HORSES 315 



It is admired mostly by those who deal with horses second- 

 hand. 



287. Training Horses. Because of the high esteem 

 in which the horse is held, we are likely to over-estimate 

 his intelligence. When we consider the matter without 

 sentiment, we must admit that the horse is a rather stupid 

 animal. The horse appears to have little affection for men 

 or other animals, and cares little for our admiration. 

 The dog will do almost anything to please his master, 

 and is always keenly appreciative of a word of commen- 

 dation. These emotions are of the greatest importance 

 in training dogs, but we must not expect them to have 

 much value in training horses. 



The horse seems to have very limited reason, much 

 more limited than that of a dog. On the other hand, 

 the horse has a remarkable memory. If a horse is con- 

 quered by ropes or straps, he does not seem to understand 

 that he could run away when these are removed. If he 

 is tripped with a rope at the same time that he feels the 

 pull on the bit, he seems to remember the fall ever after 

 and to associate it with a pull on the bit. 



Since a horse has such a good memory and so little 

 reason, we should use extreme care in training him so 

 that each step will go all right. A single runaway may be 

 remembered forever, and spoil the horse. We should, 

 therefore, take no chances, and should trust the horse 

 as little as possible. 



A horse should be trained to stand still while being 

 harnessed and hitched up, and until the word to start is 

 given. If this training is not given when the colt is first 

 used, it will be very hard to acquire later. 



