THE NAPPY HORSE, OR JIBBER 91 



I was rather amused when the gypsy lad informed 

 me that his father could do anything with a nappy 

 horse, and I remarked that he certainly could, but 

 apparently to no good end. 



" How is it," I asked, " that when the horse stands 

 still you pet and caress him, and when he attempts to 

 move forward you thrash him ? It is only natural that 

 he prefers to stand still and receive the caresses instead 

 of the thrashing/' 



The lad looked bewildered, but was apparently afraid 

 to tell his father, who was reciting " The Wreck of the 

 Hesperus " to the horse in about thirteen different 

 languages. 



After studying all these methods for jibbers used by 

 many horsemen I have never heard or seen of any cure 

 resulting from them. 



It is usually bad drivers who make horses nappy or 

 jibbers. This is especially the case when dealing with 

 a spirited youngster who, when he jumps forward, 

 receives a jerk in the mouth, and when he backs receives 

 the whip, and in his confusion he stands still or prances 

 up and down. Jibbing is a confused, inactive, and 

 almost insensible condition of the mind. The whip 

 fixes his mind, confuses him, and makes him all the 

 more insensible to his surroundings. 



