DIFFICULT TO SHOE. 349 



down and keeping him on the ground with his head pulled 

 round (see page 165). 



Difficult to shoe. — Horses are frequently made " difficult 

 to shoe," especially behind, by the practice some smiths 

 employ of pulling the leg away from the body, so as to 

 upset the animal's equilibrium. If the horse which is thus 

 treated, gets punished for making a natural attempt to 

 retain his balance, we need not be surprised, after a few 

 such repetitions, at finding him difficult, if not dangerous, to 

 shoe. The principles upon which we should act in correcting 

 this fault are : (i) to avoid, as much as possible, altering 

 the animal's equilibrium, while lifting a leg off the ground 

 and holding it up ; (2) to make the horse understand that 

 if he disobeys us we shall punish him, and that if he 

 complies with our wishes we shall reward him ; and (3), in 

 the event of his displaying determined resistance, to show 

 him that he must obey. 



In these cases it is, as a rule, best to put on the rope- 

 twitch in the first instance. To avoid throwing a horse off 

 his balance when lifting up a hind leg, it is well to help the 

 horse to place more weight on the other side, by turning 

 his head towards it, and by gently shoving him over to it. 

 Thus, if we wish to have the off hind lifted up, we may 

 get the animal's head bent round to the near side by an 

 assistant holding the twitch or rein in his left hand, and 

 pressing his fist against the base of the neck on the near 

 side (see Fig. 16) ; while the man who lifts the off hind, 

 or another assistant, presses against that limb. If the foot 

 which is to be operated upon be a fore one, we may lift 



