260 BOUGH PLAY. 



every thing that possibly may occur, but we should do 

 well to teach him to bear without alarm all that 

 probably will at times happen. 



People should carry this truth in their minds, that 

 a coachman may be able to manage and drive a restive, 

 resolute, or really vicious horse ; but if he is a coach- 

 man, he will tell you he cannot engage to manage a 

 frightened one. Nothing can therefore be more 

 erroneous than the idea, that because a horse shows 

 no vice he is safe to put into unskilful or timid 

 hands : he is by no means to be depended on : he will 

 be quiet while all goes on right, but the only truly 

 safe horse is one that will remain quiet when things 

 go wrong. 



The action of kicking, independently of its arising 

 quite as often from fear as from vice, very frequently 

 arises from playfulness : it is one of the horse's mani- 

 festations of high spirits. Turn him loose, he kicks ; 

 does not kick at any particular object, for in the 

 middle of a field there is nothing to kick at : he kicks, 

 as boys run and kick up their heels, from mere wanton- 

 ness and a sense of liberty. He jumps, squeaks, and 

 kicks if any one passes him suddenly on the road from 

 the same cause. Two horses will gallop and kick at 

 each other : this is not vice ; it means no more than 

 two boys or men sparring at Dr hitting each other in 

 passing : the two horses will probably be seen in ten 

 minutes standing together licking each other. 



I have mentioned in another place that I never drive 

 in single harness without a good strong kicking-strap. 

 This I do with horses that I know have no earthly 

 inclination to kick ; and for this reason : I like horses 

 in high condition, and horses in such condition are 

 usually in high spirits. A fly stings a horse severely 



