Gentling a Hind Foot 303 



the one front knee, punish him with the pulle}^ 

 bridle. 



As soon as the horse understands how to balance 

 himself and becomes submissive, take hold of the 

 leg and push it backward and pull it forward, and 

 then to the side as far as convenient. If the horse 

 resists, punish by jerking the bridle. Remove the 

 strap and gentle the other forefoot in a similar way. 



To gentle the hind foot, rub the hand along the 

 horse's body, over the hip, and down the hind leg to 

 the hoof, punishing with the bridle as before if he 

 resists. Attach the rope to the left hind pastern. 

 If he attempts to kick, tie up a front foot while you 

 attach the rope. Should he attempt to kick while 

 in this position he will throw himself out of balance. 

 As soon as you have the rope secured to the hind foot, 

 unstrap the front one. Now have an assistant take 

 this rope and attempt to lift the foot with it, at 

 first standing well to the front and out of the horse's 

 reach should he attempt to kick (Fig. 88). If the 

 horse resists, give several sharp jerks with the pulley 

 bridle, when he will usually raise his foot. If he 

 struggles to replace the foot, tie the rope to a collar. 

 If he attempts to settle down, punish with the bridle. 

 Continue until he learns to balance on three legs and 

 becomes submissive. 



Next have the assistant take a position in the rear 

 and try to lift the foot as before, standing well back 

 behind the horse and out of reach should he attempt 



