TRAINING, AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 65 



The Australian Stock rider or Boundary rider has 

 no horses made for him, but has one given to him 

 from a mob. He must do the catching, mounting, 

 and training himself, or leave his situation. The 

 country is a very rough one, and dangerous to ride 

 through. Yet these men fearlessly gallop through 

 forests at headlong speed, along mountain sides, and 

 over hundreds of boulders at breakneck speed, on a 

 horse with only an easy snaffle in its mouth. He has 

 perfect control over his horse — can wheel him as quick 

 as lightning, making turn after turn, jumping almost 

 every few yards over fallen trees and timber of all 

 sorts, yet very few accidents happen. So I think it 

 must be admitted that the snaffle meets with all re- 

 quirements when the 7nau is equal to the occasion. 



The better " mouth " a horse has the worse it is for 

 a bad rider, as he will fairly drive the horse mad, and 

 render his remaining in the saddle only a matter of 

 minutes. The horse is then blamed, and an animal 

 which is valuable in good hands, passes away at a 

 pecuniary loss. If a man has not the ability to handle 

 a spirited horse well, he ought not to attempt to ride 

 him. I have known horses that passed out of my 

 hands with perfect mouths in all respects, yet I have 

 heard of them afterwards as confirmed and hard pull- 

 ers. The more a horse's mouth is accustomed to a 

 cruel bit, the less he cares for it. His mouth becomes 

 callous, and he will soon learn that, by constantly pull- 



