Horses. 8i 



bourhoods of that kind it is dangerous to a man's reputa- 

 tion for gravity to be seen on horseback, and men of seri- 

 ous pretensions have the same objections to the saddle 

 that a bishop has to a bicycle. Hunting and war keep up 

 the art of riding ; without them it would be in great dan- 

 ger of going out altogether, as falconry has gone out, to 

 be revived, like falconry, at some future period by a few 

 persons of wealth and leisure, as a curiosity of ancestral 

 custom. 



The influence of the turf on horses and on horseman- 

 ship deserves more thorough investigation than these brief 

 chapters would permit. It does little or no good to riding, 

 except by creating a special professional class with quite 

 peculiar professional aims ; and it does no good whatever 

 to the breeding of horses, except by transmitting the 

 capacity for great speed at a sudden " spurt," which is 

 usually purchased at the cost of substantial qualities more 

 valuable for common use. Practically, I believe, the most 

 public benefit that the turf has given to England has been 

 her rapid Hansom cabs. They are very commonly horsed, 

 directly or indirectly, from the turf, and the swiftness which 

 whirls you through the interminable streets of London has 

 been first developed, either in the horse that drags you or 

 in some ancestor of his, for the chance of a triumph at 

 Epsom, or Newmarket, or Doncaster. 



The turf, as it is followed, is not really an equestrian 

 recreation, any more than the watching of hired gladiators 

 was warfare. The swiftness of horses, being always 

 various and always having elements of chance, was 

 found to be a convenient subject for betting, and the 

 excitement of being in a great crowd on a race course 

 was found to be agreeable to everybody in search of a 



Epsom, Newmarket, Doncaster, three famous English race courses. 

 Q 



