ADVICE 39 



Again, if a colt is produced that is badly formed : 

 " Oh ! he's only a colt, he'll alter in another year." 

 To be sure, all colts alter, but if he is well-formed 

 at three years old, he will be well-formed at twenty ; 

 and if badly formed, and want of due proportion at 

 three years old, he will be the same as long as he 

 lives. Now, unless you have been educated at Don- 

 caster, or dubbed yourself a judge, self-constituted, 

 as I have done, I strongly recommend, especially if 

 you are a New Arrival, and have any regard for 

 " your order," (letter of credit, I mean,) -to ask some 

 friend to accompany you in your rambles through 

 these stables. Should you purchase from " gentle- 

 men judges," the only chance of escape you have, is 

 candidly to confess that you are ouly in the elemen- 

 tary instructions of the " Griffin's Aid-de-Camp," and 

 then it would be ungenerous and unfair indeed to 

 deceive and take advantage of you ; but if you are a 

 judge, (a question I always like to ask, if I can do so 

 without giving offence,) then you have no right to 

 complain of being outwitted : you dubbed yourself; 

 the more shame for you to acknowledge being so 

 quickly dismounted. 



Remember, however, that though a good Arab may 

 be found without all the points I have described, a 

 bad Arab will never be found with them ; and also, 

 that a horse may be of the highest caste, and yet 

 have no great speed, in consequence of some faulti- 

 ness of build, or being more adapted for the purposes 

 of parade. A charger, racer, and carriage-horse, 

 cannot be all of perfect build in one and the same 

 skin : you cannot expect to obtain all these qualities 

 in one horse, though they are much more nearly pro- 

 curable in the Arab than the English breed. A 



