A KICKER llEFOHMED. 201 



should not for a long time, if ever, be trusted like a horse can be 

 that has been handled without any mistake from the first. 



455. — Far more reliance is to be placed on the reconciliation 

 than on the punishment, as its eifect is far more permanent and 

 reliable. When a young horse, naturally good tempered, has 

 been spoiled by a single accident, and the habit of kicking has not 

 been confirmed by subsequent malpractice, it is often possible to 

 get him completely over it with sufficient care. Of this we will 

 give an illustration. 



456. — In 18G1 we bought for less than one third of his 

 value a very fine four-year-old cart horse. He had been put 

 into a plough at three years old, had run away, and had so 

 lacerated his hind legs that he had to be turned out for a year. 

 When anything touched his hind quarters he would kick violently 

 and incessantly, so that we could not stir him up with a pole, 

 or even with straps, without danger of hurting him. We put 

 him in a narrow stall which was further narrowed and protected 

 with some well secured sacks of straw. We put blinkers on him 

 and tied his head forward, and at each side, so that he could not 

 much alter his position. We then got a large bundle of long 

 wheat straw, very firmly bound with three rope bands, and 

 suspended it behind him so that it would fall against his hind 

 quarters. He kicked at it until covered with foam and shaking 

 in every limb. If ever he got away from it we pushed it against 

 him so as to keep him going. We then took off his blinkers 

 and then let him see what it was that he had sj^ent so much 

 fury upon. We next got a small bundle of straw and suspended 

 it from his own tail, upon which he also wasted a great deal of 

 energy. 



This was repeated three days, but we could never get him 

 to do much kicking after the first day, and on the third day 

 •could not get a kick out of him by anything we could do with 

 straw, pole, straps, or traces. The horse was never known to 

 kick afterwards, but proved a remarkably tractable and bidable 

 horse, either with or without blinkers. 



457. — Kicking in the stable or at persons who approach 

 them is a very different habit to that of kicking in harness. 



