102 HOW TO EDUCATE HORSES. 



NECESSITY OF HONESTY AND KINDNESS. 



You must treat the horse kindly. You must obtain 

 his confidence, then never abuse it. Deal honestly with 

 him; never lie to him; he judges you by your acts. 

 Never ask him to do anything unless you are in a posi- 

 tion to compel obedience (if he has the correct idea of 

 what you want), and then, when the obedience is ren- 

 dered, reward him for it. Be prompt, but never de- 

 ceive him. 



NECESSITY OF FAMILIARIZING TO OBJECTS OF FEAR. 



As we are taught there is no effect without a cause, 

 and as the horse becomes fearless and confident so far 

 as he understands there is no cause for fear, we should 

 remove the cause of mischief as much as possible by 

 complying with those laws of his nature by which he 

 examines an object, or determines upon its innocence 

 or harm. Therefore, let him examine and smell of 

 such things as are likely to frighten him, such as a 

 log by the roadside, an umbrella, buffalo- robe, or other 

 frightful object. His nose is his fingers. 



USE INTELLIGENT MEANS. 



The horse should be treated with kindness and con- 

 sideration. You have a right to curb and restrain his 

 spirit, but not to subdue it; he has no more natural 

 spirit than it is proper he should have. The great 

 difficulty with all the theories of horsemanship that 

 have been promulgated to the world is, that they have 

 been founded upon one idea of subjugation. Subjuga- 

 tion is not teaching; you have a right to restrain — to 

 make him conform to your will. But you must also 

 teach him what you want him to do. To hitch up the 

 wild colt and say " whoa" to him, without having first 



