Year: 1878

q speaking to him, just as a ma.
Il would. First l made then
It march in line, having a man be
J. hind them to keep them up
a next, to break off in platoons
3 go in single file, reform in line
! oblique and wheel to right ant
: left, giving them the signals
: with the whip, breaking then


off, closing them up, and keep.
/ ing them back as required, SIM
( ply by causing them to apply
collectively what they had
) learned individually.


,l "Aftcr the drill, the next
thing was to teach Bravo and
Bonito TO do their teetering On
the plank. Each in turn was


made to 60 up the plank. which
was at first quite wide and not


more than foot from the


ground. When they would


get a little beyond the balance,


and find the end going down


with them, they would not rush


forward or jump off to the 9th


er side, but would back off very


cautiously. BY degrees we got


them used to it. so that they


would go up until it tipped, and


then go down with quiet indif-


ference to the antics Of a floor


which they found did them no


harm. Then, as by simple mo-


tons of a whip they would
move either forward or back


ward, they soon found that they


could balance the plank. After


that it was an easy matter to


teach Bravo, by light touches
of the whip, before and behind


his off fore leg, to move that


foot with a regular motion, for


ward and backward. That |
changed the weight enough to
give the see-sawing motion to


the plank. And they evidently
liked it, and had no fear when


we narrowed the plank and
raised it. When they have been


loose in the ring in daytime,a ,and
the board has happened to be
in place, they have gone to it,


mounted it, and enjoyed a see
saw for their own amusement.


"Rolling the barrel with the


fore feet, which is Flora's trick,
is one of the hardest things a
horse does, for it is such a vio-
lent strain OH the muscles Of the l.
unnaturally outstretched fore
legs. In teaching her that, /
first taught her to put her feet
upon a box, then had the box
fixed SO as to move slowly until
she got used to moving her hind
legs to walk after it. Then /
substituted the rolling barrel,
but had it SO fixed that it could
not roll rapidly to frighten her
or destroy her confidence. She
does not like to do it, because
it is hard. The rolling of a light
barrel with his nose is an easy
thing comparatively, to teach
horse. You touch him behind
very gently with the whip, so
as to drive him up until his nose
presses against your breast, and Y
you give way before him. Or
you, in the same way, cause him
to push with his nose an easily
moved board. He will soon
that he can push
things out Of his way with his I
nose. Then make him kneel,
and put the barrel annoyingly
clo Sc to his nose, so that he will
push it away. AS he does so A
you tell him roll the barrel. In
4 little while it will be unncccs- +
,ary to make him lneel, for as
he Lears the words he will obey I
he order.


"po teach the business with A
he handkerchief and box, when
[ had the horse SO that he would /
BRING a handkerchief to me
rom any part of the ring in O.
,ediencc to the signals Of the
whip, ] put it into a box so that A
t would show a little, but so
to the lid that when the a
lorse seized it he would throw
Up the lid. At the same time | F
would say, Raise the lid
When he got 60 that he did that n
'egularly and expected to raise
he lid, / made it more and more Ii
lifficult for him to get hold of
he handkerchief without do A
ng SO, exposing very little of
for him TO seize, and for his v
,wn convenience he got to
hrowing the lid up with his 4
lose when / told him TO raise
he lid.' In a similar simple A
vay l taught the putting back
# the handkerchief and the clos D