128 TETHERING. 



your horse could neither swim nor walk, but make at once for 

 smooth water, such as you would select for a boat, and then 

 swim for either bank th*at the stream will take you to. Do nob 

 let your horse exhaust his strength at any impossible landing- 

 place, but swim on to a good one. If your horse must try a 

 difficult one throw yourself oft' and relieve hiin of your weight 

 for the struggle. 



9GC. — Your overland horse should be taught to tether well 

 in some way, and the best way is by the fore foot. Any horse 

 unaccustomed to be tethered, is sure to lame himself by cutting 

 his hind pastern with the rope when tethered by the neck, and 

 although they learn to manage the rope better after a while, a 

 horse never gets so clever with it as a mule or a donkey will do^ 

 and is always in more or less danger of getting wound up in a 

 tangle, and of losing a night's rest and a night's feed. 



When tethered with a strap round one of his fore pasterns he 

 is much more safe, and a lighter rope will do it. He requires a 

 little education for this. Before he is aware of his bondage, he 

 may start off at some fast pace, and get and give a violent jerk at 

 the end of his tether. This he will soon learn to avoid, and until 

 he does so, the rope may be held in hand or left to drag after him. 

 He will often tread on it with his hind feet and will learn from 

 that to move his tethered foot with caution. For the same 

 reason, the first six feet from, the strap that goes round his foot 

 will require to be very strong, and the requisite strength, light- 

 ness, smoothness, and durability will be found in nothing better 

 than a strip of raw cow hide, about an inch wide. Another 

 advantage of this short length of raw hide is, that if your rope 

 breaks the hide still remains, and greatly impedes a horse's power 

 to get quickly away from you. The rest of the tether line may 

 be light tarred rope, of good quality. Such a rope often comes in 

 useful for many other purposes on a long journey, through a new 

 country. 



207. — The tether I'ope is not much used by experienced 

 hushmen, on experienced horses, in very long journeys. Either 

 round the neck or the foot there is a probability of a horse getting 

 into a mess with it when rolling. Hence some danger of injuring 



