152 ] Animal Friends and Helpers 



HORSEBACK RIDING 



A resident of a large city had a young daughter who regu- 

 larly "galloped' rather than walked along the street. This was a 

 real worry to her parents, as the girl had a heart condition which 

 ruled out strenuous activity. After many attempts to dissuade her, 

 her mother happened to ask why she galloped. Her daughter's 

 answer was a matter-of-fact "I'm riding my horse." Mother and 

 doctor then got together on the happy solution of providing 

 limited riding lessons which actually benefited the girl's health. 



When a boy or girl is given an opportunity to ride, an under- 

 standing of the background of the horse is genuinely valuable; 

 for some of the animal's qualities and reactions are easily trace- 

 able to its wild ancestors. When startled, a horse shies in the 

 way a wild horse would from a suddenly discovered enemy. The 

 wise rider, therefore, speaks in a confident and encouraging voice 

 to his shying horse instead of scolding or hitting him. 



When a horse lays his ears flat back, it is a warning that he is 

 angry. The ears may also be an indication of a horse's character. 

 The horse with ears drooped or turned back is likely to be 

 treacherous, whereas quick-moving ears are a sign of a particu- 

 larly sensitive nature. A good horse has ears pointed upward or 

 forward. He also has a broad space between the eyes, and his 

 head is high between the ears. 



A HORSE'S TEETH TELL ITS AGE 



The child who feeds a horse discovers that it is wise to 

 offer lumps of sugar in an open palm rather than grasped in his 

 finger tips. A horse can crop grass even more closely than a cow, 

 thanks to his large incisor teeth. These teeth might easily nip 

 the fingers with the sugar. 



It is by these incisors that an experienced horseman can esti- 

 mate the age of a horse. As the teeth develop, annual growth rings 

 are formed in them. (The effect is somewhat like that of growth 

 rings in a tree trunk.) As the teeth wear with age, these rings 

 become clearly visible. The time-honored warning not to look a 

 gift horse in the mouth is based on this revelation of the animal's 

 age by the state of its teeth. 



