ILLUSTRATED HORSE-BREAKING - 1908 - Dear IRRtfe WHO HAS BEEN MY BEST HELPER AND SOUNDEST ADVISER WHEN I HAVE BEEN BREAKING HORSES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD - PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. - I OFFER this work to the favourable consideration of the public, as an attempt to describe a reasoned-out system of horse-breaking, which I have found, by practical experience, to be easy of execution, rapid in its effects, and requiring the possession of no exceptional strength, activity, pluck, or horsemanship by the operator, who, to become expert in it, -ill, as a rule, need only practice. It is in accordance with our English and Irish ideas on the subject for it aims at teaching the horse manners, and giving him a snafflebridle mouth so that he will go up to the bridle, and bend himself in thorough obedience to rein and leg. As a personal explanation, I may mention that after having spent many years racing and training in India, during which time I practised the ordinary methods of breaking, I returned to England, where I learned the use of the standing martingale and long driving reins, as applled specially to jumpers, from AIr. John Hubert Aloore, who was the cleverest maker of steeplechasers Ireland ever knew. He, I may remark, obtained these methods, in his youth, from an old Irish breaker, named Fallon, who was born more than a century ago. I had also valuable instruction in horse-taming from Professor Sample. Having read an account of hiM. Raabe and Lunels hz apolasso, as means of control for veterinary operations, I conceived, with happy results, the idea of utilising this ingenious contrivance in breaking. I also learned, about the sameL time, how to balter a loose horse without runningany danger of being kicked, or bitten. Having thus acquired a fair amount of information, on what has always been to me a favourite subject, I naturally wished to put it into practice. As I knew, judging from my former ignorance, how much men in India stood in need of instruction in horse-breaking, I determined to return to that country with the object of teaching this art so as to acquire the experience I needed, and to pay my expenses at the same time. I am glad to say that I was successful in both respects. During a two years tour, I held classes in all the principal stations of the. Empire-from Trichinopoly to Peshawur, and from Quettn to Afandalay-and, having met a very large number of vicious animals and fine horsemen, I obtained experience, and greatly added to my stock of knowledge, which I shall now try to utilise for the benefit of my readers. As I proceeded through India, I felt the necessity of rejecting some methods I had formerly prized, altering others, and adopting new ones so that the course of instruction which I was able to give to my more recent classes, was far more extensive, and 6f better proved utility, than what I had to offer at the beginning of my travels. The great want which I had at first felt, was a method by which a person could secure and handle, with perfect safety, any horse, no matter how vicious he might be. However, after many kicks, a few bites, and several lucky escapes, I was able to perfect the required method, which is so simple, that the only wonder is that I did not think of it before. I may explain that the Australian horses met with in India, where they forin a considerable proportion of the animals used for riding and driving, are far moredangerous ant1 difficult to handle and control than British stock...