The Treatment of Horses 



'* enough." It is to tired horses that accidents 

 generally happen. When a good horseman knows 

 that he has asked a great deal of his horse he rides 

 with more care, holds the horse together, and 

 saves him in every possible way. On the other 

 hand, the inferior horseman, being tired himself, 

 rolls about in the saddle, and lets his horse's head 

 go. It is perhaps for this reason that light weights 

 break down more horses than heavy weights. One 

 is careful because he knows that he is in danger of 

 accidents ; the other careless, forgetting that when 

 a horse is tired a light man rolling about is worse 

 than a heavy man sitting still. 



To recapitulate the main principles of horse- 

 keeping. 



First, the purchase of the horse. 



{a) Consider what you want him for, and 



keep that before your mind. 

 (J)) Never buy a horse you do not like. 

 {c) Never be persuaded to take a horse that 



does not suit you. 



{d) Other things being equal, a small horse 



is more useful than a big one : a cob 



than a horse, and a pony than a cob. 



{e) A large horse eats more than a small one. 



(y) He takes a longer time coming round 



after a hard day. 

 (^) He is generally less sound, and nearly 



always less hardy. 

 {h) Two horses are more economical than one 



75 



