HALTS 195 



I have seen many a time since then when I 

 have taken range horses far into the woods. 



Halts. If only to give my horses a chance 

 to stale and, with a gelding, to make sure that 

 the sheath is clean, I make a short halt after 

 each two hours. At every halt the genuine 

 horseman throws his rein to the ground so that 

 a horse will be tripped if he attempts to break 

 away. Range horses are trained to stand to a 

 thrown rein, and if necessary are given a sack 

 of earth to drag until they learn the wisdom in 

 obedience. If one has to tie the horse to any- 

 thing, a supple bush is better than a rigid tree, 

 lest he pull bacJ^ wdth his whole weight for the 

 purpose of breaking the rein or rope by which 

 he has been fastened. 



In my short halts I always hold the rein 

 while the horse gets a bite of grass or a little 

 Vv^ater. The reason for this is that he may be 

 suddenly frightened by a snake or a bustling 

 squirrel, and if he breaks away it might be 

 awkward to be left afoot : so many men have 

 been left afoot and perished. 



In the greatest heat one may water horses 

 fully if they stand knee deep in pool or stream ; 

 but if they drink their fill they go sluggish^ 

 afterwards and need to drink the more. For 

 a man a sip of cold tea allays thirst better than 



