The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



riding lad, taken by surprise, is nearly dismounted. 

 Recovers himself with difficulty. Has lost his 

 temper, swears at horse and hits him across the 

 head again and again. Saws at his mouth and 

 pulls him up. To that wretched animal every black- 

 bird is followed by a beating. Every blackbird 

 becomes a potential lion, and the horse a confirmed 

 shyer.) 



What to do ? Turn him to the place where 

 the blackbird came out — he has got his eye on 

 it — and jeer at and mock him. A horse knows 

 all about being ridiculed and just hates it. 

 Tell him what a double-dyed idiot he has been. 

 It isn't true — like the other illusions you 

 practise on him — but he will beUeve you. You 

 haven't hit him, and obviously there is nothing 

 to fear on that score, so that when the next 

 blackbird comes out he won't shy so far, for 

 his Ughtning-Hke brain will remember the way 

 you chaffed him. Jeer at him again every- 

 time a blackbird comes out, or whenever he 

 shies at anything else. He will soon connect 

 the jeering with the shying and will drop it ; 

 nothing is hurting him, and he hates being 

 mocked. 



Always talk to your horse. Direct him by 

 the voice as much as by the pull on the rein. 

 The horse loves your voice and learns to attend 

 to it in a remarkable way. Thus, when you 

 want him to increase his pace, say to him 

 successively " walk," " trot," " canter," 



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