198 CONFESSIONS A HORSE DEALEK, 



which may frighten him. There are a class of men, or 

 rather horse bullies, who fancy the horse should fear 

 nothing but themselves, and by creating and constantly 

 fostering ill-feeling by the application of brute force, as 

 developed in rough-riding, by their cruel and unneces- 

 sary use of whips and spurs every time a horse is 

 frightened, they succeed in creating more fear and un- 

 steadiness in shying horses than is produced by natural 

 causes, whatever they may be. 



There are a variety of objects at which a near-sighted 

 horse will shy, such as a dark spot horse droppings 

 and the like on a white limestone road, a heap of 

 stones on the road-side, meeting or passing a load of 

 hay, an omnibus or a wheelbarrow; but the most 

 dreaded object is approaching a railway arch when a 

 train is passing over. This, when the horse is in harness 

 and constitutionally timid, is attended with considerable 

 danger to a novice, and too much cannot be done in the 

 way of soothing him and allaying his fears, by every 

 means in the driver's power ; as, for instance, if he be 

 aware of the existence of this infirmity, and can himself 

 see the train at a distance, it would be the wisest step 

 for him to turn the horse's head away from the ap- 

 proaching train before it is near enough to cause much 

 terror, and carefully alighting, take hold of the near 

 rein with the right hand, and turn his face gradually 

 round to the object of his fears, soothing him with a 

 kindly tone of the voice ; and, rubbing his face with 

 the left hand, let him stand to watch the fast receding 



