The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



On his way to the Hall, on his first visit, he 

 had had the most frightful time of his life. 

 The train was bad enough, but the tramcars 

 and motor omnibuses blazing with electric 

 Ught, as they did before the war, and discord- 

 ant with bells, coming at him and behind him 

 one after another, made him think that the 

 end of his world had come. Quite a number 

 of animals coming for the first time to the 

 Show, neither drink, eat, nor sleep the first 

 night, and some (mostly mares, worried by the 

 neighing of the stallions) have been known to 

 touch neither oats, hay, nor water the whole 

 time they were in the building. Unless the 

 novice is of an unusually equable temperament, 

 an owner must not expect his Pegasus to do 

 well in the Jumping Classes on the first or 

 second visit to the Agricultural Hall — but all 

 horses have long memories, and the stage 

 fright gradually disappears. Animals new to 

 the London Shows do require and merit all the 

 help that can possibly be given to them, and 

 it would certainly be of great assistance and 

 immensely improve the jumping of novices if 

 they could be permitted practice over the 

 obstacles in the early morning, and even given 

 one free run to accustom them to the crowd 

 and noise in the actual competitions. Every 

 encouragement should be given by the Societies 

 using the Hall to novice jumpers. Of all the 

 animals shown, they are the most severely 



156 



