HORSEMANSHIP— ON LEARNING TO RIDE 



THERE is nothing more difficult of attain- 

 ment than perfection in the Art of Horse- 

 manship ; and strangely enough there 

 is nothing which is taught in so perfunctory a 

 manner. Indeed it is only a compliment to call 

 it teaching. In the majority of cases this is 

 something like what happens. A child has a 

 pony bought for him ; he or she is put on the 

 pony ; a groom is sent out to look after the 

 child or children, and so it goes on till the time 

 arrives for the pony to be given up and for the 

 budding horseman or horsew^oman to make their 

 appearance in a wider sphere of activity. Then 

 they are put on to a confidential old horse who is 

 probably as full of tricks as any monkey, and this 

 tends to confirm many bad habits they have 

 acquired and to teach them new ones. 



The first horse I was put on to was the grey 

 mare I have already spoken of more than once, 

 and this was something like the admonition I got : 

 '' The old mare won't refuse ; see you don't fall 

 off." She was about the worst horse that a 

 beginner could have been put on, except a per- 

 sistent refuser, for her neck was what dealers call 



* the wrong way up,' or in other words she had a 



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