IMITATION. 17 



particularly inoffensive charger who never did anything 

 wrong for the three years I had him, until one day he got 

 bitten by the horse of a friend of mine who had come out 

 for a ride with me. As I had both hands on the reins, 

 and as the two animals were side by side, my horse was not 

 able to return the assault for the time being. After the 

 lapse of about an hour, during which time I had forgotten 

 all about the " nip " received by my mount, something or 

 the other obliged me to take the lead, when, just as I was 

 drawing clear, my horse kicked the other animal most 

 viciously and hurt him severely. I continued to own this 

 horse for about two years after that ; but on no subsequent 

 occasion did he show the slightest tendency to use his heels 

 against either man or horse. 



The instinct of gregariousness in the horse, namely, that 

 which prompts him to herd with his fellows, causes him to 

 share the feelings of his companions, and is closely con- 

 nected with the instinct of imitation. He often copies his 

 mates in rearing and in other forms of " playing up," as 

 well as in the familiar stable vices of crib-biting, wind- 

 sucking, and weaving. We may often notice, when riding 

 in company, that if one horse, the leader as a rule, starts at 

 some object, which is frequently so trivial as to escape our 

 notice, that the others will follow suit with such quickness 

 that we might almost suppose that there was some kind of 

 electrical communication between them ; the fact, however, 

 being that their thoughts are chiefly devoted to watching 

 the movements of those in front of them. 



As the horse is a gregarious animal, the breaker will be 

 able to engage his attentions far better when he has him 

 alone in a riding-school, for instance than when other 

 horses are present. The teacher may utilise the imitative 

 instinct by giving a " reluctant " one a lead over a fence, or 

 by placing an unruly pupil alongside a steady break-horse. 



