Horses and Riding, May with a Certain Amount of Truth Be Said at the Present Time, Viz
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3: •^m "mmmK n4\ GIFT OF FAIRIVIAN ROGERS. University ofPennsylvania Annenberg Rare Book and Manuscript Library ^id University ofPennsylvania Annenberg Rare Book and Manuscript Library HOESBS AND BIDING LONDON : PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUAKB AXD PARLIAMENT STREET Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/horsesridiOOnevi H^ii,|t»^^^^^^^^^^^ HOESES AND EIDING- BY GEOEGE NEVILE, Esq. M.A. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR SECOND EDITION LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1877 All rights reserved PEEFACE A GENUINE fondness for horses, combined with a recollection of the falls I have had, the good runs I have lost, and the disappointments I have met with, from want of the knowledge contained in its pages, has induced me to write this book. Every year a fresh batch of riders make their first appearance in the field, eager to learn but unwilling to ask, and unable to sift the good advice they sometimes receive from the useless information often given. It is for these that I have principally written. I have drawn for them the sort of horse they should buy when they can meet with one, standing as a horse ought to stand to be mounted, that is, with his weight resting equally on all his legs, and with nobody holding his head. I have put on his back a saddle which will fit him, and on which a man can ride easily and A^ r^ r^ X<^ VI PEEFACE. comfortably, with stirrups the right shape and bridle reins the right length. As a frontispiece I have given my readers the portrait of Glencoe, a horse I consider the best- shaped I ever saw, or ever saw a picture of. I have shown him what to choose and what to avoid ; what unsoundnesses to beware of, and what faults in riding to keep clear of; and, if he will take the trouble to master its contents, I have put in his possession a work which will enable him to go without trepidation into a dealer's yard, to buy a horse that he will like, and to ride him with satisfaction. — CONTENTS. PAGE Introdfction . 1 CHAPTER I. BUYING OR CHOOSING. Various distinctions between horses—Different purposes for which they are used—What different "breeds are available for—What a horse's value depends upon—Shape—Symmetry ... 4 CHAPTER n. SHAPE. Shape of a horse—Proper position to see him in —Qualities at- tached to different shapes CHAPTER HI. SHAPE {continued). Head—Neck—Shoulder—Position of the fore-legs—Walking Trotting—Position of saddle— Galloping .... 15 — Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER W. CHOOSTJ^G. PAt5B Nimrod's method—Another method—Way to detect lameness In hind-legs —in fore-legs— Outline of a good-shaped horse Freedom from unsoundness not the only requisite . .27 CHAPTER V. PRICE. Price depends on height and size .35 CHAPTER VI. ABILITY TO CARRY WEIGHT. Ability to carry weight depends on size altogether—Way to ascertain size—Proportion of his own weight which a horse can carry—Amount of breeding required . .37 CHAPTER VII. TEMPER. Different qualities important to different riders —Horse's disposi- tion should resemble the rider's 40 CHAPTER VIII. MOUTH. Difference between a hard mouth and • a hard puller—What sort of riders horses with different mouths are suitable for . 42 — CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER IX. BIDING ON THE EOAD. PAGE Two prinelpal requisites —Horses not taught properly—Advan- tage of riding with the head loose— Best way to teach a horse to walk well —And trot well —Cantering—Difference between canter and gallop—Marks left by horses in their different paces—Common faults in riding on a road—Taking advantage —Proper way to start a horse—Stumbling— Shying . 44 CHAPTER X. SHOEING. Shape of feet—Shape of shoes —Diagram illustrating the proper shape of shoes 62 CHAPTER XI. FEEDING. Quantity of corn—Different method of summering hunters Nimrod's method—Turning out—Summering in a box—The best method 68 CHAPTER XII. BKIDLING. Different sorts of Bridles—Curb— Snaffle—Double reined—Pel- ham—Faults in the ordinary bridles used—Noseband—Caves- son—Martingale—Should be on the curb rein—So used by Dick Christian and recommended by Nimrod—King—Substi- tute for martingale or ring—Illustrations .... 74 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. SADDLING. PAGE Art of making saddles improved during last century—Capable of still further improvement—Cut-pommel saddles—Illustration of ordinary and cut-pommel saddle—Girth straps—Stirrup leathers—Stirrups—Breastplate 84 CHAPTER XIV. VALUE. Distinction between value and price—What a horse's value de- pends on —Breeding not altogether an element of value . 98 CHAPTER XV. COLOUR. Different colours—Peculiarities of different colours . 