A great change has lately taken place as to the English coach-horse;
and this is the foundation of many other accompanying changes.
Fifty years ago, the putting a thorough-bred horse into harness
would have been deemed preposterous. In the carriages of gentlemen,
the long-tailed black, or Cleveland bay--each one remove from
the cart-horse--was the prevailing sort; and six miles an hour
was the extent of the pace. Now, however, this clumsy-barrelled,
cloddy-shouldered, round-legged animal, something between a coach and
a dray horse, as fat as an ox, and, with all his prancing at first
starting, not capable of more than six miles an hour, and rendered
useless by a day’s hard work, is no more seen; and, instead of him, we
find a horse as tall, deep-chested, rising in the withers, slanting in
the shoulders, flat in the legs, with more strength, and with treble
the speed.
The animal formerly in use cost from 30_l._ to 50_l._-- Two hundred
guineas is now an every-day price for a cabriolet horse; and 150
guineas for a coach-horse, for a private gentleman’s work. A pair of
handsome coach-horses, fit for London, and well broken and bitted,
cannot be purchased under 200 guineas; and even job-masters often give
much more for them to let out to their customers. The origin of this
superior kind of coach-horse is still, however, the Cleveland bay,
confined principally to Yorkshire and Durham, with perhaps Lincolnshire
on one side, and Northumberland on the other, but difficult to be
met with pure in either county. Cleveland indeed, and the Vale of
Pickering, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, are the best breeding
counties in England for coach-horses, hunters, and hackneys.
When the Cleveland mare is crossed by a three-fourth or thorough-bred
horse of sufficient substance and height, the produce is the
coach-horse most in repute, with his arched crest and high action. From
the same mare and the thorough-bred of sufficient height, but not of
so much substance, we obtain the four-in-hand, and superior curricle
horse. From less height and more substance, we derive the hunter, and
better sort of hackney. From the half-bred, we have the machiner, the
poster, and the common carriage-horse.
The best coach-horse is a tall, strong, over-sized hunter. The hackney
has many of the qualities of the hunter on a small scale. There is some
deception, however, even as to the best of these improved coach-horses.
They prance nobly through the streets, and they are capable of more
work than the old clumsy, sluggish breed, but still they have not the
endurance that is desirable; and a pair of poor post-horses, at the end
of the second day, would beat them hollow.
In this carriage-horse, the bending of the upper joints, and the
consequent high lifting of the feet, are deemed an excellence, because
they add to the grandeur of his appearance; but this is necessarily
accompanied by much wear and tear of the legs and feet, the effect
of which is very soon apparent. The most desirable points in the
coach-horse are--substance well placed, a deep and well-proportioned
body, bone under the knee, and sound, open, tough feet.
One part of the old system, however, remains--namely, that although
little horses, well bred, are the fashion, large horses are still
employed in heavy work. It must indeed be so. Horses draw by their
weight, and not by the force of their muscles, although these, by
carrying forward the centre of gravity, assist the application of that
weight. It is the weight of the animal which produces the draught,
and the power of the muscles serves to direct it. The hind feet form
the fulcrum of the lever by which this weight acts against a load,
and the power exerted is in proportion to the length of the lever, if
the weight remains the same. Large animals, therefore, draw more than
small ones, though they may have less muscular power, and are unable
to carry weight so well. Nothing can better show that horses draw by
their weight than the frequent occurrence that a horse is unable to
draw a cart out of a slough until a sack of corn is thrown on his back,
when he has little difficulty in doing it. Thus it is, that what are
technically called lobbing-goers take more weight with them than horses
of better action.
As the application of the weight or force proceeds from the fulcrum
formed by the hind feet, good hind legs and well-spread gaskins are
essential points in a coach-horse. We even sometimes see that a
waggon-horse, when brought to pull, will not touch the ground at all
with his fore feet. Another reason why little horses are unfit for
heavy work is, that they will seldom walk and draw at the same time;
for if they walk, they catch at their collars, and do but little. They
never take anything like an even share of draught.
By calculations as to the mean strength of animals, it appears that a
horse drawing horizontally, and at the rate of two miles and a half in
an hour, can work for eight hours in succession against a resistance
of 200 pounds. If that pace be quadrupled, he finds an eighth part of
the time sufficient. Thus we can pretty nearly measure a horse’s power
in harness. Whether we are carrying supposed improvement too far,
and sacrificing strength and endurance to speed, is a question not
difficult to be resolved.
