GENERAL BULE3. 301 



injudiciously, treated, and in most cases it will be ad- 

 visable to hand them over to professionals, who should 

 in common fairness be told the whole truth. A riding- 

 school is, however, not always within reach, and wo 

 must therefore see what can be done with horses that 

 have acquired vice to this extent. 



The first step to be taken in such cases is to restore 

 ccmfidertce, and make the horse feel that it will noio be 

 subjected to kind and judicious treatment. This must 

 commence in the stable, and the foundation is best laid 

 by the man who feeds and cleans the animal; and 

 here let it be remarked, that an example of violence 

 or severity given by the owner or trainer but too fre- 

 quently induces the groom to follow it up, and should 

 therefore be very carefully avoided. If, on the con- 

 trary, the groom succeeds in getting the horse to move 

 about in his stall and turn round, a good foundation 

 is thereby laid for the further treatment, and the 

 trainer will do well to follow it up himself precisely 

 in the same manner, giving the animal a handful of 

 oats, a piece of bread, or a lump of sugar, which most 

 horses are very fond of, whilst others prefer common 

 salt. When you have got thus far, let the gTOom lead 

 the horse out in a convenient enclosed space : at first 

 it will be best to put nothing further on it than a 

 snaffle, a surcingle, and a cavesson. When on the 

 ground, the trainer may approach it quietl}^, and, 

 giving it some titbit, make much of it, and then, 

 with the assistance of the groom, fix the reins of the 

 snaffle loosely to the rings of the surcingle, and firmly 

 attach the line to the centre ring of the cavesson, care- 

 fully avoiding all compulsion. When this has been 

 accomplished, gather up the lounge-line in a neat and 