102 CHAPTER XVI. DIFFERENT BREEDS. Distinct breeds not numerous— Greater number of horses used are the product of two different breeds 107 CHAPTER XVII RIDING ACROSS COUNTRY. Definition of good riders—Difference between hard riders and good horsemen—Horses not taught to jump properly . .110 — CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER XVIII. LEAPING. PAGE Eefusing—Proper way to teach a horse to leap—Injury done to horses by holding on to the bridle —Experiment with worsted —Different sorts of fences 116 CHAPTER XIX. HTINTEES. No distinct breed of hunters— Difference of opinion in different counties as to what constitutes a hunter—Definition of a hunter—Reason of so many disappointments in breeding hunters 12 9 CHAPTER XX. STABLES. Two ways of housing horses—Loose boxes the best when attain- able—Shape and dimensions of loose box—Ventilation—Dif- ference between temperature and ventilation— Cool stables better than hot ones—Openings for light and ventilation Stalls, best mode of arranging—Illustration of bell trap for drains—Rack and manger ; 3 6 CHAPTER XXI. STABLE UTENSILS, ETC. Brushes—Combs—Eoot picker—Bit polisher— Scraper—Feeder —Scuttle .... ]£3 — Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. COMMOI^ UJS'SOrJS'DNESSES. PA«E Some unsoundnesses much commoner than others—Unsound- nesses of the hind-legs—Curbs—Spavins— Kingbone—Splints —Breakdown of fore-leg—Means of preventing this—Navi- cular lameness—Defects of the wind— Roaring, whistling, and grunting—Sand-cracks— String-halt—Crib-hiting — Weaving —Speedy cutting— Cutting— Overreaching .... 158 CHAPTER XXIII. BREEDING. Four distinct breeds in England— Racehorse—Coach -horse Trotter—Cart-horse—Breeds of Racehorses—Touchstone Irish Birdcatcher—Blacklock—The Cure—Sultan—Glencoe Peculiarity attending grey horses —Observations on breeding . 180 CHAPTER XXIV. BREAKING AND TEAINING. How to obtain foals from young fresh mares —IIow to halter the foal—Teaching to jump when two years old—Teaching to carry a man on his back—Teaching to go along a road—How to make a horse carry his head in a right position —Use of whip 193 CHAPTER XXV. BETTING. Influence of betting on the breeding of horses —Analogy between the practice of betting and the consumption of drink^Similar enactments affecting both —Handicapping inseparable from betting 206 ILLUSTEATIONS, Portrait of Glencoe Frontispiece The Right Sort of Horse to Etjy . To face page 1 1. Outline of the top of a horse ..... Paged 2. Bird's-eye view of horse's back 13 3. Diagram showing the relative position of two differently shaped horses' fore-legs ...... 20 4. Diagram showing the marks left by a horse's feet in the different paces respectively 53 5. Outline of a well-formed foot and a badly-formed one . 63 6. Drawing of a properly and improperly shaped shoe 65 7. Plain snaffle bit 75 8. Single curb bit and chain 76 9-10. Badly shaped and properly shaped curb bits . 77 11. Martingale stop 82 12. Drawing of two hunting saddles, one as used and the other as recommended by the Author .... 13. Two patterns of men's stirrups 93 14. Latchford's patent lady's stirrup 94 XIV ILLUSTRATIOI^S. 15. Breast-plate Page 96 16. Martingale . 96 17. Section of Lell trap to prevent smell arising from drain in the stable 148 18. Body brush, water brush, and dandy brush .... 154 19. Well-formed hock, with curb 160 20. Curby hock, without curb 160 21. Curby hock, with curb 160 22. Well-formed hock free from curb 161 23. Diagram showing the proper position of a horse's hind- leg 162 24. Horse's hind-legs showing two sorts of bone spavin . .164 25. Fore-leg showing splint 168 26. Shoe, with spike, proposed to be used for racing . .171 27. Fore-leg broken down 171 28. Two feet showing large and small sand crack , . 177 29. Leather halter, designed by the Author for foals . .196 — HOESES AND EIDING. INTRODUCTION. Macaulat, somewhere in his History of England, in describing the social position allotted to officers of the army of that day, writes as follows : ' There were gentlemen in those days, and there were officers in those days, but the gentlemen were not officers and the officers were not gentlemen.' I think something of the same sort, in reference to books about horses and riding, may with a certain amount of truth be said at the present time, viz. that there are good horsemen and there are good authors, but as a rule the horsemen are not authors, and the authors are not horsemen. Anyone who does not know anything about riding, and who wishes to get to know something about it, or who knows a little about it and wishes to learn more, will find it difficult to obtain a book B 2 HOESES AND EIDING. that will impart to him any practical information on the subject, which is of use to him ; while, if he abandons the idea of learning from books and tries to get any of his acquaintance to teach him, he will find that although plenty of men can ride well them- selves they have not the faculty of imparting to any- one else the knowledge they possess, and that many things they can do without any apparent effort and with the greatest ease are perfectly impracticable to a novice.