566 The Book of the HoRi,E. 



must be made as fast as the near-leg, and a pair of hobbles with ropes buckled to the hind- 

 legs. After allowing time enough to recover his wind, if he is a very violent or vicious 

 animal, encourage him to get on his knees and make a second fight. It will often be more 

 fierce than the first. 



When he lies down for the second or third time, thoroughly exhausted, the moment has 

 arrived for doing to him all that he has hitherto resisted or resented. Smooth his ears, rub 

 his legs, scrape the sweat off him gently with a scraper, rub him down with a wisp or brush, 

 give him a drink of water, then go over him again as if you were a shampooer at a Turkish 

 bath. If he has been in the habit of resisting bridling, saddling, or shoeing, now is the 

 time for going through the form of all those operations, and particularly the last, by tapping 

 every foot with a hammer. 



Then take off all the straps, repeat the shampooing process, draw his fore-legs out, and 

 encourage him to rise. When he has risen, make much of him, mount him, and ride him 

 about the yard or school, or harness him. If he shows, at any moment, the least inclination to 

 resist, cry "Wo, ho!" in a firm voice, and, if needful, proceed to again strap up a leg, but 

 never resist anything he attempts — for instance, if he attempts to rise — unless you are certain 

 to overcome him. Let him rise and begin again. 



The strapping up and laying down system is founded on the principle of inducing 

 the violent horse to exhaust himself without hurting you, and of making him believe that 

 it is you who, by your superior strength, have conquered, and will always be able to 

 conquer him. 



Under this " system " all the indications of the man's will are so direct that the horse 

 must understand them. He is placed in such a position, and under such restraint, that he 

 cannot resist anything the horsebreaker chooses to do, who caresses him when he submits, 

 and chides him when he attempts to resist ; resist strapped up he cannot, and thus, if needful, 

 by repeated lessons persuades the animal that resistance is perfectly useless. 



The most frequent occasion for the employment of the extreme discipline of Rarey's 

 plan will be found with horses which, in consequence of some early fright or cruelty, resist 

 being shod. In such cases farriers often inflict exquisite pain by putting a twitch on nose 

 and ears. Even then the operation is generally performed with danger alike to the smith 

 and the animal. 



In nine cases out of ten, when a horse has by the strapping method been taught that 

 resistance is useless, and that shoeing will not hurt it, it will in a few days submit to the smith's 

 hands with perfect docility. 



The only danger of injuring the horse Rareyfied occurs where the knees have been in- 

 sufficiently protected by proper caps, and the floor of the place has been too hard ; it can 

 scarcely be too soft. 



One of the curious results of the Rareyfying of strapping up and laying down is, that 

 after being duly shampooed or mesmerised, the moment he rises he seems to have contracted 

 a personal affection for the operator. 



A remarkable example of this fact occurred to myself. To satisfy an incredulous Devon- 

 shire farmer, I undertook to Rarcyfy an unbroken pony that had run wild on the moors 

 from the day it was foaled, and which took the exertions of two mounted men and half a 

 dozen footmen to drive into a fold-yard. " Fat, and scant of breath," I was a bad performer, 

 but under half an hour the grass-fed filly was down, up, saddled, and ridden round a paddock 

 by my host, a shepherd leading it. The next morning, when we came up to the gate of 



