PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 13 



because it operates on the sense of sight. We can familiarise the 

 horse to any object with one of his senses, and that will not be 

 sufficient for the others. We may have the horse educated to 

 submit to any object touching him on any part of the body, and 

 if it should be moved quickly about him, thereby operating on 

 the sense of sight, he will become frightened. 



He may submit to the object being moved about him so long 

 as it does not touch him, but if the object should touch him he 

 is liable to kick or strike. Again., he might be educated to have 

 the object touch him or see it in all positions, without moving in 

 the least, but should the same object make a noise, thereby 

 operating on the sense of hearing, he will again become frightened. 

 Therefore, if we want a horse to understand things thoroughly, 

 we must educate all the senses. 



An old gentleman once told me of a horse he owned that was 

 perfectly gentle and quiet in " all harness," but would become 

 uncontrollable on hearing a noise resembling the rattling of nails 

 in a tin can. This bad habit he contracted as follows : — The 

 owner saddled him up and started for town, a distance of some 

 four or five miles. When he got through his shopping and 

 started for home, he re-mounted his horse, carrying in his hand 

 a small tin bucket containing a few nails. Everything went 

 along smoothly until the horse started into a trot. This caused 

 the nails in the bucket to rattle and make an unusual noise, 

 which operated on the sense of hearing, and the horse took fright 

 and started to run away, thereby giving the old gentleman con- 

 siderable trouble. He was finally compelled to throw away the 

 bucket and nails in order to pacify the horse. Ever afterwards 

 this horse would get frightened at anything on his back that 

 would make a noise resembling that made by the can and nails. 



We could relate numerous similar instances where horses have 

 become almost useless from being frightened at some particular 

 object, such as a locomotive, steamboat, street car, load of hay or 

 covered wagon, etc. 



