96 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



likely to hear. Then when they are being shown 

 these do not distract their attention from the more 

 important business of looking and doing their best. 

 I know of one large (private) riding school in 

 which flags are constantly being flapped about 

 and a big drum and cymbals make a noise dis- 

 cordant enough to satisfy the most exacting, all 

 the time the horses are being exercised in it. The 

 result is that it takes something very much out of 

 the common indeed to upset the equanimity of 

 any horse that is trained in that school, and 

 horses trained in it have beautiful manners. 



The bitting and harnessing of show horses 

 is a matter sui generis. No one would think of 

 riding some horses in the hunting field with the 

 bridle that is necessary to ride them in in the 

 show ring ; and the same applies, though perhaps 

 in a less degree, to harness horses. The subject 

 of bits and saddlery will come in for discussion 

 later, but it is mentioned incidentally here to 

 emphasise the importance of training and also 

 proper condition in the show horse, of which I 

 will give an unique example to finish the chapter. 



Whilst this chapter was in the writing I saw, 

 at a show I visited, a high-class hunter in the 

 ring. He had been repurchased by his former 

 owner. He is a horse I know well and have 

 always thought to be quite out of the common, 

 and I expected to see the usual good show. I 

 was disappointed ; the horse seemed to be going 

 * behind his bit ' all the time. I saw his rider 

 and asked him what was up with the horse. His 



