CHAPTER XXI 



Horse-breaking. — What Mr. Rarey has, and what he has not done. — 

 Can the Zebra be really tamed ? Nervous Temperament of the 

 Horse. — Its Docility. — Difference between the trained Hunter of 

 the last Century, and those of the present time. — Sporting Men of 

 the Old School and the New. — Proofs that a few things were known 

 about Horse-taming before Mr. Rarey's time. — Essential point in 

 which the system of the modern Horse -trainers breaks down; 



On the subject of horse-breaking, and the system adopted 

 by Mr. Rarey, which has caused rather an unusual sensa- 

 tion the last two years, I cannot forbear making some 

 remarks, as somewhat analogous, without its cruelty, to 

 the treatment of yoimg and vicious horses practised by 

 my father, by which he could do more with horses than 

 Mr. Rarey has professed to teach, as shown by the public 

 papers. Neither in London nor in the provinces have I 

 met with one individual who has been present at Mr. 

 Rarey's lectures, or in the most remote degree acquainted 

 with his secret, if such it can be called, of " horse-taming." 

 But are there not hundreds — I may say thousands — 

 of men in this country, horse-breakers, colt operators, 

 and such like, who know that horses may be so subdued 

 by being thrown down, or forced to lie down and exhausted, 

 as to allow a man to dance a hornpipe on their ribs ? And 

 is not the practice of strapping up the foreleg of a vicious 

 horse by grooms nearly as old as the hills ? Without 

 wishing in any degree to detract from the merits of Mr. 

 Rarey's system, whatever it may be, I must be allowed to 

 say, that the idea of an American coming forth to give 



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