142 OSTROGORCHSK 



sequently particularly difficult to subdue. The General said 

 that he would like him saddled. Seeing him held at the end 

 'of a long rope by four particularly solemn-looking soldiers, 

 and finding that any attempt at noosing a fore leg would 

 render him too furious for words, I thought I'd do a bit of 

 show-off for the honour of the old country, and tried the neck- 

 scratching game, with the result that within a quarter of an hour 

 I had my hand on his crest, the rope twitch under his upper 

 lip, and a saddle on his back. I then ran my hand over his 

 shoulder and down his fore legs. This simply electrified 

 the Russians. I also wanted to make him quiet to ride, but 

 the General and all his officers begged that I would do 



oo 



nothing more to annoy "the poor horse," who, had they 

 given him the chance, would have been only too happy to 

 have kicked all their brains out. He was accordingly taken 

 back to his stable with lots of the stuffing still in him. On 

 the following morning the General directed me to bridle the 

 same horse and make him quiet to lead, which I did. I then 

 wished to make him quiet to ride, but the General said that 

 saddling, bridling and leading were all that he wanted the 

 horse to learn, so I had to give way. I also handled another 

 animal or two, and thus ended the farce. 



As far as instruction to officers and men went, I did no 

 good at Ostrogorchsk ; for I was not given a proper enclosure 

 to work in, and the General and his officers took no interest 

 in the breaking. In fact they seemed to have been inspired 

 not to do so ; but by whom, I cannot say with certainty. 

 If my breaking was good enough for the Director of Army 

 Remount Operations for India, the Horse Artillery at 

 Woolwich, the /th D.G.'s, the nth Hussars, the i4th 

 Hussars, the i;th Lancers and many other smart cavalry 

 regiments, as well as many batteries of horse and field 

 artillery, it ought to have been good enough for them. 

 Looking, however, from their point of view, I don't see why 



