PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. VU 



produced " Practical Horsemanship," confining 

 its contents chiefly to its intended use — namely, 

 tending to promote the safety and comfort of the 

 rider. This I have attempted to do, by bringing 

 forward such hints as long experience and much 

 personal practice in riding horses of all sorts 

 have taught me are likely to teach the Tyro in 

 Horsemanship how to avoid danger under, and 

 in, peculiar circumstances ; how to counteract any 

 evil propensities in the horse ; how to sit with 

 ease and comfort on him, and, by contracting the 

 seat and air of a horseman, to avoid the rude 

 jeers or jeering looks of the multitude, which an 

 evident display of bad horsemanship is certain to 

 produce. Nor is this book without its claims as 

 to saving the pocket as well as the neck ; for as 

 fine condition often doubles, and its reverse halves 

 the original price of a horse ; so riding him to 

 show him to the best advantage, or so as to go like 

 a brute, in many cases as much increases or di- 

 minishes his value. The old anecdote of a dealer's 

 man askins; whether he was to ride a horse he w^as 

 put upon " to buy or to sell," is corroborative of 

 my opinion on this point ; and I fearlessly assert, 

 that if a bad horseman were to get a good one to 

 ride his horse to show him, or were to do the same 



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