TRAINING 51 



horse that is allowed to hang his head and look dejected 

 soon begins to feel so, and hates his work : to produce 

 such a feeling is a thousand times more cruel than to 

 make proper use of the spurs and bit, which may 

 perhaps irritate the horse at first, but which eventually 

 teach him to balance himself and so to do his work 

 "with the least effort and fatigue. 



The essence of the success we desire is to be found 

 in tact, that is, the application in the right place and 

 at the right moment of the minimum amount of force 

 necessary to attain our object. No two horses are 

 alike ; the rider should make a special study of every 

 horse he rides, and by combining the effects of hands, 

 legs, and seat, he should secure that invisible control 

 which marks a fine horseman. Talking to a horse has 

 also its value, and though a horse cannot always 

 understand the meaning of words, he does catch the 

 feeling which the tone of the rider's voice indicates ; 

 a man who wishes to make a friend of his horse should 

 talk much to him in a low deep tone of voice, and allow 

 him to smell his clothes, an old coat being kept especially 

 for the stables so that it will not matter even if the 

 horse takes hold of it with his teeth. To get on good 

 terms with one's horse it is better to stroke him lightly 

 with the fingers than to pat him, and horses especially 

 appreciate having the eyes and the poll of the head 

 gently rubbed. 



When the trainer has gained the horse's confidence 

 by proper treatment in the stable, he should see that 

 the saddle fits all right, and that the bit suits before 

 taking him out ; he must then consider the best way of 

 getting on his back. According to Mr. FilHs, the 

 proper way to mount a horse is to hold the reins in the 

 left hand, and to catch hold of the mane half-way up 



