SOME NOTABLE HORSE-BREAKERS 191 



speculation was that I went first to Buckingham Palace, and 

 then slid down upon the aristocracy and all below them." 



Mr Goodenough made friends, after that, with Mr Joseph 

 Henderson, of Piccadilly ; and with his general-in-chief, Mr 

 George Rice, he, through Rarey, established a reputation by 

 taming a black thoroughbred horse, which had been returned 

 on the dealer's hands by Sir Matthew White Ridley as a 

 brute that could neither be ridden, driven, nor groomed, 

 through " pure cussedness." Having thus secured a foot- 

 hold, Mr Goodenough, for self and partner, managed to get 

 the Messrs Tattersall on his side, who, seeing there was a 

 good deal in the system, especially as it might do away with 

 much cruelty and unnecessary severity in the breaking-in 

 of well-bred, high-spirited animals, gave Mr Rarey their full 

 support. A subscription list was opened, terms lO guineas 

 per member, the members to number 500 at least, and agree 

 not to divulge the secret to outsiders under the penalty 

 of ;^5oo. Of this fund Messrs Tattersall became the 

 treasurers. 



But, despite this distinguished patronage, the Rarey 

 scheme was a failure, and the subscription list did not half 

 fill until the sensational triumph over Cruiser, which came 

 about in the following way. 



In the Morning Post of 2nd March 1858 there appeared 

 the following challenge : — 



" Mr Rarey is a public man, and of course exposed to 

 criticism. Some of his experiments have been successful, 

 but there has not been time enough to develop whether 

 the docility of those horses upon which he has operated is 

 as durable as he alleges. If, however, he would 'walk over 

 the course ' and set criticism at defiance, let him go down 

 one morning to Marrels Green, with a few of his aristocratic 

 friends, and try Cruiser, and if he can ride him as a hack 

 I guarantee him immortality and an amount of money that 

 would make a British Bank director's mouth water. The 

 initiated will not be surprised at my selecting Cruiser ; 

 but, as the public may be ignorant of him, I will append 

 some particulars of his history. Cruiser was the property 

 of Lord Dorchester, and was a favourite for the Derby in 

 Wild Dayrell's year, but broke down about a month before 



