62 TREATMENT OF FEAR. 



strength against you at the least sense of freedom, or addi- 

 tional cause of excitement ; that once resisting control in 

 this position, he will try to do so again at all hazards, under 

 like circumstances. 



Speak encouragingly to the horse, but keep a close watch 

 upon his actions. In a short time the extent of his alarm 

 will not only be perceptibly lessened, but he will become 

 calmer, and almost disregard the object. Then drive nearer 

 as he will bear, exercising the same patience and care. At 

 each effort to get nearer, the horse will become apparently 

 as much frightened as at first. Keep pushing a little at a 

 time in this way, as the horse will bear, until you can drive 

 up to the object, or by it, and you not only leave no bad 

 impression upon the mind, but gradually overcome the dis- 

 position to become frightened. 



Sometimes a horse will dislike a wheelbarrow, baby wa- 

 gon, turkeys, etc., but the treatment is the same. When 

 the excitement is not so great as to endanger successful 

 resistance, and the horse is disposed to "playoff, or sol- 

 dier, ' ' it may be advisable to apply the whip a little sharply, 

 but this is to be avoided when it is seen the resistance is 

 wholly induced by fear, and the animal is not lazy. 



Some horses while driven to carriages, will not bear the 

 noise and excitement of other horses being driven up be- 

 hind. This is principally on account of the horse's inability 

 to see and understand the cause of the excitement, or it 

 may be owing to the fault of the driver. Some one drives 

 up rapidly behind, perhaps wishes to "go by," to prevent 

 which the colt is hallooed at and whipped up to prevent 

 such a result. This may be repeated a few times, and the 

 consequence is, if a spirited horse, the habit is acquired of 

 rushing ahead to avoid the punishment expected under such 

 circumstances, and very often, too, a horse is forced into 

 this habit by being run into from behind. 



CTSING BLINDERS. 



It must be remembered that the blinders in general use 

 so cover up the eyes as to make it impossible for the horse 

 to see things plainly sidewise, or at all from behind, which 

 tends to increase the fear, as we are convinced, when we 

 see that to overcome the animal's fear of any object, the 



