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Talk to the horse while thus taming him; let him hear the sound of your voice, which at the beginning of the operation is not quite so necessary, but which I have always done in making him lift up his feet. “Hold up your foot,” you will say; at the same time lifting his foot with your hand. He soon becomes familiar with the sounds, and will hold up his foot at command. Then proceed to the hind feet and go on in the same manner; and in a short time the horse will let you lift them, and even take them up in your arms.

All this operation is no magnetism, or galvanism; it is merely taking away the fear a horse generally has of a man, and familiarizing the animal with his master. As the horse doubtless experiences a certain pleasure from this handling, he will soon become gentle under it, and show a very marked attachment to his keeper.

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A lady visiting Egypt some years ago, gave in one of her letters to her friends at home, an instance of the power of gentleness in controlling even the most spirited of horses. She gives the following description of her experience with the Arabian horses: “I fear you may deem me rather boastful of my horsemanship when I tell you that the two Arab horses which threw their cavaliers did not throw me. The cause of the exception was not in me or my skill; it was the very remarkable predilection these intelligent animals feel toward individuals of the weaker sex. Let the wildest and fiercest Arabian be mounted by a woman, and you will see him suddenly grow mild and gentle as a lamb. I have had plenty of opportunities to make the experiment, and in my own stables there is a beautiful gray Arabian which nobody but myself dares to ride. He knows me, anticipates my wishes, and judiciously calculates the degree of fatigue I can bear without inconvenience. It is curious to see how he can manage to quicken his pace without shaking me, and the different sorts of steps he has invented to realize those contradictory purposes. Horses being as liable to forgetfulness as other organized beings, my incomparable gray would allow his natural ambition to overcome his gallantry, and if another horse threatened to pass him, would start off with the speed of the whirlwind. Woe to me if, under these circumstances, I were to trust to the strength of my arm or the power of the bridle! I knew my gallant charger better. Leaving my hand quite loose, and abandoning all thoughts of compulsion, I would take to persuasion; pat him on the neck; call him by his name; beg him to be quiet and deserve the piece of sugar waiting for him at home. Never did these gentle means fail. Instantly he would slacken his pace, prick up his ears as if fully comprehending his error, and come back to a soft amble, gently neighing as if to crave pardon for his momentary offense.”