;0 RIDING RECOLLECTIONS. 



unhurt with no less forethought than he asks his way 

 to the meet or inquires into the condition of his mount. 

 To such a bold rider the spur may seem an indis- 

 pensable article, but he must remember that even if 

 its application should save him on occasion, which I 

 am not altogether prepared to admit, the appendage 

 itself is most inconvenient when down. I cannot 

 remember a single instance of a man's foot remain- 

 ing fixed in the stirrup who was riding without 

 spurs. I do not mean to say such a catastrophe 

 is impossible, but I have good reason to know that 

 the buckle on the instep, which when brightly polished 

 imparts such a finish to the lustrous wrinkles of a 

 well-made boot, is extremely apt to catch in the angle 

 of the stirrup iron, and hold us fast at the very moment 

 when it is most important to our safety we should 

 be free. 



I have headed this chapter " The Abuse of the Spur," 

 because I hold that implement of horsemanship to be 

 in general most unmercifully abused, so much so that 

 I believe it would be far better for the majority of 

 horses, and riders too, if it had never come into vogue. 

 The perfect equestrian may be trusted indeed with 

 rowels sharp and long as those that jingle at the 

 Mexican's heels on his boundless prairies, but, as in the 



