All horses can be trained and subdued.
Although some are harder than others owing to their disposition or the handling they've had.
But they all have a degree of practical intelligence and that is all they need in order to be trained.
Actually people give their horse credit for more intelligence than he actually has.
Yet the horse has very little power to reason.
To illustrate this point, take a horse that is difficult to shoe.
You might make himto have three of his feet handled, and if you did not educate the other foot, he would be as hard to manage while having that foot shod - as if he had not handled the other three.
If the horse could reason he would know that if you could handle three of his feet without hurting him, you could the fourth.
This idea people have about a horse's ability to reason does more harm than good.
This harm is often caused by people punishing the horse for not obeying certain commands or signals, which he has never been taught and which because of his inability to reason, he cannot understand.
There is nothing more harmful to a horse than to punish him when he does not know what it is for.
The horse's brain is much smaller in proportion to the size of the body and much simpler than that of the human being.
So always remember this in handling horses.
Use your brain more than your muscle.
Let's face it, in a contest of strength the horse will win every time.
But having the ability to reason out things from cause and effect, there is no reason why you should ever fail to gain your point with the horse.
It is only as you take advantage of the horse's inability to reason that you are able that you are able to accomplish anything with him.
You don't need a great deal of muscle or strength to train your horse.
You just need knowledge.
When you train a colt or horse you are fixing impressions all the time, and these by constant repetitions become habits.
If wrong impressions are repeated, he will have what we call a bad habit; if right impressions are repeated, he will have what we call a good habit.
Although some are harder than others owing to their disposition or the handling they've had.
But they all have a degree of practical intelligence and that is all they need in order to be trained.
Actually people give their horse credit for more intelligence than he actually has.
Yet the horse has very little power to reason.
To illustrate this point, take a horse that is difficult to shoe.
You might make himto have three of his feet handled, and if you did not educate the other foot, he would be as hard to manage while having that foot shod - as if he had not handled the other three.
If the horse could reason he would know that if you could handle three of his feet without hurting him, you could the fourth.
This idea people have about a horse's ability to reason does more harm than good.
This harm is often caused by people punishing the horse for not obeying certain commands or signals, which he has never been taught and which because of his inability to reason, he cannot understand.
There is nothing more harmful to a horse than to punish him when he does not know what it is for.
The horse's brain is much smaller in proportion to the size of the body and much simpler than that of the human being.
So always remember this in handling horses.
Use your brain more than your muscle.
Let's face it, in a contest of strength the horse will win every time.
But having the ability to reason out things from cause and effect, there is no reason why you should ever fail to gain your point with the horse.
It is only as you take advantage of the horse's inability to reason that you are able that you are able to accomplish anything with him.
You don't need a great deal of muscle or strength to train your horse.
You just need knowledge.
When you train a colt or horse you are fixing impressions all the time, and these by constant repetitions become habits.
If wrong impressions are repeated, he will have what we call a bad habit; if right impressions are repeated, he will have what we call a good habit.