Conclusion. 129 



man to do. But the truth is, that an Eng- 

 lish hunter is scarcely ever decently educated ; 

 and an Englishman who wants to be safely 

 carried across country must therefore procure 

 a horse which, from long practice and from 

 skilful riding, has lost the inclination either to 

 refuse his fences or to take them carelessly. 



The common sense of the matter is simply 

 this. There is a medium in horse-breaking 

 as in all other things. Teaching a horse to 

 collect himself is one thing; and torturing an 

 untaught horse in order to make him collect 

 himself is another. Collecting a well-taught 

 horse at intervals during a two hours' airing 

 is one thing ; and forcing him to dance upon 

 his hind legs throughout a long day's journey 

 is another. He will understand this as well 

 as you do. Make him perceive that you are 

 only asking him to learn one easy lesson at a 

 time, and he will take as much pride in dis- 

 playing his strength and beauty as you can. 



In order to effect this you will only require 



an average share of natural good temper, and 



a thorough love and enjoyment of horses and 



horsemanship. Patience and attention will 



K 



