INTELLIGENCE OF THE HORSE. 



result of this hard-earned experience, the pre- 

 liminary tying up of the fore-leg. But after 

 havinof even once been twitched in the usual 



o 



way, a horse will, as a rule, ''fight" the moment 

 his muzzle is touched. In the first case, owing 

 to the more distant connection, the animal is 

 unable to associate the idea of the irksome com- 

 pulsion employed to make him lie down, with 

 that of tying up his leg ; apparently to us an 

 extremely simple mental effort. In the second 

 instance, the action of the muscles, on the hand 

 touching the muzzle, would seem almost entirely 

 instinctive. 



The useful intelligence of the horse undoubtedly 

 depends on the retentiveness of his memory, upon 

 which we should work in educating him to be- 

 come our faithful servant. If, however, we neglect 

 the cultivation of this his chief mental gift, and 

 try to gain our end by stimulating other and 

 weaker qualities of his mind, we shall run a 

 serious risk of spoiling his disposition. It has 



