126 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



goes nor the obstacles on the road which it over- 

 comes or avoids. The Hungarians are known 

 for their skillfulness in this art, and the Eng- 

 lish and Americans have also carried it far. 



IXSPECTION OF A RlDING-SCIIOOL HuRSE 



The method of driving horses has often been 

 changed. At one time each horse of a pair had 

 a bridle and rein to himself, so that one horse 

 could be stopped without pulling on the other. 

 To make them turn to the right 

 a stra]D was fastened to the 

 right of the jaw of the near 

 horse, which crossed to the 

 left shoulder of the off horse. 

 They were turned to the left 

 in the same way. To-day we 

 use cross reins, that is to say, 

 the two reins in the hands of 

 the dri\'er each divide into two 

 at the shoulder, the c<n"res]5ond- 

 ing end of each going to the 

 left side of each horse's bit, 

 while the same is done for the 

 right side. This arrangement, 

 far more convenient in the mat- 

 ter of turning, presents certain 

 inconveniences when dri\'ing 

 two horses of different tem- 

 peraments. 



In agricultural work done with cjuiet horses 

 the driver often has but the two reins jroing 



from his hand to the exterior side of each 

 horse's bit, and united by a transversal strap 

 between the animals. 



The qualities required in a good driver are 

 a gentle hand, skill, presence 

 of mind, love for his horses 

 (whom he ought to know thor- 

 oughly), good sense, patience, 

 courage, strength, and a cer- 

 tain elegance ; he should be 

 absolutely without roughness 

 of any kind. Besides all this he 

 should be sufficiently trained 

 to his business, for no one is 

 born a driver. 



It is a bad dri^•er, or rather 

 not a driver at all, who does 

 not know his horses through 

 and through, — their charac- 

 ter, humor, and temperament 

 as well as their faults. He 

 needs patience to conquer 

 quietly the capricious humor or resistance of 

 his animals without himself being excited by 

 their fits of temper. Courage and strength will 

 surely enable him to master their obstinacy. 



A Young CA^•.\LIF.R 



which, of course, it is absolutely essential that 

 he should do. 



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