Lear, Tobias (1762-1816) On the choice of a horse

Memoranda on the Choice of a Horse

A large ought to be preferred to a small Horse, provided they are equal in appearance, in activity, & proportionate strength - but if a Horse a little smaller than another be much superior in beauty, be more active, his proportionate strength greater he ought or be taken in preference. -
In Colour, the following are to be preferred if in all other respects they are equal. 1st Bay with black Tail, name & Legs - 2nd Brown - 3rd white or Grey, (if dappled the better) - 4th Dark Chestnut - 5th - Black - 6th Roan - A Star or Star & strip & one or two white Kind Feet are to be preferr'd [sic] to more white. - If they have no white it is no objection, for they generally are more hardy, unless they are all white, [struck] white Horses look very gay, and are admired. Black is a Colour most esteemed on the Barbary Coast, & among the lease esteemed Colours here, which is fortunate. -
Let their Pedigrees be written Superbly in Arabic on Parchment, with Translation properly sealed & witnessed. If their names are not grand give them such, before their Pedigrees are written, and let a minute description of the Horse be annexed to each Pedigree, with their good Qualities, and if they have got good & fleet Stock, or are or have been fleet themselves, let these be witnessed by men or high rather than good character, as it may be difficult to find the latter. Then give a Certificate yourself at the bottom of all that the whole is genuine, & the Horse therein named was purchased or obtained by your & sent out by you to me. - The Grand Sultan , The Emperor of the East , The Arabian Barb will be the good names. Let them be called so in Arabic & translated. - Let the Blood be traced as much as possible to the Arabian Horses of the Cochlane Race, and, if they were, or only from, the Horses of the Emperors Days or Grandres let it be mentioned. - The Translation must be annexed to, and not written on the original, & the Date of the original must be a year or two before the certified Translation & Certificated, that it may appear not to be made for the Bashaw Lear, so much as for the Bashaw Mahomet Ali or Selim. - Though it would be sinful to pay a bad Horse for a good one yet to display or good Horse to advantage is no more sinful than to polish a Diamond. - If three can be had on reasonable Terms it will be best to send them out. The same groom can attend them all. The three Pedigrees, Translations, names seals & must be different, for reasons too obvious for a man of Sagacity, born in New England, and long resident in Virginia. - A large quantity of water ( ) will be requisite, & plenty of Food. Bran or opening Food must also be sent with them to keep their Bodies open during their passage. Their stalls must be made separate, & stand so, that the Heads of the Horses will stand cropwise, and they ought to be as near the middle of the ship they can. The Stall must be very roomy, so that they can lie down, and the Sides back & front of each stall must be lined with sheep - [illegible] stuffed to prevent any injury. The Stalls should be planted underneath with such open, though strong stuff as will admit the Urine to pass through, & they should be up to their knees in Bedding. Let all the Dung lie under them, which will help the preserve them from Injury by making their Beds soft, and let thin Legs [illegible] be frequently washed (without wetting their stalls) with sea water, which will keep them cool, but they must be rubbed, their legs particularly to keep them from swelling. - Their Provision may be occasionally sprinkled with salt water if they should be bound in their Bodies. Particular attention should be paid to the manner in which they have been accustomed to live, & provision should be laid in with every attention for a long voyage, with a charge respecting the water & other Provision that no part of it must be touched for any other use without the Captain's being answerable, if any of the Horses die for want of it, under a Penalty of Two thousand Dollars each. - It is a dispute whether Horses are better in or and of Stings in bad weather. - Without great attention to the manner of keeping them I think they are better and of stings - and with the above Precautions, I have been thus informed, by judicious grooms, accustomed to their transportation. - The winter season or very late in the Fall is bad, but if sent out late it will be best to insure them against Death if it can be done - by writing at once to England when they shipped, with all the particular of the Care of Shipping &, and lest it may appear a very small price, insure as if only a part, stating truly that this is the only policy, & on account of a timid Partner in the Venture. - On if the opportunity be unfavourable [sic] & if late in the [illegible] send only one first, and the other two in the spring about April or May. - And if a more should not be objected to I should be glad to have one - and put to the best Horse in the Country previously to her Shipment.
Description of a Horse

