68 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



behind the horse, as shown in figure 47. It is hung about a foot 

 above the floor, and when the horse kicks it the bar will fly back, 

 striking its hind legs. The surprised animal will look around to see 

 what struck him, soon becomes tired of the contest, and gives it up 

 as long as the rail hangs there. An empty nail keg may be used 

 instead of the bar. Still it is doubtful if a horse can be permanently 

 broken of the habit. 



Pulling at the halter is another bad and even dangerous habit, 

 for if the fastening breaks, the horse is quite Ukely to get into mis- 

 chief. Whipping will not cure a horse of this trick, but if the 

 strap or rope, just at the moment when it is drawn taut, is struck a 

 sharp blow with a fork handle or similar stick, midway between the 

 post and the horse, the shock will astonish him. Care must be used 

 not to strike too hard, or it may bring the horse to its knees. A 

 few applications of this will generally prove effective. 



Pawing with the fore-feet is a habit induced by the same causes 

 as kicking. It injures the feet, disarranges the bedding, wears out 

 the floor and the shoes. The habit is easily restrained by hobbUng 

 the fore-feet together by a strap around the pasterns. But this 

 should be used with caution, as it interferes with the action of the 

 horse in lying down and rising. Another preventive is to nail strips 

 of board an inch thick and two inches wide crosswise of the stall, 

 about a foot apart where the feet strike. 



Climbing into the manger with the fore-feet is a trick to which 

 young horses are princij)ally addicted. It is induced by the restless- 

 ness which is inevitable from keeping a naturally active, intelligent 

 animal tied down to the dull monotony of a narrow staU. No horse 

 was ever known to do it in a box stall. It is a dangerous habit, for 

 the feet may crash through the bottom of the manger, and broken 

 legs result. 



" Weaving," as it is called, consists of a habit of swaying the 

 head rapidly from one side to the other. This, like gnawing and 

 licking the manger, and the other habits named above, comes from 

 a desire to relieve the tedium of confinement and inaction. 



The best and in fact the only effective measures, either for pre- 

 vention or cure of these habits are kindness and a considerate regard 

 for the comfort and well-being of the horse. If there is so little 

 employment for the horse that many hours out of the twenty- four 

 are left between work, feeding, grooming and sleep, it should by all 

 means be given a roomy loose box. No horse with spirit enough to 

 be worth keeping, will stand like an ox, contented and stolid, tied in 

 a narrow stall, hour after hour, with nothing to do. A single horse, 

 kept alone in a stable for family use, is in a worse case than one 



