122 THE SULKY CHARACTERISTICS. 



ance as at first ; but repetition will in all cases give success. 

 You SIMPLY MUST TAKE MORE TIME, and hang on. There are 

 many horses I make it a point, if possible, to get as sore 

 and sensitive, muscularly, as I can, before I think of pushing 

 for the point of breaking up the habit, when I know I can 

 succeed. Whereas, to attempt to do so at first, without the 

 advantage of increased sensibility, would be most annoying 

 and difficult. There are horses of great endurance, not 

 fleshy, and showing a cat-like wildness. They are bad; 

 but I make them yield easily as soon as I make the points 

 of perfect obedience. I set the character by kind, winning 

 treatment. Trust nothing to chance you can provide 

 against. Be careful and thorough : this is often more than 

 half the secret of success. Try to see, at all times, that you 

 must trust to and be guided by your head, and that as soon 

 as you get mad, or lose control of yourself, you are throwing 

 away the strongest points of your real strength. There is 

 nothing made by this, every thing to lose. So, if you are 

 hasty-tempered and passionate, make up your mind at all 

 hazards to keep master of yourself. This will be a great 

 point accomplished. Do not talk much to a horse you are 

 breaking, and do not be yelling at the top of your voice 

 what you have to say. A good disciplinarian never says 

 much, but is right to the point, and is exact in command. 

 Continual talking will soon make a horse indifferent to com- 

 mand. Then, a horse can hear as well as you can, and 

 there is no need of talking above an ordinary tone of voice. 

 But be exact in requiring obedience to every command. 

 Another point I would call your special attention to : you 

 cannot be wholly guided and governed by arbitrary rules. 

 The keen perception and broad comprehension of principles 

 that can see what to do and how much to do to harmonize 

 with the temperament, intelligence, and habit, are a quality 

 that must be in the man, and are as necessary for success as 

 the use of right principles. This quality must be, as it 

 were, merged with nicety into the other; and it is here 

 you exalt the study and performance of this duty to an 

 exact science. You may ask what is the real key of my suc- 

 cess. I know with great accuracy the disposition and char- 

 acter of a horse the instant brought before me, and I know 

 just what treatment to apply with most success, and I know 



