896 AGRICULTURE AND THE HORSE. 



have seen many a colt, especially when he was the "one 

 ewe lamb," so petted, that he was more like a house-dog 

 than any thing else. He had become so much the inti- 

 mate companion of the family, that, as he grew up, he 

 forgot to be in any way the servant. An appeal to his 

 progressive faculties, which are the dominant faculties 

 of a horse, was received with a sort of blank astonish- 

 ment, instead of as a signal for more vigorous exertion. 

 He had lost all that courage and independence which 

 Yirgil saw and admired when he spoke of his "leading 

 the way," and " braving the torrent," and daring " the 

 unknown arch that spans the waves." You may sup- 

 pose that a good gait and strong powers of endurance 

 are not to be destroyed in any such way as this ; but I 

 assure you, that, while they may possibly remain, the 

 knowledge how to use them may be lost. Every expe- 

 rienced man knows that a horse will be one thing in 

 the hands of one driver, and another thing in the hands 

 of another. Hiram Woodruff could give new strength 

 to the Roan the instant he took the reins ; and Dexter 

 and Ripton were inspired with new energy by his touch. 

 My trusty and unyielding favorite, Jim, is a handful 

 when I am behind him ; a quiet lounger when Michael 

 has him in hand. " Now, what shall we say to all this? 

 Why, that a horse knows what he is doing, and whom 

 he is dealing with ; and that, having learned his lesson, 

 it becomes as much a part of him as his second nature. 

 If, therefore, you want a horse, let the colt retain, in his 

 full vigor, the fire that warms his blood. You must not 



