106 RATHER HARD TO PLEASE. 



tinually tossing his head up, by no means a pleasant 

 trick to the rider, whatever it may be to the horse, 

 particularly if he happens to be one who foams at the 

 mouth, and is ridden against the wind. That all this 

 has been taught him by bad hands never enters his 

 rider's head ; consequently on goes a nose-martingal : 

 this remedies the evil, it is true, but the result is, the 

 poor horse is punished for the rider's awkwardness : 

 for, mind, he makes no difference in the position, and 

 consequent effects of his hands ; so it just amounts 

 to this, the martingal pulls the horse's head down, 

 and the gentleman pulls it up ; and thus his mouth 

 is kept in a kind of vice of the rider's own invention 

 — (I wish he would take out a patent for it to prevent 

 any one else from imitating it). If it is not put on 

 short enough to produce the wished-for effect, it is 

 useless : if it is, it is converted into a mode of punishing 

 a well-disposed animal, which would Avillingly learn to 

 carry his head as the rider would wish him, if he had 

 knowledge enough and hands good enough to teach 

 him how to do so. I am only surprised a horse does 

 not at once turn sulky and restive under such un- 

 reasonable treatment ; for were he endowed with 

 the faculty of the renowned ass of Balaam of olden 

 memory, would he not naturally say, " If I attempt 

 to carry my head high in compliance with your hands 

 a strap on my nose pulls it doAvn ; if, in obedience to 

 that, I attempt to carry it low, your hands pull it 

 up : pray, Sir, how am I to carry it ? " 



But there is one occasion in which I could tolerate 

 the use of the nose-martingal, and that is in harness, 

 where horses have learnt this truly annoying habit of 

 constantly tossing up their heads: and here again I am 

 satisfied it in fact arises from improper treatment. 



