KICKING. 357 



rope-twitch, to make him connect in his mind the idea of 

 punishment with the practice of his vice. 



An excellent method of curing or preventing the practice 

 of kicking in harness is to attach, at each side, a rope or 

 rein to the crupper, say, four or five inches from the dock, 

 pass it through a pulley or ring on the shaft, at about 

 right angles with the point of attachment to the crupper ; 

 carry it forward, and fix it to the ring of the snaffle, at such 

 a length that if the horse tries to kick he will give his 

 lov/er jaw a violent blow. While acting as a kicking strap, 

 it will be the means of making the horse associate in his 

 mind the idea of pain with kicking in harness. We might 

 connect it to a gag bearing rein, which, besides punishing 

 the corners of the animal's mouth, would pull his head up, 

 and thus tend to check the elevation of his hindquarters 

 every time he attempted to kick. 



The old expedient of tying a kicker's tail to the splinter 

 bar is often successful in breaking the animal of his vice. 

 In other cases, it serves only to aggravate the objectionable 

 habit. For this object, the tail may be secured by a double 

 sheet bend (see Fig. 65). 



I believe it is impossible, even widi the most careful 

 instruction, to render safe in harness some bad-tempered, 

 treacherous horses which have had a successful trial or two 

 at kicking a trap when between the shafts. The memory 

 of such an experience appears to be particularly lasting in 

 the equine mind. 



For striking out in front, we may tie up one fore leg 

 (seepage 124), put the strait-jacket on (see page 143), apply 

 the rope-twitch (see page 132), or tie the horse's head to his 



