TAMING HORSES. 151 



of the driver, till something is broken or h^ is 

 through with his course of treatment. But what 

 a mistake the driver commits by whipping his 

 horse for this act! Reason and common sense 

 should teach him that the horse is Avilling and anx- 

 ious to go, but did not know how to start the load. 

 And should he whip him for that? If so, he 

 should whip him again for not knowing how to 

 talk. A man that wants t'> act with any ration- 

 ality or reason should not Jly into a passion, but 

 should always think before he strikes. It takes a 

 steady pressure against the collar to move a load, 

 and you cannot expect him to act with a steady, 

 determined purpose while you are wdiipping him. 

 There is hardly one balking horse in five hundred 

 that will pull true from w^iipping ; it is only add- 

 ing fuel to fire, and will make him more liable to 

 balk another time. You always see horses that 

 have been balked a few times, turn their heads 

 and look back, as soon as they are a little frustra- 

 ted. This is because they have been whipped and 

 are afraid of what is behind them. This is an in- 

 variable rule with balked horses, just as much as 

 it is for them to look around at their sides when 

 they have the bots ; in either case they are deserv- 

 ing of the same sympathy and the same kind, ra- 

 tional treatment. 



When your horse balks or is a little excited, if he 



