PEEFACE 



A GEXUINE fondness for horses, combined with a 

 recollection of the falls I have had, the good runs I 

 have lost, and the disappointments I have met with, 

 from want of the knowledge contained in its pages, 

 has induced me to write this book. 



Every year a fresh batch of riders make their 

 first appearance in the field, eager to learn but 

 unwilling to ask, and unable to sift the good advice 

 they sometimes receive from the useless information 

 often given. It is for these that I have principally 

 written. 



I have drawn for them the sort of horse they 

 should buy when they can meet with one, standing 

 as a horse ought to stand to be mounted, that is, 

 with his weight resting equally on all his legs, and 

 with nobody holding his head. 



I have put on his back a saddle which will fit 

 him, and on which a man can ride easily and 



