188 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



'* The property of the late Captain So-and-so 

 or of Captain So-and-so who is laid up by an 

 accident " tells you nothing in a catalogue, nor 

 if Johnny or his kind has the sale, neither does 

 that " Captain Green ownded him, he rode him 

 reg'lar. He sent him in he bein' dead." I have 

 known very good-looking frauds which had this 

 hopeless trick. 



Bridle lameness is a variety of disease which I 

 have never fathomed the meaning of. Some 

 horses are supposed to go sound in the ropes and 

 lame when they are bitted. I have heard that they 

 do, but I would rather let someone else put bits 

 in their mouths. I have never seen a crib biter or 

 a weaver, and wind sucking seems to be defeated 

 now with this new French strap, it even cures it 

 if regularly worn. 



A friend of mine sent a crib biter to a fair, 

 telling his boy not to warrant it any way, but the 

 desire to sell was too deep for the groom, he pro- 

 nounced his beast sound, and it cost him sixty 

 pounds. There was a splendid-looking horse here 

 offered to me by his owner for ten pounds. 



" Because if you put him into a stable you'll 

 have to knock it down to get him out," he said 

 gloomily. But the intrepid hotel-keeper at Croom 

 chanced the demolition of buildings and made a 

 hunter of the horse. He was bought from his 

 original owner for eight pounds and sold for a 

 fortune. 



