ter, and when found will command
a fancy price. The ideal hack is a showy, well-bred animal of the
officer's charger type, which has been thoroughly well "made" in all his
paces. Such an animal appears at his best when executing a slow,
collected canter, with arched neck and looking full of fire and gaiety,
though ridden with an almost slack rein, and intent only on rendering
prompt obedience to the slightest indication of his rider. In Germany
and France the hacks ridden in the Tiergarten and Bois, for instance,
are thoroughly "made," and compare very favourably with the pulling,
half-broken brutes on which many ladies appear in the Row. In former
times, before the introduction of the leaping-head made hunting possible
for women, more attention was paid to the breaking and training of hacks
than at present, on account of the great demand for "complete ladies'
horses." The advent of the bicycle for ladies has almost abolished
hacking as a pastime and means of exercise, and hence the difficulty in
finding a well-broken animal for this work. The best substitute is, I
think, a good polo pony, because the requirements of that game demand
that the animal should be temperate, handy, and capable of being ridden
with a slack rein. The polo pony Pat (Fig. 6) is a perfect hack, with a
snaffle-bridle mouth, and so steady and clever that he can canter round
the proverbial sixpence. He has played well in several polo matches.

[Illustration: Fig. 6.--Polo pony, Pat.]

Although many ladies in this country have never enjoyed the luxury of
riding a high-caste Arab, we occasionally see these animals in the Row
and hunting-field. The sight of an "Arabi tattoo" to an old Indian like
myself, revives many pleasant memories of delightful equine friends in
the East. The Arab is _par excellence_ the most perfect hack for a lady,
and I think it would be ungrateful of me in this new edition to omit the
portrait of my Arab pony Freddie (Fig. 7), even though the cut of the
riding-habit is out of date.

Although a good horsewoman may be satisfied with any animal which is fit
for a man, provided he is steady to mount and does not require an
unusual amount of collecting; it is not safe to put an inexperienced or
nervous rider on a horse that has not been taught to carry a habit,
which a groom can do by riding the animal with a rug or dark overcoat on
the near side, and letting it flop about. Horses rarely object to the
presence of a skirt, though I