HOW THE HORSE LEARN&! 03 



Biting is soon learnt by the horse who feels 

 tickling behind the second bone of the shoulder, 

 in the flanks, or on the front and interior part of 

 the haunches. The liorse is touched bv the man 



« 



who grooms liim and wlio usually takes amusement 

 in exciting the horse by rubbing him in the part 

 where he feels the tickling irritation; the horse na- 

 turally revolts, and, by threatening to bite, seeks 

 to reply, in order to put an end to the excitement 

 to which he is being subjected. The man excites 

 him more instead of ceasing to do so and then the 

 horse bites. The man shows liimself to be intimi- 

 dated bv this and ceases to touch him and Avitli- 

 draws, and the horse has learnt that by biting he 

 causes the annoyance of tickling inflicted on him 

 bv the man to cease. These thini»s were not invcn- 

 ted l)v tlie horse but were learnt bv him because 

 the man Avho had cliarge of him taught them to 

 him bv bad associations unfavourable to himself. 

 Biting is learnt still more easily if tlie man in 

 charge punches or kicks the horse in the belly, and 

 if in putting on the- saddle instead of pulling the 

 girth straps gradually he tightens them by jerking 