A horse at a pull is enabled, by the power and direction of his
muscles, to throw a certain weight against the collar. If he walk
four miles in the hour, part of the muscular energy is expended in
the act of walking; and consequently, the power of drawing must be
proportionally diminished. If he trot eight miles in the hour, more of
that energy is expended in the trot, and less remains for the draught;
but the draught continues the same, and, to enable him to accomplish
his work, he must exert his energies in a degree so severe and cruel,
that it must speedily wear him out. Hence, there is no truth so easily
proved, or so painfully felt by the postmaster, as that it is the
pace that kills. Moreover, many a horse used on our public roads is
unable to employ all his natural power, or to throw his weight into the
collar, in consequence of being tender-footed, or lame. Being bought,
however, at little price, he is worked on the brutal principle that he
may be “whipped sound!”--and so he is apparently. At first he sadly
halts; but, urged by the torture of the lash, he acquires a peculiar
mode of going. The faulty limb keeps pace with the others, but no
stress or labour is thrown upon it; and he gradually contrives to make
the sound limbs perform among them all the duties of the unsound one.
Thus he is barbarously “whipped sound,” and cruelty is for the time
undeservedly rewarded. After all, however, what is done? Three legs are
made to do that which was almost too much for four. Of course, they are
most injuriously strained, and quickly worn out; the general power of
the animal is rapidly exhausted; and, at no remote time, death releases
him from his merciless persecutors.
Happily, art is doing what humanity refuses. Railroads are rendering
draught comparatively easy. An instance has been described of the
power of a horse when assisted by art, as exhibited near Croydon.
The Surrey iron railway being completed, a wager was laid that a
common horse could draw thirty-six tons for six miles along the
road, drawing his weight from a dead pull, and turning it round the
occasional windings of the road. A numerous party assembled near
Merstham to see this. Twelve waggons loaded with stones, each waggon
weighing above three tons, were chained together, and a horse taken
promiscuously from a timber cart, was yoked to the train. He started
from a house near Merstham, and drew the chain of waggons with apparent
ease almost to the turnpike at Croydon, a distance of six miles, in
one hour and forty-one minutes, which is nearly at the rate of four
miles an hour. In the course of the journey he stopped four times, to
show that it was not by any advantage of descent that his power was
facilitated; and, after each stoppage, he again drew off the chain
of waggons with great ease. A person who had wagered on the power of
the horse then desired that four more loaded waggons should be added
to the cavalcade, and with these the same horse set off again with
undiminished pace. Still further to show the effect of the railway in
facilitating motion, the attending workmen, to the number of fifty,
were directed to mount on the waggons, and the horse proceeded without
the least distress. Indeed, there appeared to be scarcely any limit
to the power of his draught. After this trial, the waggons were taken
to the weighing-machine, and it appeared that the whole weight was as
follows:--
tons. cwt. qrs.
12 waggons first linked together 38 4 2
4 ditto, afterwards attached 13 2 0
Supposed weight of fifty labourers 4 0 0
------------
55 6 2
------------
It is fortunate for breeders of horses that a perfect form is not
necessary to a good coach-horse. Some of those, indeed, which the
London dealers sell at high prices for gentlemen’s work, are such
brutes, when out of harness, that no man would ride them for their
worth. The strong and lengthy shoulder, with well-bent hind legs, are
not absolutely necessary; and a good head and tail, with a little high
action, are all that is essential.
The following are useful hints for purchasers of coach-horses:
No gentleman should purchase a horse without a good trial of his mouth
and temper. To be perfect in the first respect, he should be what is
called on the road “a cheek horse,”--that is, should require very
little curb, should always be at play with his bit. and yet not afraid
of it, and should have each side of his mouth alike. To a gentleman’s
leader, a good mouth is most essential, and then, the higher his
courage, the safer he is to drive. With stage-coach horses, mouth is
not of so much consequence, because they are always running home, and
there is no turning and twisting, as in gentlemen’s work, which is
often in a crowd. A whistle, or a click with the tongue, should make
a gentleman’s leader spring to his collar in an instant: one that
requires the whip should be discharged.
