Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

Astley’s method was to give each horse his initiatory lesson alone, and when there was no noise or any thing to direct his attention from his instructor. If the horse was interrupted during the lesson, or his attention in any way withdrawn, he was dismissed for that. When perfect in certain lessons by himself, he was associated with other horses whose education was further advanced. And it was his practice to reward his horses with slices of carrot or apple when they performed well. Mons. A. Franceni, in a similar manner, rewards his horses. One evening I was in such a position, at the “Cirque National de Paris,” that I could clearly see, at the Lutte des Voltigeurs, that the broad-backed horse held for them to jump over was nearly all the time coaxed with small slices of carrots to remain stationary whilst receiving the hard thumps of the men springing upon him. I could not make out why the horse was sniffing and apparently nibbling at the chest of the men standing in front of him, with a rein in each hand to keep his tail towards the springboard, until I remarked that a second man placed in the rear of the other, every now and then lightly passed his hand under his neighbor’s arm to give the horse a small piece of carrot.