CHOOSING A HORSE 53 



cheapest of animals. It is a lamentable fact, but 

 it has to be faced. India is no longer a poor man's 

 country. Pay is better than at home, but servants, 

 horses, entertaining, and everything connected with 

 sport have all gone up in price. In English pay 

 one is apt to overlook the free extras. 



I advocate paying good prices for your horses. 

 Good prices that is from my view. To a man with 

 any money they are a mere bagatelle. Because I 

 do this I do not wish to be misunderstood. I am, 

 and always shall be, a very poor man. But I am 

 convinced that with most things, certainly the dear 

 ones, such as horses, guns, motor bicycles and motors, 

 the soundest policy is to buy the most expensive 

 you can possibly afford. Cut your mess bill down, 

 economise in every way you can. The poor man 

 who marries, goes to the hills, or spends money on 

 clothes is a fool. You will get far more pleasure 

 by keeping good animals ; their upkeep is the same 

 as that of inferior ones. You will get a name for 

 keeping good cattle, and you will find your horses 

 snapped up at good prices if you ever want to sell. 

 Not that I advocate your being an amateur horse 

 dealer : there are too many such. If you have a 

 good horse, never sell him. With all the will and 

 cunning in the world a dealer will never make pig- 

 sticking a profitable amusement. Two thousand 

 rupees is a long price for a pig-sticker, and even this, 

 when casualties from ground and pig are considered, 

 gives little margin of profit on the price of the raw 

 animal. 



Some people argue that it is of no use to buy good 

 horses for pig-sticking, as they are bound to be 

 screwed or cut. I do not agree. Provided you do 

 not hunt with horses till they are really fit, and do 



