lo MENTAL QUALITIES OF THE HORSE. 



certain — though far sHghter — extent, this feeling in a 

 friendly disposed horse, who inadvertently gives his groom 

 or master a " nip," and then starts back in trepidation at 

 what he has done. The experienced horseman will have 

 frequently remarked in the horse he is riding or driving, 

 hesitation to act according to his instincts, especially if 

 the animal be in doubt if his rider or driver will stand 

 '' nonsense." The horse's tentative efforts in this direction 

 seem to be controlled by a certain amount of reflection. 

 The apparently thoughtful manner in which some good- 

 tempered, intelligent horses will refrain, under great pro- 

 vocation, in cases of accident, from obeying their instinct 

 of self-preservation to the detriment of their rider or 

 driver, points to the fact of their being gifted with the 

 power of control. Most of us can call to mind instances 

 of high-couraged horses which, having fallen with their 

 rider in such a way, that if they had not remained 

 perfectly still while he was being extricated out of his 

 difficulty, he would in all probability have been killed. I 

 have known such animals, even during a run out hunting, 

 and without any special training, stop " dead " on their 

 rider falling off and getting hung up by the stirrup. 

 In fact, I have owned and known horses which, if they 

 got into any serious difficulty, out of which they could 

 not safely extricate themselves, would wait patiently 

 for their rider or driver to render them the necessary 

 assistance. Other horses which, on the contrary, appear 

 to be guided solely by instinct, will struggle and dash 

 themselves about with the utmost fury on finding them- 

 selves in any awkward " fix." In this respect, mules, I 



