CHOOSING A HORSE 51 



when you are on them you must see them working 

 like the oscillating piston heads of a big engine. 



I need not elaborate the moral qualities. You 

 must buy the best compromise you can, no horse 

 can be expected to be perfect. 



My advice to you, then, is look for as essential : 



1. A quick horse. You can judge this best by 



eyes, action, turning, movement of hocks, 

 or possibly the celerity with which you are 

 shot over the animal's ears. 



2. A small horse, 



3. A good rein and shoulder, 



4. A good hold eye. If a Waler has a small eye 



or a bump between the eyes, he is a knave 

 for sure. 



I dislike a Waler with a bump between the eyes 

 intensely, he is always a ruffian : I have only 

 owned one. He bucked me on to my back on my 

 sword one Christmas day, and he bucked me on to 

 the top of a pig the first time he went pig-sticking. 

 He did little else, and I sold him very cheap. I 

 had a letter shortly after from his new owner in 

 hospital, complaining that our friend had seized 

 him by the arm in his stall and worried him 

 shrewdly. I offered him my deepest sympathy. 



If any of the above points are lacking in the horse 

 you are after, I urge you to have none of him. 

 After these look for quality, pace, action, hocks, 

 and whatever special points your fancy may dictate. 

 Each man has his fads. I personally never ride a 

 brown or black, nor have I ever owned a mare. I 

 think you will find bright bays and golden chest- 

 nuts the hardest and best horses in India. 



If you see swollen muscles at the junction of 

 the jaw, and the neck, you must either refrain from 



