HORSES.

of the country, straps a saddle on his back, and bestriding him, removes the poncho; upon which the astonished horse springs on his legs, and endeavors, by a thousand vain efforts, to disencumber himself of his new master, who sits quite composedly on his back, and by a discipline which never fails, reduces the horse to such complete obedience, that he is soon trained to lend his whole speed and strength to the capture of his companions.

Canadian Horse. This horse is found principally in Canada and the northern states. He is supposed to be of French descent, and many of the celebrated American trotters are of this breed. This species of horse is generally small, but remarkably compact. He will keep in good condition, and even grow fat, on indifferent fare.

Conestoga Horse. This horse is found in Pennsylvania and the middle states. He is generally long in the leg, and light in the carcass sometimes rising seventeen hands, used principally for the carriage: but when not too high, and of sufficient substance, useful for hunting and the saddle.

English Horse in the United States. The horses generally found in the United States, are the descendants of English importation. Until within a few years, little attention has been paid to the raising of first rate horses. This is particularly true of New England. A deeper interest, however, is beginning to be felt on this important subject, and many valuable horses are to be found in all parts of the country. More attention has for years been paid to the rearing of good horses in Virginia, Kentucky, and other southern states. Importations of the best English blood have at different times been made, which has been dili gently and purely preserved.

HORSES.

shall we attempt an enumeration of the valuable horses which have been bred in our own country; but content ourselves with presenting to our readers the preceding portrait of the celebrated American Eclipse, named after his English ancestor Eclipse, when only five months old, from the promise which he then gave of peculiar strength and speed.

This was a sorrel horse, with a star, and the near hind foot white, fifteen hands three inches high, possessing a large share of bone and muscle, and excelling all horses of his day in the three great essentials of speed, stoutness, and ability to carry weight. He was foaled in the year 1814. His pedigree is traced through the celebrated English horse Messenger, Eclipse; up to the distinguished Godolphin Arabian, of which we have given a particular account in a previous page.

This celebrated horse, is a bright bay, with black legs, standing 15 hands high; his superior blood, symmetry, and action excel those of every other trotting stallion. He is allowed by the best judges in Norfolk, (Eng.) to be the fastest and best bred horse ever sent out of that country.

The general criteria of the qualities of the horse, (observes Loudon,) are derived from inspection and trial. His outward appearance among judges, affords a pretty just criterion of his powers, and a moderate trial usually enables the same judgment to decide on the disposition to exercise such powers.

Color, as a criterion of mental and personal qualities, is laid much stress on by many persons; and notwithstanding the adage, that " a good horse cannot be of a bad color," long experience has shown that, in

CRITERIA, AGE, &C. OF HORSES.

general cases, certain tints are usually accompanied by certain qualities of person or disposition. As a general rule, dark colored horses are certainly the best; but black, as the darkest of all, seems to form an exception to this rule. Light shades appear unfavorable to strength and durability; they are also accompanied frequently with irritability, and perverseness of temper. Something like a general law in the animal economy seems to prevail to make white a distinctive mark of weakness. Age, which is the parent of weakness, brings with it white hairs, both in man and in horses, and most other quadrupeds. The hair formed, after a wound has robbed a part of its original covering, is often white, because the new formed surface is yet in a state of debility. It is likewise a fact, well known among the observant, that the legs and feet when white, are more obnoxious to disease, than those of a darker tone. The Arabs remark, that light chestnut horses, have soft tender feet. It is the observance of these peculiarities, that has, at length, guided our taste and formed our judgment of beauty. With the English, much white on the legs is considered as a deformity, and expressively called foul marked whereas pied markings in other parts are reckoned beautiful. In Africa, however, Capt. Lyon informs us, a superstitious dependence is placed on horses with legs and feet stockined with white. It does not appear that climate has the same influence on the color of horses, as on other domesticated animals. In all latitudes in which the horse can live, he is black or white, indiscriminately; but as he cannot endure extreme rigor, it is not necessary he should vary.

;

The criteria of action are derived from a due consideration of the form generally, and of the limbs particularly; as well as from seeing the horse perform his paces in hand.

The criteria of hardihood are derived from the form of the carcass, which should be circular or barrelled; by which food is retained and strength gained to perform what is required. Such horses are also generally good feeders.

