84 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



so badly, and my reply was that I had seen the 

 horse several times and I had never had any 

 fault to find with his action. So we had him 

 out again and he made a worse show than ever. 

 But he was so handsome and had such fine quality 

 shape and substance that we gave him a third 

 chance as there was something about the horse 

 that was standing third we did not like. But 

 the result was the same and we could not move 

 him up, even one place. And then, as soon as 

 the cards were handed out and the horses were 

 sent out of the ring, he, to use a Yorkshire expres- 

 sion, *' laid his tail over the top of his back " and 

 made such a show as would have inevitably have 

 placed him at the head of the class if the awards 

 had not already been made. I could tell of other 

 similar experiences and I have no doubt most men 

 who have done much judging could do the same. 



A man either drifts into showing or sets about 

 buying two or three or perhaps more show horses. 

 If he drifts into showing through having dropped 

 on to something exceptionally good he frequently 

 increases his stud of show horses, and if he is show- 

 ing a great deal he will perhaps be wise to do so. 

 For show horses require special treatment and 

 they should have a man told off to look after 

 them and show them. 



Some gentlemen prefer to show their own 

 horses but I would strongly advise the reader not 

 to do so unless he is a very good horseman and 

 has an iron nerve. Showing a horse makes con- 

 siderable calls upon a rider's or driver's capa- 



