Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-11

AUGUSTA LOCALS.
GOOD FAMILY HORSES
Are Exceedingly Few Now and Very Hard
to Find.

$500
dealer, yesterday, but good one were
never harder to find-that is the kind
of horse that the best customers
want"
What kind is that?"
Good, big, stout road horses and
good family horses. Did you know
that the good all-around family horse
is an exceedingly difficult thing to
find? Why. think what a combination
or virtues must be combined in him.
he must, first of all, be of good weight,
sound of wind and limb, able to haul q
two-seated as we'll as single carriage:
then, again ne must be easy bitted
kind and gentle. fearless of steam cars,
street cars or anything else-in short
an equine paragon. Now it is not diff
cult to find horses that combine some
of these qualities, but the horse that
combines all of them is a rarity. 1t is
fact, though, that a man who has
a horse with any of these qualities, is
usually ready to swear, for the pur
poses of trade, that he has all of them.
Did you ever stop to think that there
is nothing in this wide world quite 50
destructive of truth and veracity as
the horse business? It's fact. Why.
even clergymen have been known to lie
IN, a,,1 Oh
pect to discount the assertions of a
good deacon at least 20 per cent. on
such occasions
why not % per cent. 90
We'll, perhaps that would be nearer
the fact, but l always like to speak in
a conservative way"
What is the reason for this dearth
of good family horses?"
We'll, one great reason was the fad
If breeding for speed. This resulted in
bringing into the market lot of nerv-
Gus, narrow chested, high-strung
horses, which were not fast enough for
the track or strong enough for long
roads, and which were utterly useless
for family purposes. We used to get
some good horses from the West, but
they have been growing few and IA,
between of late
What's the reason of this?"
'Oh, the poor market A large por-
ton of the best Western breeders sold
their brood mares, last season, and
went out of the business. The present
shipments from that section to the
Eastern market are distinctly below
par in intelligence and staying powers.
Now and then man may be fortunate
enough to pick up a good all-around
family horse, but he will have to watch
his chances sharply and pay a good
fair price for him.
You would be surprised to see the
horses that are brought to me some
times and warranted to be ideal fam
lily horses, sound, kind, fearless, safe
for women or even the babies to drive.
Not long ago, man came to show me
a 5-year-old colt, which he asserted
upon his word as gentleman, was abb
solutely the best family horse in town.
Well, he was a very good colt. He
would weigh nearly 100 pounds. was
sound, carried his head high, and was
apparently kind. His owner assured
me that he was simply an ideal lady's
horse-why, a child could drive him.
IN fact he almost persuaded me that
no reins would be necessary in that
particular case. While we were talk
ing the Electric cars came along and
what did that paragon of horse do
but shy pretty near to the ditch, and
rear up three different times. 1t was
about all his driver, who was a mus
cular young fellow, could do to hold
him in. Oh, he would have been a
Dickey bird for family use! How the
women and children would have en-
joyed driving him. This incident will
show you what a dealer in horses has
TO contend with. 1t is no wonder that
the best of us are occasionally stuck"
Miss May Crosby, who has been Wis
iting Mr.. and Mrs. C. L. Andrews for
several weeks past, left, last night, on
the Pullman for Avalon, small sum-
mer resort on the island of st. Catalina,
about 20 miles off the coast of south
ern California. She was accompanied
on her journey by Miss Annie r.