VICIOUS WHILE CLEANING. 381 



without some one holding his head ; and no sooner did 

 the servant quit the reins, than he plunged and leaped 

 about in all directions. However, I refrained from flogging 

 or spurring him, but patted him on the neck until he be- 

 came quiet. I overcame this by making the groom hold his 

 head, while I mounted and dismounted a dozen or more 

 times successively. After repeating this once or twice a day 

 for upwards of a week, I then led him out to a broad 

 garden walk, and commenced by patting him on the neck 

 and shoulder, and then putting my foot in the stirrup, 

 quickly mounted him. When seated, I gently walked him 

 about, soothing and speaking kindly to him all the while ; 

 and then dismounted, and led him about for a few minutes, 

 and again mounted many times, which he became quite 

 reconciled to. This I repeated several times daily for about 

 a week, but never rode him out of the grounds during this 

 time. At last he became so tractable by kind treatment 

 that he never afterwards was troublesome to mount. I 

 sometimes rewarded him with a handful of oats while pur- 

 suing this treatment. When a horse has such a propensity, 

 he should be mounted quickly and without fear, and not 

 allowed to proceed on his journey until he is perfectly 

 quiet. Instances are not few where horses that are generally 

 pleasant and easy to mount, become restiff when too high 

 fed and having too little work. The remedy for this is 

 obvious. But when animals continue to manifest this vice, 

 they should be sold. 



VICIOUS WHILE CLEANING. 



Very great difierence exists in the temper exhibited by 

 horses under the operation of cleaning. Some tliat are 

 steady and quiet on the road and in the field, cannot be 

 cleaned without great hazard to their grooms, as well as the 



