KICKING. 47 



more patience and thorough work on a horse of this 

 kind. 



jSTature allows all animals a means of self defense, 

 and it seems she allowed the horse to have its principal 

 jQieans of self defense in its heels. If you are managing 

 a horse and he gets badly excited by some cause, such 

 as having chains or anything else coming in contact 

 with his legs or parts that are unbroken, his first in- 

 centive is to use his means of defense, and kick it out 

 of the way. Kicking is a habit that people have more 

 horror and fear of than any other habit that horses 

 'acquire. The habit is acquired nine times out of ten 

 through bad management and ignorant breakers. If 

 the horse wonld have been taught according to my 

 system of Colt Training, he would have no inclination 

 to kick. When a colt is broken as ordinarily done, 

 and goes off all right the first time he is hitched up, 

 it is taken for granted that he has taken all of his 

 education in at one lesson. But should the lines be 

 caught under the tail, or the horse get a glimpse of the 

 top over the blinds, or the cross piece of the shafts 

 would happen to touch him about the legs or quarters, 

 these parts being practically unbroken, it would be quite 

 likely to frighten and excite him as to cause him to go 

 to kicking, and once started, there is an increased in- 

 clination to go on until confirmed in the habit. Mak- 



