THE NAPPY HORSE, OR JIBBER 91 



I was rather amused when the gypsy lad informed 

 me that his father could do anything with a nappy 

 horse, and I remarked that he certainly could, but 

 apparently to no good end. 



" How is it," I asked, " that when the horse stands 

 still you pet and caress him, and when he attempts to 

 move forward you thrash him ? It is only natural that 

 he prefers to stand still and receive the caresses instead 

 of the thrashing." 



The lad looked bewildered, but was apparently afraid 

 to tell his father, who was reciting " The Wreck of the 

 Hesperus " to the horse in about thirteen different 

 languages. 



After studying all these methods for jibbers used by 

 many horsemen I have never heard or seen of any cure 

 resulting from them. 



It is usually bad drivers who make horses nappy or 

 jibbers. This is especially the case when dealing with 

 a spirited youngster who, when he jumps forward, 

 receives a jerk in the mouth, and when he backs receives 

 the whip, and in his confusion he stands still or prances 

 up and down. Jibbing is a confused, inactive, and 

 almost insensible condition of the mind. The whip 

 fixes his mind, confuses him, and makes him all the 

 more insensible to his surroundings. 



