SAVAGE EACE-HOBSES. 183 



of carrot, or a bit of bread, from the hand, they will be 

 more than half trained, because their confidence in man 

 will be thoroughly established, and they will not be sus- 

 picious of harm or anything being done to them by one 

 from whom they have never received anything but* 

 kindness. 



Every thoroughbred foal, at a very early age, has, or 

 ought to have, a light leather head-collar put on him. 

 Xow if a man rudely seizes this collar (as is frequently 

 the case) in order to hold the foal for any purpose, by 

 forcible means, he will very naturally resist ; the man 

 will tug one way, and the foal another; the man may 

 succeed in retaining his hold, but what is the con- 

 sequence ? The foal is so alarmed by the proceeding 

 that he loses confidence in man, and it will be a work 

 of time and patience to get near him in future ; indeed, 

 nothing but driving him into a narrow corner or a shed, 

 and surrounding him with assistants, will attain the 

 man's object in again getting hold of him, when a re- 

 petition of the tugging and struggling takes place. 

 Thus the foal is taught, as it were, from the first to 

 resist the will of his natural master. Need we wonder 

 that this resistance should increase until the foal has 

 acquired natural strength sufficient to gain in some 

 shape or other, at some time, a point over those that he 

 considers to be (if treated in this manner) his enemies. 



Only those who know the nature of horses thoroughly 

 can form any idea of the surprising quickness of per- 

 ception in their instinct to follow up the least advantage 



