Nov. 1833. 



HORSEMANSHIP. 



179 



whom was mounted on a horse^ which he knew to have been 

 stolen from himself. He challenged them ; they answered him 

 by drawing their sabres and giving chase. The man^ on his 

 good and fleet beast kept just ahead : as he passed a thick 

 bush he wheeled round it, and brought up his horse to a 

 dead check. The pursuers were obliged to shoot on one side 

 and ahead. Then instantly dashing on, right behind them, he 

 buried his knife in the back of one, wounded the other, reco- 

 vered his horse from the dying robber, and rode home. For 

 these feats of horsemanship two things are necessary : a most 

 severe bit, like the Mameluke, the power of which though 

 seldom used, the horse knows full well; and large blunt 

 spurs, that can be applied either as a mere touch, or as an 

 instrument of extreme pain. I conceive that with English 

 spurs, the slightest touch of which pricks the skin, it would 

 be impossible to break in a horse after the South-American 

 fashion. 



At an estancia near Las Vacas, large numbers of mares, 

 are weekly slaughtered for the sake of their hides, although 

 worth only five paper dollars, or about half-a-crown apiece. 

 It seems at first strange that it can answer to kill mares for 

 such a trifle ; but as it is thought ridiculous in this country, 

 ever to break in, or to ride a mare, they are of no value, 

 except for breeding. The only thing for which I ever saw 

 mares used was to tread out wheat from the ear ; for which 

 purpose they were driven round a circular enclosure, where 

 the wheat-sheaves were strewed. The man employed for 

 slaughtering the mares, happened to be celebrated for his 

 dexterity with the lazo. Standing at the distance of twelve 

 yards from the mouth of the corral, he has laid a wager that 

 he would catch by the legs every animal, without missing 

 one, as it rushed past him. There was another man who 

 said he would enter the corral on foot, catch a mare, fasten 

 her front legs together, drive her out, throw her down, kill, 

 skin, and stake the hide for drying (which latter is a tedious 

 job) ; and he engaged that he would perform this whole 

 operation on twenty- two animals in one day. Or, he would 



