GINGER ! 87 



Gentlemen, and all good judges of horses, like to see 

 them in their natural state, and free from excitement, 

 caused by artificial means. In fact, they wish to see 

 them as they are likely to appear at their own stables, 

 after purchase. But even at the establishments of many 

 most respectable dealers it is a common practice, when 

 showing a horse to a customer, to cut him with a whip, 

 or rattle a hat behind him, when he is in the midst of 

 a nice steady trot, and this instantly causes a high- 

 couraged horse, when fresh in condition, to break his 

 pace, aifd jump with his hind toes close up to his fore 

 feet; thus the natural steady business-like action is 

 suddenly transformed into a succession of antics similar 

 to the irregular gambols of a young bear. 



The indiscriminate use of ginger is also to be strongly 

 condemned. Indeed, there is no real use in its applica- 

 tion at all, it only tends to mislead the customer by pro- 

 ducing a false appearance. For the effect is transient, 

 and does more harm than good, by creating dissatisfac- 

 tion and unpleasantness between dealer; and purchaser, 

 when the horse is seen in its true colours at the stable 

 of his new master, who always did and always will pre- 

 fer natural to artificial courage and false-appearances. 

 Indeed, men of common sense need not be told that the 

 more natural courage a horse has in him, the less need 

 has he for the application- of the means above described 

 to produce artificial appearances. 

 *A11 this was well known to the experienced Irish 

 coper, who acted as the assumed agent of an Irish peer. 



