34 THEORY OF HORSE-CONTROL.' 



thought ; for it includes not alone the education of the 

 untutored animal, but also the correction of faults which, ■ 

 while seriously detracting from the horse's value, are usually 

 looked upon as unavoidable dispensations that have to be 

 borne with becoming resignation ; as, for instance, prancing, 

 chucking up the head, star-gazing, boring, refusing to jump 

 particular kinds offences, refusing to jump in "cold blood," 

 showing excitement in harness when the whip is cracked, 

 shying off the ball at polo, disinclination to stand steady 

 when being mounted, etc. I need hardly say that the 

 knowledge (which I shall endeavour to supply to my 

 readers) of the way to give a horse a good " mouth," and 

 to render him steady and reliable, is of infinitely more 

 value to everyone, except a showman, than instruction 

 (which I shall also try to afford) in methods for taming 

 man-eaters and other exceptionally dangerous animals. 

 The art of mere "horse-taming" is of little practical use; 

 for the need of its application is of but rare occurrence, 

 •especially in countries where horses have been brought up 

 under civilised conditions. Even the celebrated Rarey, 

 after subduing three or four " savages," when in England, 

 had to content himself with exhibiting them about the 

 ■country as reformed characters, for lack of new subjects on 

 which to show his skill. When wishing to form a class for 

 practical instruction in horse-breaking, during my various 

 tours, I have frequently met with the objection that there 

 were no vicious horses in that particular place. But as 

 I always replied that I needed animals with only common 

 faults of mouth and temper ; I have never been at a loss, on 

 such occasions, for subjects to demonstrate the fact that 



