66 ENGLISH HORSES 



coper to keep his horses ever on the alert and to 

 convey the impression that they are full of mettle ; 

 yet all the time to keep them quiet to ride or 

 drive, despite their hot appearance. 



A very common piece of bad driving is when 

 a whip — or rather a would-be whip — makes his 



horses plunge, instead of 



being mettlesome yet quiet. 



The bad driver chances 



corners, often cutting them 



very finely ; whereas a 



(toprevent™uIhing") really good driver leaves 



nothing to chance, and 



always avoids doing anything connected with 



horses in the least degree jerkily. 



The ceaseless vigilance of an accomplished 

 horseman allows no slip, however small, to escape 

 his attention. In a moment a draught is noticed. 

 He is not satisfied with mere pleasing effects at 

 first sight. He looks underneath a horse's tail to 

 see if he has been well sponged. He inspects 

 the feet and sees that a bad frog is made better 

 by paring away any rough portions, yet not 

 interfering with the original shape. He has the 

 frog dressed if it smells foul and is in the early, 

 or may be later, stage of "thrush." 



Rugs ought to be inspected critically both inside 

 and out. Old ones are put away with camphor 

 bags wrapped up in them as a preventative against 

 moths. 



The first appearance of rust in harness is 

 o-uarded against with callisand and elbow-grease. 

 An owner must not accept the assurances of a 



