12 



BAD TO SHOE. 



plained, they cannot by any means be depended upon for the con- 

 trol of really difficult cases. They were used by me almost daily 

 under circumstances like the following : — 



After subjecting a horse to the Second Method, while still tied, 

 the effort would frequently be made to take up the foot ; but it was 

 rarely, unless thoroughly subdued, that the foot would be submit- 

 ted. The same is true of the cord, or War Bridle. It was often 

 a matter of considerable importance to be able to control some cases 

 quickly, and I would, as an experiment, try the most simple and di- 



Fig. 267. — Pulling the Foot back to Test the Horse's Submission. 



rect methods of management. I have experimented in this way 

 thousands of times before and after regular subjective treatment with 

 the War Bridle, and cannot regard it as more than palliative, since it 

 would, in a great many cases, prove entirely inefficient. Even with 

 the Double-Draw Hitch, its most powerful and effective form, which 

 until recently we kept a secret, and used only as a reserve, we could 

 not depend upon it. Twenty-five years ago the War Bridle was my 

 principal resource for controlling colts and bucking horses to ride. 

 But it is entirely inferior to the Second Method for the control of 

 bad cases. Simply tying the head to the tail, and sending the horse 

 around until dizzy, then mounting from the outside, so as not to get 

 entangled by the strap, the horse will be found so helpless that he 

 cannot buck ; should he attempt it, he would simply be carried 

 around the more rapidly until submissive. 



The matter of breaking bucking colts and horses was a common, 

 and, sometimes, a very formidable difficulty to meet. One of the 



