The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



eventually does do so. Imperceptibly turn 

 the rubbing into the gentlest scratching. It 

 may be a great coup — the greatest coup. If 

 he stops eating hay to rub his neck against 

 your nails, you have got him body and soul. 

 You have only got to extend the area of the 

 operation judiciously, inch by inch, across the 

 shoulders keeping well below the wither, then 

 upwards to the middle of his back, to have 

 him in a state of perfect ecstasy. He will 

 utterly surrender to you, forgetful of every 

 other consideration, if only he can enjoy that 

 perfectly entrancing scratching of his back. 

 Begin it gently with the one hand, and as he 

 realises that this particular place that he has never 

 been able to get at himself, is actually going 

 to be scratched for him, as he had never 

 dreamed in his life to get it titillated, he will 

 bend down and give you his whole-souled 

 co-operation for just as long as you Hke to con- 

 tinue the contract. Get both hands on to the 

 job, and the harder you scratch the more 

 he will love it. 



The back scratch has an extraordinary effect 

 upon him. He will turn his head slowly to 

 one side, and then to the other. He will draw 

 down his head and his neck puUing them back, 

 with all the muscles taut, until he looks like a 

 Greek horse on the frieze of the Parthenon. 

 He wiU stretch his nose out and curl up his 

 lip, as though he were trying to ape an ele- 



34 



