The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



more he has the utmost confidence in you, 

 and, if you are not afraid, he is not quite sure 

 why he should be. Keep on talking to him 

 cheerily and let the halter be quite loose. A 

 pull on it would excite suspicion at once. Let 

 the only pull be the pull of the oats, and of 

 your personality, as you move back. By now 

 he has got quite used to the dim light, and the 

 occasional snorts are only an intimation that 

 he is taking notice of the surroundings. Move 

 back a foot or two with an exhibition of a few 

 oats, and, as he comes forward, move still 

 further back ; and as he follows up he will 

 have come clear inside. Stand by his shoulder 

 and hold out oats at arms-length, and, as he 

 pushes forward to reach them, draw slowly 

 round and pivot yourself, so that he has to 

 move his rump round from the doorway the 

 more readily to get them. You can now 

 quite easily swing him round so that he faces 

 the doorway. Keep him so and play with 

 him. Now manoeuvre, with occasional oats, 

 so that by reaching back you can get at the 

 door, and quite gradually close it. Shut and 

 fasten it without noise, let the halter drop, 

 and leave him to his own devices, without 

 speaking. Keep quiet and he will go round 

 sniffing and examining everything. A big 

 snort will intimate discovery of some specially 

 interesting odoiu* of a predecessor, which will 

 occupy his undivided attention for quite a 



78 



