"Look in a horse for speed and bottom. One that has speed alone, and no bottom, must have a blemish in his descent; and one that has bottom alone and no speed, must have some defect, open or concealed.
"Reject a horse high in the middle, with a narrow chest, flat ribs, and lanky limbs and that is for ever fidgetting about and holding up his head. If you give him his head, he says: 'Hold me in!' and if you hold him in, he says: 'Let me go!'
"But if in the course of your life you alight upon a horse of noble origin, with large, lively eyes, wide apart, and black, broad nostrils, close together; whose neck, shoulders, haunches, and buttocks are long, while his forehead, loins, flank, and limbs are broad; with the back, the shin-bone, the pasterns, and the dock short; the whole accompanied by a soft skin, fine, flexible hair, powerful respiratory organs, and good feet with heels well off the ground—hasten to secure him if you can induce the owner to sell him, and return thanks to Allah, morning and night, for having sent thee a blessing."
Never burden yourself with an animal that is broken-kneed, diseased, or wounded, though they assure you that it is only a temporary accident. Recall to mind the saying of your ancestors;
Ruined, and son of a ruined one,
Is he who buys to cure.
It is no uncommon thing for an Arab to buy a horse in partnership with another. The usual conditions of such a compact are after this fashion. An Arab sells a mare to another for 100 douros, but receives only 50 douros in payment, the balance representing his share in the animal. The purchaser rides the mare about, and makes use of her for war, the chace, and for his private journeys. If he make a razzia, three-fourths of the plunder belong to himself, and one-fourth to his partner. Should the mare be killed in war, in an expedition mutually agreed upon, the loss falls upon them equally. But should death overtake her at a fantasia, a wedding, or any other festival, the purchaser is alone answerable—he has to make good 50 douros to the vendor. If the animal, however, is killed in front of the tent, suddenly, or under the horseman, while the latter is defending his wife, his children, and his flocks,—the circumstances were beyond his control, and he is not called upon for any reimbursement.
Should the mare produce a colt, it is reared until it is a year old, when it is sold, and the proceeds equally divided between the partners. On the other hand, if the mare has produced a filly, the latter is valued when a year old, and the vendor has the privilege of choosing the filly or the dam, paying or receiving the difference of value. This sort of compact is never made with respect to horses.
An Arab who wishes to sell a horse will never consent to be the first to name a price. Some one comes up and says: "Sell; thou wilt gain." The vendor replies: "Buy; thou wilt gain."
"Speak thou first."