XIII. THE LONDON HORSE AT HOME 



LONDON horses are the result of the completest form of 

 ' urban immigration ' known. Probably not thirty of 

 the three hundred thousand which live within the 

 Metropolitan area were born there. Yet such is the 

 natural intelligence of their kind that, after a training 

 lasting not more than eight months, even at the 

 longest, they are as much at home in London streets, 

 and as healthy in London stables, as if they had never 

 known the freedom of a Suffolk strawyard or an Irish 

 hillside. Even in manners and appearance the London 

 horse differs from his country cousin. Even the street - 

 arab detects the latter. * Hullo, here's a country 'orse ; 

 let's take a rise out of him !' was the amiable comment 

 of a street-urchin on seeing a rustic Dobbin which had 

 brought a load of hay into town during the summer 

 droughts munching from its nose-bag outside a Chelsea 

 ' public/ 



In c The Horse World of London,' published by the 

 Religious Tract Society, Mr. W. J. Gordon has given 



94 



