INTRODUCTION. ix 



will compensate for the risk of injuries 

 they may receive. An active man may 

 learn to ride well at any age ; and a bold 

 boy of fourteen, who comprehends the 

 system upon which he is taught, will in 

 six months become a better horseman 

 than the lad who has been riding six 

 years according to his own ideas. It is 

 not given to all men to excel in riding : 

 courage, activity, a perfect temper, and 

 aptitude for the exercise, are requisite for 

 the acquirement of the highest skill. But 

 a knowledge of a proper method will give 

 to every one comparative immunity from 

 the dangers that attend horsemanship. A 

 schooled horse, confiding in his master 

 and obedient to the spur, is not apt to 

 try his powers in rebellion ; and when 

 in hand and properly gathered he will 



