BITING AND STRIKING. 105 



stall, occasionally give an apple, and treat him with the utmost 

 kindness ; at the same time I cautioned the owner on no ac- 

 count must he show himself to the horse or go near him until 

 I permitted it, or was present. The horse continued now per- 

 fectly gentle, and in two weeks I thought it best to let him see 

 Arned : the horse knew him instantly, and was immediately 

 roused with anger, though the man stood at the door of the 

 stall. The horse proved gentle to any one but his owner : he 

 could never feel safe near him. Four years afterward, when I 

 revisited that part of the country, I found the horse owned 

 in Merchantsville, in the same county. The owner could 

 take him out by the halter and play with him ; his wife could 

 drive and handle him with perfect safety as a family horse. 

 I took him into the street, and played with him as of old, and 

 he knew me perfectly. The owner told me he was all right 

 in every way ; but, said he, " Let him see a bald-headed man 

 that is drunk, and he will kill him if he can. His whole 

 nature will be excited with madness, yet he is perfectly gentle 

 for others to handle or use." This horse was a cribber when 

 I bought him, and was broken completely of this habit by 

 the treatment given in this book. 



There is one point I would call your attention to here. 

 If a stallion of intelligence, and of some age, or even 

 a grown colt that had been fooled with much, you must 

 have your wits about you, when near him : no matter how 

 pleasant he looks, you ' must never approach or go near 

 him except when your eyes are upon his ; and, if you have 

 any nerve or will-power, show it all in your expression 

 and actions. You must never, on any account, when near 

 a stallion's head, turn your back to him. A horse of this 

 character, that is quite manageable and considered safe, is 

 even then liable to bite sharply, and do what you are not to 

 expect from a horse that has not learned his power. If the 

 horse is of a sulky, stubborn nature, heavy eyelids, and 

 much white in the eye, and long from eyes to ears, he will 

 not give any warning of his intention. He will stand 

 sullen, with ears a little back, and eyes partly closed. 

 The Hillman horse, referred to, was of this type. He 

 would not make a move until within reach, and then he 

 would spring upon a man like a bull-dog. A horse with 

 large clear eyes, full forehead, and pointed ears will show 



