Gaining Experience. 1 1 7 



' thin ' show to the ordinary sightseer, has the terrible draw- 

 back that, with every precaution taken by the showman, the 

 performers, namely, the supposed vicious horses, may refuse 

 to ' play up,' and then the innocent showman runs the chance 

 of being branded as a fraud. In a class, the teacher meets 

 only those who are horsemen, or who have proved their 

 interest in the subject of horses by paying their money. 

 Consequently, if he has new and sound things to show 

 them, he will be certain of an attentive hearing, even if he 

 has only quiet horses upon which to operate. 



No doubt, my readers would wish to know if I was 

 invariably successful with the bad horses I took in hand. 

 Not always, I can reply, but nearly always. I remember 

 only one or two animals jibbers which nothing, apparently, 

 could get out of a walk or very slow trot that I found was 

 too much for me. A breaker can work only with the material 

 he has at hand, and cannot give pluck and high spirits 

 to the cowardly and sullen ; though he can always ensure 

 docility; besides I sometimes had not time to finish those 

 I took in hand. India is, socially, a small place ; though, 

 geographically, a vast continent. Had I bungled badly at 

 one station, the news would have preceded me wherever I 

 went, and I could not have continued my tour. On the 

 contrary, my fame increased as I travelled through India, 

 and I left behind me a good impression, if I may judge by 

 the testimonials I received, and by the largely-increased sale 

 of my books. * The cause ? ' you ask ? Not any extraordin- 

 ary cleverness on my part, I can assure you, but the immense 

 amount of experience I gained, which, as I shall explain, can 

 never be equalled by that to be obtained by anyone who will 

 come after me. In the course of instruction in the art of 

 giving horses good manners and snaffle-bridle mouths, I used 

 to show to the members of my class every method and dodge 

 which I knew were useful in breaking, and illustrated their 

 employment on the animals brought to me. Though I 

 worked very hard, I enjoyed myself immensely ; for I met 



