140 THE STUD. 



to come in contact with : so is a horse in a novel 

 situation when he meets, to him, strange ob- 

 jects. 



But if we find horses shying at or starting from 

 objects they are accustomed to see and meet, 

 their habit then leads us to a very well founded 

 suspicion that the act arises from other causes ; 

 and when under such circumstances they do this, 

 I am pretty confident that, in more cases than we 

 suppose, the imperfection of the organs of sight 

 have more to do with it than any other cause. 

 Shying at a particular object, or something similar 

 to it, may readily arise from having received in- 

 jury or fright from such ; but when it is carried 

 to a variety of objects, we have no fair reason to 

 attribute it to such a circumstance. 



Starting at any sudden sound evinces timidity 

 and nervousness. So may shying from even a 

 variety of objects ; but starting at what cannot 

 be considered as any thing unusual, I consider all 

 but proof of the eyes being faulty. I would, 

 therefore, advise the buyer to pause in concluding 

 the purchase of such a horse, and before he con- 

 cludes it, to take the best professional advice that 

 can be had ; for though a high, and perhaps just, 

 opinion of his horsemanship might induce a man 

 not to reject a shying or starting horse, I con- 

 clude he does not wish to possess himself of a 

 blind one ; which he, in most cases, will be the 



