VICES PROPERLY SO CALLED. 875 



is kicking properly so called which is witnessed. It often takes place 

 in the stable, without any good reason. In such cases, the injuries 

 sustained by the points of the hock produce small swellings, capped- 

 hock, which should be taken into consideration in purchasing a horse. 

 Frequently it occurs during work, from contact of the leg, the spur, 

 the riding-whip, or the whip-lash, from the touch of the lines upon 

 the croup, or of certain parts of the harness, as the traces, or from 

 some unexpected occurrence stimulating the hind members and sur- 

 prising the animal. The subjects worked in single-file at times kick 

 the shaft-horse with violence upon the head, the chest, and the internal 

 face of the forearm. The same is true of saddle-horses with reference 

 to those who follow them, or to their neighbors in the parade, in the 

 riding-school, and in cavalry manoeuvres. Mares, especially those 

 which continually evert the clitoris, are very irritable when people 

 approach them too closely. Too low a dash-board sometimes permits 

 the driving-horse to catch the lines under his tail and retain them 

 there. Should the attempt be made to pull them out forcibly, it is by 

 no means rare for the horse to kick. We cannot too strongly condemn 

 the bad practice which some drivers have of correcting a horse for this 

 or any other habit by the free use from behind of a long whip, the lash 

 of which in a manner encircles the animal's shoulder, ribs, back, loins, 

 and a part of the croup. This so-called girdle-whipping is often dan- 

 gerous. The animal, surprised by so violent and so sudden a punish- 

 ment, ordinarily responds to it by a shower of kicks, and it is very 

 fortunate if he does not run away. 



Under all these circumstances, kickers can inflict upon their neigh- 

 bors more or less serious injuries, such as contused wounds of the 

 chest, the ribs, or the abdomen, or fractures of the bones of the head, 

 the forearms, or the legs. Too often, also, these accidents befall the 

 persons who drive, mount, approach, or groom the animals in question. 



The kicking-strap, passing across the croup from one side to the 

 other, and fastened to the shafts, is a fairly practical method to prevent 

 kicking; durins: work when the animal is in harness. In the stable, 

 the rope through the mouth and around the fetlock, as before described, 

 should be fixed to the halter. With this appliance a horse will seldom 

 kick more than once. Finally, when they are used under the saddle, 

 the rider must bring good horsemanship into play to prevent them from 

 lowering their heads, and be very careful at the time of mounting. 



We will also consider with kickers those horses which switch their 

 tails, — that is to say, which shake their tails like dogs when their 

 hind-quarters are approached. " Don't buy a horse that switches his 



