XX 



EARLY DAYS 



" Horses are taught not by harshness but by gentleness." 



Xenophon. 



•'The grand thing is to get rid of dogged sulks and coltishness — of 

 that wayward, swerving, hesitating gait, which says, 'Here's my foot, 

 and there's my foot,' or ' There is a lion in the street and I cannot go 

 forth!'" Greenwood. 



T?REQUENT handling from foalhood onwards 

 is of the first importance. A horse is not 

 conscious of his own powers until he gets the better 

 of his trainer, and the best way to keep him ignorant 

 of them is to teach him to obey when he is young and 

 weak. The Arab has always led the way in this 

 early education. His horse is brought up with his 

 children and is spoken to as if he were a human 

 being. Countries such as Norway, where the se- 

 verity of the climate obliges the farmer to house 

 his ponies during the winter, follow the Arab's lead 

 to a certain extent, and much less difficulty is ex- 

 perienced when serious training commences ; but up 



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