TRAINING THE HORSE. 93 



your horse shies at a covered wagon, or a bicycle, 

 a white dog, or anything that excites his fright and 

 causes him to shy, do not wait until he gets by and 

 then up and whip him for the next fifteen minutes, 

 but when he first discovers it. Take the lines in the 

 left hand and the whip in the right, and when he makes 

 his first shy give him a sharp crack of the whip, at 

 the same time saying, "Take care, sir; what do you 

 mean ?" Don't talk as though you were half asleep, 

 but as if you meant just what you said. Keep both 

 eyes open, and don't hit him as though you were try- 

 ing only to kill a fly on his back. Never strike a blow 

 with the whip unless the voice accompanies it. The 

 word and blow should go together. 



TALK TO YOUR HORSES. 



One failing the American horse-owners have is, 

 they do not talk to their horses enough. If a horse 

 starts to run, you will stay in the carriage and not 

 open your mouth, but sit pulling on the reins. You 

 should speak to the horse, and if he is afraid of any- 

 thing, tell him to "Take care," etc.; "it is not going 

 to hurt you." At the same time crack the whip to 

 draw his attention. As a horse cannot think of two 

 things at once, the consistency of this is of course 

 apparent. 



HOW TO MOUNT A COLT. 



In mounting a wild colt, place the bridle on his 

 head (I generally use a Eureka bridle at the same 

 time) ; then put on a surcingle around his belly. Be- 

 fore mounting this colt, take first his tail in your right 

 hand and in your left hand hold the bridle line. Now 

 whirl him around you for about a dozen times. Then 

 let go of the tail, say "whoa," and jump on his 



