Introductory Chapter, l*f 



ant ride when they can, and who are therefore content 

 to depend on others, who are paid for doing it, to put 

 this within their reach. That this luxury is, however, 

 not always attainable even to a long purse, many a man 

 can testify ; and the causes of failures are frequently 

 sufficiently obvious to professional riders, although sel- 

 dom pointed out by them, for very cogent reasons. It 

 must be confessed, indeed, that it is most usually a 

 very thankless office to offer any man that rides any- 

 thing like advice, however well meant and sound, on 

 anything concerning his horse, bridle, saddle or seat. 

 The great majority would much more patiently tole- 

 rate very decided expressions of doubt as to their 

 mental or moral qualifications, if only conveyed with a 

 certain amount of tact, than the slightest imputation of 

 want of knowledge or skill in things pertaining to 

 horsemanship. 



And yet there exist very incontestable evidences 

 that a great amount of unskillfulness, to use a mild 

 term, in the matter of riding does really exist amongst 

 us. We have the best horses in the world, and those 

 whose build and temper are most peculiarly adapted for 

 riding purposes ; notwithstanding which, the propor- 

 tion of animals with broken knees and other injuries to 

 their limbs is infinitely greater than anywhere else that 

 we know of. No doubt we demand a greater amount 

 of hard work from our horses than other people ; still, 

 broken knees are the opprobrium of the rider, and 

 point very evidently to great ignorance or total disre- 

 gard of the very simple mechanical principles that 

 govern the motion of a quadruped with or without a 

 burden on its back. Every one knows that the best- 

 constructed form or chair may be upset by sitting awk- 

 wardly on it and setting the laws of gravitation at defi- 

 ance ; while few people who have knocked down their 

 valuable horses by precisely the same process seem to 

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