48 Horse and Man. 



as his horse goes forward freely and yields to 

 the bit readily. The dexterous manoeuvres of 

 the manege he does not find necessary; and 

 therefore he despises them as mere riding- 

 school tricks, unworthy the attention of a 

 practical sportsman. That their successful 

 study would enable him to ride an ill -made or 

 ill-broken horse with greater pleasure and 

 safety than he can do at present, he probably 

 does not know and would not believe. 



It must not, however, be supposed that the 

 English horseman sustains no positive incon- 

 venience from this neglect. It is true that he 

 only requires his horse to work straight for- 

 wards ; and it is also true that a high couraged 

 horse, so long as he works straight forwards, 

 requires nothing but a good hand to make him 

 go as he ought. But suppose that the rider 

 requires his horse to work straight forwards, 

 and that the horse is resolved to swerve aside. 

 Excellent judges have long ago remarked that 

 the same man who can regulate a free going 

 horse in his gallop and pilot him over his fences 

 with the precision of clockwork, is often quite 

 at a loss when mounted on a sulky or timid 

 animal which refuses to leap ; and a certain 



