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allowed, but if hard and uneven a moderate trot at most. One 

 hour's gallop on such ground would do the soundest horse 

 irremediable mischief. Those who boast of having gone such 

 a distance in such a time, on the ground supposed, show 

 ignorance or inhumanity. Such facts require cruelty only, not 

 courage. Nay, they are performed most commonly by the 

 very persons who are too cowardly or too unskilful to dare to 

 trust their horse with his foot on the elastic turf, or to stand 

 with him the chances of the hunting field ; and such is the 

 inconsistency of human nature, that they are performed by 

 persons who would shudder at the bleeding flank of the race- 

 horse ! or who would lay down with disgust and some expres- 

 sion of maudlin, morbid humanity, the truly interesting 

 narrative of that most intrepid and enduring of all gallopers. Sir 

 Francis Head. But compare the cases. In the case of the 

 race-horse, he has his skin wounded to urge him to a two or at 

 most a five minutes' exertion, from which in ten minutes he is 

 perfectly recovered and ready, nay eager to start again. In 

 the case of the wild horse of the Pampas, he is urged for two, 

 three, or perhaps five hours to the utmost distress for wind, 

 as well as muscular fatigue ; he is enlarged, and in three or 

 four days he is precisely the same as if he had never been 

 ridden. But in the case of this English road-rider, though 

 no spur is used, unfair advantage is taken of the horse's 

 impetuous freedom of nature ; his sinews are strained, his 

 joints permanently stiffened ; he is deprived at once and 

 for ever of his elasticity and action, and brought prematurely 

 a cripple to the grave." Let the ladies remember that ; it 

 is not age that makes most horses useless, but work. It has 

 been well said that a free-actioned, high-couraged horse will 

 wear out two sets of legs, and we believe it. Let us then 

 endeavour to make the one set that nature allows last as long 

 as possible. Riding on soft ground will be found to be a great 

 conducer to that end. Now to other matters. 



