THE KICKING HORSE 87 



of the kicking horse or runaway. If the so-called garratty 

 horse had a fit of staggers this would easily be detected. 

 My opinion is this : when some horsemen come in 

 contact with a horse that occasionally indulges in a 

 kicking bout they are so afraid that they dispose of 

 it, and in excusing themselves they are bound to say, 

 ' Well, the horse was ' a little wrong upstairs/ and 

 dangerous to drive/' If they really thought this I feel 

 sure they would have the brute destroyed and not let 

 some innocent individual risk his neck behind such a 

 dangerous animal. 



Now, to continue my routine of lessons, I always 

 caress and speak kindly. Cruelty and brute force only 

 develop the kicking habit, and have never been known 

 to cure it. I have seen brute force used by a great 

 many dealers and other so-called horsemen, and in- 

 variably they are compelled to employ thick leather 

 kicking-straps to prevent the horse from kicking too 

 high. As I once heard a dealer say, " He is bound down 

 to keep the peace/ 1 The kicking-strap is a preventive ; 

 when it is removed the horse kicks just as badly, and 

 he is never cured of this dangerous habit. 



After I have " long-reined " him for a few days, I 

 harness him in a long-shaft kicking-cart and drive him 

 quietly in a field for not more than half an hour. The 



