COLONIAL RIDING 163 



chiefly, because it has not been the fashion hitherto. 

 But I can strongly recommend my many colonial 

 friends, as well as all lovers of the horse on this 

 side of the water, to study these questions well. 

 They will then find pleasure in even the dullest 

 hack, vistas will be opened to them of which 

 they have never dreamt, new fields of both profit 

 and amusement will develop as they pursue this 

 attractive path, and they will obtain an interest 

 in their stable which they have never had before. 

 All of us who are horse-lovers will do well to survey 

 the past, and see if there is not some way in which 

 we can improve, not only our own riding, but in 

 our methods of training and horse management. 

 The horse is so attractive an animal, if he is only 

 treated properly, no one can help loving him, and 

 no one, once he really understands the tempera- 

 ment of horses, will unnecessarily apply the whip, 

 or countenance any sort of punishment whatever. 



I remember seeing a man one day who was 

 riding a young horse to the meet. This horse 

 was very bad at gates, and he came to one which 

 the horse refused to allow him to open with his 

 crop. My friend was the personification of patience. 

 Although he had to spend three-quarters of an hour 

 before he succeeded in attaining his object, he 

 never lost his temper, and only spoke kindly to 

 him the whole time. In the end he succeeded, 

 and that horse never gave him any trouble again 

 over gates. But had he hit his horse, or punished 

 him, he would probably have never succeeded in 

 getting him to take kindly to them. It was only 



