34 HORSE-KEEPING FOE AMATEURS. 



miles ; do rot hurry him at the hills, and, if possible, give 

 him an hour to an hour and a half to dine in, about the 

 middle of the day. If it is in the hot weather that your 

 travels are to be made, an excellent plan is to be early on 

 the road, and to put some miles of your journey to the credit 

 side of the account before eleven o'clock ; then give your horse 

 a long rest, so as to avoid the heat as far as possible, and 

 start again when the fierceness of the sun's rays have some- 

 what abated, and then you will be able to go comfortably 

 on till far into the evening. Most horses travel best at night, 

 though if you are driving one that shies along an unknown 

 road, it may be well to think twice about it, and perhaps 

 take the advice given by Punch to those about to marry I Few 

 things distress horses so much as excessive heat ; I am speaking, 

 of course, of England and English animals. I have ridden 

 many a mile over the sandy plains of Southern Africa, in the 

 full blaze of a mid-day sun, and never noticed any bad efifect 

 u ion the hardy and blood-like little steeds there ; they seem 

 to go as well by day as by night. What splendid hacks they 

 are, too ! all broken, by a rough and ready method, to canter 

 the moment you put them beyond a walk, they will keep on 

 at this pace an almost incredible time. To ride in this way 

 is, as may well be imagined, absolutely no more exertion than 

 sitting at home in an armchair, and, provided you can get 

 horses enough, there is no reason why one should not keep 

 on journeying, practically, for ever I 



A few words on the most common forms of vices manifested 

 on the road may not be out of place here. I will give pride 

 of place to jibbing, as, of all detestable things, this, in my 

 humble opinion, is the worst. The horse declines his work, 

 and either stands still, refusing to budge an inch, or worse, 

 begins going backwards and letting the trap, of course^ go 

 back too. A sharp hill is usually chosen as the scene of 

 action, and the great thing to avoid is allowing the carriage, 

 if a foui-wheeler, to get "locked," as in this case you are 

 most likely in for an overturn. It is rarely any use to hit 

 a bad jibber; he has been treated that way before, and, 

 having made up his mind that he won't pull at his collar, 

 no amount of punishment will shake his resolution. Some- 

 one should catch hold of his head without delay, and try to 

 induce him to " lead " in the way he should go. If he still 

 declines, lead him round and down the hill again, so that he 