The criteria of spirit, vigor, or mettle, as it is termed, are best derived from trial. It should always be kept in mind, that a hot fiery horse is as objectionable, as a horse of good courage is desirable. Hot horses may be known by their disinclination to stand still; by their mettle being raised by the slightest exercise, especially when in company. Such horses seldom last long, and under accident are impetuous and frightened in the extreme. A good couraged horse, on the contrary, moves with readiness as well alone as in company; he carries one ear forward and one backward; is attentive and cheerful, loves to be talked to, and caressed, even while on his journey; and if in double harness, will play with his mate. Good couraged horses are always the best tempered, and, under difficulties, are by far the most quiet, and least disposed to do mischief. The criteria of a horse peculiarly adapted to the labors of agriculture, are thus given by Culley. "His head should be small as the proportion of the animal will admit; his nostrils expanded, and muzzle fine; his eyes cheerful and prominent; his ears small, upright, and placed near together; his neck, rising out from between his shoulders with an easy tapering curve, must join gracefully to the head; his shoulders being well thrown back, must also go into his neck (at what is called the points) unperceived, which perhaps facilitates the going much more than the nar

CRITERIA, AGE, &C. OF HORSES.

row shoulder; the arm, or fore thigh should be muscular, and tapering from the shoulder, to meet a fine, straight, sinewy, and boney leg; the hoof circular, and wide at the heel; his chest deep, and full at the girth; his loins or fillets broad and straight, and body round; his hips or hooks by no means wide, but quarters long, and the tail set on so as to be nearly in the same right line as his back; his thighs strong and muscular; his legs clean and fine boned; the leg bones not round, but what is called lathy or flat."

The criteria, relative to the age and the essential characteristics of a good horse, may not improperly form a part of the present outline. In old horses, the eye pits are generally deep; though this mark is very uncertain, as it also occurs in young horses that are descended from aged stallions. But the most certain criterion is that derived from the teeth, the number of which amounts to forty; namely, twenty-four grinders, or double teeth, (which in fact afford no certain guide,) and sixteen others, viz. four tushes or tusks, and twelve fore teeth: these last are the surest guides for discovering the age of a horse. As mares usually have no tusks, their teeth are only thirty-six. A colt is foaled without teeth; in a few days he puts out four, which are called pincers, or nippers; soon after appear the four separaters, next to the pincers; it is sometimes three or four months before the next, called corner teeth, push forth. These twelve colt's teeth, in the front of the mouth, continue without alteration, till the colt is two years or two years and a half old, which makes it difficult, without great care, to avoid being imposed on during that inv, if the seller find it his interest to make the colt pass for ether younger or older than he really is; the only rule you have then to judge by is his coat, and the hairs of his mane and tail. A colt of one year has a supple, rough coat, resembling that of a water spaniel, and the hair of his mane and tail feels like flax, and hangs like a rope untwisted; whereas a colt of two years has a flat coat, and straight ears like a grown horse.

At about two years and a half old, sometimes sooner, sometimes later according as he has been fed, a horse begins to change his teeth. The pincers which come the first, are also the first that fall; so that at three years he has four horse's and eight colt's teeth, which are easily known apart, the former being larger, flatter, and yellower than the other, and streaked from the end quite into the gums.

These four horse pincers have in the middle of their extremities, a black hole, very deep; whereas those of the colt are round and white. When the horse is coming four years old, he loses his four separaters, or middle teeth, and puts forth four others, which follow the same rule as the pincers. He has now eight horse's teeth and four colt's. years old he sheds the fore corner, which are his last colt's teeth, and is At five called a horse.

During this year also, his four tusks (which are chiefly peculiar to horses) come behind the others; the lower ones often four months before the upper; but whatever may be the common opinion, a horse that has the two lower tusks, if he has not the upper, may be judged to be under five years old, unless the other teeth show the contrary; for some horses that live to be very old never have any tusks at all. are one of the most certain rules that a horse is coming five years old, The two lower tusks notwithstanding his colt's teeth may not be all gone,

CRITERIA, AGE, &C. OF HORSES.

It is not an unfrequent practice of jockies and breeders, in order to make their colts seem five years old, when they are but four, to pull out their last colt's teeth; but if all the colt's teeth be gone, and no tusks appear, the purchaser may be certain this trick has been played; another artifice they use is to beat the bars every day with a wooden mallet, in the place where the tusks are to appear, in order to make them seem hard, as if the tusks were just ready to cut.

Figure 1 of the annexed engravings of the horse's teeth represents them at 2 years and a half old; fig. 2, at 3 years old; fig. 3, at 4 years; fig. 4, at five years; and fig. 5, at 6 years.

When a horse is coming six years old, the two lower pincers fill up, and instead of the holes above mentioned, show only a black spot. Be twixt six and seven, the two middle teeth fill up in the same manner: and between seven and eight the corner teeth do the like; after which it is said to be impossible to know certainly the age of a horse, he having no longer any mark in his mouth. In this case recourse can only be had to the tusks, and the situation of the teeth.

With respect to the tusks, the purchaser must with his finger feel the inside of them from the point quite to the gum. If the tusk be pointed flat, and have two little channels within side, he may be certain the horse is not old, and at the utmost only coming ten. Between eleven and twelve, the two channels are reduced to one, which after twelve entirely disappears, and the tusks are as round within as they are without; he has no guide then but the situation of the teeth. The longest teeth are not always a sign of the greatest age, but their hanging over and pushing forward, as also their meeting perpendicularly, is a certain token of youth.