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Riding Recollections
"Riding Recollections," by George Whyte-Melville. George Whyte-Melville was scottish novelist of the sporting-field and a poet (1821-1878).
130 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1878
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About the author
George John Whyte-Melville
271 books8 followersGeorge John Whyte-Melville (19 June 1821 – 5 December 1878) was a Scottish novelist much concerned with field sports, and also a poet.
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May 28, 2019
This is a delightful book - and I mean that without a trace of sarcasm!
The author sets out to give advise on how to ride while out hunting, discussing the type of horse you'd need, different bits and different techniques that you'd need in different country. Yes, it is completely a product of it's time, but I have to say that is full of a very modern sense of humour - or at least a sense of humour that all of us that climb aboard half a tonne of animal on a regular basis share.
Some of my favourite quotes ...
"As in the choice of a horse and a wife a man must please himself, ignoring the opinion and advice of friends, so in the governing of each it is unwise to follow out any fixed system of discipline."
"Trust the element or the animal and you ride aloft superior to danger; but with misgiving comes confusion, effort, breathlessness, possibly collapse and defeat. Morally and physically, there is no creature so nervous as a man out of his depth..."
"All he can lay claim to is a certain amount of experience, the result of many happy hours spent with the noble animal under him, of some uncomfortable minutes when mutual indiscretion has caused that position to be reversed."
"To look as neat as one can is a compliment to society, to be safe and comfortable is a duty to oneself."
"Nothing is _quite_ perfect under the sun, not your own best hunter, nor your wife's last baby,..."
The author sets out to give advise on how to ride while out hunting, discussing the type of horse you'd need, different bits and different techniques that you'd need in different country. Yes, it is completely a product of it's time, but I have to say that is full of a very modern sense of humour - or at least a sense of humour that all of us that climb aboard half a tonne of animal on a regular basis share.
Some of my favourite quotes ...
"As in the choice of a horse and a wife a man must please himself, ignoring the opinion and advice of friends, so in the governing of each it is unwise to follow out any fixed system of discipline."
"Trust the element or the animal and you ride aloft superior to danger; but with misgiving comes confusion, effort, breathlessness, possibly collapse and defeat. Morally and physically, there is no creature so nervous as a man out of his depth..."
"All he can lay claim to is a certain amount of experience, the result of many happy hours spent with the noble animal under him, of some uncomfortable minutes when mutual indiscretion has caused that position to be reversed."
"To look as neat as one can is a compliment to society, to be safe and comfortable is a duty to oneself."
"Nothing is _quite_ perfect under the sun, not your own best hunter, nor your wife's last baby,..."
Displaying 1 of 1 review