14 HORSEMANSHIP. 



aimed at, but what's wanted in Rotten Row or elsewhere in 

 a perfect riding horse are good looks, together with quality, 

 manners, and smooth easy action. Nicely reined in, he 

 should go neatly, lightly, and quite within himself. Such 

 a horse is deceptive as to pace, and goes much faster than 

 he appears to do, stealing over the ground apparently with- 

 out an effort. Placing his fore legs well in front of him, 

 without any rounding or climb of the knee, no "fighting 

 the air," the racing-like sweep of his powerful well-gathered 

 haunches gives him a stride and pace that smothers any 

 plodding half-bred labouring by his side. I would, for my 

 own riding, fix the standard of such a horse at fifteen hands, 

 and certainly no more ; but I stand barely five feet eight 

 and a half inches under the standard. 



The horse and his rider should be proportionate in height, 

 conformation, and power one to the other. To my eye a 

 little, stubby, thickset man perched, "like a tom-tit on a 

 round of beef," on a sixteen hands animated clothes-horse 

 sort of an animal is a very offensive object to contemplate. 

 A long, lanky, spindle-shanked rider bestriding a podgy 

 little hog-maned cob, his spur-garnished heels almost touch- 

 ing the ground, is another object I abhor. A big burly 

 fellow crushing a light-framed blood " tit " under his elephan- 

 tine proportions is enough to make an angel weep. Picture 

 the Claimant on a Shetland or New Forest pony, or General 

 Tom Thumb outside the stalwart Harold of Calwich and 

 Islington fame. Such incongruities must be tabooed. 



My horse should be neat and pretty rather than handsome 

 and of grand physique, beautifully balanced and moulded, a 

 patrician from head to heel. I would have him of the high 

 caste Arabian type, his head the index of his blue blood, a 

 level croup set off by a switch tail carried away from his 

 buttocks with that arch peculiar to the azeel horse of the 



