Читать книгу Haney's Art of Training Animals онлайн

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If neatly managed one of the most “taking” performances of the “arena” is the answering of questions by the horse. Yankee Robinson has a very fine animal, who replies to his master’s interrogations with much seeming judiciousness. Horses may be taught to shake and nod their heads as negative or affirmative replies, in either of two ways. The first method of training is this: Take your position at the horse’s head with a pin in your hand. Gently prick the animal’s breast. The horse bobs his head, just as he would had a fly alighted on the spot. Repeat the operation several times, each time caressing him, and perhaps rewarding him with a bit of apple occasionally. He will soon learn to nod his head on merely having the hand pointed toward his breast, or he may be trained to do the same by a motion of the foot. To teach the horse to shake his head it is only necessary to prick him slightly anywhere along the mane or over the withers. After a little teaching he will do so on your raising your hand to your head, a motion whose connection with the horse’s action will scarcely be suspected by the audience.