PREFACE. 



Methixks I hear certain of my readers ex- 

 claim, " What ! ecce iterum Crispinns ! — -more 

 on the well-worn subject of the Horse, from 

 this prosing and argumentative old man !" — 

 The act is indeed committed : but, for the last 

 time — new editions to old books excepted. The 

 size of the present will not be alarming ; and 

 if much novelty cannot be expected on the sub- 

 ject, yet that subject and all others, of necessity, 

 vary so much with times and circumstances, 

 as to authorise further attempts at public uti- 

 lity. Moreover, somewhat must be conceded 

 to an old author, on the score of reminding his 

 patrons the public, of his former labours. The 

 object of this little book, a galloway or poney 

 in size, is to form a convenient manual for the 

 use of the hitherto uninitiated, who may have 

 neither inclination nor leisure to ride the great 

 horse in larger volumes ; or whose other indis- 

 pensable avocations may have precluded them 

 from the opportunity of obtaining practical in- 

 formation on a subject, certainly of great and 

 every day importance in this country. 



The difficulty of obtaining good, safe, and 

 useful horses, for any purpose, always suffici- 

 ently great, even in this country, has been of 



