134 BREAKING AND TRAINING 



productive of good. It is well worth one's while in 

 the first instance to do all in one's power to prevent a 

 horse from falling into the vice of pawing, for once 

 acquired, it is a habit (a very bad one too) 

 extremely difficult to eradicate. 



Kicking. — Under this heading I intend to deal 

 with two forms of kicking in the stable, the first of these 

 consisting in maliciously striking out at persons — 

 especially strangers — and at other horses. The second 

 form is in evidence when the animal kicks at the stall 

 post or its partition, either by day or at night. In the 

 latter case it is usual to speak of such a horse as a 

 " night kicker." 



There are, of course, many varieties and modifica- 

 tions to be noted in the above forms of kicking. Some 

 horses, for instance, will strike out with the forefeet 

 more especially if any operative interference is 

 attempted about the fore part of the body, head, etc. 

 Again, mares when in season, are often given to kicking. 

 Like the human being, the horse does not escape the 

 penalty of his vices. A common result of kicking at 

 the stall-post, for example, is that of " capped hock," 

 in this malady the repeated bruising of the skin and 



