XVIII 



THE HORSE'S MIND 



" Therefore cultivate his intellect — I use the word advisedly — even 

 before you enter on the development of his physical powers." 



Whyte Melville. 



XT would be out of place here to discuss the com- 

 parative intellectual capacity of our domesti- 

 cated animals, or to try to explain, as scientists do, 

 that in the struggle for existence some races of wild 

 animals develop higher mental powers than others, 

 cither in pursuit of their prey or in evading the at- 

 tacks of their enemies. Before, however, condemn- 

 ing our horses as less intelligent than our dogs, we 

 should remember that the former spend many hours 

 out of the twenty-four tied up in front of a wall, a 

 state of affairs which is not conducive to the develop- 

 ment of the brain. 



Horses are not bred for brains, and authorities 

 are not in agreement as to the extent to which they 

 possess them, some even going so far as to say that 

 any attempt at mental development may add to the 



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