HOBBLES. 129 



a horse, or of a breakage that lets the horse get entirely away, 

 besides which it too commonly puts the horse on very short allow- 

 ance for the night. For all these reasons hobbles are more 

 generally used, and the horse should be accustomed to walk in 

 them a little before he starts on a journey or he may stick up a 

 whole night or two without moving at all. On the other hand, 

 some horses get so clever in them that they are of no use on them. 

 They sometimes learn to canter almost as well with them as without 

 them. "When this takes place it may be prevented by fastening a 

 piece of raw hide to the hobbles, long enough to be trod on by the 

 hind feet. 



268. — Great care is necessary to prevent the hobbles from 

 rubbing the pasterns sore. The frequent whetting and drying and 

 dirt which they necessarily get from wet grass and drinking holes 

 makes leather very harsh and uncomfortable, however much you 

 oil or grease it. The padded hobbles that look so comfortable aa 

 you see them new in a saddler's shop soon get worse than any 

 others at rough work. For actual service w^e have found nothing 

 save the horse's skin so much as plain leather or green hide straps, 

 with the hair inwards, well soaked in water every evening before 

 they are put on. The hobble may sometimes be buckled above, 

 and sometimes below the fetlock joint, so as not to always rub the 

 same place. 



269. — Of course, either tethers or hobbles should be used as 

 little as possible. One of them will be necessary whilst a young 

 fresh horse is within easy reach of a much-loved home, or com- 

 pelled to stay in a barren, waterless territory. In such places a 

 traveller's life may depend on their effectual use, and he must run 

 no such risk. But a good horseman can almost always trust his 

 horse loose, or dragging a tether rope, until ready to go to sleep 

 himself, and by that time he will often be able to correctly read 

 the horse's intentions for the night. 



270. — To make the most of a horse on a long journey no 

 man should sit steadily on his back for an hour together, or pass 

 an exceptionally tempting plot of grass without letting his horse 

 have a bite at it. To get off your horse's back and lie down on 

 your own back for ten minutes every now and then will be a great 

 I 



