l6o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse 



thrashing which imbues the childish mind with the 

 idea that any creature can be mauled about in the 

 same way, and that as Inkling never seems to heed 

 the vigorous applications of the whip to his shaggy 

 black hide, there is no cruelty in thus beating any 

 animal; while, if he may be jerked and kicked with 

 impunity, so may any of his kind. Your boy thus 

 grows up with the worst of " hands " on a horse's 

 mouth, and with a callous indifference as to suffering 

 ingrained in his nature; and, if the average little 

 pony makes this probable, the useless donkey renders 

 it certain. 



Whatever else you economise on, never do it when 

 buying ponies, and when you get one, if not a horse- 

 man yourself, send it to some one w'ho is, and have 

 it thoroughly and completely trained, mouthed, and 

 bitted, as if it were just fresh and wild from 

 the plains. If you can't afford this, don't keep a 

 pony. Let it be smart, spirited, active, carrying a 

 good arched neck, thin through the body, that the 

 little legs may clasp him securely. Teach your child 

 to respect its courageous traits, and allow him, under 



