PEESONAL EXPERIENCE. 473 



way I became owner of horses of all kinds of habits, and 

 was forced to the task of trying to break them. The bet- 

 ter to illustrate some of the difficulties I experienced in do- 

 ing this, I have included an account of one of these cases 

 in the chapter on Balking. But the most remarkable and 

 difficult case I had at this time was a medium-sized gray 

 mare, which had the habit of balking and lunging. She 

 could trot a mile in less than three minutes, and had the 

 nerve and courage to go until she would drop. She would 

 either balk, or suddenly rush ahead at the top of her speed, 

 and make a succession of lunges in the air. She was one 

 of the worst horses of this character I ever saw. On com- 

 ing to the top of a hill she would jump several times, then 

 rush down headlong. On reaching the foot of a 'hill she 

 would rush up in the same manner. While driving, if she 

 met a person or team, she would get into the same tantrums, 

 and rush by regardless of all restraint. At such a time 

 she would throw herself into the air against the bit with 

 such fury that it would be impossible to hold her. By 

 blindfolding and other devices I succeeded in driving her 

 during the three months which I owned her, though I 

 had many narrow escapes. While driving this mare, my 

 neighbors would frequently Avish to ride with me ; but af- 

 ter trying it once it was rare that any one could be induced 

 to repeat tfie experiment. 



I learned afterward that she had defied every effort to 

 drive her before coming into my possession, and was never 

 driven after I sold her. Had she been properly broken 

 in the first place, she would have been a valuable horse ; 

 but she was ruined by bad treatment. Though I succeeded 

 in dri^dng her, still I wished to subdue her so thoroughly 

 that she would show no inclination to resist. After ex- 

 hausting my patience and ingenuity, I tried as a last resort 

 a remedy which I had often heard horsemen recommend ; 



