On the choice of a Horse. Head. The Head should be short, thin, lean & bony, not fleshy & large. The Forehead is most admired when flat, or rising but little, & [struck] through broad between the Eyes it must suddenly grow narrower below and run straight almost to the nose-band: the Roman-nosed Horse is not so much admired, but is generally hardy. - The Eyes should be large full & quick. The mouth should be moderately larger. The Muzzle small, & little but skin & bone: the smaller the muzzle the better, provided the Nostrils are large & expensive, their & membranous; and when the Horse is upon his mettle the Division between their should, particularly in the Sun, or in a strong light, appear red, which is beautiful, as well as a sign of Blood. - The Palate in young Horses, if healthy, is fleshy, in old ones thin & lean. - Age from the Teeth. - A Horse has 40 Teeth: 24 [illegible] or double Teeth, 4 Tushes, & 12 Foresteeth: [illegible] have no Tushes or at least very short ones. The age in discovered first by the fore-teeth, then by the Tushes. The 12 fore-teeth begin to shoot within 12 Days after the colt id foaled. These first or foul-teeth are around, short, not very solid, and are cast at different [illegible], to be replaced by others. At the age of two years and a half the four middle fore-teeth are cast, two in the upper Jaw and two in the lower. In one year more four others drop out, one on each side of the former which are already replaced. When he is about four Year and a half old he sheds for others, & always next to those which have follow out & been replaced. - These four Goal-teeth are replaced by four others but are far from growing so fast as those which replaced the eight former, & are called the corner Teeth. They replace the four last foal-teeth, and by these the age of the Horse is discovered. - They are easily known, being the third, both above and below, counting from the middle of the Jaw. - They are hollow & have a black mark in their Cavity. When the Horse is four years ad a half old, they are scarcely visible above the Gum & the Cavity is very sensible; at six and a half they begin to fill, and the mark in these Teeth continually diminishes, & contracts till seven or eight years old when the Cavity is quite filled up & the black spot effaced. - After eight years these Teeth ceasing to afford any knowledge of the age, it is judged of by the Tushes; which are four Teeth adjoining to those last mentioned; and like the grinders are not preceded by any other Teeth: The two in the lower Jaw usually begin to shoot at three years, and a half and those of the upper Jaw at four: continuing very sharp pointed till six. At ten the upper Teeth seem [illegible], worn out, & long, the Gum contracting itself as its years increase; the [illegible] therefore they are the older is the Horse. From ten upwards the age cannot be known with certainly. The corner-Teeth being worn smooth and the Tushes being very long, especially if grey [sic] Hairs are seen in the Eye-browns denote great age. - The Bay of the mouth also near away. The tail when raised by the Hand springs down again with less force, and the Fundament sinks in, as well as the Eye-pits. - The lips should be thin. - Tongue small. - Jaw-bone wide apart, to permit the Thropple to play loosely when the head is reined in. - They should be also thin, & not covered with large muscles. The Ears should be small, longish, marrow, thin, pointed, & the Point nearer than the Roots when pricked, played back & forwards quickly and alternately. - The Neck should be leanish, and as it rises out of the Withers should diminish by degrees towards the setting-on of the Head: It should be thin, rising handsomely, firms, and void of flesh on that part where the mane grows. - The Mane thin. Wind pipe large and loose. Withers, or top of the Shoulders thin, and running back from the Breast, not standing perpendicularly over the Fore-legs. The Withers should be partly high, and increasing in the thickness as they descend to the shoulder. The Back should not be long, yet the whole Horse should be long. The Reins, or Fillets should be strong, rising on each side the Back-bone. - The Back should run straight but wide, and the Loins be broad. - It is handsomer when it terminates by the Tail running nearly in a line with it or not drooping much at the setting-on of the Tail, though good runners have often this defect in appearance. - The Ribs should stand out, so as to give a tolerably round Body. - The Thighs should be broad, long, fleshy, or muscular. The Hock should be long, the Hough or Ham strong and with very large tendons. The Belly long in comparison to the back, & pretty large. -The Fore-arm should be large & towards the upper part, & [illegible], clean, & firm towards the Knees. Legs should not be long, but be all well boned, without any