WILD AND TAME HORSES COMPARED. 25 



a wild horse and a tame one are, we believe, not very 

 clearly understood. It is generally conceived that in the 

 difficulty of adhering, technically termed sticking to the 

 back of a horse, there exist three degrees of comparison, 

 namely : 



1. That it is rather difficult to ride a horse that has 

 been broken in. 



2. That it is exceedingly difficult to ride one that has 

 been petted, patted, bitted, lounged, but not mounted. 



3. That it must be almost impossible to mount and ride 

 a wild horse just caught, that has never been touched 

 by a human hand. 



We will, however, humbly venture to assert that, in 

 certain instances, the three steps of this little ladder 

 might be reversed. 



1. In a state of nature the horse is such a zealous 

 advocate of our popular principle of " self-government," 

 he is so desirous to maintain his "independence," that 

 although he will allow almost any quadruped, even wolves 

 and lions, to approach within a certain distance, yet the 

 moment he sees a man, though on horseback, he instinct- 

 ively turns his tail towards him, and, when followed, 

 gallops away. 



If, consequently, by the triumph of reason over instinct 

 he be caught, or rather by the lasso tumbled head over 



