132 Among Men and Horses. 



their local reputation to be taught orally by me ; though, 

 luckily, their scruples on this point did not extend to the 

 perusal (when no one was looking) of my books. Others, 

 on the contrary, to whom horse lore could not have been of 

 any possible use, were eager for theoretical instruction, for 

 which they were glad to pay. I certainly could not have 

 made my horse-breaking tours with anything like the ready 

 recognition I received from the public, had not the fame (if 

 I may be pardoned the word) of my books preceded me. 

 Wherever I went, with the exception of South Africa and 

 Berlin, I found that the English-speaking residents knew me 

 through my writings, and were predisposed in my favour. On 

 the other hand, my success in breaking-in horses and in teach- 

 ing this art to others, has greatly stimulated the sale of my 

 books, which, in their later editions, owe a large part of any 

 merit they may possess, to the practical experience I gained 

 during my travels. 



Through the kindness of that good sportsman, Lord 

 Chesham, whom I had the pleasure of knowing in India 

 when he belonged to the 10th Hussars, I obtained permission 

 from the Duke of Westminster to have Ormonde, the horse of 

 all time, photographed ; as I wanted his portrait for the book 

 I was writing on the ' make and shape ' of horses. With this 

 object, I went to Mr John Porter's place at Kingsclere, and 

 besides getting the horse 'taken,' I gave the great trainer and 

 his people a practical demonstration of how to break-in and 

 mouth young thoroughbreds. To experiment upon, he gave 

 me a high-priced yearling which had never been mounted, 

 and which belonged to the Prince of Wales. In about half 

 an hour, I made the youngster so quiet and handy, that he 

 allowed himself to be quietly ridden about the paddock, and 

 answered the indications of the reins with a fair amount of 

 precision. Mr Porter seemed very pleased with the work, 

 and asked me where he could get the tackle I used, as he 

 wished to put in practice what he had seen me do that after- 

 noon. I was only too glad to present him with the gear 



