144 UNASKED ADVICE. 



at length be too glad to go on when and where he is 

 wanted to. Other cases of kicking in harness arise 

 chiefly from the harness hurting the horse, or the 

 carriage running upon him, neither of which accidents 

 are the horse's fault. Sometimes a horse who is very 

 fresh may give a jump and kick from exuberance of 

 spirit, meaning no more mischief than the same action 

 would do if he were being led. But it is dangerous, as 

 he may be frightened or even hurt by his hocks coming 

 against carriage or splinter bar ; and if once frightened, 

 a horse is a less pleasant conveyance than anything short 

 perhaps of a ^^ must '' elephant. No ! restive horses are 

 a bore, vicious horses a dangerous nuisance; but your 

 real promoter of coroners' inquests is a nervous horse, 

 one who becomes frightened easily — ^he loses his head 

 entirely, and is a dangerous maniac immediately. For 

 them there is no cure. When least suspected, their 

 peculiar idiosyncracy will make its unwelcome appear- 

 ance j and their rider or driver is instantaneously trans- 

 formed, from a comfortable citizen taking an airing for 

 pleasure, to the helpless victim of an aimless and object- 

 less lunatic, whose bodily strength and insensibility to 

 danger are in exactly inverse ratio to his reflecting 

 powers. 



