360 "" THK HORSE. 



all tho^ movements which might distract his attention, and 

 mar the snccess of the commencement of his education. 



Two lessons, of half an hour each, will suffice to obtain the 

 preparatory obedience of every horse. The pleasure we expe- 

 rience in thus playing with him will naturally lead the rider to 

 continue this exercise for a few moments each day, and make it 

 both instructive to the horse and useful to himself. The mode 

 of proceeding is as follows ; — The rider will approach the horse, 

 without roughness or timidity, his whip under his arm ; he will 

 speak to him without raising his voice too much, and will pat 

 him on the face and neck ; then with the left hand he will lay 

 hold of the curb reins, about six or seven inches from the 

 branches of the bit, keeping his wrist stiff, so as to present as 

 much force as jjossible when the horse resists. The whip will 

 be held firmly in the right hand, the point towards the ground, 

 then slowly raised as higli as the horse's chest, in order to tap it 

 at intervals of a second. The first natural movement of the 

 horse will be to withdraw from the direction in wliicli the pain 

 comes, by backing away from it. The rider will follow this 

 backward movement, without discontinuing the firm tension of 

 the reins, or the little taps with the whip on the breast, applying 

 them all the time with the same degree of intensity. The rider 

 should be perfectly self-possessed, that there may be no indica- 

 tion of anger or weakness in his motions or looks. Becoming 

 tired of this constraint, the horse will soon seek to avoid the in- 

 fliction by another movement, and by coming forward he will 

 arrive at it; the rider will avail himself of this second instinctive 

 movement to stop and caress the animal with his hand and 

 voice. The repetition of tliis exercise will give the most sur- 

 prising results, even in the first lesson. The horse, having dis- 

 covered and understood the means by which he can avoid the 

 pain, will not wait till the whip touches him, he will anticipate 

 it by rushing forward at the least gesture. The rider will take 

 advantage of this to effect, by a downward force of the bridle 

 hand, the depression of the neck, and the getting him in hand ; 

 he will thus at an earl}- period of his education dispose the horse 

 to receive the exercises which are to follow. 



Tliis training, besides being a great recreation, will serve 

 to render the horse steady to mount, will greatly abridge the 



