190 UNASKED ADVICE. 



cavalry to charge under adverse circumstances, such as 

 over rough ground, and from a distance is madness ; but 

 the lighter and more active the force is the more will its 

 commanding officer be able to pick his ground and his 

 opportunities. Now the first thing to be considered in 

 the equipment of a dragoon is his horse. This must be 

 well bred, or he cannot go fast; he must be good 

 tempered, or he will often endanger the life of his rider ; 

 he must be strong, as an overweighted horse can " go on" 

 at no work ; and he must be sound for obvious reasons. 

 Also he must have a good and hardy constitution, or a 

 very short spell of campaigning will see him out. Nor 

 must he be very expensive to buy or difficult to replace. 

 Such, unluckily, is what the troop horse ought to be, not 

 what he is. The English trooper is often too tall. 

 Height has nothing to do with size. I should never wish 

 to see an hunter much over 15.3, if I could have them 

 made to order; and I do not think the troop horse has 

 any business with height exceeding 15.2. 



A trooper should be a hunter in everything but pace, 

 which is not so great a requisite as handiness and en- 

 durance. My reason for putting the height of my model 

 trooper at 15.2 only, is that I think horses of that 

 moderate size usually " rough it " better than the 16 

 handers, and that they retain their condition better on a 

 short allowance of forage. Large horses decidedly re- 

 quire more food than small ones, as the experience of any 

 good hunting groom will show, and on service forage is 

 now and then apt to run short. The English trooper is 

 not only frequently too tall, but an undue proportion of 

 value is given by many colonels to high knee action to 

 the exclusion of other more sterling qualities. Do not 

 let it be for a moment understood that I undervalue good 



