Trails 207 
down out of the mountain into a stage road or 
village street and appear as distracted as a 
country bumpkin on his first visit to the city. 
The narrow path seems to concentrate his 
attention and put him at ease, but a road is 
too wide a world for him and disturbs his 
balance. 
There are three points to look for in a trail 
horse: he should be surefooted, sensitive- 
mouthed, and a fast walker. Most Western 
ponies are surefooted, unless their knees are 
sprung, and tender-mouthed. They guide 
by the neck and stop abruptly—excellent 
qualities, though the latter is somewhat dis- 
concerting to the tenderfoot. A tender- 
mouthed animal is like a boat that obeys her 
helm well. You can manage both readily and 
with small leeway. When at the same time 
you have a horse that is a fast walker, you 
have a prize indeed. A good trail horse, 
furthermore, should not be tall but should be 
well-knit and fairly heavy, for the stocky horse 
has the better chance of keeping his foothold 
on difficult ground with the weight of his 
rider; he has a broader beam so to speak. 
Mules are credited with being surer footed 
and with having more sense than horses. I 
have ridden plenty of horses, however, that 
