204 EESTIVENESS: ITS PREVENTION AND CURE. 



into a decidedly vicious one, "by awakening the devil 

 that slumbers within. For it must never be forgotten 

 that in the end the horse is stronger than the man ; that 

 there is very great danger of this becoming quite clear 

 to the former, when mere force comes to be opposed to 

 force; and that this very consciousness is what consti- 

 tutes restiveness, and, if exasperated by cruel treatment, 

 vice, pure and simple. 



It is therefore necessary, in the first place, to know 

 clearly what one has to contend with whether with 

 real vice, or merely with simple insubordination : the 

 former, if curable at all, can only be dealt with suc- 

 cessfully by professional riders, who possess the proper 

 means and appliances ; the latter ought to be within 

 the scope of a great number of horsemen, if they would 

 only abstain from violence and adopt rational methods. 

 The French say, when speaking of a horse that shows 

 restiveness, " il se defend" he defends himself. There 

 is much truth in this expression, and it is one that 

 riders should constantly bear in mind, for insubordina- 

 tion is most commonly the result of something having 

 been demanded from the horse that it either did not 

 know how to do or was unable to perform ; and the 

 very first step to be taken in all cases is, to endeavour 

 to ascertain exactly under what circumstances the dis- 

 obedience was first manifested and is usually shown. 



Before we affix the stigma of vice to a horse, let us 

 therefore consider for a moment what the poor thing 

 might with fairness retort, and the words ignorance, 

 timidity, or brutality will immediately suggest them- 

 selves ; for, in truth, want of judgment as to what a 

 horse can fairly do, want of decision and promptitude 

 in demanding this, or unnecessary violence in enforc- 



