The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-01-26
Tricks OF jockeys.

A writer tor Harper'a Weekly has BEEF
having a talk with Mr.. Bishop, a vel
known horse dealer in New York city
and the following is a part of what tn
dealer told him:
"'Tricksf' There isn'tany end of them
If you want to buy a horse, don't believe
your own brother. Take no mans wore
for it. Your eye isyour market. Dom
buy a horse in harness. Unhitch hin
and take everything off but the halter,
and lead him around. If he has a corn.
or Is stiff, or has any other failing, you
can see 1t. Let him 90 by himself 8
little ways, and if 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
a bat. Back him up, too. Some horses
show their weakness or tricks That way
when they don't in any other. .
But be as smart rs you can, and
you'll get caught sometimes. Even an
expert. gets stuck. A horse may look
ever 50 nice, and 90 a mile q minute, and
yet have its, for instance. There isn't a
i've man could tell it til! something hap
pens. Or he may have a weak back.
Give him the whip, and off he goes for
a mile or two; then, all of a sudden, be
81 8 down in the road. After a rest he
gets up and starts again, but be 500 sits
down fer good, and nothing but q der.
rick could raise him There are sharp
ers in New York who make a bust
ness of selling such horses. After
the sale they have their agents slyly
follow the buyer and, when the final
breakdown comes, they step up, and,
after expressing their sympathy for him,
buy the horse back again for a mere
sopg only to sell him again at a fancy
figure to the next %greenhorn who may
come along. Even q horse with the
heaves may be doctored up so you can't
tell him. They feed him on wet grain
for a while. and then, when they show
off, drive him so smartly that you can't
see there's anything wrong.
"Do you know what q dummy is 7
You don'tp Well, I'll tell you. He's a
horse that don't know anything. His
brain has gone wrong. A dark stall
and overlooking have ruined his diges-
ton, and that has affected his brain.
Drive him out q ways, and pretty soon
he will jerk his head around and pull
right straight on one line. You can't
hold him; it's no use to try. The first
YOU know he has dumped you in a ditch
or smashed you up against q lamp-post.
Tie him in q stable, and he'll back up
till he breaks every halter you put on
him. Stretch q rope across the end OF
the stall 80 he can't back out and he'll
climb up the wall. .
"Maybe you don't believe it, but It's
80. Thavssseeu one. 90 clear upstairs;
and once I saw one 30 out OF azsec0nde
storY window, and another walk on q,
dock into the river, Watch him when
u ae s1s sa0 III NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ass
doesn,t know he's just afoo b0uekt
one Of these idiots when fMasSJuYtrE
beginner in the business. Be brpEel
everything in the stable and thez went
up the wall like a lunatic. Afterward
one of the boys that groomed Linn for the
man I bought him of admitted that the
was lust q l-e-e-tle bit dumb
I can tell one now the minute l see him.
He steps uncommonly high. In most
cases when you see q horse do that, be
sure he is q dummy.
What do we do with the horses we
get stuck onP' Send them to the auc-
ton, where buyers take all the risks.
No reputable dealer ever sells q bad one
in uny other way. It doesn't pay to do
it.
II could talk all day about these
only your paper is full now, l
guess, and I'll stop. But don't you
ever buy a horse, young man, unless
coli know how to do it,"