PREFACE. I hear certain of my readers esclaim, What more on the well-worn subject of the Horse, from this prosing and argumentative old man - The act is indeed committed but, for the last time-new editions to old books excepted. The size of the present will not be alarming and if much novelty cannot be expected on the subject, yet that subject and all others, of necessity, vary so much with times and circumstances, as to authorise further attempts at public uti- lity. Moreover, somewhat must be conceded to an old author, on the score of reminding his patrons the public, of his former labours. The object of this little book, a galloway or poney in size, is to form a convenient manual for the use of the hitherto uninitiated, who may have neither inclination nor leisure to ride the great horse in larger volumes or whose other indispensable avocations may have precluded them from the opportunity of obtaining practical information on a subject, certainly of great and every day importance in this country. The difficulty of obtaining good, safe, and useful horses, for any purpose, always suffici- ently great, even in this country, has been of late years infinitely enhanced, the causes of which will be apparent in these pages and if the author cannot guarantee his readers on the main point, long habits have enabled him to render the service next in importance, that of tendering the needful practical cautions. It will be acknovledged on all hands, that such cautions had never before anything equal to the present necessity and in contemplation of the old idea, of perils by land, and perils by water, the former appear greatly, at any fate in frequency, to overtop the latter. The author trusts he has omitted nothing of utility or im- portance, in those branches of his subject on which he has undertaken to treat. It being demanded of an eminent politician and grammarian of the last century, by the Commissioners of the Income Tax, Well, he lived he replied, by begging, borrowing, and stealing Should it be demanded of me, I'll have composed my book my reply should be, from my own knowledge, by begging and borrowing the latter occasionally from my former writings and vhenever from those of others, it will be found always accompanied with due acknowledgment. I have freely collected from any sorce that presented, whatever I deemed useful.