THE-:- HORSE 



blows, in such a case, they only inspire them 

 with greater terror; for they imagine, when 

 they suffer any pain at such a time, that what 

 they look upon with alarm is in some way the 

 cause of it." 



Some years ago, near Lake Tahoe, I rode a 

 horse toward Taylor Creek. My objective 

 was on the other side of the stream. About 

 two or three hundred feet from the bridge 

 my horse began to shy and at first refused to 

 go closer. The melting snow of spring was 

 no great inducement to me to try and swim 

 the river, although it was necessary for me to 

 get to the other side. The horse I rode was an 

 inveterate shyer. I was in a hurry so I used 

 the following expedient. Quite a distance 

 from the bridge I started the horse toward 

 it, hoping that the force of his momentum 

 would carry him well into the shying zone 

 before he could succeed in stopping his for- 

 ward movement. If a horse can be induced, 

 by subterfuge or otherwise, to arrive in the 

 middle of a place of which he is afraid, he 

 will undoubtedly shy, but he will be willing 

 to shy in almost any direction so that only a 

 little persuasion from the rider will deter- 

 mine the direction. In this instance my 

 horse so handled his legs that he stopped on 

 the outskirts of his shying zone in such an 

 able manner that he nearly precipitated me 

 over his head. I resorted then to the next 



64 



