The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



the selection of the man to whom you entrust 

 so important a job. 



If your horse, when in a vehicle, sUps up on 

 the road and falls, as may be the case on 

 asphalte or ice, don't scold him in a loud and 

 agitated voice. Go quickly and quietly to his 

 head, pat him on the crest of his mane and 

 give him the usual order to "He down." He 

 will keep quiet and make no struggle. Keep 

 at his head and tell your man, or any helpful 

 bystander, to quietly release the belly-band, 

 traces, and breechings, and, while the horse 

 is still on the ground with you at his head, to 

 slowly draw back the vehicle until the shafts 

 are quite clear of the horse. Then tell him 

 to " get up," which he will do quite quietly 

 and with the minimum of damage to his 

 knees. It is not often that a horse 

 sustains severe damage in the actual fall: 

 most occurs when the horse is scared and 

 struggles. 



When a hke accident occurs with the excit- 

 able unintelUgent groom in charge, he generally 

 loses his head completely, jumps noisily off his 

 box, raises his voice to the horse and shouts 

 to the bystanders who run up to assist. If he 

 had kept quiet, the horse would have kept 

 quiet ; but excited by the commotion, the 

 noise, and the men running up to him, the 

 horse struggles and tries to get up. Entangled 

 by the harness and shafts, he rises only to fall 



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