1 66 HANDS, VOICE, WHIP AND SPUR. 



remains that a good understanding between herself 

 and her mount is better established by the voice than 

 by any other means. With a little vocal training any 

 ordinary horse, when going fast, will pull up more 

 promptly and with greater ease to his mouth and 

 hocks, by a pleasantly uttered " whoa," than by the 

 action of hands and reins. Young horses, like fox- 

 hound puppies which are taken out for the first time, 

 show great reluctance to pass moving objects ; but if 

 the rider speaks encouragingly to her mount in a tone 

 of voice that means he must go on, he will try his best 

 to obey her, although his attention may be divided 

 betwixt fear and duty. As a reward, his rider should 

 give him a few pats on the neck and speak encourag- 

 ingly to him, and she will doubtless find that he will 

 make a bolder effort to obey her voice when he 

 again finds himself confronted with a similar difficulty ; 

 because he will associate his first escape from apparent 

 disaster with her voice, and will in time have such 

 confidence in her guidance that a word from her 

 will be quite sufficient to assure him that all is well. 

 When riding bad horses at my husband's breaking- 

 classes abroad, I found it best not to speak to them ; 

 for a bond of friendship had not been established 

 between us, and I noticed that the sound of my voice 

 often stirred up their angry passions by reminding 

 them, I suppose, of some former rider who had scolded 

 them while ill-treating them. It was unsafe even to 

 pat and try to be friendly with such spoiled horses. I 

 remember a very violent animal in Pretoria which 



