116 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



shies principally at any one fixed object, as a tree, 

 milestone, etc., to coax him towards it by every mark of 

 encouragement. If he will not readily approach it, use no 

 force, but dismount, caress, and incline his head from the 

 cause of his alarm, gradually drawing him nearer and nearer 

 to the object itself, which, having approached, he will 

 invariably closely examine himself by smelling it. If this 

 be practised with gentleness, it is more than probable that 

 such horse will shortly be cured of shying at that particular 

 object or its like. 



That amusing instructor, "Harry Hieover," has a 

 •* wi'inkle " of stuffing a horse's ears with cotton which may 

 find a place here. He tells us, what we all know, that 

 "horses in any way nervous or high-tempered are much 

 affected by sounds and noises, particularly when arising 

 from any object or circumstance they cannot see. I have 

 had two remarkable in this particular, the one a mare. 

 Whether in harness or out, a horse or carriage behind her 

 drove her almost mad ; let either come alongside of her, 

 she was quiet directly. When in harness, if she but heard 

 a horse behind her, up went her head and tail, and she 

 would bound something as we have seen a fallow deer 

 do in passing us ; and, though at other times possessing 

 a fine mouth, on such occasions it was difficult to hold 

 her. The other horse was a hunter, as placid and steady 

 as horse could be when alongside hounds in chase ; 

 but while they were finding nr, what was worse, running 

 in cover, the cry of the pack would cause him to 

 tremble w^ith anxiety or some such feeling, and he would 

 burst into a sweat ten times more profuse than any run 

 would call forth. Being both good horses and pleasant, 

 except in these particulars, I was determined to try and 

 palliate them. I had a pair of thick ear-caps made for each 

 of them. This I found produced a wonderful alteration for 

 the better ; but it struck me these ear-caps must heat the 

 horse. Why not try cotton ? I did ; staffed their ears well 

 with it when using them, and found no inconvenience 

 from sounds afterwards." 



A thousand pages of advice could not add to these 

 practical experiences. 



Backing or Jibbing, — It is by no means infrequent for 

 harness horses to back instead of drawing when first 

 started, and others combine with this curious obstinacy 



