FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



self of his intolerable burden oftener than he does. 

 Stand at the entrance to the park any day, and 

 you can see nine hacks out of ten turn the corner 

 wrong foot first ; start to trot, or (especially) to 

 canter at signals from those on their poor old 

 ridgepoles which mean exactly opposite to what 

 they say, and which those patient heads and 

 anxious hearts have, after vast effort (and many 

 failures), learned to interpret backward, so to 

 speak ; figuring out that a touch of the right heel 

 (or a jab of the right spur) means "lead right" 

 (not left, as nature diagonally intended) ; that a 

 jab in the mouth and a stroke on the off-shoulder 

 means " canter " if a lady is on board ; that the 

 left rein pulled across the neck means go to the 

 right ; that the fact that one's rider pulls the right 

 rein, and signals to one's hind quarters to go the 

 same way, must be disregarded as to the latter 

 intimation; "whoa" sometimes means stand 

 perfectly still, and then again it does n't ; while 

 " c'lk, c'lk " may mean go very fast, or walk a little 

 quicker, but which, one can't tell until one tries. 



That our saddle-horses are not as a rule more 

 perfect in training and manners is due chiefly to 

 that impatience, that eagerness for results, how- 

 ever imperfect, which is so thoroughly a part of 



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