2o6 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



trainer's troubles. Literature on the subject is some- 

 what uncommon, though most authors touch upon 

 it. Quite recently, however, Count Eugenio Marti- 

 nengo Cesaresco has written a volume insisting on 

 mind-development for horses if we wish to get full 

 value out of the machine, and he has lately written 

 to me to say that the eminent authority Professor 

 Hobday approves of his psychology. 



In his book, the author takes a low view of the 

 horse's mental capacity ; he writes : — " We have 

 learnt the reason why the thunder is caused by 

 lightning, but the horse cannot attain this. He stops 



at mere association and erroneously thinks 



that two things, however associated, one is the cause 

 of the other (sic) although it is not." The caliber 

 of the horse's mind, he says, must be carefully taken 

 into account in administering both punishments and 

 favors, and he quotes the following ancient fable 

 as an instance of wrong association of a favor. A 

 dog bit a man, and the man gave him bread in the 

 hope that the dog would bite him no more. The re- 

 sult was that the dog went about biting people when 

 he was hungry, because he had obtained bread by 

 that means before. As an example of wrong asso- 



