PUNISHMENT. 37 



horseman with the purpose of giving a definite and easily 

 understood signal to his mount. 



A horse's respect for signals which he understands, is 

 well proved by the fact that many horses which are 

 habitually " difficult " with ordinary riders, will obey with 

 steadiness and precision the behests of a capable horseman. 

 I have known horses which, after they left their breaker, 

 became almost unrideable by the majority of people from 

 having been " spoiled " by bad management ; and yet 

 whenever their breaker happened to ride them again, they 

 appeared almost instantly to forget their lately-acquired 

 tricks, and comported themselves as sedately as they had 

 previously done with him. 



PUNISHMENT AND REWARD 



Are the two great means by which we can establish, for 

 purposes of education, the required association of ideas 

 in the mind of the horse, whose affection for us and 

 whose love of our admiration are, as I have already said, 

 too slight to be profitably utilised. Punishment is far 

 more effective than reward, which, I regretfully feel com- 

 pelled to say, might be altogether laid aside without any 

 appreciable interference with the progress of a horse's 

 instruction. I make this statement from practical experi- 

 ence, and not from sentimental considerations, with which 

 I have at present no concern. In deference to long-estab- 

 lished stable usage, I here employ the expression " punish- 

 ment " for the infliction of pain, independently of its ob- 

 ject. Thus, a race-horse is often said to run gamely under 

 punishment, which in that case means the application of 

 whip, or spurs, or of both, as a stimulus to increased exer- 

 tion. We should bear in mind that humanity, as well 

 as self-interest, enacts that the breaker is justified in 



