264 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



afraid, and is controlled by his fear alone — his 

 fear of being hurt. This always seemed to me a 

 cowardly way of acting, for the horse is one of the 

 most timid of all animals. To beat a horse is 

 about as noble as to beat a child. 



The breeders of good horses are pretty gen- 

 erally giving up the rough methods of breaking. 

 Their horses are too valuable to be trifled with in 

 this way. There are some horses that are natu- 

 rally vicious. With them the gentle method will 

 not accomplish the desired result. They have to be 

 conquered in another way. When this is the case, 

 1 much prefer the Rarey method. Rarey so fash- 

 ioned a harness that he could cast a horse the 

 moment that a horse disobeyed. After a horse has 

 been thrown a few times he usually comes to the 

 conclusion that obedience is the safer plan. There 

 is nothing cruel in the Rarey method and with 

 bad horses it is much to be preferred to the brutal 

 breaking style. The horse is not hurt, he is merely 

 surprised at the result of his own waywardness. 



The Arabs handle their horses from the time 

 they are foaled, so that they are from the begin- 

 ning accustomed to men, women and children 



