The average efficiency of men who take charge of horses, is greatly lowered by the fact that no special qualifications are demanded before a man or boy can call himself a groom or coachman. In fact anyone who chooses, can assume either or both of these titles, no matter how ignorant of horses he may be. Instead of stable duties being within the compass of any yokel, their intelligent execution demands quite as much experience, natural aptitude and special knowledge, as are required in navigating a ship for instance. I may briefly state that a capable groom should be acquainted with all the practical details of feeding, watering, grooming, housing, bedding and exercising horses, and of cleaning gear; should be a good sick nurse; should be well up in all the ordinary symptoms of equine disease; should understand the general principles of shoeing; and should be a good horseman and skilful breaker. If he has a fair knowledge of training and schooling, understands the care of brood mares and stallions, knows how to run a hackney, and clean hunting things - so much the better. A coachman should be able to drive single or a pair in town (London) in a smart and capable manner, and not with "a rein in each hand and a whip in the other," according to the usual country practice. Besides his own particular business, he should be competent to fulfil all the duties of a stud groom which are unconnected with riding, supposing that he has to take charge of a stable. We must not, however, expect work worth two hundred a year from a man on a guinea a week.

Above all things, a groom or coachman should be goodtempered and patient with horses. A man who is capable of "venting his rage" on a horse, no matter what provocation he may have received from the animal, should never be allowed inside a stable.