RACING 193 



** I say Mr. Smith knows his drill very well," 

 remarked one. " Pretty well," said the other. 



''Very well!" returned the first, getting 



excited. ''Well, well," conceded the second, 

 "he knows it very well for an officer" ; and so 

 if we can attain to ride " very well for a gentle- 

 man rider " we may therewith be content. Of 

 course there are o'entleman riders to whom 

 most professionals certainly cannot give seven 

 pounds, but they are only few. 



Naturally, if we wish to ride races, the best 

 thing is to learn from the beginning, and a 

 light-weight who has time and opportunity 

 cannot do better than ride exercise gallops in a 

 training stable. One of the best, perhaps the 

 very best gentleman rider seen in India in our 

 day, used to get regular practice in this way, 

 and the captain (he is a distinguished general 

 now) might often be seen striding along on one 

 of a strino- of thoroughbreds belono-ino- to a 

 much respected trainer jockey. Never lose 

 a chance, and you will learn more than any 

 book can teach you, or at least you will learn 

 to form some idea of how much there is yet for 

 you to know. This, it will be granted, is in 

 itself not a little. But probably the man who 

 reads this book will be one who will not want 

 to ride often, but who, being a fair performer 

 in the hunting field or on the polo ground, 



14 



