BUYING AND SELLING HORSES 189 



" I could sell him twenty times over, but an' a 

 sthranger gettin' up he'd make a squeak an' a 

 kick," I heard one man say disconsolately. 



" He doesn't do it with you, I suppose ? " 



" No, but a groan he makes thin," still gloomily. 



I don't believe that terror will permanently 

 cure a vicious horse, and I also believe that the 

 system of breaking by tying up too tightly and 

 flicking whips ruins many young horses' tempers. 

 They don't know why they are suddenly put to 

 pain and beaten if they do not twist and turn 

 directly the bit presses on their sore mouths. 

 The country people's youngsters take their burden 

 without a tremor, someone jumps up barebacked 

 and rides them carelessly across the yard. I have 

 a dear horse here now which would not let people 

 up and we found it was only if you held him. No 

 one at his head and he stands like a lamb. 



That it is not good to quarrel with a vet. is a 

 sound axiom. A lady who deals rather largely 

 soundly reproached one of the best known vets, 

 for spinning a horse of hers for whistling. 



" He's absolutely sound," she said angrily. 



Now the horse was not sound and got worse. 

 He went to a Horse Show in the South soon after- 

 wards, where he took first prize. Examining for 

 prize-taking is generally more or less an easy 

 affair, but to the lady owner's horror she saw her 

 horse sent on a stretching gallop and kept going 

 on. 



