Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-31
A GOOD HORSE.

ST can't explain what a real good horse
Is" said one of the best-natured dealers in
the street. "They are as different as men /; in
buying a horse you must look first to his
head and eyes for signs of intelligence, tenn
per, courage and honesty. Unless horse
has brains you can't teach him anything, any
more than you can teach half-witted child.
See that tall bay there, fne-looking animal
about fifteen hands high. You can't
teach that horse anything. Why? Well
Pil show you difference in heads; but
have care of his heels. Look at the
beasts head-that rounding nose, that
tapering forehead, that broad full
place below the eyes. You can't
trust him. Kick? Well, 1 guess so |!
Put him in a 10-acre lot, where he has
plenty of wing, and he'll kick the horn off
the moon" The worlds treatment of man
and beast has the tendency to enlarge and in
tensify bad qualities, if they predominate.
This good.natured phrenologist could not re-
frain from slapping in the face the horse
whose character had been SO cruelty define
ated, while he had but the gentlest treatment
for slick-hmbed sorrel that pricked her ears
forward and looked intelligent enough to un-
derstand all that Yves being said. 'That's
an awful good mare" he added. "She's
as true as the sun. You can see breadth
aad fullness between the ears and
eyes. You can't hire that mare to act mean
CT hurt anybody. The eye should be full,
and hazel is a good color. I like small, thin
ear, and want horse to throw his ears well
forward. Look out for the brute that wants to
listen to all the conversation going on behind
him. The horse that turns back his ears till
they almost meet at the points, take my word
for it, is sure to do something wrong. See
that straight, elegant face. A horse with a
dychf fapa rdlxy oy.d a 20
is always vicious. Then / like square muz-
zle with large nostrils, to let plenty Of air to
the lungs. For the underside Of head a
good horse should be well cut under the jowl,
with jaw.bones broad and wide apart under
the throttle. So much for the head" he con-
tinued. "The next thing to consider is
the build of the animal. Never buy a
long-legged, stilty horse. Let him have a
short, straight back and rump, and you've
got gentleman's horse. The withers should
be high, and the shoulders well set back
and broad, but don't get them too deep
in the chest. The forelegs should be short.
Give me pretty, straight. hind-leg, with the
hook low down, short pastern joints and q
round mulish foot. There are all kinds of
horses, but the animal that has these points
is almost sure to be slightly, graceful, good
natured and serviceable. As to color, tastes
differ. Bays, browns and chestnuts are the
best Roans are very fashionable at present.
A great many grays and sorrels are brought
here for shipment to Mexico and Cuba. They
do well in hot climate under a tropical sun, for
the same reason that you find Gght-colored
clothing most serviceable in summer. That
circus horse behind you liz what many people
call calico horse now. l call him genuine
piebald It's freak of nature and may hap
pen anywhere. - Scribner's Monthly.