44 THEORY OF HORSE-CONTROL. 



punishment in the breaking of horses are : that it is very 

 liable to fail in its object ; and that it is calculated to break 

 the spirit of high-couraged animals, and to increase the 

 sulkiness of stubborn ones. When the horse is under the 

 influence of anger, to which he can be readily provoked 

 by punishment, he will be incapable of instruction, and 

 may exhibit dangerous resentment, or determined passive 

 resistance, with utter disregard of painful or even fatal 

 consequences to himself. A victory obtained by him when 

 in this state of feeling will naturally produce a powerful 

 effect on his excited mind, and will consequently aggravate 

 any tendency to resistance far more than the exhibition of 

 timidity or weakness on the part of the rider or driver. Of 

 course I do not mean to say that a vigorous " shaking up," 

 and a sharp cut or two with a stick (for preference) or whip, 

 is not sometimes advisable with a " reluctant " horse, or to 

 stop the " calfish " tricks of a youngster ; but even in this 

 we should carefully remember the danger we run in being 

 unsuccessful in our attempted enforcement of discipline. 

 The history of the turf furnishes us with an appalling 

 number of instances of race-horses which have had their 

 tempers permanently spoiled, by jockeys or stable-lads 

 punishing them severely for some act of disobedience which 

 the thrashing and spurring was unable to prevent. Person- 

 ally, I make it a rule never to hit a horse, so as to hurt him, 

 when breaking. Mares are far more liable than entires or 

 geldings to be spoiled by punishment. If the breaker be 

 obliged to employ coercive measures, he should apply them 

 in such a manner (as I shall explain later on) that the horse 

 will not connect him with the inflicted pain. 



