THE HORSE. 177 



he'll go. A horse doesn't jump the farthest by going over fast at his 

 fences, or water ; he wants to get his stride well up to them ; he 

 can't go to last long if he's not kept collected ; he'll soon be beat, 

 particular in deep ground, and ridge and furrow. When I go to 

 try a horse on such like ground, down hill is what I choose : if they 

 have action to do that all right, they will make something. I don't 

 care anything about up hill. ... I never used thick bits. Nearly 

 all horses ride better with a curb than a snaffle ; but mind you 

 never use too sharp a one ; they only irritate the horse. I always 

 puts the hunting curb on the first time with young horses ; you 

 must let 'em have plenty of liberty to play with the bridle, but mind 

 as his tongue don't slip under the bit ; this is the most consequence 

 of anything. . . . When your horse refuses his fence never spur or 

 maul him about ; they doesn't know where they are and comes to 

 no good. They want a bit of riding after all this to get them into 

 form for a lady or gentleman. I trot them with the right leg first, 

 head a little to the left, and quarters to the right. Then I takes 

 them into some riding school, and rides them round and round, 

 right-hand way ; first walking, then trotting, not too much of it. 

 Pet him and chat to him a bit, and give him a piece of carrot with 

 your left hand ; I've had a good ton or two of carrots about me one 

 time or another. When you begin to canter him round, get him on 

 to his hind legs, and go as slow as you possibly can. Be uncommon 

 quiet with him ; keep him right leg first ; if he changes take hold 

 of both your reins level, pull lightly with your right, and put your 

 left hand forward on both reins, leaning down as much as required. 1 



The old rough-rider, it will be seen, begins at the very begin- 

 ning, whereas a horse bought out of one of these famous fairs has 

 probably had some sort of schooling. It is pretty sure, however, 

 to have been of a somewhat primitive, and not quite sure to 

 have been of the right sort. In any case it will certainly not 

 have been such as to enable the purchaser to flatter himself that 

 he has bought a hunter, though he may possibly have bought 

 the materials for the best a man ever threw his leg across. It 

 is, then, clear that to look for your hunter in these quarters, 

 apart from its intrinsic hazard, cannot be recommended to any 

 man who has not a great deal of time on his hands, a stock of 

 patience beyond that enjoyed by the most part of humanity, and 



i Silk and Scarlet, ch. i. 



N 



