ioo Amour Men and Horses 



5 



time of which I am writing, were ignorance of school work and 

 of reducing unruly horses to obedience. I had seen so many 

 disobedient horses confirmed in their vices by the punitive 

 application of whip and spur, that I had long distrusted 

 the efficacy of such means of coercion ; but I knew none 

 better. Being ignorant, I was inclined to accept the prin- 

 ciple that if a horse ' played up/ the rider or driver was 

 bound, in justice to himself, to 'take the nonsense out of 

 him ' — if he could — by punishment. If the rebel's temper 

 got spoiled during the operation, it was — in my opinion 

 and in that of all my horsey friends — his fault, and not 

 that of his would-be instructor. Everyone who has had 

 experience of racing, can recall to mind numerous instances 

 of jockeys, from the late Fred. Archer downwards, flogging 

 and spurring a horse unmercifully, solely on account of the 

 animal having refused to obey the behests of its rider; the 

 usual consequence being that such punishment will have an 

 injurious effect on the horse's disposition for the remainder 

 of its life. Such conduct on the part of a jockey is wholly 

 inexcusable; for he is supposed to be paid for riding the 

 horse in the best possible manner to win ; but not for venting 

 upon it any personal annoyance it may cause him. The 

 tolerance shown to these disgraceful exhibitions of temper 

 on the part of many jockeys, is the best possible proof 

 that our jockeys, trainers and owners, know extremely little 

 about the true principles of horse control. 



About this time there came to England a ' Professor ' 

 Sample, who advertised himself as ' the great American 

 Horse Tamer,' and who, like Rarey, claimed to possess a 

 system by which he could cure, and teach others to cure, 

 all kinds of equine faults and vices. Here, at last, was a 

 man who I hoped would be able to show me how to ' take 

 the nonsense ' out of horses without spoiling their temper, 

 and I accordingly embraced the earliest opportunity of see- 

 ing him, which was at Hengler's Circus, Argyle Street, 

 Oxford Street, where he gave his first lecture. He was 



