KICKING.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[etjnning away. 



they trembled in every joint, and were ready 

 to drop, but have never, in any case, known 

 them cured by this treatment, if by any other. 

 The lash is forgotten in an hour, and the horse 

 is as ready and determined to repeat the offence 

 as before. He appears unable to resist the 

 temptation ; and, in its worst form, biting is a 

 species of insanity." The system of Mr. Earey, 

 however, might be tried. Some acquire a 

 habit of kicking at the stall, and particularly 

 at night, from mere irritability and fidgetiness. 

 This is productive of considerable inconve- 

 nience, as disturbing the other animals; and 

 frequently the kicker does himself some injury, 

 Mares are more subject to these freaks than 

 horses. This is a habit very difficult to cor- 

 rect. "We have seen it attempted by fasten- 

 ing a thorn-bush, or a piece of furze against 

 the partition or post. When the horse finds 

 himself pricked by the bushes, it has a ten- 

 dency to prevent his kicking, and perhaps, in 

 the end, may cure him of this very disagree- 

 able and dangerous habit. Should this method, 

 however, fail, recourse is had to the log, though 

 the legs are often not a little bruised by it. A 

 rather long and heavy piece of wood, attached 

 to a chain, is buckled above the hock, so as to 

 reach about half-way down the leg. When 

 the horse attempts to kick violently, his leg 

 will receive a severe rap from the log, and the 

 repetition of the blow may induce him to be 

 quiet. 



Kicking in harness, however, is a much 

 more serious vice, and those horses that are 

 so fidgety in the stable are the most apt to 

 do this. From the least annoyance about the 

 rump or quarters, some horses will kick most 

 violently, and destroy everything within their 

 reach. Cautions may certainly be used. If 

 the shafts are very strong and without flaw, 

 or if they are plated with iron underneath, and 

 a stout kicking-strap used, which will barely 

 allow the animal the proper use of hia hind limbs 

 in progression, but not permit him to raise 

 them sufficiently for the purpose of kicking, 

 he may be prevented from doing mischief. 

 Still there may be possibiUty of accident ; the 

 strap may break, and extreme danger may 

 ensue. A horse that has once begun to kick, 

 whatever may have been the original cause of 

 it, can never be depended on again; and he 

 will be very unwise who ventures to sit behind 

 U4i 



him. Eor this vice Mr. Earey's system has 

 proved a thorough remedy. 



Restiveness on being Mounted. — ^When the 

 difficulty of mounting arises not from eager- 

 ness to start, but from unwillingness to be 

 ridden, the sooner such a horse is disposed of 

 the better. He may be conquered by a deter- 

 mined rider, but a skilful horseman alone will 

 manage him ; and even he will not succeed 

 without many and even dangerous contests. 

 In the frequent strapping up of the near fore 

 leg, however, a remedy has been found for this 

 vice. — Mr. Earey's system is here again recom- 

 mended as a complete specific. 



REARING 



Sometimes proceeds from mere playfulness, 

 carried to an unpleasant and dangerous extent ; 

 but it is oftener a vice, and consists in a 

 desperate effort to unseat the rider. Some- 

 times it may be the result of using a deep 

 curb and sharp bit. Some of the best horses 

 will contend against this curb ; and if the rear- 

 ing proceeds from this cause, it may be pre- 

 vented by using a snaffle bridle. It is other- 

 wise a vice of such a dangerous description, 

 that no rational man would think of mounting 

 a horse addicted to it a second time. 



The horse-breaker's remedy of pulling him 

 backward on a soft piece of ground, is not 

 only a dangerous, but a brutal one. Many 

 animals have been injured in the spine, and 

 others have broken their necks, by being thus 

 suddenly brought over ; while even the horse- 

 breaker, who fears no danger, is not always 

 able to extricate himself from the failing 

 horse. Some animals, however, will be tho- 

 roughly tamed by a persevering system of 

 soothing lessons, in which the voice of the 

 trainer must be made familiar to him. He 

 will then desist from his habit, and cease to 

 rear the moment he is spoken to. 



RUNNING AWAY. 

 Some headstrong horses will occasionally 

 endeavour to bolt with the best riders. 

 Others, with their wonted sagacity, will en- 

 deavour to dislodge the timid or unskilful. 

 Some are hard to hold, or bolt only during the 

 excitement of the chase ; others will run 

 away, prompted by a vicious propensity alone. 

 There is no cure for this. The method which 



