BHYING, 343 



half or quarter-bred horses, than of those who have in them more of the 

 genuuie racing blood. , • i u 



In the treatment of shying, it is of great importance to distmgmsh be- 

 tween that which is the consequence of defective sight, and that which results 

 from fear, or newness of objects, or from mere atiectation or skittishness. 

 For the first, the nature of which we have explained at page 98, every 

 allowance must be made, and care must be taken that the fear of correction 

 be not associated with the imagined existence of some terrifying object. 

 The severe use of the whip and the spur cannot do good here, and are 

 likely to aggravate the vice tenfold. A word half encouraging and half 

 scoldino-, with a gentle pressure of the heel, or a slight touch of the spur, 

 will teU the horse that there was nothing to fear, and will give him cori- 

 fidence in his rider on a future occasion. It should be remembered, 

 however, that although a horse that shies from defective sight may be taught 

 considerable reliance on his rider, he can never have the cause of the habit 

 removed. We may artificially strengthen the human sight, but the horse s 

 must be left to itself. 



The shying from skittishness or affectation is quite a ditterent attair, and 

 must be conquered : but how ? Severity is out of place even here. If he 

 is forced up to the object by dint of correction, the dread of punishment 

 will afterwards be associated with that object, and on the next occasion, his 

 startings will be more frequent and more dangerous. The way to cure him 

 is to go on, turning as little as possible out of the road, giving the animal a 

 harsli word or two, and a gentle touch with the spur, and then taking no 

 more notice of the matter. After a few times, whatever may have been the 

 object which he chose to select as the pretended cause of affright, he will 

 pass it almost without notice. 



In page 225, under the head * breaking in,' we have described how the 

 colt may be cured of the habit of shying from fear or newness of objects ; 

 and if he then be accustomed as much as possible to the objects among 

 which his services will be required, he will not possess this annoying vice 

 when he grows to maturer age. 



Mr. John Lawrence, in his last pleasing work on the Horse, says, 

 ' These animals generally fix on some particular shying butt : for example, 

 I recollect having, at different periods, three hacks, all very powerful ; the 

 one made choice of a wind-mill for the object or butt, the other a tilted 

 waggon, and the last a pig led in a string. It so happened, however, that 

 I rode the two former when amiss from a violent cold, and they then paid 

 no more attention to either windmills or tilted waggons than to any other 

 objects, convincing me that their shying when in health and spirits was 

 pure affectation ; an affectation, however, which may be speedily united 

 with obstinacy and vice. Let it be treated with marked displeasure, 

 mingled with gentle, but decided firmness, and the habit will be of short 

 endurance*.' 



* ' We will suppose a case, a very common one, an every-day one. A man is riding a 

 young horse upon the high-road in the country, and meets a stage-coach. What with the 

 noise, the bustle, the imposing appearance altogether, and the slashing of the coachman's 

 whip, the animal at its approach erects his head and crest, pricks his ears, looks afFrighted, 

 and no sooner comes alongside of the machine than he suddenly starts out of the road. 

 His rider, annoyed by this, instantly commences a round of castigation with whip, spur, 

 and curb, in which he persists until the horse, as well as himself, has lost his temper ; and 

 then one whips, spurs, and pulls, and the other jumps, plunges, frets, and throws up his 

 head, until both, pretty well exhausted by the conflict, grow tranquil again and proceed on 

 their journey, though not for some time afterwards in their former mutual confidence and 

 satisfaction. Should they in their road, or even on a distant day, meet with another coach, 

 what is the consequence ? That the horse is not only more alarmed than before j but now. 



