FOREWORD 



I COME of a family, who for some hundreds 

 of years have been notable for an exceed- 

 ing love of their horses, and for their 

 somewhat remarkable influence over them. 

 No records remain as to the exact nature of 

 the methods of horsecraft employed by my 

 forebears, but my own success in my younger 

 days in handling and taming all sorts of diffi- 

 cult, tricky and vicious horses — sometimes 

 quite unapproachable by other men — and of 

 inducing them to lead subsequently virtuous 

 and blameless lives, makes me believe that my 

 powers are hereditary, and that, therefore, 

 my ancestors have probably worked much on 

 the same lines as I have myself. Owing to 

 age and growing infirmities, I am no longer 

 able to handle, tame and ride wild horses as I 

 once could ; but my love for all horses remains 

 as strong as ever, and, thank God, so does 

 their love for me. The horse that is your friend 

 never lets you know that he thinks you old. 



By a coincidence, I recently received almost 

 together several letters from Yorkshire and 

 Essex, in which I was asked to give advice 

 as to the best methods of breaking horses 



