rom me to call down the wrath of
the lords of creation on my thin head by denouncing them all as cruel
monsters, but my experience is that, in the majority of cases, horses
are rendered vicious by brutal treatment on the part of men. A horse,
like a dog, has a keen sense of justice; he never forgets unmerited
punishment, but is in a constant state of nervous anxiety when ridden by
a man who treats him unkindly. A dog exhibits a similar feeling of
distrust of a cruel master by crouching up to him when called, instead
of being delighted to see him, and according him a frisky welcome. I
will give an instance of what I once saw a bad-tempered man do with a
bird in India. The animal was a small green parrot which the man had
taught to perform a certain trick; but I don't know what it was, because
the parrot did not execute it when asked to do so. The owner of the bird
was a very mild private individual, who I thought was fond of animals,
and who asked me to see the effect of his training on this parrot. He
tried to get the little thing to perform, but as it would not, for some
cause best known to itself, he actually wrung its neck in my presence! I
shall never forget that incident, because it gave me one of the greatest
shocks I have ever experienced. This was, of course, an exceptional case
of temper, which I mention only to show to what extremities a violent
burst of rage may carry a sane individual. We often hear of an
uncontrollable temper, but I believe that every man can, if he likes,
govern his rage, unless, of course, he is demented. If the vast
majority of so-called vicious horses could write the story of their
lives, what terrible tales of suffering and injustice they would relate!
A horse, unlike a dog, bears punishment in silence, and any brutal
creature may with impunity torture a horse, but if he tried to hurt a
dog in like degree, the yelping of the animal would alarm the entire
neighbourhood, and be almost certain to call forth a strong remonstrance
from some lover of animals whose sympathy had been excited by hearing
such piteous cries. People who are unacquainted with the inner life of
stables, have no idea of the brutality which many grooms and strappers
inflict on the animals in their charge. When we find a horse which is
difficult to bridle, owing to the objection he has to allowing his
muzzle or ears to be approached by the hand of man, we may be almost
certain that this vice has been caused by the applic