
THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER.
WORKS BY SIR FRANCIS HEAD.
PREFACE.
The Horse.
Mr. Rarey's Mode of Subduing Horses.
Seat on a Horse.
Mode of riding at Timber.
Water Jumping.
Modes of Swimming a Horse.
Judicious Riding.
A lively, almost conversational essay opens with a candid confession: the author is no horse‑man, never a jockey or breeder, yet his life has repeatedly thrust him into the saddle. From public duties to daring rescues, he offers a series of vivid, first‑hand sketches that feel more like friendly anecdotes than formal treatises, inviting listeners to share his occasional brushes with danger and delight.
The narrative then widens its scope, tracing the horse’s astonishing endurance through deep time. Fossilized teeth in polar ice, ancient chariots of Egyptian pharaohs, and biblical passages all serve as signposts for a creature that has never truly vanished from the human story. The author’s eye for detail—equal parts scientific and lyrical—brings these epochs to life, while his dry humor keeps the tone light even as he recounts grand conquests and humble farmyard moments.
Listeners will find a seamless blend of travelogue, natural history, and personal memoir, rendered in a clear, engaging voice that makes the horse’s long, galloping saga feel both intimate and universal.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (388K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Julia Miller, Jana Palkova and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2020-08-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
1793–1875
A restless 19th-century traveler, soldier, and colonial governor, he turned firsthand experience into lively books about Africa, Europe, railways, and public life. His writing often blends adventure, observation, and strong opinions, making him an unusually vivid Victorian voice.
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