DOCKING. 21 



In a saddle horse, but not in a cart horse — would 

 be 5 ft. lo In. high. A woman of medium height, 

 like myself, who stands 5 ft. 3 In. In '' stocking- 

 feet " — a height, by - the - bye, which is accorded 

 to the Venus de Medici (we might make use of 

 that fact on being termed "little") — would find a 

 horse of 15-1 or 15-2 a very nice, useful height; 

 though she need by no means limit herself to height 

 with any horse which is springy and active, does not 

 require a great amount of collecting, is easy in his 

 paces, and has a good mouth. The bigger a horse is, 

 the more fatiguing do we find him to ride, if his mouth, 

 manners, and paces are not thoroughly "made." The 

 late Esa bin Curtis, a celebrated Arab horse dealer, in 

 speaking of big buck-jumping Walers, said, "God 

 hath not made man equal unto them," and, how- 

 ever well a woman may ride, it is no pleasure to find 

 herself breathless and exhausted in her efforts to 

 control such animals. On the other hand, many small 

 horses which play up are most difficult to sit, lor, 

 although they may not take their rider's breath aw^ay 

 by their display of physical power, they are like quick- 

 silver on a frying-pan, and highly test our agility in the 

 matter of balance and grip. 



I cannot conclude this chapter on ladies' horses with- 

 out expressing my strong condemnation of the sense- 

 less and cruel practice of docking riding horses, which 

 has nothing In Its favour except Its conformance to 

 fashion, and which in this case Is disgusting cruelty. 

 Thoroughbred horses are never docked, whether they 



