HORSE-TAMING AND BREAKING 193 



* I had a mare that would always kick on first 

 being mounted, either with a saddle, or her clothing, 

 or bare-backed. She was very handsome, and a 

 beautiful goer. My wife took a fancy to have her 

 for her own riding, much to my alarm. However, 

 the side-saddle was put on, and two men and myself 

 were ready to hold her if necessary. My wife got on 

 her ; to our astonishment the mare walked off, and 

 never then or after attempted to kick with a side- 

 saddle on ; but was just the same as ever whenever 

 man or boy mounted her. No doubt she had been 

 ill-used or played tricks with by some one of the he 

 generation, but never by a woman. We must not 

 call this vice. 5 



The man who undertakes to break or tame a 

 vicious horse must not flinch from his task when 

 once begun, for if the brute once finds that he can 

 master the two-legged animal, man, he becomes a 

 worse brute than before. The quadruped must learn 

 that man is his master. 



Major H. A. Leveson, better known as the ' Old 

 Shekarry,' was wounded and had his horse killed 

 at the battle of Inkerman. While an invalid at 

 Constantinople he endeavoured to purchase another 

 horse to replace his slain Arab, ' Desert Born,' and 

 the following is his account of how he purchased and 

 broke one that had proved a little too much for the 

 French cavalry. Here is his account of the affair : 



6 At last, through the kindness of my friend Lieut.- 



o 



