172 METHODS OF HORSE-CONTROL. 



animal with it. After the pupil has lost all fear of the whip, 

 we may proceed in a similar manner to make him bear 

 without flinching being touched with a long pole of con- 

 venient thickness and weight. We should begin by placing 

 the pole on the least sensitive part of his body (his "crest," 

 on which the mane grows), and should work up by degrees 

 to the more ticklish ones, such as under the belly, down the 

 legs, in front, behind, and between them. In this way, we 

 should go over the whole of the animal's body with the pole. 

 When he submits to be touched all over, we may try the 

 effect of noise on him, as, for instance, that produced by 

 beating an empty paraffin oil tin, and we may finally 

 endeavour to frighten him by flourishing in front of, and all 

 over him, a white banner or other cloth fixed to the end of 

 the pole. In doing all this, our object should be to make 

 him go round as much as possible, by startling him, though 

 without hurting him in the slightest ; for the more trying 

 will have been his experience, the less likely will he sub- 

 sequently be, to become startled at anything unusual 

 happening. When he has thoroughly given in, the cord 

 may be taken off his head and tail. 



The foregoing method of rendering horses quiet, or of 

 impressing on their minds the idea that they cannot resist 

 the power of man, is applicable only to excitable horses 

 which, under the various kinds of provocation I have 

 described, will go round and round until all the ''nonsense" 

 has been taken out of them for the time being. It is 

 not suitable to sulky horses, whose defence against punish- 

 ment would be to jib. It is useful for curing biters and 

 kickers of their respective vices ; supposing that these 



