RIDIXG OX THE EOAD. 59 



cause he has bad shoulders ; and nearly certainly 

 when he tumbles down has bad shoulders. Stumbling 

 cannot be cured and cannot be prevented very well. 



With regard to the other fault, that of shying 

 or refusing to pass anything, it also arises from one 

 of two causes : temper combined with stupidity, or 

 else inexperience combined with timidity. 



A bad-tem]Dered, intelligent horse is not likely 

 to shy, while a timid horse will pass most things 

 when he is used to them, and a bold horse will pass 

 things when he is not used to them. 



Usually horses are made worse by the methods 

 adopted to make them pass anything. Their head is 

 turned to it, and they are flogged or forced up to it ; 

 and very often when they have gone past it they 

 are turned round and ridden past it again. All 

 these modes of proceeding are quite wrong ; and it is 

 also quite wrong to make a fuss over them and pet 

 them, to induce them to go by a thing. 



If you are proceeding along a road and your horse 

 is frightened at an object that is, stationary you should 

 do nothing at all, but let him go past it in any way 

 and at any pace he likes; but you should speak 

 roughly to him, to take off his attention and show 

 him that you do not approve of his behaviour. The 

 object you should endeavour to impress on him is, 

 that it is necessary to proceed on his way, but how 

 or in what manner he gets past the object is a matter 

 of total indifference to you as long as he does get 



