ON BALKING. 55 



and are afraid of what is behind them. This is an 

 invariable rule with balked horses, just as much as 

 it is for them to look around at their sides when 

 they have the bots ; in either case they are deserving 

 of the same sympathy and the same kind, rational 

 treatment. 



When your horse balks or is a little excited, if he 

 wants to start quickly, or looks around and doesn't 

 want to go there is something wrong, and he needs 

 kind treatment immediately. Caress him kindly, 

 and if he doesn't understand at once whaVyou want 

 him to do, he will not be so much excited as to jump 

 and break things, and do everything wrong through 

 fear. As long as you are calm, and keep down the 

 excitement of the horse, there are ten chances to 

 have him understand you, where there would not be 

 one under harsh treatment, and then the little flare 

 up would not carry with it any unfavourable recollec- 

 tions, and he would soon forget all about it, and 

 learn to pull true. Almost every wrong act the 

 horse commits is from mismanagement, fear, or 

 excitement ; one harsh word will so excite a nervous 

 horse as to increase his pulse ten beats in a minute. 



When we remember that we are dealing with 

 dumb brutes, and reflect how difficult it must be for 

 them to understand our motions, signs, and language, 

 we should never get out of patience with them 

 because they don't understand us, or wonder at 

 their doing things wrong. With all our intellect, if 



