Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-04-17
GOOD POINTS OF A HORSE.
rh' Eye and the Head show che AMI.
MATS Nature.

Henry Childs Merwin has a paper in
tho century on "Ihe Horse Market"
from which the following is extracted:
And this brings us 10 consider what
Az the marks of IA good, seryiceable
nose, such as most people want to buy.
Tie chief points are the eye and head;
10 whether on the score of safety OF Of
p 2asure in ownership, the essential
tling is to have a horse that is intelli-
gsnt and gentle, or one that is intelli-
gent and vicious, rather han stupid,
for stupid horses are the most danger
Gus of all. Every horse shows his char
acter in his head, and chiefly in the eye,
just as certainly as a man shows his
character in his face; although, as in
the case of men, it is not always easy to
read what is written in the equine feat
ules. But us to horses of positive char
aoter, positively good or positively bad,
there need be no mistake. | once
bought a mare of a dealer, fora woman's
use, without even taking her out of the
stable. She seemed to be sound, and |
felt sure from her eye that she was UNI
usually gentle and safe, and so she
proved 10 be. On the other hand, out
of six or eight horses shown to me at a
sale-stable, on another occasion, | re-
jected one-the best in the lot other
wise-becausc his eye, though not abso-
lutely bad. was such as to arouse suspi-
cion; and the owner afterward admitted
to me that the animal was different from
the rest in being a little mean"
] mention these instances TO show that
INV ,nr1nn. pf aNar,nC ~ tptnIli,xnn,n ,o,
learn, by taking pains, to read the
equine character. Horse-dealers and
trainers seldom make a study Of this
matter, because they do not care about
ii. What you should Look for is a large,
clear, luminous eye; what you should
distrust 10 n small eye, n protruding
eye, n sunlien eye, an eye that shows
the white, glancing backward, which
indicates bad temper; and above all, "A
CLASSY, tremulous eye, which indicates
stupidity. 1t is hard to describe, but
easily recognized. There should be a
considerable space between the eyes.
The ears and the carriage of them are
hardly less significant. Wcll-cut ears
that move continually with a general
tendency to be pricked forward indi-
cate a good aud lively disposition.
Large ears, if well shaped, are better
than very smafi OF "mouse" ears. Lop-
ears, coarse ears, ears planted either
very far apart or very close together,
are TO be viewed with great distrust.
Next in importance to the head come
the feet. They should be of medium
size, neither steep like a mules, not
Hat, but sloping at a medium angle.
The best feet are "cup-shaped," that is,
80 formed that when you pick them up
they will hold water.
As to the other points of a horse, |
shall not attempt TO 90 into details, be-
cause | fear that they would convey in
formation only to those who do not need
it. But this may he said generally by
way cf advice: Avoid a l~ong-backed
or thin-waisted, still more a long-legged,
horse. Look for Il compact, rather
low-standing beast, with "a good head,
good eyes, and well-shaped ears, and
you cannot go far wrong.
First Anarcnist-I am tired of lite
und vant TO die. | go me out und kill
a mayor or governor or Something's, SO l
get executed.
Second Anarchist-You dake my adj
vice and don't kill no mayors or COVER
nors. .Dey will take two or three years
finding out if you arc zane enough to
hang. Shust you drive up to Shanty-
town and rim ofar n niO Den Won pot