CATCHING THE HORSE. 85 



the operator should swing the pole smartly down 

 in front of the animal's nose, and then under 

 the lower jaw ; a proceeding which will bring 

 the halter into its proper place. Nothing now 

 remains except to withdraw the pole. Care 

 should be taken not to bring the pole under the 

 lower jaw, until the nose-band is in front of the 

 ears ; for, if it remains behind them, when the end 

 of the stick is brought down, the horse will be 

 lassoed and not haltered. The precautions neces- 

 sary to be taken in haltering the horse will depend 

 on the amount of his vice, or timidity. A horse 

 can be thus caught best, when he is standing in 

 the corner of a wall which is too high for him to 

 look over. In a circular enclosure, the animal 

 will be able, by turning round, to defeat the 

 intentions of his would-be captor, much more 

 easily than he could do in a rectangular one. In 

 a roped-in arena, the horse can get his head 

 away from the halter, easier than he could do 

 when close to a wall. There is no fear of a 



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