i88 THE HORSE OF MR. VON OSTEN 



lunged and in a gallop, could be induced by a friendly 

 call — ^the word again was a matter of inconsequence — to 

 slacken his pace into a trot and from a trot into a walk. 

 But this reaction was by no means very precise. Another 

 a full-blood, contrary to the trainer's expectation and to 

 his great astonishment, failed to respond to any kind of 

 spoken command as soon as the one who carried the 

 reins refrained from making any movements which might 

 indicate what was wanted. (To refrain from all ex- 

 pressive movements of this kind is by no means an easy 

 matter). The slightest move, apart from any help by 

 means of the reins or the whip-handle, was sufficient to 

 evoke a response. The results in the case of the military 

 horses, differed in many particulars. Thanks to the 

 courtesy of Captain von Lucanus I had the opportunity 

 of testing three cavalry horses, two geldings and one 

 mare, aged nine, thirteen, and nineteen years respectively, 

 and all of them in the regiment ever since their fourth 

 year. They had been selected as the " most intelligent " 

 in the squadron, and we were assured that they would 

 obey punctiliously all the usual commands. They were 

 ranged behind one another, with the customary distance 

 of two horses' lengths between, and were ridden each by 

 his accustomed rider. Both starting and stopping upon 

 command were tested. The horses were held by the 

 reins, but the riders were cautioned to refrain from giving 

 any aid that might cause the horse to start when starting 

 was to be tested, or that might restrain him when stop- 

 ping in response to the spoken command was to be tested. 

 If a suspicion arose — a thing which happened only twice, 

 however — ^that a rider had actively aided in his horse's 

 reaction, then an officer would mount into the saddle. 

 If it appeared that one of the horses was simply imitat- 



