AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
215 
stantiated on reasonable grounds, the presence of the owner 
being frequently a complete refutation to the assertion. 
Horses usually evince attachment towards those who use 
them kindly. His late Majesty, Geo. III. had a favourite 
charger named Adonis. Whenever the King, on visiting 
his stables, chanced to pass near enough for Adonis to hear 
his voice, the animal would commence whinnying with joy, 
and his recognition of his master was always accompanied 
with so much noise, that, to quiet him, His Majesty would 
invariably command him to be saddled and led forth. 
Having rode him for a few minutes round the premises, 
the gratified animal would then return peaceably to his 
quarters; but had the King not humoured his wish, the 
animal would have become uproarious. Napoleon was 
very fond of horses. Count Las Casas relates an anecdote 
of a horse belonging to the Emperor that always showed a 
considerable degree of pride and pleasure when carrying 
him, which was never observed when a groom or any ordi- 
nary person rode him. 
Till within a very short period, I was not aware any per- 
son had publicly treated on the subject of humanity to 
horses with the same views entertained by myself; but I 
perceive with pleasure, in a review of a work printed on 
the Continent, that the author justifies my opinion, and cor- 
roborates the truth of my remarks. One extract I have 
preserved, which I cannot do better than quote. 
“ It is justly asserted, in the best works of rural economy 
and the veterinary art, that no horses are naturally vicious. 
When they become vicious, the reason is, because we pay 
too little attention to the horse, and do not study his nature 
sufficiently; and hence rather resort to the whip and spur, 
to signify our wishes to this noble animal, than to kind and 
gentle treatment. In a word, we know not how to make 
ourselves intelligible to the horse. It seems truly astonish- 
ing, that horses in general are not more obstinate; and that, 
in the consciousness of their strength, they do not strive 
more to rid themselves of their slavery, when we consider 
how severely, cruelly, and barbarously, these generous 
beasts are treated. How often are they beaten and ill- 
used, frequently without any cause! and how seldom, on 
the other hand, are they addressed in terms of commenda- 
tion and encouragement, and still less rewarded! and yet 
attentive observers have ascertained, that the horse, like the 
elephant and dog, possesses a sensibility of the nerves which 
might be termed a sense of honour, and which is equally 
susceptible of praise and blame.” 
Crib-biting is often produced by injudicious cleaning. It 
is a common practice in racing and hunting establishments 
to dress horses with an ash stick in hand, which is held at 
them in terrorem whilst undergoing that process, and occa- 
sionally applied to their bodies with rigour. This practice 
is not only foolish, but betrays a want of judgment which 
nothing can extenuate; for the unruly conduct of the ani- 
mal is mainly attributable to mismanagement and ignorance 
on the part of the attendants themselves, who very unjustly 
make the horse pay the penalty of their own awkwardness, 
as I can easily show. Grooms and stablemen often disre- 
gard the irritation they cause to horses in passing too 
roughly with comb, brush, or whisp, over the belly, flank, 
and under the web of the arm, which on those tender parts 
produces extreme titillation. The animal, unable quietly 
to endure this, oftentimes prolonged excitement, in the 
agony of his suffering, naturally enough resists, and evinces 
his displeasure of the treatment by reiterated attempts to 
kick and bite the party inflicting the torture, as well as laying 
hold of the manger with his teeth, which in many instances 
is undoubtedly the forerunner of crib-biting. On these 
occasions, the ash stick is brought into unmerciful requisi- 
tion, thereby spoiling the temper of many of our best and 
finest horses, who, compelled diurnally to undergo this 
teazing ordeal, generally become spiteful and ill-natured, 
and, in addition to other vicious propensities, imbibe a mis- 
chievous habit of kicking on the approach of any person 
towards them. Now, if the groom would only reflect for 
a moment, he would be immediately convinced that his own 
improper conduct was the cause of the trouble experienced, 
and that his irrational proceeding must ultimately ruin the 
most docile and quiet horse; but the despotic character of 
man misleads him to imagine, that the brute animals must 
implicitly obey and acknowledge his supremacy as a law of 
nature, and submit to his will subserviently, even though 
intimated to them in a somewhat ambiguous manner. I 
cannot, with propriety, be contradicted, when I state, that 
so long as this baneful system of stable-management and 
discipline be allowed to be pursued with impunity by ser- 
vants, gentlemen may always make sure of possessing crib- 
biters and vicious horses. 
The precaution which I invariably observe is, never to 
dress, buckle or unbuckle girth or roller, with the head to 
the manger, or, if in the open air, within reach of any 
thing the horse can snap at or lay hold of; uniformly taking 
care that he be soothed and kindly used when undergoing 
the operation of cleaning; and, should resistance be opposed 
when passing even as lightly as possible over the parts 
above mentioned, I never allow any violence to be enforced. 
By this usage, the animal is not only less troublesome to 
the attendant, but the kindness of his disposition is pre- 
served unbroken. 
Vicious habits may likewise be ascribed to imperfect 
training. For instance: a horse is entrusted for that pur- 
pose to the care of a person totally unacquainted with the 
manner of treating him, consequently incapable of judging 
