'You may depend upon it, a four-legged creature, unlike a two-legged one, has a reason for everything he does.' 'But he's only a draught horse,' said Deacon Jones.

'Draught horse or no draught horse,' said I, 'you're describing a horse with a tender skin to me, and I don't care if he's as big as an elephant.' Well, the old man grumbled and said he didn't want any thoroughbred airs in his stable, so I bought you, didn't I, Dutchman ?" and Mr.Wood stroked him kindly and went to the next stall.
In each stall was a small tank of water with a sliding cover, and I found out afterward that these covers were put on when a horse came in too heated to have a drink.

At any other time, he could drink all he liked.

Mr.Wood believed in having plenty of pure water for all his animals and they all had their own place to get a drink.
Even I had a little bowl of water in the woodshed, though I could easily have run up to the barnyard when I wanted a drink.

As soon as I came, Mrs.Wood asked Adele to keep it there for me and when I looked up gratefully at her, she said: "Every animal should have its own feeding place and its own sleeping place, Joe; that is only fair." The next horses Mr.Wood groomed were the black ones, Cleve and Pacer.
Pacer had something wrong with his mouth, and Mr.Wood turned back his lips and examined it carefully.