TRICK HORSES AND THEIR TRAINING. 39 



hind parts. Having selected your animal, take a pin in your 

 right hand, prick the near hind leg with it and say, ^ Kick with the 

 left foot J- the animal soon learns to obey. Then proceed with 

 the opposite leg in the same manner. After the horse will kick, 

 with either foot, by a motion of the hand without pricking him 

 you will stand oflf a short distance, with a long whip in your 

 hand j touch the near hind foot and say, ^ Kick with the left foot j' 

 then proceed in the same manner with the right foot. By pro- 

 ceeding thus once a day the animal will soon learn to do his part 

 very nicely." 



TALKING HORSES. 



If neatly managed one of the most "taking'^ performances 

 of the '' arena " is the answering of questions by the horse, 

 Yankee Robinson has a very fine animal, who replies to his 

 master^s interrogations with much seeming judiciousness. 

 Horses may be taught to shake and nod their heads as negative 

 or affirmative replies, in either of two ways. The first method 

 of training is this : Take your position at the horse's head 

 with a pin in your hand. Gently prick the animal's breast. 

 The horse bobs his head, just as he would had a fly alighted on 

 the spot. Repeat the operation several times, each time cares- 

 sing him, and perhaps rewarding him with a iDit of apple occa- 

 sionally. He will soon learn to nod his head on merely having 

 the hand pointed toward his breast, or he may be trained to do 

 the same by a motion of the foot. To teach the horse to shake 

 his head it is only necessary to prick him slightly anywhere 

 along the mane or over the withers. After a little teaching he 

 will do so on your raising your hand to your head, a motion 

 whose connection with the horse's action will scarcely be sus- 

 pected by the audience. 



The second method is by pricking his breast at the same 

 moment that you say " yes," or any other particular word ; 

 and by pricking his withers at the same time you say the word 

 " no." He will soon learn to make the desired motion on hear- 

 ing the word, even though no motion whatever is made. When 

 exhibiting, the questions should be asked first, and immediately 

 after the signal given to the horse. He, of coui-se, knows 

 nothing of the question, but obeys a definite command, just as 

 he would if ordered to " back " or " whoa." 



Madame Toumaire, who performed her horse by the first me- 

 thod, had a way of coquettishly toying with her whip, and would 

 give the horse the requisite signals by what the public imagined 

 to be a mere display of feminine grace. 



Where the horse obeys a wordj that word must be incorpor- 



