156 PUTTING DOWN A HORSE. 



for the time being, but is not really educated, and is seldom 

 reliable when full health and vigour are restored. Like Rarey's 

 system, it compels a horse to submit to contact with many 

 alarming objects without delay, but unlike the simple act of 

 laying him down, this circling muddles the horse's head, and 

 although it makes him very submissive for the tune being, its 

 permanent effect is uncertain, and seldom satisfactory in an 

 educational sense. For some purposes it is a useful and easy 

 piece of discipline, and we shall have occasion again to refer to it. 



352. — Rarey's system of putting down a horse has been 

 considerably improved on by some of his disciples. His plan 

 was to strap up the left fore leg, by bending a strap once or twice 

 round the left pastern, and then lifting the foot, buckle it tightly 

 round the arm. Then put the end of a long strap round the 

 pastern of the right fore leg, and bringing the long strap over 

 the back, or through a surcingle strapped round the body, draw 

 up the other fore leg as soon as the horse lifts it from the ground. 

 This brings the horse somewhat violently to his knees on which 

 he may j)ossibly, though very rarely, stay ten minutes before he 

 will lie down on his side. 



353. — A much better way to put a horse down is to take 

 him to some high or open enclosed place, free from all single 

 posts or obstructions that a horse could strike against, with 

 deeply covered soft floor of tan, short straw, or dung. The 

 enclosure should not be less than twenty-five any way. A dry, 

 ploughed field, or a soft meadow is still better in fine weather. 

 Put either a surcingle or a rope round his girth, with an iron 

 ring about two inches diameter, on the wither, and another below, 

 at the bottom of the girth. The surcingle, or rope, must be 

 fastened back, with a crupper, or by a small rope passed through 

 a large i)iece of strong soft rag, tied round the root of the tail. 

 Now take a small strong rope, about 20 feet long, and tie one end 

 of it round the lower jaw, quite loosely, but with a knot that will 

 neither give loose nor draw tight. You next take the rope up 

 the left side of the horse's face, and down the right side, putting- 

 it through the loop on the jaw, and carrying it back on the right 

 side of the neck, through the iron ring at the wither, bring the 

 slack down on the left side. 



