io8 ILLUSTRATED HORSE-BREAKING. 



some to offer more vigorous resistance than they 

 would otherwise do. I have never found a horse 

 that would, when blindfolded, attempt to kick, or 

 strike out, on the chance of hitting his man, 

 unless he was touched about the limbs or body ; 

 nor bite, whether touched or not, under similar 

 circumstances. I, therefore, think that the breaker 

 runs no risk whatsoever in going up to the 

 animal's head, when it is, thus, temporarily de- 

 prived of sight, no matter how vicious it may be. 



Applying the halter-twitch. — At this stage of 

 the proceedings, the breaker may apply a modifica- 

 tion of Pratt's twitch, by making a half hitch 

 with the free part of the rope of the halter, 

 passing the loop over the ears (see Fig. 17), 

 bringing the lower part of the loop under the 

 animal's upper lip, and then pulling it taut (see 

 Fig. 18). He may jerk the rope (leading rein) 

 three or four times, accompanying the action on 

 each occasion with the word '' steady." I may 



