Rural School Leaflet iigi 



Get up should always mean to move forward in case the horse is hitched. 



These four commands are sufficient for the horse at work. They 

 should be spoken clearly and distinctly and should never be combined, as 

 whoa-back, which is often used in the place of whoa. 



VI. HORSE TRAINING 



The profit and pleasure to be derived from the use of a horse depends 

 on his being subservient to his master's will. The more complete his 

 training, the better the horse will be. The problem is, then, so to train the 

 horse as to bring him to his maximiun usefulness. 



A horse seems to have a rather limited reason, but a rather remarkable 

 memory. These facts must be taken advantage of in training the animal. 

 To begin with, there are two principles more or less opposite that must be 

 remembered by the trainer; the horse must be led to underestimate certain 

 of his powers, and at the same time be made to believe that there is no 

 limit to certain others. For example, the first time the horse is tied by 

 the head, he should be fastened so securely that the halter will hold in 

 case he pulls. If the horse pulls and fails to free himself in the first few 

 attempts there is little likeUhood of his trying it later; while if he suc- 

 ceeds in freeing himself at first, he will never cease trying to repeat what 

 he once accomplished. On the other hand, it is very important not to 

 overload the horse that is being trained, with the desire to create in him 

 the notion that he can pull anything. Thus in order to promote the 

 horse's usefulness, the trainer should exaggerate the horse's appreciation 

 of those powers that are useful to man and deceive him as to certain others 

 that are not useful and are perhaps positively dangerous. 



A horse should never be trusted more than is necessary. Many dis- 

 tressing accidents occur from this cause. A good horseman never runs 

 risks when they can be avoided. 



It may be added that not all men are fitted to train horses; in fact, 

 not all horse lovers are good horse- trainers. There is a particular adapta- 

 tion possessed by those unfamiliar, as well as by those familiar, with the 

 horse. A man possessing this particular adaptation, although unfamiliar 

 with the horse, will in a very short time, if given the opportunity, make 

 a better trainer than the man who is familiar with the horse but lacking 

 the special adaptation. 



Training the colt 



The colt should become familiar with man while young. In the very 

 beginning he should be taught subordination and should not be allowed 

 to become willful or headstrong. His future usefulness will depend 

 much on his courage and fearlessness, and in order to promote these 

 characteristics, the colt should become familiar with man at as early an 



