with an ear for music, I haven't heard of them. They take a lot of notice
of the ringmaster."

"Does it take them long to learn this work?"

"Not long; a couple of months will teach a ring horse; of course,
some are better than others."

"First of all we teach them to come up to you, with the whip,
like horsebreakers do. Then we run them round the ring with a lunging rein
for a long time; then, when they are steady to the ring, we let them run
with the rein loose, and the trainer can catch hold of it if they go wrong.
Then we put a roller on them -- a broad surcingle that goes round
the horse's body -- and the boys jump on them and canter round,
holding on to the roller, or standing up, lying down, and doing tricks
till the horse gets used to it."

"Well?"

"Well, you give 'em a couple of hours of it, perhaps, and then dry them
and feed them, and give them a spell, and then bring them out again.
They soon get to know what you want; but you can't break in horses
on the move. The shifting and worry and noise and excitement put it all
out of their heads. We have a fixed camp where we break them in.
And a horse may know his work perfectly well when there is no one about,
but bring him into the ring at night, and he is all abroad."

"Do you have to give them much whip?"

"Not much. If a horse doesn't know what you want him to do,