lewiston on the other.
That's one of my buying places. A week or SO
before going up advertise that am coming,
and when get there they drive in from ali
over the country to sell their steeds. Some
times fellow rides in what they call Jump
err 1t is nothing but a crockery crate dashed
on framework pinned into two hickory sap
lings nicked and bent up for shafts and run
ners. Not nail is used. 1t is made in two
n nd a1xvf A.
man to town. If he sells his horse, he throws
his jumper away and rides home with the
man who didn't sell his.
is it cold up there?' Well it is, and no
mistake. Many a time 1 have ridden for
miles when the Thermometer was twelve below
Zero. You can see for yourself in the picture
me river is frozen over, and the sleighs are
driven on the ice.
II don't buy all they bring me-probably
not one out of ten. Some of the men that sell
them are mighty smart, but there's a woman
up there-a speculator-who is smarter than
any of them. Mr.. Kelly calls her the fair
Jockey but the people call her odd Mother
Skinner For the life of me can't tell why,
for she isn't old. and she is good-looking. She's
quicker than lightning. That other woman
up in the corner is teaching motherless colt
TO take milk. She holds the bowl in her lap,
and wetting her thumb in the milk gets him
to take it into his mouth. After he has done
this several times, she gradually lowers her
isp uiioii no ups tOuCu Zig lQllk, ana lie draws
full supply. Soon afterward he learns to lap
it up directly from the basin, and needs no fur
Their assistance.
What do do with the horses buy?' Well.
bring them down here. trim them up nicely.
clean clean them on; and feed them up. and when
like country girls in one respect The girls
are nice as they can be on the farms, but after
the city milliner and dress maker fixes 'em up.
you wouldn't know them. So with horses
when they're dressed little it makes a great
difference in them. 1t costs to do it, though.
and sometimes we don't get the money back.
Last trip made bought horse for S325, and
after all the expense had been put on him, I
had to sell him for $3.50. But L averaged it
with another that sold for four times what he
cost me. There are good many risks in the
business. A horse may sicken before you get
him to market, aqdeither die or be used up.
One bought the cher day for $3.50 took pneu-
monia, and would be glad to sell him now for
'Tricks?' There isn't any end of them. If
you want to buy horse don't believe your
own brother. Take no mans word for it, Your
eye is your market. Don't buy horse in har-
ness Unhitch him, and take everything off
but the halter, and lead him around. II he
has corn, or is stiff, or has any other failing,
you can see it. Let him go by himself little
ways, and ii he slaves right into ANYTHING YOU
may know he's stone-blind. No matter how
clear and bright his eyes are, he can't see any
more than bat. Back him up, too. Some
horses show their weaknesses or tricks that
way when they don't in any other.
But DE as smart as you can, and you'll get
caught sometimes. Even an expert gets stuck.
A horse may look ever so nice. and 90 mile a
minute, and yet have fits, for instance. There
isn't live man could tell it till something
happens. Or he may have weak back, Give
him the whip and off he goes for mile or two
then. all of sudden he sits right down in the
road; After rest he gets up and starts again.
put he soon sits down for good, and nothing
but derrick could raise him. There are
sharpers in New York who make a business of
selling such horses. After the sale thew have
their agents slyly follow the buyer, and when
the final breakdown comes they step up and
AFTER expressing their sympathy for him, buy
tne morse BACK for mere song, only to sell
him again at fancy figure to the next green
norm who may come along. Even q horse
with the heaves may be doctored up SO Won
can't tell him.. They feed him on wet grain
Tor while and then when thsy show him of,
anything wrong.
do you know what dummy is? You
don'R Well. I'll tell you. He's a horse that
don't know anything. His brain is gone wrong.
a dark stall and overlooking has ruined his d.
him out ways and pretty soon he'll Jerk his
head around and pull right straight on one
line. You can't hold him; it's of no use to
try. The first thing you know he's dumped
you III ultcn or smashed you up against
lamp post. Tie him in the stable and he'll
back up till he breaks every halter you put ON
him. Stretch rope across the end of the stall
so he can't back out, and he'll climb up the
wall. W '''o
Maybe you don't believe it, but it's so.
have seen one go clear up stairs, and once I
saw one go out of second story window. and
another walked off dock into the river
Watch him when he's eating, and you'll often
see him go to sleep with the feed in his mouth.
He doesn't know any better; he's Just a fool. I
bought one of these idiots when I was a begin
ner in the business. He broke everything in
the stable, and then went up the wall ike
lunatic. Afterward one of the bows that
groomed him for the man l bought him of, adj
mitted that he might be ''iust l-e-e-tle bit
dumb can tell one now the minute | set
eyes on him. Hesteps uncommonly high. In
most cases when you see a horse do that be
sure he's dummy.
What do we do with horse we get stuck
on? Send him to the auction room where
buyers take all the risks. No reputable dealer
ever sells bad horse any other way. 1t doesn't
pay to do it,
could talk all day about these things, only
your paper is full now. guess, and I'll stop.
But don't you ever buy horse, young man,
unless you know how to do it,