136 HUMANE HORSE-TRAINING 



hand, and then put the Indian war bridle on ; give a 

 few sharp jerks, and he will soon give up. Administra- 

 tion of the whip is useless. 



If the horse kicks in the stable, hang a sack of straw 

 behind him, allowing plenty of room, and let him kick 

 himself tired. A good plan is to tie a strong piece of 

 half -inch wide elastic round above the hock joint. When 

 he lifts his legs to kick, the elastic tightens, and this 

 attracts his attention to something else. 



When the horse is bad to harness or to mount, the 

 master hand or strait jacket will quieten him. 



When the horse lolls his tongue or allows it to hang 

 out of his mouth, take a straight bar bit, file it flat two 

 inches in the centre, and sew a stout piece of leather 

 over the flat surface. Drive him in the bit until cured. 



When the horse dangerously gets cast in his stall, 

 sew a D ring in the top of the head-collar ; tie a rope 

 to the D, and fasten the end of the rope to a beam in the 

 roof, slightly slanting back towards the shoulder. With 

 this he can move freely and lie down, but he cannot get 

 the top of his head down on the ground. 



If the horse is a side-puller, which is a most ex- 

 asperating habit, have a plain snaffle-ring bit made with 

 one side of the mouthpiece a half-inch shorter than the 

 other. If the horse pulls to the near side, place the 



