Fifty-two illustrations by J. M. Oswald own, London: W. Thucker & Ca., Newgate Street, Calcutta: Thacker, k & Ca.
Captain Hayes is so well known in a man of very clear and complete ata on the subject of the horse and views and his previous books on th¥ aus rider, so popular, that this, bir subject are need little commendati" of the book, Captair from us. The scope preface, which Hayes describes in his to the fav-we " Totier this work public, durable consideration of the san attempt to describe a reasoned-system of horse-breaking, which I have vuud, by practical experience, to be easy of execution, rapid in its effects, and requiring the possession of no exception strength, activity, pluck, or horsemanship by the operator, who, to become expert in it, will, as a rule, need only practice, It is in accordance with our English and Irish ideas on the subject; for it aims at teach: ing the horse ' marine! snaffle-bridle mouth; so that he will go and giving him a up to the bridle,' and bend' himself in thorough obedience to rein and leg."
Captain Hayes' system of horse breaking. is composed of a judicious mixture of firm: ness and consideration, but he does not. allow himself to be taken in by the excuse: of nervousness where the beast is raully vicious. In most cases—and most owners: of China ponies can corroborate this from experience—when it has once been proved toa horse that he need have no fear thas. his owner is going to hurt him, if he bites or kicks when he is approached, unless this is merely playful, it is vice and not nervousness. Although we may fequently find a horse kick from nervousness, he will rarely bite from that cause alone." Putting aside another cause of so-called! vice, that the horse may be brutally treated by his groom, we may usefully remember: what Captain Hayes says in the following: paragraph "The more experience I acquire in the: breaking of horses, the more convinced IL become, that the so-called nervousness. of animals that have been handled. seme-time, is largely made up of impatience of control, and, in many cases, ofi active hostility. Without, for a moment, impute ing intentional deceit" (why not?) to a nervous' old stager', I nuke bold to assert that many crafty, dangerous brutes pose before their owners as ill-used,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.