TEACHING HORSES TRICKS. 117 



TO SHAKE HANDS. 



Tie a short strap, or piece of cord, to the forward 

 foot, below the fetlock. Stand directly before the 

 horse, holding the end of this strap or cord in your 

 hand; then say, "Shake hands, sir," and immediately 

 after commanding him to do so, pull upon the strap, 

 which will bring his foot forward, and which you 

 are to accept as shaking hands, thanking him for 

 it by caressing and feeding, and so repeat until, when 

 you make the demand, he will bring the foot forward 

 in anticipation of having it pulled. This is a very easy 

 trick to teach a horse. By a little practice a horse 

 maybe easily trained to approach, make a bow, shake 

 hands, and follow like a dog, lie down, sit up, etc., 

 which make him appear both polite and intelligent. 



Never lose courage or confidence in your ability 

 because you may not bring about good results easily. 

 To accomplish anything of importance, remember, re- 

 quires no ordinary resolution and perseverance. There 

 would be no credit or importance attached to master- 

 ing and managing bad horses, if not difficult and ap- 

 parently dangerous. No duty requires more firmness 

 of purpose in the control of the passions, or more 

 fidelity to the principles of kindness and truth, than 

 that of horsemanship. 



If you would be really a successful horseman, you 

 must never seem to forget by your conduct that you 

 are a man, and that your real superiority over the ani- 

 mal consists in the prudent exercise of your reasoning 

 powers. Brute force is not your forte, and the instant 

 you give way to passion, your reason must yield to 

 the control of blind instinct, and you at once abdicate 

 your intellectual superiority over the animal. Try to 

 prove by the example of your actions in the perform- 



