THE PONY. 



bewildered that they would be driven clean out of their mind, 

 before they could make it up. If, however, I had a turn for 

 wagering (which, thank goodness, I have not), I would wager 

 ten to one that in more than half the cases a pony would be 

 among the most conspicuous of the desires. 



It is no wonder that it should be so, when we find sober, 

 elderly gentlemen patronizing equestrian exercise, and delight- 

 ing in the paces of thdb: fleet nags. WSat else can be expected 

 than that the boy, brimming over with ILfe and vigour, and 

 utterly incapable of enough physical exertaon to tame or tire 

 him, should be never so delighted as when he can set his legs 

 astride a nimble little horse, and enjoy with it the fun of 

 scampering at a pretty rate ov^r .4jbje green downs, or making 

 small account of a dozen m^^ues along ihe highway. 



The gentis equus, in whatever -^ape it may appear, is, how- 

 ever, by no means a modem instance of man's dominion over 

 " the beast of the field." Thousands of yeajrs ago ponies de- 

 lighted boy-riders, and were doubtless ridden with as much 

 skill as at this day ^is displayed ^ &e most accinnplished 

 horseman in Rotten Eow. Though, indeed, we need not go 

 back to ancient and barbarous times for a match to modem 

 equestrian skill; tiiere are at the present time a thousand 

 savage riders roaming the Korth American prairies, able to 

 "give lessons" to the best riding-master in England, and in 

 all probability to teach the renowned horse-breaker, Mr. Barey, 

 a trick or two. From being constantly on horseback these 

 savage tribes can scarcely walk ; from their infancy they are 

 accustomed to it, and among them baby "begins to ride" at 

 much the same period as among us the little thing begins to 

 know what feet were given him for. He grows up literally on 

 horseback, tiU, becoming a broad-shouldered man, his unused 

 legs axe weak and puny and bowed, like those of our old- 

 fashioned postillions. As horsemen, however, they excel all 

 others in the world. " I recollect," says Mr. Darwin, " seeing a 

 Gruacho riding a very stubborn horse, who three times reared so 

 excessively high as to fall backward with great violence. The man 

 iudged with uncommon coolness the proper moment of slipping 

 off: not an instant before or after the right time. Directly the 

 horse rose, the man jumped on his back, and at last they 

 started at a gallop. The Guacho never appears to exercise any 

 amount of physical force. I was one day watching a good 

 rider, as we were galloping along at a rapid pace, and thought 

 to myself, surely if the horse starts you appear so careless on 



