i84 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



confined to exercising hunters or harness horses 

 in streets or by-lanes. 



Yet somehow in a great many cases grooms are 

 entrusted with the most important of duties, 

 teaching the youngsters of the family to ride. 

 Where there is a stud groom at the head of a large 

 establishment he generally knows plenty about 

 riding to teach the rudiments himself, or to select 

 a man from his staff who is thoroughly capable. 

 But there are many horse owners who have had 

 little or no experience with horses until they are 

 middle aged. They may be broadly divided into 

 two classes : the man who knows it all, who 

 blusters and talks horse and can tell any expert 

 however accomplished how to manage his horses 

 in the stable and the field ; and the man who, 

 though he may talk a little ' horse ' in a tentative 

 manner amongst his intimates, stands in great 

 awe of his groom, especially if that groom has 

 lived in what men of his class call ' good place.' 



If a man would have his children ride well the 

 sooner he puts them under an efficient Riding 

 Master the better. Opportunity however does 

 not always present itself and little children are 

 scarcely wanted in a Riding School, so necessarily 

 some work has to be done at home to inspire the 

 youngster with confidence. 



A child's pony of the right sort is invaluable 

 and in buying one care should be taken that he is 

 not too wide. A pony had better be rather narrow 

 on his withers than go to the other extreme, as 

 if he is the boy is more likely to drop into his 



