61 



Hoi^r to use a. Balky Horse. 



If ever I felt that the horse deserved the philan- 

 thropic sympathy of man, it has been when I have 

 seen a man, ignorant and brntal in his own nature, 

 trying to move a balky horse. I will have^ been 

 amply repaid, and will have certainly given every 

 one who buys this book a rich equivalent for his 

 money, if by its perusal I induce a more civilized 

 mode of treatment You are to remember that balk- 

 ing is an acquired habit, and not from any disinclina- 

 tion on his part to pull. I know that some men will 

 take the very best pulling horse, and in a short time 

 make him balk, simply from mismanagement. It is 

 not the dull, indolent horse which balks, but the high- 

 spirited and fiery horse of blood and mettle ; this is 

 so, because those who undertake to drive them do not 

 understand them. Notice which horse of a team it 

 is that balks, and you will mostly find it to be the 

 one of the highest mettle. He hears the command 

 to go, and being more ready to obey than the other, 

 he springs off ; but, not being able to start the wagon, 

 he is thrown back on his haunches, stopping the other 

 as well as himself The driver whoops and snaps 

 his whip, and by the time that the slower horse has 

 started, the free horse has made another effort, failed, 

 and now both are balked. Both horses recognize 

 that something is wrong, and neither knows what. 

 They are alike afraid to move. Then the driver plies 

 the whip, whoops and slaps the lines, all of which 

 only tend to make the matter worse. This has been 



