THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 109 



unaccountable sweat, that his shoes are fast^ &c. &c. 

 The genus, groom, has, hke that oi farrier, materially im- 

 proved in the last few years. It would scarcely be now 

 credited, were it not known for a fact, that it is only 

 thirty years since it would have been considered most 

 injurious to the legs of a race-horse to wash them. Never, 

 at Newmarket, in those days, was water suffered to 

 approach their legs or feet, for fear of cold. Such bar- 

 barisms have vanished before the light of common sense ; 

 but it is now very common to see horses with their 

 bridles so put on, that they would be nearly as useful 

 appendages to their tails as to their mouths. Much 

 depends upon suiting a bridle to the horse's mouth. The 

 patent Segundo is generally approved for pullers ; but 

 what is delight to one is madness to another. I had 

 once a horse absolutely frantic, almost ungovernable, 

 because he had taken a dislike to a plain smooth Pelham, 

 without a joint — a bridle much used in Hants. The 

 horse was so violent during a run with the Oakley, that 

 I was compelled to ask one of those excellent fellows, 

 a Bedfordshire yeoman, to change bridles with me. We 

 had to twitch his ear before we could touch his mouth ; 

 but, as soon as the exchange was effected, he became 

 as perfectly temperate as he always was on all other 

 occasions. 



One half of the horses, at the covert side, have the 

 throat-lash buckled so tight, that by no possibility can 



