CH. XXIII ACCIDENTS 507 



On icy roads, the skid will slip and, with the 

 brake hard on, the tire of the wheel slips also. 

 The ice-skid (Fig. 49) is good for steady work ; 

 a temporary substitute for it may be made by put- 

 ting on the ordinary skid and wrapping a chain- 

 trace or the chain of the hook, round the skid and 

 the rim of the wheel so as to present a rougher 

 surface to the road, as described on p. 89. 



It is possible for a wheel horse to catch his bit in 

 the pole-chain hook so as to pull off his bridle, an 

 accident likely to be attended with danger ; also, a 

 leader, in throwing his head up and down, may 

 catch the branch of his bit in the bridle of his 

 partner. 



Some leaders will kick violently if a rein gets 

 under the tail, an accident likely to happen in the 

 fly season. If the horse is dangerous in that way, 

 one of the men should get down and free the rein, 

 beino- careful to seize the tail and lift it off the rein 

 instead of trying to pull out the rein. If the horse 

 is not a kicker, the rein can sometimes be set free 

 by pulling the leaders to one side and the wheelers 

 to the other in such a way that the diagonal pull 

 will draw the rein out ; the rein should be slack at 

 the moment, and a slight flick with the whip on 

 the horse's rump will cause the tail to be lifted, 

 and so facilitate the operation. 



A way of preventing the horse from getting his 

 tail over the rein, is to pass both lead-reins through 

 a ring slipped on them between the leaders and the 



