304 RIDING FOR LADIES. 



The next day we had another and worse scene to go 

 through ; the evil spirit was not altogether gone out of the 

 horse, as events very soon showed us. We had to resort to 

 the same strapping-up process, and when he was on his 

 knees he actually fought with us till he turned over ; but I 

 encouraged him to get up again (in the same cramped 

 position, of course), and to make a second fight — treating 

 him with steady firmness, and never giving in for a moment, 

 but striving all the time to quiet him and make him lie 

 down. He did so at length — from sheer exhaustion, T 

 believe — for his obstinacy and violence had lasted over an 

 hour, and I and my patience were alike almost worn out. 

 When he was down I scraped the sweat from him with a 

 scraper, gave him water and lettuce, went over every inch 

 of his body with a wisp, and made my assistant pretend to 

 shoe him, by lifting each of his feet and tapping them 

 gently with a hammer. Finally I showed him a saddle and 

 bridle, laid them under his nose, and stroked him with 

 them — and ended by actually putting them on him with 

 scarcely any difficulty at all. Then I shut myself alone 

 with him in the shed, and fed, petted, and talked to him 

 unceasingly for upwards of an hour, until all the untract- 

 ableness had seemingly gone out of his disposition. His 

 poor wild, bloodshot eyes grew calm and placid, and he 

 actually rubbed his nose at last against my hand. I am 

 certain that I shall be accounted a terrible fool, but I 



greatest of riders, trainers, and authorities, tried it with success in his 

 own training-stables, and subsequently (some five or six years ago) 

 taught it to me at Athgarvan Lodge, Curragh. 



