native state on the prairies of North and South America, 

 in Tartary, the centre of Africa, and the deserts of 

 Arabia. Among the wild horses of South America the 

 mares are seldom tamed, but allowed to roam about with 

 their offspring at pleasure. It is the great ambition of the 

 young Indian to possess a good horse for buffalo hunting, 

 and if he cannot get it by fair means he will steal one. In 

 the art of riding they are entirely self-taught, having no 

 knowledge of the " hunting seat," which is so much 

 preferred and generally adopted in England. The Indian 

 stands astride, as it were, in performing his wonderful 

 evolutions ; his grip to the horse is (as we should term it) 

 the "fork" or military seat. The position of the Indian 

 upon the horse's back, and that of the jockey of the 

 present day are great extremes. 



It is said that races were first instituted in England 

 in the reign of Charles I. ; and it is also asserted that 

 Cromwell kept fleet horses, no doubt for the purpose of 

 carrying the mails and other despatches. 



Horsemen should be careful not to ride long stages 

 without feeding their steeds ; some have been known to 

 ride thirty and forty miles, which is a great act of cruelty; 

 occasional small feeds and a good meal at the end of the 

 journey are most beneficial to the horse. In riding a 

 journey the horseman should start at a moderate pace, 

 and finish in the same way, thus graduating the horse to 

 his work and coming home cool. If quick travelling is 

 necessary, the saddle should be eased occasionally in going 

 up hill. The tired hack should have his feet washed and 

 legs bathed with warm water at his journey's end, and the 

 hands should be carefully rubbed down the horse's legs for 

 thorns, &c. If the steed should go off (or appear to 

 despise) his food, it is a sure sign that rest is required. 



