86 HUMANE HORSE-TRAINING 



The horses that are called garratty by some horsemen 

 are nothing of the kind. The symptoms of megrims are 

 entirely different from these periodical outbreaks of kick- 

 ing and bolting. Sometimes the so-called garratty horse, 

 who starts to kick, takes fright at the loose and broken 

 harness touching him and bolts, smashing himself up. 

 If he had been properly broken he would not do it. 



The real garratty horse, who suffers from temporary 

 pressure on the brain, producing partial or entire insensi- 

 bility, may result from pressure of the collar, extra 

 exertion, and possibly from excessive heat. Plethoric 

 animals with short necks are very liable to it. The fit 

 comes on suddenly and without warning, and most often 

 when the animal is in harness. I have known of bearing- 

 reins being the cause, because they prevent the natural 

 free action of the head. In slight cases the horse stands 

 still, looks round, throws his head up stupidly, and 

 then goes on as if nothing had happened. He does not 

 kick or bolt. In severe cases he rears up, turns round 

 madly, and is likely to run into anything ; after a second 

 plunge he will come down heavily upon the ground. 

 The horse should be dieted and well physicked, and 

 general health assured by a judicious system of feeding. 



Now, this type of horse could not possibly kick or bolt, 

 and the symptoms are quite different from the habits 



