UNIFORMITY OF CONDUCT. 25 



Scratching his mane is the form of caress most appre- 

 ciated by the horse, especially if he be in a wild state, in 

 which case his crest will be more or less itchy from the 

 presence of scurf and insects. 



As the actions of the horse are prompted far more by 

 instinct than by intelligence ; one of his chief characteristics 

 is tmiformity of condiict, which fact can be utilised with 

 advantage by the breaker. What a horse does once, we 

 -may generally count upon him performing a second time 

 under similar conditions. Hence, if his progress in educa- 

 tion be slow, it will, as a rule, be sure. The treachery 

 which is noticeable in many men and women, and even 

 in a few monkeys and dogs, is almost absent in the 

 horse. If we find that the horse which previously was 

 quiet to handle and ride, suddenly wants to take 

 one's life, or to ''play up" in some outrageous fashion, 

 we may be certain that his change of demeanour is 

 not due to the fact of his having thought out some 

 nefarious plan to gain his own ends by our discom- 

 fiture ; but that it is the outcome of provocation which 

 he has had just reason to resent on some previous 

 occasion. The few treacherous horses which I have met 

 were, I feel certain, rendered so by cruel or injudicious 

 treatment. 



The feeling of submission to superior power is the chief 

 one by which we can obtain mastery over the horse, who, 

 when he finds himself defeated, will generally *^give in" 

 completely. Here, his small amount of intelligence will not 

 enable him to reflect that, although we have mastered him 

 on one point, he may be able to turn the tables on us under 



