66 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDEK. 



a gentleman, as the use and the abuse of spurs. In riding 

 horses that since their birth have been roaming in a state 

 of nature, that have never tasted corn, and that have 

 never been excited by men to race against each other, it 

 would be impossible to induce them to exhaust in man's 

 service the whole of their strength except by punishment ; 

 for, as they have never obeyed any other will than their 

 own, so soon as they become tired, they attempt not only 

 to diminish their speed, but to stop altogether, and as 

 their bodies have no value whatever, and as their riders 

 have spurs with rowels an inch long, and no mercy, it 

 might be supposed that, under such circumstances, an 

 uncivilized human being would be very apt to inflict 

 unnecessary punishment on the poor subdued animal be- 

 neath him. But it is mercifully ordained that it is the 

 interest as well as the duty of man to husband the powers 

 of the animals that serve him, and accordingly the wild 

 rider, when carefully observed, is found to be infinitely 

 more lenient in the use of his spurs than the comrade 

 who calls himself civilized, simply because the former 

 by his own and his hereditary experience has learned 

 that the spur should be the last, and not the first resource 

 of any rider who desires to be carried a given distance in 

 the smallest possible amount of time. Accordingly, to 

 attain this object, the animal on starting, without any 

 punishment, is restrained by his bridle, and encouraged. 



