OBEYING WITHOUT REINS. 347 



by drawing his head round to, say, the near side, with the 

 rein, while standing alongside the off shoulder. The horse 

 will now easily learn to lie down, on receiving a signal to 

 do so, as for instance by bringing his head round. It is 

 well to conduct these lessons on a soft piece of ground with 

 plenty of litter on it, so as to afford the animal an induce- 

 ment to lie down. Colonel Salkeld, of the 2nd Bengal 

 Cavalry, has suggested to me the advisability of giving this 

 instruction to army horses, when ordered, after parade, at 

 a time when they are more or less tired. 



Having taught the horse to lie down in the foregoing 

 way, we shall have little difficulty in making him do so by 

 touching his fore legs with a whip. With this signal we 

 may teach him to kneel down on either fore leg, or on both 

 fore legs, and, while in the latter position, to place his face 

 on the ground. We may also teach him to sit up on his 

 haunches like a dog. 



In circuses, horses are generally taught to lie down and 

 to kneel down by means of the whip. To do this we may 

 first of all teach the animal, as in " begging " (see page 

 342), to hold up either fore leg on its being touched with 

 a whip, then strap up one leg, and make him hold up the 

 other, and thus come down on his knees. Or we may 

 pull his fore legs from under him (a la Norton Smith, see 

 page 160), one after another, while giving him the signal 

 with the whip. 



OBEYING WITHOUT REINS. 



Mr. Rockwell, the American horse-tamer, instructed 

 three horses so well, that he was able to drive them to- 

 gether in a trap, and make them moderate their speed, 

 turn, stop, and go on, in perfect obedience, by signals 

 without reins. " Professor " Sample used to drive 



