30 



ago for 300 guineas. At the first glance I thought 

 him very cheap, and was almost about to purchase ; 

 but on walking round to the near side, my eye caught 

 the very slight tendency of the forelegs, if not exactly 

 to crook, at least to swerve out of the proper symmetrical 

 line, so I declined giving more than 300 shillings. 



The writer next supposes the English thorough- 

 bred horse has possibly, after all, but a very 

 homoeopathic dose of the Arab blood in his veins. 

 Very likely ; and he may be in want of more ; but, 

 whether he has or not, half the riders in England 

 probably neither know, nor care. What they do care 

 about is this, that they have now to travel and trudge 

 more than double the distance of former times, 

 before they can alight on any which do not betray 

 some malformation in their legs or feet. And if those 

 concerned do not soon administer some tremendous 

 doses of fresh orthodox, clean, unblemished leg, and 

 good foot blood, of some country, into the sires and 

 dams destined to produce the future stock, then, that 

 portion of the public who refuse to be seen mounted 

 on blood animals, however fine shaped above, but 

 with such second or third-rate legs and feet below, 

 will have to travel further still, and over to France or 

 Germany, or elsewhere, to procure them. It does not 

 require a man " to ride as well as he did ten years 



