THE ABUSE OF THE SPUR. 67 



totally useless for opening a gate if he did not happen 

 to jump it. Yet thus accoutred, and generally on a 

 young one, so long as his horse's condition lasted, he 

 was sure to be in front, and, when the fences were 

 rougher than common, with but two or three companions 

 at most. 



I have not yet forgotten the style in which I once saw 

 him coax a four-year-old to jump a " bottom " under 

 Launde, fortified by a high post and rail down-hill 

 a bad take off and almost a ravine on the far side ! 

 With his powerful grip and exquisite handling, he 

 seemed to persuade the pupil that it was as willing as 

 the master. 



My own spurs were four inches long, and I was 

 riding the best hunter in my stable, but I don't think I 

 would have had the same place for fifty pounds ! 



A paradox, like an Irishman's bull, will sometimes 

 convey our meaning more impressively than a logical 

 statement. It seems paradoxical, yet I believe it is 

 sound sense to say that no man should arm his heels 

 with spurs unless he is so good a rider as to be sure 

 they shall not touch his horse. To punish him with 

 them involuntarily is, of course, like any other blunder 

 totally inadmissible, but when applied with intention, 

 they should be used sparingly and only as a last 



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