Horses art often termed vicious when they have no vice. Docile but bold horses may be excited to retaliate upon those who abuse them. They never strike but when they are struck; they are obstinate, but should not be called vicious; they are sullen and often refuse to perform painful exertions; they require nothing but gentle treatment. Punishment invariably makes them more dangerous, and ultimately quite vicious, even to ferocity; they learn to give injury when none is offered. Some, especially mares, often feign that they are going to bite or strike, yet never do any intentional mischief; they merely desire to attract attention, and to be made pets of. The very best of horses often have this peculiarity. A foolish or timed groom is apt to deal too harshly with them. They may scowl and grind their teeth; they may present their quarters, and even lift a foot as if in the act to strike, or they may fix their teeth in the man's jacket, but it is all in play. The best way is not to mind them, or at most to give them warning with the voice. It is a pleasing kind of familiarity which need not offend nor alarm any one.

Good horsemen generally like it as indicative of energy and endurance; and I think such horses become sooner and more warmly attached to persons about them than others of a heed less disposition.

Some horses are perfectly quiet to the groom, but very quarrelsome in the company of other horses; this is the case with mares more than with geldings, but it is common enough in geldings too: they bite or strike a strange horse the moment he comes in reach, but seem to get reconciled to him after a little acquaintance. Horses of this kind should always work with the same companion, and stand in the next stall to him; they never work well with strangers; and in the stable, when standing beside strangers, they are so intent upon mischief, that they neither feed nor rest.

All vicious horses are most easily managed by one person. 1 have often met with instances of balling, shoeing, and similar operations, being strenuously resisted when attempted by a number of persons, and yet easily performed when taken in hand by one. The horse appears to get alarmed, to expect something painful, when surrounded by a crowd. It is not wonderful that he should, for there are always several assistants at the performance of painful operations.

Some are awed when harshly commanded and boldly approached; some must be soothed and cherished; and some must occasionally be well flogged. There are many that, to be managed at all in safety, must be managed in perfect silence. To horses of this kind, every word increases their suspicion and terror; they must be treated as if they were quite docile; an attempt to bite or strike should pass without the least notice, and this sometimes confounds and tames the horse more than anything that could be said or done to him. Caresses and chastisement are equally pernicious or useless.

Grooms and others often err in their treatment of vicious horses. They punish those that are not to be improved by punishment, and they apply the lash either before the horse has done anything to merit it, or some time after he has for-gotten the offence. No horse should ever be chastised without knowing why; the object should be to prevent repetition of the offence; but this is seldom thought of; the horse is flogged merely because the man is angry. There is a very common piece of stupidity which may be cited in illustration of this. By some means the horse gets free and runs off or scampers about, giving the man a great deal of trouble to retake him. While free, he gets kind words, he is called in a soothing tone, and perhaps coaxed to submit himself to the halter by an offer of oats; he is patted and caressed till he is fairly secured, and then he is flogged, kicked, and knocked about, as if he had been caught in the act of committing a great crime. If this is ever to do any good, it should be done directly after the horse deserves it. As it is, he can not understand why he receives this treatment, or he must suppose it is the penalty of submitting himself, and the next time he gets free, he will delay surrender as long as possible.

This is but a sample of the way in which a horse, and especially a vicious horse, is often chastised: he is caressed and soothed till it is convenient and safe to punish him, and by that time he has forgotten the crime. If correction can not instantly follow the offence, none should be given. The horse may be injured, and there is not the least chance of his being improved.