The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



men who handle, break, and train them are 

 some of the best horsemen in the world. The 

 filhes are similarly segregated in other pastm-es. 

 These men learn more about horse nature than 

 almost any others in the world, and the results 

 of their handling are to be seen in the universal 

 gentleness, confidence, good nature and perfect 

 amenabihty of both stalhons and mares, after 

 leaving their hands. The first thing these 

 men learn is absolute control of their own 

 tempers, and any man showing temper to a 

 horse under no matter what provocation is, 

 with the entire approval of his fellows, dis- 

 missed permanently as constitutionally un- 

 fitted for the business, and a source of danger 

 to his mates. This lack of control of their 

 tempers with horses is unfortunately the 

 common characteristic, rather than the 

 exception with the average English gTooms 

 and horsemen, and, in five minutes, thej^ often 

 do more harm to horses than they are able, 

 in six months, to repair. 



You know in what category your own groom 

 stands. If he is a man ever shoAving bad 

 temper with his animals, the fruits of all the 

 careful work you have accomphshed \^ith your 

 " wild " horse are liable to be lost. On the 

 other hand, your groom may be a man genuinely 

 fond of his charges, open to try new waj^s and 

 to see if there is anything of real value in them. 

 If he has been abroad and has kept his eyes 



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