Flesh, but with very large Sinews, standing a good way from the Bone, and rendering the Legs & broad. The Postern or Pastern Joints large. The Posterns or Pasterns moderately long, provide the Horse stands upright on their, and does not lean much behind so as to throw the leg & Hoop out of the perpendicular. The Knee should be large, but not fleshy, & pretty flat before. - The Hoof should be hard, & rather wide than narrow. The skin should be thin, soft & silky. - The colour may be in the following order of value. - Bay with black mane Tail & Legs - One white fort or two, but not more, & a Stan - but as well without any white, Brown, Grey, White if young, Chestnut, Black, Sorrel, Nankeen Roan. - Size - The larger the better, provided the height be not in consequence of long Legs, which are bad. If two Horses appear equal in point, take the larger; but if the smaller be superior in beauty, blood, bone & activity take him, if above 14 hands & a half. A hand is four Inches. - If Above 15 hands & a half. A hand is four Inches. - If above 15 hands it is a good size, & above 15½ is large, but some are 15 hands high, on level Ground to the top of the Withers. Yet if possible those which came from the Arabian Strain, and with Pedigrees. Take care that the Stallions he not rendered incompetent by, or private kind of Castration. They sometimes pass or worsted string through the Testicles, and this form a Seton, which after an Inflammation, & espious Discharge, leave the Testicles in a State of Perfect Induration, incapable of connecting properly the Semen, and the Stallion cannot generate. Louis the 14th had an Arabian supposed to be thus treated, for though he covered, at a great price, a great many names, they had not a single Foal Movements. When the Horse moves in a walk or trot he should turn the Toes of his Forelegs in taking care that he does not interface or cut, and after bringing his kind foot forward, he should throw it a little out or rounding till it strike the ground. Thus he will not only move his legs in a straight line, but will appear to move in a firm step, & & with energy. - When the Forelegs are thrown out, on the kind legs appear to cross they are good for nothing. - In walking, the kind foot ought to pass over the mark of the forefoot, from a few I [illegible] to a foot or more if he walks well & I mean on level ground; downhill still further; but the fore foot should be moved so quickly that the kind foot should never touch or strike it. - In galloping at full speed the feet marks will he nearly all in a line and nearly the same distance between each: then by measuring the medium of four marks (one stroke) if from 18 feet to twenty two, or more, he rates well, an if with a light weight he can run four miles in eight minutes he is a capital Horse & of good bottom; if in less than that time he is very fleet. But without training he can only run a short distance at that rate. - Temper - He aught to have a good quiet temper, & be gentle yet vigorous, and of any age from 3 or 4 to 12 or 14, but the younger the better. - In shipping them let them have wide stalls in the Hold of the Vessel, covered invardly with I keep [illegible], and stuffed between the skins and the Plank of the Stalls. They ought to have plenty of bedding, and be well rubbed; and their Legs washed often to keep them cool. They should have plenty of good opening food, and plenty of water when their Bodies one not open enough, a little Salt water may be given once or twice a week, but not much at a time. - Be particularly careful how they are put into the Vessel, for often the stings break, and the horse are injured. -An account ought to be taken of the quantity of water put on Board for the Horses and the captain ought to enter into an Engagement in writing not to let it be used on any other Account, under a heavy penalty if the Horses die or are injured. - Hay ought to be made in our manner to put on Board, and plenty of such food as they usually eat. - Omit no Opportunity to send them from Oran or any other part if no opportunity offer from Algiers. - Send a very particular Description in [illegible] of the Horses sent and to me, lest they be changed on the Passage, on at any place where they may call in the voyage. - The Description must be sent by another Vessel. Such things having been done it is necessary to guard against tricks. I speak now in Case you send by a merchant Vessel, or any opportunity to another part, and they should be shipped in another Vessel. If they come in a Vessel directly to the United States there is no danger. - Send a highly attested Pedigree. - A Jack Ass - as large and strong as possible provided his Hand is small in proportion & carried high, with a good sized Body. - He should at the same time be gentle but rigorous. - City of Washington 29th. June 1806} - W. Thornton.