44 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



great assistance in checking her horse when he 

 becomes frightened and tries to break away ; 

 for he will stop instinctively when he hears the 

 familiar order given in the voice to which he is 

 accustomed. 



A lady should not fail to visit her horse's 

 stable from time to time, in order to assure her- 

 self that he is well treated and properly cared 

 for by the groom. Viciousness and restlessness 

 on the road can often be traced to annoyances 

 and ill-treatment in the stable. Grooms and 

 stable boys sometimes like to see the horse kick 

 out and attempt to bite, and will while away 

 their idle hours in harassing him, tickling his 

 ears with straws, or touching him up with the 

 whip in order to make him prance and strike 

 out. The result of these annoyances will be 

 that, if the lady during her ride accidentally 

 touches her horse with the whip, he will begin 

 prancing and kicking ; or, if it is summer time, 

 the gnats and flies swarming about his ears 

 will make him unmanageable. In the latter 

 case, ear-tips will only make the matter worse, 

 especially if they have dangling tassels. When 

 such signs of nervousness are noticeable, espe- 

 cially in a horse that has been hitherto gentle, 

 they may usually be attributed to the treatment 

 of the groom or his assistants. 



