INSANITY. 



143 



It may be asked, how I have been able to make horses so fear- 

 less of the cars that they can be led up to an engine or driven near, 

 with indifference. The course I have usually pursued is as follows : 

 First get the horse under good control by a course of subjection, 

 usually by the First or Second Methods, or both ; then make ar- 

 rangements with the engineer to let off steam plentifully, and rush 

 the horse, with the, harness on, into it until completely covered, 

 when he will soon cease to care anything about the noise, etc. If 

 this cannot be done, drive him around, gradually going nearer the 

 engine until indifferent to it. 



Much depends, in the first place, upon getting the horse under 

 good control ; second, in 

 the management while in 

 the neighborhood of the 

 engine. A good way, some- 

 times, is to blindfold the 

 horse and' drive near the 

 train until quiet, then let 

 him see put of one eye, 

 gradually mo v i n g him 

 around, and let him see but 

 of both eyes. Very nfuch 

 can be done in this way. 

 The horse should be hitched 

 to a wagon and driven at 

 every available opportun- 

 ity about or near the cars. 



There is one point to which I <would call particular attention : 

 The hbrse may appear perfectly gentle after being treated, but 

 when the position is changed, as when taken from a building into 

 the street, or from the street into a building, or if allowed to stand 

 for some time, he will upon trial seem to be as much afraid as ever, 

 but upon repetition of treatment it will require only a very few 

 minutes to make him as fearless as before. 



Insanity. 



It is not uncommon to find horses intensely afraid of some par- 

 ticular object, as blood, or the sound of the cars, etc., while per- 

 fectly indifferent to other objects or sounds. The causes we cannot 

 always trace,, though we can see the effects. In all ordinary cases, 

 there is but little difficulty in overcoming such fear by proper treat- 

 ment, but it is possible to find cases so extreme as to render it 



Fig. 181.— Wild Peto. 



