AMATEUR HORSE-TRAINING. 5 



bridled, and "looking him kindly in the face." He 

 bore my gaze with equanimity, bnt when the riding- 

 whip was produced he started violently; and when I 

 raised my hand to pat his neck reassuringly he threw 

 up his head and ran back. This evidently was not 

 temper, but alarm. Clearly, moral suasion was not the 

 kind that had been used with him hitherto. In plain 

 English, he had been beaten on the head ; and it was 

 some time before he got over the impression made by 

 such ill-treatment and ceased dodging at every sudden 

 motion on my part. 



However, a lump of sugar gave the poor fellow more 

 confidence, and, avoiding all brusque movements, I went 

 on to give him the first lesson of the Baucher series, 

 viz., To Come to the Whij?. 



It is encouraging for beginners that this lesson, while 

 producing conspicuous results, is in most cases very 

 easv. In less than half an hour my audience was not 

 a little surprised to see Sambo come to me at the slight- 

 est motion of the whip, and follow me about with neck 

 arched, ears pricked up, and eyes lustrous with the 

 unwonted pleasure of comprehending and voluntarily 

 carrying out his master's wishes. 



"Well, that's very pretty," said the farmer; "but 

 what's the good of it ?" 



This criticism, it may be remarked, he continued to 

 repeat at every step in the horse's education. He did 

 not " see the good " of a double bridle with two bits. 



