494 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



bruised by it. A rather long; and heavy piece 

 of wood, attached to a chain, is buckled above 

 the hock, so as to reach above half way down 

 the leg. When the Horse attempts to kick 

 violently, his leg will receive a severe rap 

 from the log, and the repetition of the blow 

 will induce him to be quiet. 



Kicking in harness, however, is a much 

 more serious vice, and those Horses that are 

 .so fidgety in the stable, are the most apt to 

 do this. From the least annoyance about the 

 rump or quarters, some Horses will kick most 

 violently, and destroy every thing within their 

 reach. These Horses can only be tolerated 

 in stage-coaches, where between hard work 

 and daring attendants, they are the least likely 

 to do mischief. Cautions may certainly be 

 used ; if the shafts are very strong and with- 

 out fiaw, or if they are plated with iron under- 

 neath, and a stout kicking-strap used, which 

 will barely allow the Horse the proper use of 

 his hind limbs in progression, but not permit 

 him to raise them sufficiently for the purpose 

 of kicking, he may be prevented from doing 

 mischief Still there may be possibility of 

 accident; the strap may break, and extreme 

 danger may ensue. A Horse that has once 

 begun to kick, whatever may have been the 

 original cause of it, can never be depended on 

 again ; and he will be very unwise who ven- 

 tures to sit behind him. 



Mounting. When the difficulty of mount- 

 ing arises not from eagerness to start, but 

 from unwillingness to be ridden, the sooner 

 such a Horse is disposed of the better. He 

 may be conquered by a determined rider, but 

 a skilful horseman only will manage him ; and 

 even he will not succeed without frequent 

 and even dangerous contests, that will mar all 

 the pleasures of the rider. 



Rearing may sometimes proceed from mere 

 playfulness, carried to an unpleasant and dan- 

 gerous extent ; but it is oftener a vice, and is 

 a desperate effort to unseat the rider. Some- 

 times it may proceed from using a deep curb 

 and sharp bit. Some of the best Horses will 

 contend ao^ainst this curb ; and if his rearino- 

 proceeds from this cause, it may be prevented 

 by using a snaffle bridle. It is otherwise a 

 vice of that dangerous description, that no 

 rational man would think of mounting a Horse 

 addicted to it, a second time. 



The horse-breaker's remedy of pulling him 

 backward on a soft piece of ground, is a dan- 

 gerous and brutal one. Many Horses have 

 been injured in the spine, and others have 

 broken their necks, by being thus suddenly 

 brought over ; while even the horse-breaker, 

 who fears no danger, is not always able to ex- 

 tricate himself from the falling Horse. 



Running- atcay. Some headstrong Horses 

 will occasionally endeavour to bolt with the 

 best rider. Others, with their wonted sagacity, 

 endeavour thus to dislodge the timid or un- 

 skilful. Some are hard to hold, or bolt only 

 during the excitement of the chace ; others 

 will run away, prompted by a vicious propen- 

 sity alone. There is no cure here. That 

 method which affords any probability of suc- 

 cess, is to ride such a Horse with a strong 

 curb and sharp bit ; to have him always firmly 

 in hand ; and if he will run away, and the 

 place will admit of it, to give him (sparing 

 neither curb, whip, nor spur,) a great deal 

 more running than he likes. 



Vicious to clean. There are a great many 

 Horses quiet to ride, that are very difficult to 

 clean. The origin of this is probably some 

 mal-treatment. In young Horses the skin is 

 very delicate ; if they have been curried with 



