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CHAPTER X. 



HANDLING AND LEADING HORSES. 



Influence of the Voice on Horses Good Temper in Horses Going up to a 

 Horse Lifting up a Fore Foot Lifting up a Hind Foot Holding up a Fore 

 Leg Holding up a Hind Leg Holding a Quiet Horse Leading a Horse 

 into or out of a Stable Taking a Horse out of a Narrow Stall Leading a 

 Horse out of a Stable on Fire Leading a Horse while Riding another 

 Animal Leading a Horse through Congested Traffic. 



THE proper handling of horses is quite as important a part 

 of stable management as feeding and watering for instance ; 

 for faulty handling produces in the animal bad temper, which 

 impairs his usefulness as much as ill health, and is far more 

 dangerous to the groom or owner. I have said so much in 

 Illustrated Horse-breaking about the general handling of 

 horses, that I need not here go into it further than to lightly 

 touch on its main principles. In that book, I have discussed 

 somewhat fully the correction of stable vices, which is a sub- 

 ject that comes more within the province of breaking, than of 

 stable management. 



As the voice is the great means by which a horse can 

 distinguish his human friends from his human foes, and can 

 understand our wishes ; we should always speak to him when 

 going up to him, and as a rule when wanting him to perform 

 any particular movement, as for instance, coming forward, 

 going back, or moving to one side. As he readily recognises 

 change of tone, but not of words; we should reserve a 

 particular tone for each of our different orders, the number 



