262 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



were not the judges there are the onlookers, upon 

 whom it is always desirable that a horse should 

 make a good impression. '' To be everywhere is 

 to be nowhere" was a wise saying of Montaigne, 

 and the truth of the old proverb which says that 

 if you run after two hares you will catch neither 

 is sufficiently obvious. So let the man who is 

 showing a horse devote his whole attention to 

 him. He may however be careful to see that 

 his number is so displayed as to be decipherable 

 from the ring side. He knows what horse he is 

 riding but there are many who do not and who 

 heartily appreciate the courtesy of showing the 

 number conspicuously. It should not be 

 necessary, but it is, to insist that the correct 

 numbers should be put on the horses. It not 

 infrequently happens when two or more horses 

 are shown from one stable that the numbers 

 get mixed. A very annoying instance of this 

 occurred a few years ago and I make no doubt 

 that there have been others. Two horses — the 

 property of the same owner — were shown at an 

 important show and both were shown in two 

 classes. In both classes one of them was reserve 

 and the other highly commended. But in the 

 first class they were shown in the wrong numbers 

 and in the second in the right ones, and men who 

 had not followed the judging closely naturally 

 asked why. The judges saw that the numbers 

 had been altered and explained the situation to 

 the Press — or I should say to that part of the 

 Press that was present, but naturally there were 



