THE COLT. 69 



take up their fore feet, adjust their collars, unloose their traces 

 and hook them up again. K^ow step in front of them, move their 

 ears and put your hand in their mouth and handle their tongue. 

 While thus gentling and composing them, the spectators will 

 think you are doing something that they do not understand, and 

 will not learn the trick. Do not start them until they are thor- 

 oughly composed, which can be easily told from the expression 

 of the eye and the movement of the ears. When you have them 

 ready to start, stand before them, and as you seldom have but one 

 balky horse in a team, get as near in front of them as you can. 

 If he is too fast for the other horse, let his nose come against 

 your breast; this will keep him steady, and he will go slow rather 

 than run over you. Turn him gently to the right. Have the 

 wagon standing in a favorable position for starting out, letting 

 them pull on the trace as far as the tongue will let them go. 

 Stop them with a kind word, gentle them a little, and turn them 

 back to the left by the same process. You will have them under 

 your control by this time, and as you turn them again to your 

 right steady them in the collar, and you can take them where 

 you please. 



There is a quicker process that will generally start a balky 

 horse, but not so certain as the above method. Stand him a little 

 ahead so that his shoulder will be against the collar. Then take 

 up one of his fore feet and let the driver start them. He will 

 generally go right r.long. If you want to break a horse from 

 balking that has long been in the habit, put him by the side of 

 some steady horse. Have check lines on them, tie up all traces 

 and straps so there will be nothing to excite them. Ho not rein 

 them up, but allow their heads to be loose. AValk them about 

 together as slowly and as lazily as possible. Stop often and go 

 up to the balky horse and gentle him, keeping him as quiet as 

 possible. He will soon learn to start off at the word and stop 

 when you tell him. As soon as he performs right, hitch him to 

 an empty wagon. It will be well to shorten the stay chains be- 



