The Ideal Saddle-horse! Any man with a trained eye and ear should be able to recognize it among a herd of others. Its satin robe should be of a chestnut, bay, or brown color, with a silver star on the forehead. It should have a fine, thin mane, and a tail just heavy enough to set off the haunches. It should be of a stature of no more than 15½ hands at the withers, never more than an inch less than that height; of symmetrical form,—if anything appears to be wrong, it is wrong,—with a broad, flat forehead, a face neither concave nor convex, a small muzzle with nostrils that can dilate until they show the fire within, while soft hazel eyes beam forth brightly and kindly. Its pointed ears, beautiful in form, are set far apart, and by their motions express the moods of the vivacious animal. The legs, well muscled above, clean and hard below the knees, are truly placed under the mass, the drivers capable of propelling the weight of horse and man with vigor,—the fore legs giving no suggestion that the body is leaning forward, the hind legs having no appearance of buttressing up the body. The crest is marked, but not too strongly, and the muscles below it play like shadows as the animal proudly arches its tapering neck, which buries itself in broadly divergent jaws. The shoulder slopes rearward in such a manner as to make the back seem shorter than it really is, while the gentle dip of the saddle-place invites one to mount. Its ability to speed under weight is evidenced by a deep, broad chest, its muscular thighs, its well covered limbs, and the strong spine which ends in a dock fairly carried from a nearly level croup. The hoofs are of exactly the right size, the slope conforming to that of the springy pasterns, pointing straight forward, and with level bearings. Its paces should be smooth, even, and regular, four rhythmic beats in the walk, three in the controlled gallop, two in the trot, while the action should only be high enough for safe and graceful movements, the stride not long enough to affect the animal's agility. The temper should "be bold, be bold but not too bold," unaccustomed objects arousing the horse's curiosity rather than its fears, while this mettle is dominated by the rider's hand as it ever finds just that tension upon the reins that it would meet in bending the end of a willow branch.
FIG. 20.—SILVANA
FIG. 21.—MONTGOMERY CHIEF
While skill in horsemanship and the possession of a good horse are to be highly considered, all the pleasures of riding are not confined to the expert with his splendid mount. Many men who are never able to attain even tolerable proficiency in the art get a great amount of recreation and satisfaction in the exercise. The author has a friend who, late in life, and when his figure had developed beyond the stage where a secure seat might be practicable, was accustomed to place himself on the back of a quiet pacing-mare, in one of those saddles with a towering horn on the pommel and a fair-sized parapet on the cantle. Thus equipped, he passed many happy hours in going wherever the steady but headstrong Belle was inclined. When the mare brought forth some three-cornered progeny from registered sires, her owner's delight was unbounded, for he was then a breeder as well as a horseman.
No estimate can be made of the real value of a riding-horse, or what a horse for a specific purpose should cost; these depend on the man and the horse. A really satisfactory, confidential animal is worth whatever the man feels that he is able to pay, "even to half his realm." A horse that costs no more than a hundred dollars at four or five years old may be made by care and training of great intrinsic value; while other animals, whose beauty and striking action have sold them for thousands of dollars, may be dear at any price. A good horse should bring a fair price, but the purchaser should be certain that he is paying for the horse, and not for the privilege of seeing it well ridden by an expert. Except where horses are bred in such numbers that the cost of the keep of each is much reduced, there will be very little change coming to the breeder out of the few hundred dollars that he gets for a four-year-old of some quality. The exceptional colt which brings an exceptional price puts up the average of profit, but it is to the dealer that the long price usually goes.