when quite perfect in their lesson, they refuse to do what is required of them: but the greatest care is taken that they are quite perfect: nor are they ever punished while there is a chance that the not performing correctly proceeds from their not understanding what is required of them.

There is a common trick horses do in the ring, namely, gallop round it without a bridle on, and, when going at full speed, by a word or signal turn as if on a pivot, and gallop the reverse way: this is, perhaps, repeated a dozen times. If (which sometimes occurs) the horse neglects to obey the first hint given him, when a second is made, and he obeys that, he may be observed as showing some alarm by his manner and quickened pace. This evidently shows he knows he has done wrong, for if he did not, of course he could not be aware that he had, consequently would evince no fear.

The result of such neglect on the part of the horse certainly would be his being had into the ring after the performance was over, and then, if he was again careless, he certainly would "catch it."

To show that the teaching a horse thus to turn at command is not the result of any severity or cruelty, I will state one mode by which it may be effected. Let a pad, like a common gig-saddle, or, what is used instead of it, a surcingle with two rings to answer as terrets, be put on the horse: a pair of long reins are put through them as in harness, the strength and severity of the bit are of course apportioned to the delicacy or hardness of the horse's mouth. With both reins thus held, so as each may cause the bit to bear properly on each bar of the mouth, the horse will walk, trot, or gallop as ordered round the circle the

แ NO CHOICE BUT TO OBEY."

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same as if lunged with a cavesson. Supposing the horse to be walking round the ring to the left, if the right rein is pulled, what is he to do? he cannot incline to the right, because the inclosure of the ring prevents him his head is by this pulled as it were into the pit; his fore-quarters cannot follow, so he has but one resource: he brings his croup round till it is in the place his head was while going to the left: he is now straight, and goes off round the circle to the right. When wanted to change, it is only reversing the thing: the left or, in driving phrase, the near rein is pulled: he, as it may be termed, swings round his croup, and there he is in his first position again and going to the left.

After this has been practised some time, the horse will turn on the slightest touch on the proper rein, which it is far pleasanter to him to do than to get a severe snatch on his mouth and a stroke of the whip if he does not; so, after a short time, a packthread would turn him. But he has further intimation of what is wanted of him than this (as when exhibited he will have no reins on him, or perhaps bridle) to teach him to perform the same when at liberty. While he has the reins on, a proper signal always accompanies or rather just precedes the pull at the rein, till from long practice he will turn on seeing or hearing the signal without any touch of the rein being required: he knows it will come (and when he is perfect) with severity if he is careless; so, though going at speed, he is on the watch for the signal, and obeys it instantly. His obedience while under tuition is invariably followed by reward; and really these horses are very fair customers to tradespeople for apples, carrots, sugar, &c., as rewards of obedience.

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UNTHOUGHT OF CUSTOMERS TO TRADESMEN.

But though performing well is sure to meet its reward, the not doing so is not always punished; for if it proceeds from not being perfect in the lesson, it would be worse than useless to punish the horse: he would get confused. Put him back to that part of the lesson he thoroughly knows, in a day or two he will do the difficult part of it. If a boy hesitates in spelling application at once, make him spell the five syllables: this will bring on application in every sense of the word, and that gets him on to Aldeborontefoscofornio. It is a leading principle in teaching these horses not to hurry them in their lessons, but to make them. perfectly understand one part of them before they are put to the next: and another rule is, never to ask so much of them as to provoke resistance: a fight, though it might subdue, would possibly spoil a trick horse so interest alone would prevent its ever taking place when it could be avoided.

We will now look at the keeping time to music, usually termed dancing-country dances, reels, quadrilles, Polkas, or any thing else of the same sort.

Many years since the manège was much more in vogue than it is now. Lord Pembroke, Sir Sidney Meadows, and many other men of fortune kept a stud of manège horses. These all to a certain degree did what may be termed dance; and as it is not to be supposed such men would treat their horses unkindly, it should rescue the teachers of dancing amphitheatrical horses from any charge of severity, much less of cruelty, in instructing theirs. The usual mode of teaching a manège horse to lift himself, or rather his legs, as if keeping time to music, is simple enough: he is put between the pillars: these are two posts that

support the leaping-bar when wanted; being fastened to them by two side reins to his bit, a person stands behind him with a long driving whip: with this he is gently touched, the person using that almost unspellable but well-known Klk Klk as in driving. The horse, finding that he can neither advance, retreat, nor go sideways, and not being permitted to stand still, naturally moves or lifts his legs in succession; and this he does either faster or more slowly as the Klk Klk is so used, the whip touching him also oftener or less often in accordance with the altered sound: in fact, he does just what the soldier does in marking time. A man, with the delicate and scientific hands (if I may use such an expression) of a manège rider, then mounts him, and, in accordance with the desired time, just at the moment when each leg is to be raised he delicately gives him a lift with the bridle on the same side. The rider now (instead of the person behind the horse) makes the Klk Klk, and presses the horse with the calves of his legs; touches him with the spur, or even slightly uses it, as the mettle or want of it in the horse may make such actions necessary: he is also provided with a kind of jockey whip, long enough to enable him, when holding it backwards, to reach the animal's hind-quarters and legs. Touching on these induces him to bring them well under him, on which the gracefulness of his motions so much depends. When the horse is so perfect in this that he will mark time thus truly, and without hurry or confusion, quick or slow as may be desired, the pillar or side reins are taken off; the rider then trusts solely to his hands: to these the horse has now become so accustomed that he will no

more attempt to move forward while the hands act their accustomed part, than he did when confined between the pillars. On the rider (what in riding phrase is termed) "dropping his hands," the horse moves forward. The moment the rein is again tightened, and he feels the alternate lift, and hears the Klk, he becomes stationary again as to progression, but keeps marking time as before. This is, in fact, dancing, at least that part of it that corresponds to "setting to your partner" vis-à-vis, à vos dames, or cavalier seul. The dancing sideways, or, in riding-house phrase, "passaging," retreating, or advancing, makes the dance, and is all done by the rider's hand and accompanying heel.

I have just shown the elements of a dancing course of lessons with a rider on, and this all horses may be made do more or less; but some never would progress farther than a country morris-dance, while others become in their way Grisis, Fabris, or Monsieur Vestrises. The horse, however, under dancing tuition is much more certain of becoming eminent than young ladies, and still more so than young gentlemen, inasmuch as his teachers have too much good sense and judgment to attempt to make a dancer of a mere lump of animated awkwardness; and, supposing the horse to have as complacent an opinion of his pretensions to grace as human votaries of Terpsichore usually have, he is not allowed to exercise his judgment on such occasions.

We will now see how a horse is to be made dance without a rider and with a man before him. This is done by the person before him hitting him on the shin with a long cane or whip: he lifts up that leg: the other is hit, he lifts up that: then the first is