GENERAL RULES. 207 



there, and after each lesson dismount again, loosening 

 girths, (fee, also caressing the animal, if obedient, and 

 avoiding to push it prematurely to the verge of resist- 

 ance, trusting rather to gradual progress than to violent 

 measures. All horses are very susceptible to, and gTate- 

 ful for, kindness. 



As an enclosed space is not always available, it -will 

 be well to point out what can be done without it, in 

 case of necessity. Some horses refuse to leave their 

 stable, either from natural sluggishness or indisposition 

 to leave their companions. A man on foot armed with 

 a whip will often succeed in driving them away, but in 

 this case it is his will and not yours that has prevailed, 

 and therefore little real progress is made. It is much 

 more advisable in such cases to lead the animal away 

 to some distance, taking with you a nosebag w^ith some 

 oats, of which you give a handful now and then. You 

 may after a time mount your horse, and when on its 

 back give it a handful of oats from the saddle before 

 attempting to go farther, getting its head, of course, in 

 the proper direction. If you find this not to succeed 

 at first, dismount again rather than risk a conflict, lead 

 the animal out a couple of miles, and give it the whole 

 contents of the nosebag at some convenient place, 

 taking each day a different road, and never feeding 

 twice in the same place. You may always ride home, 

 and this will be your opportunity for acquiring control 

 over its neck, head, and hind legs : the more it hurries 

 back to its stable, the better will you be enabled to do 

 this work.* 



* It will be well to dismount at some little distance from the 

 stable and lead the horse home, never repeating this operation in 

 exactly the same place. 



