44 THEORY OF HORSE-CONTROL. 



153), is out of all proportion small compared to the amount 

 of control obtained. One of the best examples of the fact 

 that it is the feeling of powerlessness to rebel, and not the 

 sensation of fatigue, which compels obedience by these 

 methods, is furnished by the experiment of making a 

 violent horse, like an Australian buckjumper, quiet to 

 mount by tying him head and tail (see page 328) ; the 

 effect produced being striking ; the feeling of helplessness 

 evident ; and the amount of fatigue small. 



At the same time, we must not forget that the effect 

 of exercise is very useful in making a horse which is full 

 of spirits and " beans," attend to the work we give him 

 to do. 



NECESSITY FOR EXACTING IMPLICIT OBEDIENCE FROM THE 



HORSE. 



As the horse takes little, if any, delight in obeying the 

 orders of man, who is his physical inferior, it is not suffi- 

 cient for him to clearly understand them ; but he must 

 be made, if possible, to believe from the commencement of 

 his instruction that he cannot resist them. The con- 

 venience and safety of the rider or driver may often require 

 that the horse, in yielding himself absolutely to the guidance 

 of man, shall perform actions which are opposed to the 

 promptings of his instincts, particularly that of self- 

 preservation. The system of trying to induce a horse to 

 obey merely by humouring and petting him is altogether 

 wrong from a practical point of view ; for the horse being 

 a selfish animal as far as we are concerned, can, under 

 such circumstances, be made compliant to our wishes 

 only when they tally with his own. 



While fully admiring the kindness of heart of those 

 enthusiasts who regard a horse as a friend to be won by 

 affection, I must say that the better plan for making him 



