KICKING. 375 



discovered that a horse has this vice, a furze or thorn-branch 

 should be fixed to the partition or post ; and few horses will 

 continue to kick when they are pricked at every attempt. 

 Many cures have been effected by this simple means, 

 although cases have occurred where it was not a remedy. 

 The next remedy is to have recourse to the log. This con- 

 sists of a heavy piece of wood attached to a chain, and 

 buckled a little way above the hock, so as to reach half way 

 down the leg. As often as the horse kicks, he receives 

 a severe blow from the log ; and he soon learns to desist, 

 finding the pain which it inflicts. However, not unfre- 

 quently considerable injury is done to the limbs, by the 

 bruises and severe swellings which have followed. 



Kicking is a dangerous vice, especially with horses used 

 in harness ; bad with a chaise, but much more so with a gig 

 behind them. The slightest touch on their quarters, even 

 by the reins touching, will set them to kicking ; and in 

 many instances the bottom of the chaise will be driven in, 

 or a gig may be battered to pieces, and the horse, frequently 

 coming off with a broken limb, or the driver may sustain 

 serious injury. With kicking horses, the greatest care 

 should be taken not to allow the harness to pass nnder the 

 tail, as the moment they feel it, the tail is pressed suddenly 

 and tightly down, so much so, that it is impossible to extri- 

 cate the reins ; and the more the driver pulls, the more the 

 animal kicks and plunges. When the driver finds that the 

 reins are so entangled, he should on no account attempt to 

 extricate them by pulling, but quietly dismount, and relieve 

 them by lifting the tail gently. 



This vice is seldom eradicated. Where persons cannot 

 afford to part with such horses, as they must be sold at a 

 great loss, a strong kicking strap may be used, which 

 circumscribes the use of the hind limbs, and prevents the 



