The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-19
HORSES AND, HORSEMEN.
Points 10 Be Observed in Buying an
Animal For Any Pur-
pose.
Look at Logs, Feet, Eyes and
Wind to Detect Any Un-
Houndness.
Notes FROM the Road, Track and Stable
Trottcrs and PAGERS Arc Growing
In Favor.

From the Philadelphia Record.
In buying = horse q rule to be observed !
not to imagine that perfection can b
bought FOR q song, or that great e1cellene
10 compatible with great eheapness. A re
maYkabls bargain in horsefesh Is Away
suspicious. and the greater the bargain tn
more Suspicious he becomes. If in appear
ancs. show, beauty, style of going and &C
tion, the animal offered for sale b,
very superior. and the price At which
he 10 Offered very inferior. one mai
b perfectly certain shat the horse hal
some very bad secret fault. whether OF tom
per or constitution, OF vice or Of unsound'
ness, which time will be sure to discover
It 10 never safe to take 10 for granted tina
the seller Of q horse Ia an ass. or is no
aware of the worth of his merchandise. i
he err. nine times ont of ten it will be IL
cverrating. not undertaking its value. &c
get q good horse. ordinarily. enc must ex-
pect and be content to pay a fair price ano
more. the greater the number Of excellen-
cies one nay desire to obtain.
These rules promised, it Is necessary for
the buyer to make up his mind exactly al
to what he wants. which, of course. mus,
be in q measure regulated by what he has
got to pay. II he merely wants a stout
serviceable. sound. active. useful animal,
without caring about speed, action, beauty
or blood, he will be readily and easily &C.
c~ommodated FOR a moderate sum. say from
$50 to $125; with each OF other additions
the figure advances in ~arithnetlea! pro-
eression until. if one require a highly bred.
beautiful. hns stepping, fast, gentle and
perfectly broken horse. the price becomes a
fancy one. and setordinR to the degree OF
each attribute. ascends higher ano hlRner'
and may become anything.
OF course it is not with animals OF THIS
kind that We are dealing; nor is ii to this
that we require the purchaser to make up
his mind, but as to the use for which he
requires his horse; whether for heavy
draught, for a carriage horse, a light har-
ness horse or a saddle horse. all of which
have different points of excellence and dis
tinct qualifications. The heavy draught
horse and agricultural horse are the Least
difficult to secure and lowest priced; the
carriage horses next; then the light harness
horse. and lastly the addle horse
which is most difficult of all to
find nearly perfect, as requiring
the greatest union of rare qualities.
The heavy draught horse requl es only
great power and weight. with q fast walking
action, or a moderate trot, and the power o.
going easily to himself. The agriculture
Oh general purpose horse requires 6
strength, ~Quickness, activity, hardlhoot
and courage. The carriage horses are to II
estimated very differently: size, fine figure
great show, stylish action and q moderat
stroke of speed are all that is needed. Wit
none of these animals is the manner o
going. of being bitted. mouthea or broker
of so great seque
For the light harness horse more j
nesded-for speed, generally at q slashini
trot, which may be as rough and difficult tt
sit as it may; plenty of endurance, ant
above all. q good mouth and a pleasan
style of driving; since 1t Is our own hands
not johns or i nomas', which are to be ex
coriated, and our own shoulders which ar,
TO be lugged out of the sockets if he be al
inveterate puller.
For the saddle horse most OF all is need
ed. He must be handsome; he must be safe
SNOWY. stylish action; he must be sur
footed; must have u fine mouth, a fine tenn
per, lots of courage and perfect docillt.
and several gaits, and above all, he must b
an easy mover, both to himself and to hi
rider, or else g~rievous will be the loss o
temper and the loss of leather.
The points of the physical structure of
horse on which the most, indeed the whole
of his utility depends, are his legs. With
out his locomoters, all the rest. howeve
beautiful it may be, is nothing. There
fore, to these we look first. The for
shoulder should be long, obliquely set, wit
Il considerable slope. and high in til
withers. The upper arm should be yer
long and muscular; tile knee broad, t1a
and bony; the shank. or cannon bone. u
short as may be. flat, not round, with clear
firm sinews; the pastern joints moderated
LONG and oblique, but not too much so, rs tn
excess produces ~springiness and weakness
the hoofs firm. erect. or deep. as oppose
to Hat; and the feet generally large an,
round.
In the hind legs the quarters SHOULD b
large, powerful, broad, when looked at i
profile, and square and solid from behinc
The hams should be sickle shaped, nc
straight, and we'll let down. SO as to brin,
she hooks we'll toward the ground. Tn
hooks should be largo and bony, straight
not angular or convexly curved in thei
posterior outlines; the shanks correspond
ing TO the cannon bones. short and fiat
and the hind feet similar in form to tn
front. The back should be short above
from the point of the withers and shoulde,
blade, which ought to run we'll back to tn
Group. The barrel should be round, an
for a horse in which strength and quicknes
are looked to moro than great speed an
stride. closely ribbed up.
A horse can scarcely be too deep froL
the top of his shoulders to the intersectio.
of his forelegs, which is called the hear
place, or too wide in the chest, AZ room i
these parts gives free play to the most i'm
portant vitals. The form of the neck an
setting on of the head are essential nc
only to the beauty of the animal, but to tn
facility and pleasure of riding or driyin
him: hence IA horse with an ill-shapet
short, stubborn neck, or an ill-set.on hesl
cannot by any possibility be,a pleasa1
Ynouthed horse, or an easy one to manaG,
The neck should be moderately long. con
ve1ly arched above from tho shoulders I
the crest, and thin where it joins the heat
The head should be rather small. LEAF
bony. not beefy, in the jowl; broad be
tween the eyes, and a rather concaye face
The ears should be fine, small ana pointed
the eyes large, clear and prominent. an
the nostrils wide and well opened.
A horse SO framed cannot fail, If fire.
from physical defects, constitutional di
case and vice, 80 be q good one for any pun
pose-deRrees of strength, lightness an
speed being weighed in accordance with tt
purpose for which he is desired.
some OF those moro prominent defect
snd ailments are 30 be found in hors,
commonly offered for sale, and III a fe
simple plans for detecting them, under o
binary circumstances. where resort IS ha
to villainous tricks, will be found in mo-
cases sufficient TO an ordinarily aoute oil
server.