Its a good opening paragraph – not sure i agree that it might be the best.
I like how this one gets straight to the point
Gingering
“An 1811 dictionary states: “to feague a horse is to put ginger up a horse’s fundament, and formerly, as it is said, a live eel, to make him lively and carry his tail well. It is said, a forfeit is incurred by any horse-dealer’s servant, who shall show a horse without first feaguing him.”[2] Ginger is an irritant, and when administered to a horse, the horse will carry its tail high and generally act somewhat restless and more lively. In the past, the purpose was often to make an older horse behave like one that was younger, or to temporarily liven up a sick or weakened animal.”
Personally I’ve had enough difficulty trying to steer an eel into a 3 foot fish tank without spending and extended period of time chasing the bloody thing round the floor or up my sleeve. Trying to steer one, James Herriot style, up the kicking end of a horse calls for some sort of mentalist. A fundament-alist maybe.
