774 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



on them ; tie up all the traces and straps, so that there will be nothing to excite them ; do not 

 rein them up, but let them have their heads loose. Walk them about together for some time 

 as slowly and lazily as possible; stop often and go to your balky horse and gentle him. Do 

 not have any whip about him, but keep him just as quiet as you can. He will soon learn to 

 start off at the word, and stop whenever you tell him. 



As soon as he performs right, hitch him in an empty wagon ; have it stand in a favorable 

 position for starting. It would be well to shorten the stay-chain behind the steady horse, so 

 that, if it is necessary, he can take the weight of the wagon the first time you start them. 

 Do not drive but a few rods at first; watch your balky horse closely, and if you see that he 

 is getting excited, stop him before he stops with his own accord; caress him a little, and start 

 again. As soon as they go well, drive them over a small hill a few times, and then over a 

 large one, occasionally adding a little load. This process will make any horse true to pull. 



When we remember that we are dealing with dumb brutes, and reflect how difficult it 

 must be for them to understand our motions, signs, and language, we should never get out 

 of patience with them, because they don t understand us, or wonder at their doing things 

 wrong. With all our intellect, if we were placed in the horse s situation, it would be difficult 

 for us to understand the driving of some foreigner, of foreign ways and foreign language. 

 We should always recollect that our ways and language are unknown to the horse, and 

 should try to practice what we could understand, were we the horse, endeavoring by some 

 simple means to work on his understanding rather than on the different parts of his body. 

 All balked horses can be started true and steady in a few minutes time; they are willing to 

 pull as soon as they know how, and I never yet found a balked horse that I could not teach 

 to start his load in fifteen, and often less than three minutes time. 



In the first place, never teach your horse to balk, by giving him a greater load than he 

 can carry, or requiring him to go up too steep a hill without permitting him to stop. If you 

 t3ll him to stop, in going up a steep hill, it is better than to allow him to do it of his own 

 accord. If he finds he can stop of his own will, and start when he pleases, he will soon learn 

 to do it when he ought not to. If at any time he stops without your stopping him, give him 

 a sharp cut, and make him go on, even if you think he ought to stop at that very place; but 

 soon yourself give him an opportunity to stop. This will teach him that he is to stop only at 

 your will, and that you are not unreasonable in your demands.&quot; 



Use of the Check-Rein. It is very true, as a certain author has said, that &quot; the 

 horse has to work very hard for his living, and he has a right to be so harnessed as to do his 

 work in the way most easy to himself.&quot; If, in drawing a heavy load, a horse has his head 

 held back in an unnatural position by a check-rein, he cannot throw his weight into the col 

 lar, and give his body that position that will enable him to use his strength most advantage 

 ously. If any one doubts this, let him attempt to draw a heavy load himself, with his head 

 held back by a stout strap attached to a belt about his body in such a manner that he cannot 

 bend forward, but must of necessity maintain an upright position. In England, Ireland, and 

 Scotland it is a very rare thing to see a check-rein used upon a draft horse, while in the 

 United States it is quite too rare to see a horse without one. 



The tight check-rein is not only painful to the horse, but no good results to the driver 

 from its use, except in case of a horse being vicious and unmanageable; he may then be 

 more easily controlled. A horse with his head drawn back in an unnatural position by the 

 check-rein not only has his power to draw lessened, but cannot as well see where to step, and 

 is more liable to stumble, while if he does stumble he cannot as readily recover himself. A 

 tight check-rein has also a tendency to produce disease, injures a horse s mouth, and frets 

 and worries him. The effects of its use are described as follows by John A. McBride, 

 Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery in the Royal Agricultural College: &quot; I will 

 briefly consider the effects of the check-rein, (1) upon the circulation of the blood; 

 (2) upon the veins; (3) upon the arteries. 



