58 TAMING HORSES. 



general ; these general rules, however, are liable to 

 some few exceptions. I have had horses that did 

 not appear to belong to any one of the three kinds 

 mentioned. I look upon them as exceptions. 

 Among these, are horses that toss up their heads 

 the very minute you touch them, and will not let 

 you put your hand upon them. The first of these 

 I met with gave me so much trouble, that I thought 

 it would be impossible to break him. I tried to 

 touch him upon the forehead, as the true standard, 

 but could not. I therefore declared him to be an 

 anomaly, and determined to decline him in some 

 other way. I therefore endeavored to touch him 

 upon the neck, which I succeeded in doing in less 

 than five minutes. I proceeded on in handling 

 him, as I did other horses. After having lifted up 

 his feet, and handled him every w^here except 

 about his head, I succeeded in gentling that part. 

 He always remained gentle, and not in the least 

 skittish about that part. To succeed in handling 

 his head, I was obliged to begin at that part of the 

 neck nighest to the ears, and continue on to them, 

 and then to the upper part of his forehead, between 

 his eyes ; and so descend to his nose, in the same 

 progressive manner as I ascend in other horses. 1 

 had tried every possible means to begin at that 

 part, but found it utterly out of my power. 



Another exception to the general rule, are those 



