196 BANDA ORIENTAL. 



mouth of the horse than in La Plata, and this is 

 evidently a consequence of the more intricate na- 

 ture of the country. In Chile a horse is not con- 

 sidered perfectly broken till he can be brought up 

 standing, in the midst of his full speed, on any par- 

 ticular spot — for instance, on a cloak thrown on the 

 ground : or, again, he will charge a wall, and rear- 

 ing, scrape the surface with his hoofs. I have seen 

 an animal bounding with spirit, yet merely reined 

 by a fore-finger and thumb, taken at full gallop 

 across a courtyard, and then made to wheel round 

 the post of a veranda with great speed, but at so 

 equal a distance, that the rider, with outstretched 

 arm, all the while kept one finger rubbing the post. 

 Then making a demi-volte in the air, with the other 

 arm outstretched in a like manner, he wheeled 

 round, with astonishing force, in an oj^posite direc- 

 tion. 



Such a horse is well broken ; and although this 

 at first may appear useless, it is far otherwise. It 

 is only carrying that which is daily necessary into 

 perfection. When a bullock is checked and caught 

 by the lazo, it will sometimes gallop round and 

 round in a circle, and the horse, being alarmed at 

 the great sti-ain, if not well broken, will not readily 

 turn like the pivot of a wheel. In consequence, 

 many men have been killed ; for if the lazo once 

 takes a twist round a man's body, it will instantly, 

 from the power of the two opposed animals, al- 

 most cut him in twain. On the same principle the 

 races are managed ; the course is only two or three 

 hundred yards long, the wish being to have horses 

 that can make a rapid dash. The race-horses are 

 trained not only to stand with their hoofs touching 

 a line, but to draw all four feet together, so as at 

 the first spring to bi'ing into play the full action of 

 the hind-quarters. In Chile I was told an ancc- 



