WHYTE MELVILLE. 421 



those honest pleading looks which will make the 

 confidence of a dumb creature so touching ; and before 

 a roller has been put on his back, or a snaffle in his 

 mouth, he should be convinced that everything you do 

 to him is right, and that it is impossible for you, his 

 best friend, to cause him the least uneasiness or harm. 



" I once owned a mare that would push her nose 

 into my pockets in search of bread and sugar, would 

 lick my face and hands like a dog, or suffer me to 

 cling to any part of her limbs and body while she 

 stood perfectly motionless. On one occasion, when I 

 hung up in the stirrup after a fall, she never stirred on 

 rising, till by a succession of laborious and ludicrous 

 efforts I could swing myself back into the saddle, with 

 my foot still fast, though hounds were running 

 hard, and she loved hunting dearly in her heart. As a 

 friend remarked at the time, ' The little mare seems 

 very fond of you, or there might have been a bother ' ! 

 Now this affection was but the result of petting, sugar, 

 kind and encouraging words, particularly at her fences, 

 and a rigid abstinence from abuse of the bridle and 

 the spur." 



Many animal lovers, especially those who have had 

 no personal experience in studying the peculiarities 

 of our dumb servants, consider that all horses behave 

 well if kindly treated. This belief has a certain 

 foundation in fact, in the case of amiable animals 

 which appreciate good usage. There are, however, 

 many horses, especially among the half-bred hackney 

 class of riding animal, possessed of bitter obstinacy 



