ON BALKING. 57 



get their heads down if they choose ; let them stand 

 a few minutes in this condition until you can see 

 that they are a little composed. While they are 

 standing you should be about their heads, gentling 

 them ; it will make them a little more kind, and the 

 spectators will think that you are doing something 

 that they do not understand, and will not learn the 

 secret. When you have them ready to start, stand 

 before them, and as you seldom have but one balky 

 horse in a team, get as near in front of him as you 

 can, and if he is too fast for the other horse, let his 

 nose come against your breast ; this will keep him 

 steady, for he will go slow rather than run on you ; 

 turn them gently to the right, without letting them 

 pull on the traces as far as the tongue will let them 

 go ; stop them with a kind word, gentle them a 

 little, and then turn them back to the left, by the 

 same process. You will have them under your con- 

 trol by this time, and as you turn them again to the 

 right, steady them in the collar, and you can take 

 them where you please. 



There is a quicker process that will generally start 

 a balky horse, but not so sure. Stand him a little 

 ahead, so that his shoulders will be against the collar, 

 and then take up one of his forefeet in your hand, 

 and let the driver start them, and when the weight 

 comes against his shoulders, he will try to step ; then 

 let him have his foot, and he will go right along. If 

 you want to break a horse from balking that has long 



