156 RIDING 



rule roguishness is the natural consequence of bad treatment. 

 It is painful to see a horse trembling with fear when the saddle 

 is being put on his back, and this is a sight which should never 

 be seen. George Fordham was in most cordial agreement with 

 the theory of gentleness and kindness to young horses. * If 

 they have not been taught their business it's very certain you 

 can't teach them on a racecourse,' the great jockey said. ' Poor 

 little brutes ! They look at you sometimes, if they can't go the 

 pace, to see if you are going to hit them turn their heads and 

 look at you, they do, expecting the whip. They are outpaced, 

 they can't go any faster, and they dread that they are going to 

 catch it.' 



Tom Cannon's words on the subject are too pertinent and 

 graphic to be omitted. ' That unfortunate whip loses such a 

 lot of races for the boys,' he says, * and more especially on young 

 horses. No one knows what a number of two-year-olds are 

 ruined by the whip and the spurs boys are always using. It's 

 cruel, and besides it does no good at all. See a two-year-old 

 come out on the course and go down to the post, listening and 

 looking about him. He ran last week, and he was hided, and 

 he was out the day before yesterday, and here he is once more, 

 and he knows that he's got to run and to be hided again. 

 What's the consequence ? He is too nervous to put out his 

 full powers ; and then when he goes back to his stable, timorous 

 and trembling, he won't eat, and what's worse he won't drink ; 

 and so he goes off when he never had a chance of coming on. 

 As I sit in my light saddle I can feel their hearts against my 

 legs, beat ! beat ! beat ! bump ! bump ! bump ! Then when a 

 careless or clumsy boy is on them they get a bad start after all, 

 and out comes that blessed whip, and so they go whipping and 

 bumping all over the course.' A great jockey's description of 

 how he won a famous classical event on a horse whose chance 

 was esteemed so little that he was allowed to start at twenty-five 

 to one, may be mentioned as illustrating the perfect possession of 

 the head and hands. The favourite started at four to one on, 

 and there was another animal that was supposed to have an 



