DICK CHRISTIAN'S LECTURE. 36 



higher than their hind ones when they come down, 

 but not bucking I don't mean that. Lots of these 

 young riders, they know no more than nothing at 

 all : they think horses can jump anything if they can 

 only drive them at it fast enough. They'd never get 

 hurt if they'd collect their horses : they force them 

 too much at their fences. If you don't feel your 

 horse's mouth you can tell nothing about him. If 

 you hold him he'll make a second effort ; if you drop 

 him he won't. (Here the Professor rose from his chair, 

 placed his hands in attitude, and went at a fence in 

 the spirit). I've seen Mr. Holyoake go like distrac- 

 tion for fifteen minutes, but Mr. Smith, and Mr. 

 Greene, and Mr. Gilmour, and Lord Wilton, they're 

 the men to go when others are leaving off. Lord 

 Bancliffe, he was a very sweet rider. This Captain 

 Lloyd, too, he's a fizzer. Those young men they're 

 always pulling at their horses with both hands. I 

 never do that : it's no use. Pull with your 

 right and bear with your left; keep putting of it 

 down gradual, and a horse must stop. (We are bound 

 to say that in this passage we consider the Professor 

 obscure ; but he will, no doubt, be glad to illustrate 

 the operation to our riding readers, as he did to us.) 

 Horses have a bad mouth on the near side, because 

 they're always ridden with one hand : a horse should 

 have his mouth light on the left ; his quarters should 

 be out, and his head to the 3 eft when he's walking. 

 You may see ten horses walk past this window, and 

 nine of them, I'll be bound, will have the wrong leg 

 first. I hardly ever used spurs ; if young horses 

 wanted them, I used one on my left leg. A leaping 

 bar should never be above two feet ; if it's higher, 

 they often go right back'ards, such a crack ; they 

 should go close up to it. They talk about a horse 

 wanting some falls : if a young horse gets a very bad 

 fall, it frightens him; a couple of falls with low 

 fences are well enough, but not if you hurt him; 



