PUECHASI^'G HOESES. 17 



lower condition, and bring a horse to a state below 

 himself, both as regards energy, spirits, and ap- 

 pearance. The horse with bad action is always more 

 or less in distress, if called to perform the same work 

 and pace as the horse with good. What the latter 

 performs vvith ease, is labour to the former ; and 

 what is merely a little extra exertion to the horse 

 with good action, becomes distress to the one with 

 bad. Now, if the young gentleman follows his own 

 judgment, he will probably in some way or other 

 fall into error, as an acquaintance of mine did. 



We had a mutual friend, who walked an honest 

 fifteen stone five, and stood six feet two. He, of 

 course, rode very powerful horses, and, by good 

 judgment, being a particularly bold and fine horse- 

 man, always rode in the first flight. The acquaintance 

 I speak of, rode about ten stone, and was about five 

 feet three. Seeing the way in which our friend of 

 welter weight went, he got it in his head that monster 

 hunters were alone worth buying ; but, being rather 

 a timid rider, and not possessing the best judgment, 

 he soon found such horses could not aff'ord to make 



c 



