200 Restivefiess : its Prcvc7itio7i a?id Cure. 



a decidedly vicious one, by awakening the devil that 

 slumbers within. I^or it vuist ?irver he forgotten that 

 in the etid the horse is stro7tger than the man; that 

 there is a very great danger of this becoming quite 

 clear to the former., %vhen mere force comes to be op- 

 posed to force; and that this very consciousness is 

 what constit2ites restiveness., a?id^ if exasperated by 

 cruel treatment., vice., pzire and simple. 



It is therefore necessary, in the first place, to know 

 clearly what one has to contend with — whether with 

 real vice, or merely with simple insubordination : the 

 former, if curable at all, can only be dealt with suc- 

 cessfully by professional riders, who possess the proper 

 means and appliances ; the latter ought to be within the 

 scope of a great number of horsemen, if they would only 

 abstain from violence and adopt rational methods. The 

 French say, when speaking of a horse that shows rest- 

 iveness, '' il se defend" — he defends himself. There is 

 much truth in tliis expression, and it is one that riders 

 should constantly bear in mind, for insubordination is 

 most commonly the result of something having been 

 demanded from the horse that it either did not know 

 how to do or was unable to perform ; and the very first 

 step to be taken in all cases is, to endeavor to ascertain 

 exactly under what circumstances the disobedience was 

 first manifested and is usually shown. 



Before we atfix the stigma of vice to a horse, let us, 

 therefore, consider for a moment what the poor thing 

 might with fairness retort, and the words ignorance, 

 timidity and brutality will immediately suggest them- 

 selves ; for, in truth, want of judgment as to what a 

 horse can fairly do, want of decision and promptitude in 

 demanding this, or unnecessary violence in enforcing a 

 demand, especially an unreasonable one, are almost 

 always the first causes of restiveness. Mankind in its 

 arrogance has thought fit to make the ass an emblem 



