The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-12-10
.sapanese HORSES ana Carriages.


The carriages most generally used by
the ladies in Japan are low phaetons,
often with small seat behind for the
bettoe, who, when this seat is not pro
vided, has to run alongside of the car
riage and keep pace with the horse.
The men, particularly the bachelors,
appear to prefer the dog cart, which is
not only more snowy, but more COM
Portable and convenient in case of q trip
along the Tokaido to some country
place. The horses, or rather ponies,
generally ridden and driven in Japan
are the native animals, and though
sometimes thoy arc handsome brutes,
as a rule are too weedy Qeggy), and
have too large heads for beauty. 1t is
seldom one can buy a pony under eight
years old, as they are not brought down
from the country until they have been
used for some years as pack horses by
the natives, and, indeed, men often buy
ponies, whose points they have noticed
and liked while riding in the country,
from directly under the pack. They
are meager, half-fed looking animals
when first put up for sale, but improve
wonderfully under good fodder and not
too hard work. Seventy-fve yen (sixty
dollars) would buy very good hack
but for finer animal for racing pur-
poses as high as 800 yen has been paid.
A strange thing, and one worthy of men
ton, is that only horses all of which are
entire are brought to Yokohama, the
mares being kept in the more northern
districts, presumably for breeding pur'
| fhoxxwh thnx- olcn ttcn1 os
pack horses. The japanese pony in the
stable is exceedingly vicious and treach
erous, and will put back his ears and
kick and bite at the mere sight of per
son entering the stable. The bettoes
even when the ponies know them, are
obliged to use the greatest precautions
and be extremely careful when they &C
into their stalls. When onco, however
the ponies are bridled their evil temper
appears to leave them entirely. The
stalls in which the ponies are kept are
almost invariably, box stalls, and tn,
bettoes, knowing the ponies tricks, dC
not generally so in after them to put oI
the bride, but throw the end of a rop,
over their necks, and it is a curions fac
that as soon as the ponies feel the rop,
upon them they quiet down imme
diately. Whether this is owing to thei
training or not, L do not know. Four
teen and half hands high is the aver
age height of japanese pony, but the.
are very slightly built, and though thei
usual load under the pack is thre
piculs Ia picul is 1881 pounds), or 40
pounds, they are not good weight car
riers for riding purposes, and in tina
respect do not approach the Chimes
pony, which, though as a rule han,
smaller than the Japanese pony, is mucl
more heavily built and a great dea
more powerful. Chinese ponies are ais
used for riding and driving in Japan
but are originally imported for racing
and when they turn out failures an,
prove without sufficient speed for tina
object, as is frequently the case, the
are put up for sale at auction and bough
for use as hacks. The half-breed---
cross between Arab and japanese horse
lis an experiment tried by the Japanes
within the past few years, and has thu
far resulted satisfactorily, but thes
ponies are difficult to get, and are onl
bought at high prices for racing. Fo
a japanese pony to gallop mile i
2:30 would be good time, 2;10 being tn
best record made on the Yokoham
course by Chinese pony, which an
mails are faster than the Japanese.