236 STUBBORN HORSES 



gentling, rubbing, and stroking the horse, with the addition 

 of — " Ho, my httle boy — pretty boy — ^nice lady — or 

 something of that kind, constantly repeating the same 

 words, with the same kind and steady tone of voice." 



To those who scarcely know a horse from a donkey, 

 such instructions may prove perhaps amusing and inter- 

 esting ; but it would be a reflection on the lowest horse- 

 breaker's capacity in this country to think him ignorant 

 of all such things, and the treatment here recommended. 

 Under the next head or chapter we are told " how to 

 proceed if your horse is of a stubborn disposition — if he 

 lays back his ears as you approach him, or turns his heels 

 to kick you, he has not that regard or fear of man that he 

 should have to enable you to handle him quickly and 

 easily, and it might be well to give him a few sharp cuts 

 with the whip about the legs, pretty close to the body, 

 the skin on the inner part of his legs, or about his flank, 

 being thinner, more tender, than on his back. But do 

 not whip him much — just enough to scare him ; it is not 

 because we want to hurt the horse we whip him.'* 



Then why recommend his being whipped in the most 

 tender parts, where the whip is sure to hurt him, if you 

 only desire to scare him ? What an absurd contradiction ! 

 " But whatever you do, do quickly, sharply, and with a 

 good deal of fire, but always without anger. If you are 

 going to scare him at all, you must do it at once." The 

 meaning of this appears obvious enough, that to scare a 

 horse you must give him a thorough good scarifying, 

 although there is a proviso added, that you are to refrain 

 from making him mad by whipping. This is a new method 

 of gentling a colt with a vengeance, but not calculated 

 to inspire him with any other feeling than horror of his 

 master ; for all the after-caressing in the world will not 



