CHOOSING A HORSE 45 



that while we on horses were going " all out " 

 at sixteen annas, the pony was going " all out " at 

 eighteen annas, and had neither leg nor balance left 

 to save himself, in spite of his rider's fine horseman- 

 ship. 



In a really thick cover a pony can make no head- 

 way, while a horse crashes through with his weight. 

 For these reasons, and from the fact that I ride 

 13 stone 7 lbs., I have practically no experience of 

 ponies, and will discuss with you horses only. 



Now as regards the different classes of horses, 

 Walers, Arabs, Country-breds, and English, it is 

 hard to say anything that has not been better said 

 many times before. 



The Oriental Sporting Magazines up to 1860 and 

 later, had strong views as to the impossibility of the 

 Waler ever holding his own with the Arab after pig. 

 Now the pendulum has swung the other way, and 

 you will find few to disparage the Australian horse. 



Simson, who wrote nigh thirty years ago, disliked 

 Walers because he could never rely on them, and 

 found they generally bucked. The days, however, 

 of the underbred, bucking beast are gone. The 

 modern high-class Waler is a beautiful animal, 

 inferior neither in quality nor shape to a well-bred 

 English horse, and with a constitution and legs 

 better suited to Indian hunting. Bold, fast, and 

 handy, I have many such in my memory, and they 

 have all my love. 



Simson, to quote him again, would ride nothing 

 but Arabs. But he rode under 12 stone, and paid 

 about 1500 rupees for his animals : a price equal 

 to nearly double that amount now. Baden-Powell 

 loves the Arab, but on the whole gives preference 

 to the Waler. 



