RIDING AND TRAINING. 55 



would improve its speed, because the exercises 

 should strengthen and make pliant the joints and 

 muscles ; and I have never found that my horses 

 showed any disinclination to extend themselves, 

 although I have never made any tests that would 

 authorise me to say that they could gallop faster by 

 reason of their training. I am convinced, however, 

 from my experiences, that a horse jumps much more 

 strongly and safely after a course of general schooling 

 than before it has been suppled. 



It is easier to train a horse properly than to train 

 it improperly if an improper course of handling 

 may be called training. There are no struggles 

 for mastery, no efforts of the frightened animal to 

 break away from a harsh hand, no resentments to 

 be overcome, no suspicions to be allayed. It is all 

 pleasant, easy, and amusing, both to master and to 

 pupil. The time required to school a horse would 

 depend upon the animal and, to a greater degree, 

 upon the man. I think that by any of the recognised 

 systems, a horse should be perfectly suppled, and 

 made obedient to hand and heel, in the time that 

 the ' breaker ' would make the same horse ' steady 

 to ride ! ' The fact that a * system ' was- employed 

 in the first instance would account for the greater 

 improvement. And what a difference there would 

 be between horses trained by the two methods ! 



