56 REMINISCEXCES, ETC. 



consented, with great reluctance, to part with him, although 

 for many good qualities as a hunter he was a great favourite. 

 The horse became afterwards the property of a celebrated 

 vendor of pale ale. 



The influence which Mr. Smith appeared to wield over 

 horses, materially contributed to his excellent management 

 of them. He used to say that as soon as he mounted a strange 

 horse, the animal would turn his head round, and seemed to 

 smell at his left boot, and after that they v/ere acquainted. 

 It must have been an interesting sight to have seen him 

 witness a private rehearsal between Rarey and Cruiser, 

 which he did in the last summer of his life, when he ex- 

 pressed himself much pleased with Rarey 's extraordinary 

 power in taming vicious animals. 



When Lord Kennedy made a match for £500, for Cap- 

 tain Douglas to ride a steeple chase against Captain Ross's 

 Clinker, over five miles of the severest hunting-ground in 

 Leicestershire, — namely, from Barkby Holt to the Coplow, 

 — his lordship purchased Radical of Mr. Assheton Smith for 

 500 guineas for the purposes of the match. This noble animal 

 was a most difficult horse to ride, and Mr. Smith's remark 

 was, " whoever rides him must be as strong as an elephant, 

 as bold as a lion, and as quiet as a mouse." He himself 

 rode Radical in a double snaffle, or rather, a snaffle and a 

 gag rein, his favourite bit at that time, as he said it was the 

 lightest or severest, as the case might require. He after- 

 wards adopted a double bridle, known as the Bentinck bit, 

 being an invention of the late lamented Lord George Ben- 

 tinck. This was a very severe instrument, and only suited 

 for such light hands as those of Mr. Smith. In those of 

 others it often caused accidents, as, owing to its unusual 

 severity, few horses would go against it. To return to the 

 match, Radical was beaten by Clinker, when Lord Kennedy 

 oflfered to double the stakes on condition that Mr. Smith 

 would ride Radical. On this being mentioned to him, his 

 reply was, " Much as I esteem the implied compliment, I 



