RIDING AND DRIVING 71 



I do not allude to the armed heel that is meant to 

 goad the animal to further exertions, but to the 

 harmless imitation that is guiltless of a sharp rowell. 

 Spurs with rowells should be on the heels of none 

 except the most experienced horsemen, and many 

 of these would find it better to wear them only on 

 special occasions. I make a practice of keeping 

 one pair with sharp rowells, but I never put them 

 on unless the horse requires considerable per- 

 suasion, and then I expect their application for one 

 day enough to impress the lesson on his mind. In 

 future a kick in the ribs with the cold blunt iron 

 is generally sufficient to remind the animal of the 

 punishment previously applied. I should strongly 

 advise a boy never to wear anything but dummy 

 spurs, and when his pony requires a little stimu- 

 lant, he will find the whip all that is necessary. 



Whips can hardly be brought under the category 

 of costume, but a horseman's turnout cannot be 

 considered complete without one. Everybody 

 should get into the habit of carrying a stick or 

 something in the hands when riding, even though 

 the occasion for using it is unlikely to arise. 



A crop, that is, a whip with hooked handle, should 

 always have a lash attached. The object of the hook 

 is for opening gates, and to use one for that purpose 

 without a lash is to run the risk of having it pulled 

 out of your hand. Nothing looks worse than to 

 see any one carrying a crop without a lash, and if 

 a man comes out hunting with this portion of his 

 whip missing, he is put down at once as a duffer. 