With wheel horses which are steady, and hold well, a coachman may
almost set his leaders at defiance; but if they are otherwise, danger
is at hand. It is not a bad plan to purchase wheelers out of coaches,
after they have been about six months in regular work. For from
sixty to eighty guineas, the best of any man’s stock may be picked;
and a sound, well-broke coach-horse is not dear at that price. The
coach-horses of gentlemen should be high in flesh, as it enhances their
appearance, and is no obstacle to pace. A sound five-year-old horse,
with good legs and feet, and driven only in harness, will last, on an
average, from six to ten years in gentlemen’s work, and will afterwards
be very useful for other purposes.
The average price of horses for fast stages is about 23_l._ Fancy
teams, and those working out of London, may be rated considerably
higher; but, taking a hundred miles of ground, well horsed, this is
about the mark. The average period of each horse’s service does not
exceed four years in a fast coach--perhaps scarcely so much. In a
slow one, it may extend to seven. In both cases, horses are supposed
to be put to the work at five or six years old. The price named as
the average may appear a low one; but blemished horses find their way
into coaches, as do those of bad temper, &c. As no labour, while it
lasts, is harder than that of coach-horses in fast work, it is wrong
to purchase those which are infirm, as many proprietors do. Generally
speaking, such horses are out of their work half their time, and are
certain to die in their owner’s debt. As the roads now are, blind
horses are less objectionable than infirm ones. A blind horse that
goes up to his bit is both pleasanter and safer to drive than one with
good eyes that hangs away from his work. Blind horses, however, work
best in the night.
A horse cannot be called a coach-horse unless he has good legs and
feet. As a wheel-horse, he is never to be depended upon down hill, if
he has not sound limbs. He cannot resist weight, if he be weak in his
joints. To bad legs and feet are owing numerous accidents to coaches,
many of which the public hear nothing of. If horses, on the contrary,
have good legs and feet, they will last, even in the fastest work,
many years, provided they are shod with care, and well looked after.
Proprietors of coaches have at length found out that it is their
interest to be humane and liberal to their horses, because the hay
and corn market is not so expensive as the horse market. They have,
therefore, one horse in four always at rest; in other words, each horse
lies still on the fourth day. Generally considered, perhaps, no animal
toiling solely for the profit of man, leads so comfortable a life as
the English coach-horse: he is sumptuously fed, kindly treated, and if
he does suffer a little in his work, he has mostly twenty-three hours
in the twenty-four of perfect ease; he is now almost a stranger to
the lash, nor do we ever see him with a broken skin. No horse lives
so high as a coach-horse. Hunters, in the hunting season, do not eat
the quantity of corn that coach-horses do; for the former are feverish
after their work, which is not the case with the latter, as they become
accustomed to this almost daily excitement. In the language of the
road, the coach-horse’s stomach is the measure of his corn--he is fed
_ad libitum_[75]. The effect of this is that he soon gathers flesh,
even in this severe work,--for there is none more severe while it
lasts; and good flesh is no obstacle to speed, but the contrary.
[75] Some coachmasters give their horses all manger-meat; but this
is wrong, as it often produces indigestion and disease. A certain
portion of long hay is necessary.
It is not found, however, that (barring contagious diseases) where
their owners are good judges of condition, coach-horses are much
subject to disease. After a hot summer, coach-horses are most liable
to derangement; and the month of October is the worst in the year for
them, in consequence of it being their moulting season. Coach-horses,
indeed, are certain to sweat three days out of four, which keeps their
blood pure, and renders almost unnecessary medicine, of which, in
general, they have but a small portion--perhaps less than they should
have. It is a mistake, however, that fleshy horses cannot go fast in
harness; they are more powerful in draught than thin ones; and, having
only themselves to carry, flesh does not injure their legs, as in
riding. In a fast coach, then, a horse ought not to work more than four
days without rest, as he becomes leg-weary, and wears out the sooner;
and he becomes also too highly excited. A horse a mile, reckoning only
one side of the ground, is about the proportion. Thus we may suppose
that ten horses work the coach up and down a ten-mile stage, which
gives eight at work, and two at rest. Every horse, then, rests the
fourth day. In slow, heavy work, however, coach-horses will do their
ground every day, barring accidents or illness.
In slow work, the average duration of coaching stock may be from six to
seven years, provided they are at first fresh, and firm on their legs.
In fast work, their time may be from three to four years, or scarcely
perhaps so much. Coach proprietors on a large scale should have a
break for their young horses, previous to going into regular work.
The practice of putting a young horse unaccustomed to harness into a
coach laden with passengers is most reprehensible; and when injury is
sustained by it, it should be visited by the severest penalties the law
can inflict.