Horses for courses

My friend has become joint Master of her Hunt and is having a smart new coat with special buttons made in her honour. She does not currently have a horse of her own and has to borrow or rent one for their outings. The other week she was offered a horse from the King's Troop. It was black, had a thick neck and was full of muscle, being used to pulling cannons behind it. She was rather unsure about the ability of the animal to ride with the hunt but was assured by a Sergeant-Major that it would be absolutely fine. On asking the horse's usual position in the Troop, he was rather bashful at first but finally admitted that this one always led the charge. And so it did. Off at a gallop, head up, nostrils flaring, you could almost hear it shouting, "Charge!" My friend was nervous. She pulled on the reins. These military horses are well trained, as you would expect. The horse screeched to an abrupt halt. My friend was relieved not to be thrown over its head. She called it a day.