76 RIDING, DRIVING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



do the best they can, and I am afraid they 

 must be prepared to put up with cripples and 

 endeavour by special attention to stable manage- 

 ment to brinor them out sound. And here 1 

 may recur to the maxim which is, so to speak, 

 the central idea of this book, that if you cannot 

 spend money you must give time, attention, 

 and pains in its place. There is no such stud 

 groom as the master himself, if he will take the 

 trouble, and it is in successful and careful stable 

 management that the poor man will find his 

 account. The fox is half killed in the kennel, 

 the race is half won in the stable, for condition 

 and health in the horses will cover a multitude 

 of defects and deficiencies. But they are, of 

 course, still there, and will be felt at times, 

 yet are they the conciition on which we enjoy 

 our sport. 



But before we discuss how to treat our horses 

 we have to consider where and how we are to 

 buy them. If you have some knowledge and 

 experience of horseflesh, well conducted auc- 

 tions are the best place to buy in. You can, 

 if you please, have any horse you fancy ex- 

 amined by a veterinary surgeon, and can thus 

 know the worst. You can also have the horse 

 trotted out, and if you buy on Monday, you 

 have, by the conditions of sale, till twelve 

 o'clock on Wednesday to see if he fulfils his 



