208 HOW OBEDIENCE IS TAUGHT 



tlie horse, and the horse must see that it is Ave 

 who are mastering him. 



Importance of a good dis])osition for obedience. 



The first quality to be desired in a horse is a 

 good disposition because this brings with it forth- 

 with obedience and with obedience he may be 

 forthwith controlled. It may be said that the timid 

 horse is already obedient and does not need to be 

 made so. But the timid horse is usually very ap- 

 prehensive and this is detrimental to his use. A 

 certain degree of spirit is good in horses because 

 it adapts them to more and better service. Spirit 

 causes them to advance in difficult places and also 

 to pass out of them safely, and it is necessary to 

 do this sometimes with horses. 



Readiness to obedience and readiness to motion 

 are the chief things to be desired in the horse. 

 On a horse of a good disposition and willing to go, 

 we are safe and his instruction is easy. A good 

 rider on a liorse of a bad disposition and little 

 inclined to go obtains very little and is always 



