DRIVING A WILD AND VICIOUS HORSE. 497 



If you put the bitting-harness on very tight the first time, he 

 cannot raise his head enough to loosen it, but will bear on it all the 

 time and paw, sweat and throw himself. Many horses have been 

 killed by falling backwards with the harness on; their heads being 

 drawn up, strike the ground with the whole weight of the body. 

 Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly should not have the 

 harness on more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, at first, 

 but eventually the colt may be allowed to exercise with it on for an 

 hour or more. 



DRIVING A WILD AND VICIOUS HORSE 



Procure a strong strap, an inch and a half wide, with a loop at 

 one end, and long enough so the end may be passed once at least 

 around the leg near the knee, when the hoof is turned up to the 

 body. Raise the foot, until the sole is turned upward, and close to 

 the body. Fasten the end of the strap by passing it twice about the 

 leg just above the pastern joint in a loop, or a ring may be used for 

 the leg above the knee, and a second strap to fasten to the lower part 

 of the leg and connect them with. There is something in this 

 operation of taking up one foot that conquers a horse quicker and 

 better than anything else you can do to him. There is no process 

 in the world equal to it to break a kicking horse. When you first 

 fasten up a horse's foot he will sometimes get wild and strike with 

 his knee and try to get it down ; but he cannot do that and will soon 



five up. When you find that he is conquered, go to him, let down 

 is foot, rub his leg with your hand, caress him and then let him 

 rest a little; then put it up again. Repeat this a few times, always 

 putting up the same foot, and he will soon learn to travel on three 

 legs so that you can drive him some distance. As soon as he gets 

 a little used to this way of traveling put on your harness and hitch 

 him to a sulky. If he is the worst kicking horse that ever raised a 

 foot you need not be fearful of his doing any damage while he has 

 one foot up, for he cannot kick, neither can he run fast enough to 

 do any harm. And if he is the wildest horse that ever had harness 

 on and has run away every time he has been hitched, you can now 

 hitch him in a sulky and drive him as you please. Thus you will gen- 

 erally cure him at once of any further notion of running. Kicking 

 horses have always been the dread of everybody. An inveterate 

 kicker may attempt his trick with every new driver, but the man 

 who has subdued him as stated, can drive him. 



But by this new method you can hitch them to a rattling 

 sulky, plow, wagon, or anything else in its worst shape. They may 

 be frightened at first, but cannot kick or do anything to hurt them- 

 selves, and will soon find that you do not intend to hurt them, and 

 then they will not care anything more about it. You can then let 

 down the leg and drive along gently without any further trouble. 

 By this process a bad kicking horse can be taught to go gently in 

 harness often in a few hours' time. 



