01. HORSE FEVER - Have you ever been to a horse show and seen the sleek, shiny horses of every size and color performing at the peak of their splendor? If not, you don't know what you're missing. Come along now on a trip to the country, and the wonderful world of the show.

As soon as you start to bump along the old dirt road that leads to the show grounds, you'll feel excitement in the air. It's a kind of excitement like a light fever, horse fever.

02. POPULAR SHOW HORSES - Let's go horse hunting!

You've had a brief glimpse of a horse show and you know what fun it would be if you could ride in one yourself. Besides, you love horses and there isn't anything you wouldn't do to have one of your own: you'd prom­ise to finish all your homework, keep your room in order, help with the dishes and other chores, be quiet and polite—and attend to all the things your parents remind you of during those moments when you know you aren't at your best.

03. WESTERN HORSE - Whenever the term 'Western horse' is used, most people picture a rough-and-tumble rodeo—an event full of color but so full of danger, too, that no youngster would be permitted to enter the regular events. What few people realize is that many small, country horse shows have classes open to Western horses. The wide range of these local shows gives them their im­portance to the show world, and if you own a Western horse, you should pay attention so you'll know about the shows in time to enter your horse.

04. EQUIPPING - Now you have a horse of your very own—and he's due to arrive at his new home soon. Have you already named him ? Have you pictured what that name will look like when it's printed in the program of your first horse show? You may even have thought of ordering a special sign that you can place right over his stall.

But whoa! We're getting ahead of ourselves.

05. CARE + FEEDING - Your horse spends more time in his stable than you do in your house. You can come and go as you please, but your horse can leave the barn only when you choose to take him out. That is why proper care for him starts with the stable in which he's kept.

Always be sure that there is good drainage away from the barn so that when it rains there is no seepage or dampness collecting in the stable.

06. FIRST AID - Every day, accidents occur—some­time, somewhere. Most of us think of accidents as they affect people, but you must realize that accidents can happen to horses as well.

Illness strikes horses as well as it does human beings. A horse can get a cold just the same as you, and other sicknesses can plague him. The all-too-common horse complaints are colic, distemper, thrush, and lameness.

07. COMMON SENSE - You've got your horse and all your equipment, and you're pretty sure you know how to care for him so that he'll live to the age of thirty. Now nature has provided you with a brisk, clear day, and you can't wait to mount up and go for the first real ride since you've owned your own horse.

If you are an experienced rider, there's nothing to prevent you from mounting up and riding off. But if you are a beginner, be prudent about this first adventure.

08. CROWNING GLORY - But many months must inevitably pass between the time you first start practicing the elementary steps in riding and the time you are ready for a rider's dream come true—enter­ing the big-time National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, in New York City; the Grand National, in San Francisco; the Chicago International; The American Royal, in Kansas City, or the International, in Washington, D. C. During those months, or perhaps even years, of practice you should acquire three chief talents.

THE END