AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



danger ; but with misgiving comes confusion, 

 effort, breathlessness, possibly collapse and defeat. 

 Morally and physically, there is no creature so 

 nervous as a man out of his depth. 



In offering the following pages to the public, 

 the writer begs emphatically to disclaim any 

 intention of laying down the law on such a 

 subject as horsemanship. Every man who wears 

 spurs believes himself more or less an adept in 

 the art of riding ; and it would be the height of 

 presumption for one who has studied that art as 

 a pleasure and not a profession to dictate for the 

 ignorant, or enter the lists of argument with the 

 wise. All he can lay claim to is a certain amount 

 of experience, the result of many happy hours 

 spent with the noble animal under him, of some 

 uncomfortable minutes when mutual indiscretion 

 has caused that position to be reversed. 



If the few hints he can offer should prove 

 serviceable to the beginner he will feel amply 

 rewarded, and will only ask to be kindly re- 

 membered hereafter in the hour of triumph when 

 the tyro of a riding-school has become the pride 

 of a hunting-field — judicious, cool, daring, and 

 skilful, light of hand, firm of seat, thoroughly at 

 home in the saddle, a very Centaur — 



" Encorpsed and demi-natured 

 With the brave beast." 



XXVI 



