HUNTING THE FOX 105 



Whether for our own comfort or for the purpose of 

 selling him to our friends, he should be thoroughly 

 well broken in every respect before he goes out for 

 his first morning's Cub-hunting. There is nothing 

 more important, from every point of view, than 

 teaching a horse good manners when he is young. 

 He should, at an early age, be trained so that he 

 will stand stock-still while he is being mounted 

 and until the rider gives him the signal to move. 

 Very few horses are really taught to do this pro- 

 perly. He should open gates, and be accustomed 

 to wait, with the reins on his neck, if his rider 

 wants to use both hands to lift a gate that cannot 

 be opened with the whip. He should allow a whip 

 to be cracked by his rider on either side or over 

 his head without flinching. If he is highly strung, 

 nervous, and ticklish, too much pains cannot be 

 taken to get him used to the touch of hands and 

 straps all over his body. In order to do this, it is 

 not a bad plan to teach him when he is three years 

 old to draw a very light harrow or bush or log 

 of wood, driving him from behind with long reins. 

 It will not even diminish his value if he is regularly 

 broken to harness. He should, of course, be 

 absolutely quiet with all road nuisances, and if he 

 can be brought up in the constant companionship 

 of dogs, so much the better. Stress is laid on all 

 this because the possession of good manners by 

 the animal we ride makes all the difference to the 



