120 The Horse Farrier. 



the web of the halter, being first accurately fitted to his 

 neck, is suffered to slip only one way, or a strap is at- 

 tached to the halter and buckled round the neck, but not 

 sufficiently tight to be of serious inconvenience, the pow- 

 er of slipping the halter will be taken away. — Youatt. 



TRIPPING. 



He must be a skillful practitioner or a mere pretender 

 who promises to remedy this habit. If it arises from a 

 heavy fore-hand, and the fore-legs being too much under 

 the horse, no one can alter the natural frame of the ani- 

 mal ; if it proceeds from tenderness of the foot, groggi- 

 ness, or old lameness, these ailments are seldom cured. 

 Also if it is to be traced to habitual carelessness and idle- 

 ness, no whipping will rouse the drone. A known stum- 

 bler should never be ridden, or driven by any one who 

 values his safety or his life. A tight hand or a strong- 

 bearing rein are precautions that should not be neglected. 



If the stumbler has the foot kept as short, and the toe 

 pared as close as safety will permit, and the shoe is round- 

 ed at the toe, or has that shape given to it which it nat- 

 urally acquires in a fortnight, from the peculiar action of 

 such a horse, the animal may not stumble quite so much ; 

 or if the disease which produced the habit can be allevia- 

 ted, some trifling good may be done, but in almost every 

 case a stumbler should be got rid of, or put to slow and 

 heavy work — Youatt. 



HORSES JUMPING FENCES. - ' 



Pass a small and strong cord around his body, just be- 

 hind his shoulders^ and tie the halter to this cord between 

 his fore-legs so as to leave the distance about two feet 

 from the cord to his head, if then he attempt to jump, 

 he is compelled to throw his head forward, which draws 

 hard on the cord and causes it to cut into his back and 

 he instantly desists. The cord should not be more than 

 a quarter of an inch in diameter. 



