ON THE VALUE OF BOOKS ON RIDING. 1 9 



be the best riders in Europe ; but, with very few 

 exceptions, they are awkward and unskilful in 

 the management of their horses, and the latter 

 are unbalanced, disunited, and badly controlled. 

 Should my opinion be questioned, I will ask how 

 many horses in Great Britain can be shown that 

 are perfectly trained to obey bit and spur, so that 

 their riders may demand the changes of lead in 

 the gallop on straight lines, the pirouettes, and the 

 other movements that any cavalry soldier might be 

 called upon to make in battle, and such as all who 

 pretend to be skilful in the management of a horse 

 should be able to produce. The methods by 

 which the horse and the rider may be brought to 

 such a state of training as that indicated above 

 can be formulated and preserved only in works 

 on horsemanship. Even though such methods 

 were now known by instructors, they could not 

 be handed down intact by tradition, and improve- 

 ments and discoveries could not be made public 

 and useful except through the press. If the 

 English are the best riders, what riders have 

 they produced in modern times who can be 

 named wnth Baucher, De Montigny, Hunersdorf, 

 Von Weyrother, Hamel, Seidler, Gebhard, and 

 others ? If they are not the best riders, it is 

 not for want of that * practical experience ' upon 



