4 6 THEORY OF HORSE-CONTROL. 



As the teacher requires cheerful as well as implicit 

 obedience to his commands, he should be careful to 

 judiciously regulate their character and frequency, and to 

 reward the pupil for complying with them. 



In enforcing obedience, we should never employ a 

 general effect when a particular one would answer our 

 purpose, lest we might spoil the animal's pluck and " light- 

 heartedness." Thus, instead of Rareyfying a high-couraged 

 horse which had on previous occasions been made difficult 

 to mount by a bad rider prodding him in the side with his 

 toe when trying to get into the saddle ; it would be better 

 to attain our object by means of the rope- twitch (see page 

 118), or by the head and tail method (see page 155), so as to 

 prove to him that he need not in future fear being touched 

 by the toe when being mounted. In fact, we should regard 

 the application of irksome means of control as a necessary 

 evil to be employed as little as practicable. The method of 

 reducing a horse to discipline by getting on his back and 

 sticking on until he gallops or bucks himself to a standstill 

 is not scientific ; for no matter how plucky and adhesive the 

 rider may be, the terrified or vicious horse may unseat him 

 by running into some obstacle, falling down, or throwing 

 himself back when rearing, in which case he will probably 

 acquire the evil knowledge of his own strength, and will 

 consequently be much worse than he was before. Even if 

 the man gets the mastery ; the effect, to become permanent, 

 has to be repeated several times, and, in many instances, is 

 disregarded after a rest of a few days in the stable, or with 

 a different rider. This rough style of breaking is, of 

 course, good only as far as it goes, and has no claim to 

 teach the manners which make the horse, as well as they 

 do the man. 



