36 THEORY OF HORSE-CONTROL. 



to make the animal perfectly steady to mount, so long 

 as he stood on the bank of the river and in a position 

 similar to that from which he had had his tumble, but he 

 was just as difficult as ever to mount anywhere else. It is 

 evident that any such method to be perfect should be 

 of universal, and not of local, application. No doubt this 

 unruly horse would, by many, be deemed a nervous creature 

 and a worthy recipient of a large amount of kindness and 

 petting. I may state that probably the most effective 

 means of applying the principle of association of ideas to 

 the breaking of vicious horses, is one by which the animal 

 arrives at the right conclusion from wrong premises, as with 

 the rope-twitch (see page 324), when making a horse 

 steady to mount. Evidently mistaking the cause of the pain 

 inflicted on him, he connects the idea of punishment with the 

 word " steady," and not with the application of the rope. 

 Were he able to argue rightly on this subject, he would re- 

 main quiet only when the twitch was on, and would entirely 

 disregard the verbal admonition, for which he entertains 

 marked respect. 



If a horse does not understand our signals, and we 

 continue to force them on him, he will, as a rule, become 

 impatient, violent or stubborn. In the horse world, we hear 

 every day the remark that a horse knows when he has a 

 timid rider on his back. My opinion, after long and careful 

 investigation, is that the animal draws no conclusion what- 

 soever as to the state of mind of the man in the saddle ; but 

 that any unaccustomed " defence " which he may make in 

 such a case is due to his becoming confused by the ill- 

 regulated signals which the rider gives him. Although the 

 unhappy man may be entirely unaware that he is transmit- 

 ting these signals ; it is impossible for him to avoid doing 

 so, if he makes the slightest movement with hand, leg, or 

 body. Every such movement is made by the accomplished 



