86 The Care of Animals 



throws himself back on this a few times he will usually 

 cease. Another method is to tie one end of the small 

 rope about the tail in the form of a crupper, the other 

 end being passed through the halter ring and tied to a 

 post. In this case, when he pulls the force is exerted 

 upon his tail and he soon stops. 



PULLING ON THE BIT 



This is a bad habit and one difficult to remedy in 

 some cases. A horse that tugs on his bit continuously, 

 or even for a part of the time, cannot be driven with 

 any pleasure. This vice is often due to errors in break- 

 ing. In driving a horse that pulls on the bit, the more 

 the driver tries to hold him, the more he pulls, espe- 

 cially if he gets nervous and irritated. A hareh bit that 

 hurts his mouth is likelj^ to increase the irritation. 



In dealing with a horse that pulls on the bit, it is 

 usually a good i)lan to use as easy a bit as possible, as 

 some of the flexible leather -covered bits. Then try to 

 teach the horse that it is not necessary to pull on the bit 

 as he travels. When he begins to pull on the bit, allow 

 him to go without trying to hold him, never allowing 

 him, however, to get beyond the control of the driver. 

 When the horse finds that no one is tr3'ing to hold him 

 he will often give up pulling. Some cases can be stopped 

 by tying the pulling horse to his mate. 



RUNAWAY HORSES 



It is impossible to stop a thorouglily frightened horse 

 that is running away, by pulling on an ordinary bit. 



