414 



CHAPTER XIX. 



KINDNESS TO HORSES. 



A GREAT deal has been said and written about bad- 

 tempered horses, but hardly enough anent the riders 

 who make them sulky or Irritable. Jorrocks' remark 

 that " the less a man knows about an 'oss, the 

 more he expects " Is perfectly true ; for such persons 

 seem to regard horses as machines, and are ever 

 ready to slash them with the w^hlp across the head, or 

 any other part on which they think they can Inflict 

 most pain, and then when animals resent such cruelty, 

 they dub them bad-tempered brutes! There are 

 people belonging to the show-off brigade, who 

 punish horses without the slightest provocation. In 

 order to attract general attention to their fine (?) 

 horsemanship. Their method Is first to job the 

 animal In the mouth, and w^hen he exhibits the 

 resulting signs of Irritated surprise, to '' lamb " him 

 well. Another kind of horse-spoiler Is the man 

 who, having been angered by some person, vents 

 his pent-up rage on his unfortunate mount. Far 

 be It from me to call down the wrath of the lords 



