FRUIT IN THE COUNTRY. 
365 
more effectual method to make him continually toss 
his nose up, and throw his foam over you. 
The rule already given to ride a loose-necked 
horse, will be a proper one for all light-mouthed 
horses; one caution being added, which is, always 
to search whether his saddle or girths may not in 
someway pinch him; and whether the bit may 
not hurt his lips by being too high in his mouth ; 
because, whenever he frets from either of these 
causes, his head will not be steady. 
It is a common custom to be always pulling at 
the bridle, as if to set off to advantage either the 
spirit of the horse or the skill of the rider. Horses, 
therefore, are taught to hold their heads low, and 
pull so as to bear up the rider from the saddle, 
standing in his stirrups, even in the gentlest gallop. 
It is not to be wondered that jockies are always 
pulling at their horses, that they have the spur 
constantly in their sides, and are at the same time 
continually checking the rein. By this means, they 
make them bound, and champ the bit, while their 
rage has the appearance of spirit. These people 
ride with their arms spread, and very low on the 
shoulders of their horses ; this method makes them 
stretch their necks, and gives a better appearance 
to their forehands ; it conceals also a thick jaw, 
which, if the head were up, would prevent its 
yielding to the bit; it hides, likewise, the ewe 
neck, which would otherwise show itself. Indeed, 
if you have a horse unsteady to the bit, formed 
with a natural heavy head, or one which carries 
his nose obstinately in the air, you must find his 
mouth where you can, and make the best of him. 
When a horse starts at anything on one side, 
most riders turn him out of the road, to make him 
go up to what he starts at: if he does not get the 
better of his fear, or readily comply, he generally 
goes past the object, making with his hinder parts, 
or croup, a great circle out of the road ; whereas, 
he should learn to keep straight on, without mind¬ 
ing objects on either side. If he starts at anything 
on the left, hold his head high, and keep it straight 
in the road, pulling it from looking at the thing he 
starts at, and keeping your right leg hard pressed 
against his side, towards his flank ; he will then 
go straight along the road. By this method, and 
by turning his head a little more, he may be forced 
with his croup close up to what frightened him; 
for as his head is pulled one way, his croup neces¬ 
sarily turns the other. Always avoid a quarrel 
with your horse, if you can; if he is apt to start, 
you will find occasions enough to exercise his 
obedience wdien what he starts at lies directly in 
his way, and you must make him pass; if he is 
not subject to start, you should not quarrel with 
him about a trifle. 
It must be observed, however, that this rule in 
going past an object may perhaps be a little irregu¬ 
lar in a managed horse, which will always obey the. 
leg; but even such a horse, if he is really afraid, 
and not restive, it may not be amiss to make look 
another way ; unless the object be something you 
would particularly accustom him to the sight of. 
The notion of the necessity of making a horse 
go immediately up to everything he is afraid of, 
and not suffering him to become master of ; his 
rider, seems to be in general carried too far. It is 
an approved and good method to conquer a 
horse’s fear of the sound of a drum, by beating 
one near by him at the time of feeding him; this 
not only familiarizes the noise to him, but makes it 
pleasant, as a forerunner of his meat; whereas, 
if he were whipped up to it, perhaps he might start 
at it as long as he lived. Might not this be applied 
to his starting at other things, and show that it 
would be better to suffer him, (provided he does 
not turn back,) to go a little from, and avoid an 
object he has a dislike to, and to accustom him to 
it by degrees, convincing him, as it w r ere, that it 
will not hurt him—than to punish him, quarrel 
with him, and perhaps submit to his will at last, 
while you insist on his overcoming his fear in an 
instant ? If he sees a like object again, it is proba¬ 
ble he will recollect his dread, and arm himself to 
be disobedient. 
Though you ought not whip a horse for start¬ 
ing, there can be no good effect from clapping his 
neck with your hand to encourage him. If one 
took any notice of his starting, it should be rathei 
with some tone of voice which he usually under, 
stood as an expression of dislike to what he is 
doing ; for there is opposition mixed with his start¬ 
ing, and a horse will ever repeat what he finds has 
foiled his rider. 
When you ride a journey, be not so attentive to 
your horse’s nice carriage of himself, as to your 
encouragement of him, and keeping him in good 
humor. Raise his head; but if he flags, you may 
indulge him with bearing a little more upon the bit 
than you would suffer in an airing. If a horse is 
lame, tender-footed, or tired, he naturally hangs 
upon his bridle. On a journey, therefore, his 
mouth will depend greatly on his strength and the 
goodness of his feet. Be then very careful about 
his feet, and let not a farrier spoil them. 
Very few, although practised in riding, know 
they have any power over a horse but by the bri¬ 
dle ; or any use for the spur except to make him 
go forward. A little experience will teach them a 
further use. If the left spur touches him, and he 
is at the same time prevented from going forward, 
he has a sign which he will soon understand, tb 
move sideways to the right. In the same manner 
to the left, if the right spur Is closed to him ; he 
afterwards, through fear of the spur, obeys a touch 
of the leg; in the same manner as a horse moves 
his croup from one side of the stall to the other, 
when anyone strikes him with his hand. In short, 
his croup is guided by the leg, as his head is by 
the bridle. He will never disobey the leg, unless 
he becomes restive. By this means you will have 
a far greater power over him; he will move side¬ 
ways, if you close one leg to him ; and straight 
forward, if both ; even when he stands still, your 
legs held near him will keep him on the watch ; 
and with the slightest unseen motion of the bridle 
upwards, he will raise his head, and show his fore¬ 
hand. to advantage. 
Fruit in the Country. —There is a general 
short crop of apples in all parts of the country. 
Even the great Wabash Valley has failed to afford 
its wonted world-wide supply. In all of the counties 
of New York, that we have visited, there is one 
universal complaint of no fruit. Massachusetts 
and Connecticut, we find in the same condition 
