2o8 ' The Book of the Horse. 



Daisy, if you'd let me,' cried Norah. ' Little Boneen 's as pleased as Punch ; Jie 'd like to pull 

 hard, only he's such a good boy he does not know how.' "* 



Thus Satanella was the pet of a wild subaltern of light cavalry ; but little Boneen, who 

 could go as fast and jump as far, was the horse for a lady. 



There are, however, in reference to temperament, two conditions that are always to be 

 taken into consideration. A horse never shows his real temperament until he is in high condition. 

 The racehorse or the hunter that can scarcely be kicked into a trot at the end of a hard season, 

 may require a very good man with a powerful bit to hold him, after rest, gentle exercise, and 

 proper food have had their usual effect ; and the same may be said of harness horses. 



Again, a horse with fine shoulders, with a good place for the saddle, where the rider has 

 plenty before him, a barrel that affords a good grip for the thighs and legs, and a mouth which, 

 without being morbidly tender, yields to the bit, may be violently high-couraged, plunge, do 

 everything but fall backwards in rearing, and still with " ample verge and room enough/' be 

 brought to reason. 



In harness, unless a horse has the vile trick of carrying his nose in the air, a tender 

 mouth is not a serious objection. You may drive with reins held as if they were a worsted 

 thread. Moderate horsemen, and horsewomen, too, are puzzled by the delicate mouths which 

 masters of the arts of horsemanship would play upon as Arabella Goddard or the Abbe Liszt 

 play on the piano. 



Average riders hold on a great deal by the bridle — that is, when any unusual start or 

 bound takes place. Most men like a hunter that " takes a good hold " at his leaps ; so that 

 while nothing is so dangerous as a horse that can neither be turned or stopped, a horse that 

 can only be ridden with a worsted thread is " caviare to the multitude." There is an important 

 difference between the horse that when fresh must be ridden a mile or so to calm him down, 

 and the brute that, increasing his pace from a walk to a trot, and from a trot to a wild gallop, 

 goes where he likes, if he does not set his mind — by plunging, kicking, bucking, and starting — 

 to get rid of his rider. 



MARES— RIDING AND DRIVING THE SAME HORSES. 



I have said something in another page about a common prejudice against riding and 

 driving the same animal in harness, and traced the origin of the objection back to the time 

 when carriages were at least one-third heavier than they are at present. I have also noted 

 the objection to mares for harness. 



In the course of an examination of the catalogues of the Agricultural Hall horse shows, 

 we have collected the following not uninteresting evidence bearing on both these questions : — 



It was not until iS68 that classes were made for any harness animals except ponies, so 

 that the catalogues previous to that date do not afford much information on the important 

 questions which this chapter is an endeavour to elucidate. But in 1S67 the chestnut mare 

 Beauty, 15 hands high, entered in the name of Mr. Banks, of Gray's Inn Lane (but well 

 known as the property of Mr. Purday a great amateur of steppers), took a first prize in 

 hacks. In the following year the same mare took the first prize in single harness. This 

 mare was sold more than once at over ;f300. 



In ! 868, in a class "for horses of the best shape with park action, exhibited in single 

 liarness," out of nineteen entries eight were also entered in riding-classes at prices of from 



* \\ liyte Mi'lviUc's " S.it.inclla." 



