ROPE-TWITCH. 



121 



the rope-twitch, described in Mr. O. S. Pratt's book, " The 

 Horse's Friend," which was published at Buffalo in 1876. 

 Mr. C. G. Frasier, who was Pratt's assistant for some years 

 in America, tells me that this twitch was not invented by 

 Pratt, long before whose time it was in use. He thinks 

 that it was probably the idea of the " horse-tamer," Fan- 

 chion, who practised his art many 

 years ago in the States. Pratt 

 calls it "the double-hitch Bona- 

 parte bridle." It is made as 

 follows : take a rope and make a 

 simple knot with it at one end, 

 at a distance of about eighteen 

 inches from which make another 

 knot loosely, and pass the first 

 knot through the second, so as to 

 form a loop which will not draw 

 tightly (see Fig. 40). Make a 

 halter by taking a turn of the 

 rope through the fixed loop (see 

 Fig. 41). Place this halter over 

 the horse's head, and the loop in 

 his mouth. Make a half hitch 

 with the free part of the rope, 



pass it over the horse's head and under his upper lip, and 

 draw it moderately tight (see Figs. 42 and 43). By making 

 the fixed loop long, one can obtain more power than with 

 the halter-twitch. 



If there be much difficulty in applying the rope-twitch, 

 the best plan, as I have found, is to try the effect of the 

 noose-twitch (see following paragraph). Or the horse may 

 be tied head and tail (see page 135), and it can then be 

 put on without trouble ; the animal being, of course, re- 

 leased immediately after, this js 4one f 



Fig. 40. Noose which will 

 not "run." 