Let him be above 14 1/2 Hands high ( 4 : 10 ) and approach as near 16 Hands ( 5. 4 ) as he can be obtained, not making any of those Sacrifices mentioned in the commencement of the memoranda - of high mettle - good movements - walking and trotting in a Line, and not throwing his Fore- leg out; and of so good a Temper as to be under good command. - Be particularly careful that though gelded, his Testicles have not been so squeezed or other wise injured as to prevent him from doing duty.
Let his nostrils be, his Eyes large and good, Head small & boney , his Ears small but long & pointed, standing high & near together- his Jaw Bones underneath wide that his thropple may play lovely ; his Crest & Neck high & arched ; mane thing ( & left long) his withers wedge shaped, and running back, giving that direction to his Shoulders; his Breast pretty full, measuring a great Distance from his witness & pointing very forward; his Fore-arm large, very sinewy rather than muscular; his Joints large & well defined; his Legs flat and nothing but Bone and sinew or Tendon, the more of both the better, his Body round as a Barrel, & large; his short ribs running pretty close to his Hips so as not to leave him lank and loose in the Flank - he must be very short in the Back, & very long under ( the Belly) which shew that his Forelegs stand well forward though upright. His Loin very broad, which gives strength, his croup long, & running straight from his Back which sets his Tail high on, ( like Rockinghams see the Pate) order that is Tail shall be left long. His thighs as well as arms long, which generally accompany shortlegs. The Muscles of his thighs large, swelling and well marked, so as to make him rather square behind, and his thighs well let down ; that is not tapering in too much where the muscles terminate in Tendon towards the Hock. This Tendon should be very large & strong. The leg behind, as before, very flat, very broad, not fleshy, but made of Bone & Sinew. The Partners [sic] short & id tolerably long ge should stand straight on them. If they bend much they shew weakness. His hoofs tolerably broad & clean. When he stands & moves his kind legs should be pretty wide this Foreleg pretty near: yet sideways his Foreleg war: yet sideways his Forelegs must stand perpendicular or his knees pointing rather forward than back & his Kindlegs & feet stand a little forward, which in running makes a Horse gather up his Feet quicker, and his kind Toes should point rather out, & on no account point inwards- Lengthy Horses are preferr'd to short ones. - The Age should not exceed about eight or ten, unless a very fine Horse. The Barbs & Arabs live to a very great age, like one Chickasaw. - If any [illegible] by then could be seen it would be a great recommendation. -The Age of a Horse is known in the following manner 1st Teeth- The First year he has his Foals teeth, which are only grinders or gatherers; the second year, the four foremost change & appear browner bigger than the rest; the Foals, he changes the Teeth next to those, leaving no apparent Foals teeth, but two on each side above and two below: the fourth year the Teeth next to there are changed, and no Foal's are left , but one on each Side above & below: at five year, his foremost Teeth are all changed, and the Tushes on each side are complete: those which come in the place of the last Foal's Teeth being bellow, and having a little black speck in the midst; which is called the mark in a Horse's Month: This continues till eight year of age. - At six he puts out new Tushes, near which appears a little circle of young Flesh at the Bottom of the Tushes; the Tushes being also white small short & sharp At seven year the Teeth are all at their growth, and the mark in the month appear very plain. At eight, all the teeth are full smooth & plain, and the mark cause discernible; the Tushes looking yellowish, and fouler, than before; & the Tushes become longer, yellower, and fouler, than before; & the Tushes become bleentish. At ten no holes are left on the inside of the upper Tushes, which till then are very sensible; add that the temples begin to rooked & hollow. At eleven years his teeth are very long, yellow, black, & foul; but he will cut even, and his teeth stand directly opposite to one another. At twelve the upper teeth hang over the Nether. At thirteen his Tushes are worn close to his crops if he has been much ridden, otherwise they will be black foul [illegible].
2nd. The Hoof - If it be smooth, moist, hollow, & sounding it is a sign of youth - on the contrary if rugged, and as it were seamed, one seam over another, & withal dry, foul, trusty, it is a mark of old Age. -
3rd: Tail - Taking it close to the setting on, & griping it between the Finger & Thumb, if a Joint to be felt to stick out more than the rest, the bigness of a nut, the Horse id under ten: but, if the joint be all plain, he be fifteen.
4th: The Eyes - being round, full, & staring, the Pitts that are over them filled, smooth & even with his Temples, & no wrinkles to be seen either under or above, are marks of youth. -
5th. The skin being plucked up in any part betwixt the Finger & thumb, & let go again, if it return suddenly to it's place and remain without wrinkles he may be believed to be young. -
6th. A dark coloured [sic] Horse, growing grisly about the Eyebrows, or under the name; or a whitish Horse growing mean [illegible] either with white or black all over, may generally be considered as extremely aged, but sometimes young Horses are covered with a mixture of white Hairs. -
Lastly - a Horse being young the Bars of his Mouth are soft & shallow; otherwise they are deep, & feel hard through.
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It is hereby agreed that all the Expenses of every in importing the Horses and their keep afterwards as well as purchase & keep before shipment, shall be equally paid by Colonel Lear & Wm: Thornton - and that they shall equally divide all profits to be made by the Horses sent to America by Col: Tobias Lear, they being also equally engaged in the risks of accidents & Deaths of the Horses both before & after their arrived in America - they the said Tobias Lear & William Thornton being equally concerned in the whole. -

Witness our Hands & seals this thirtieth
- Day of June 1803
Lutes
William Crawford Tobias Lear Seal

William Thornton Seal