63 



Prevention of Accidents 



To prevent these accidents, horses should, 

 at any rate, at first be picketed as far apart 

 as possible, and with the head and heel ropes 

 rather short: they then, finding they cannot 

 move about much, soon get used to standing 

 quietly. These precautions are especially 

 necessary in the case of kickers. 



Head and Heel Ropes : 



During nine years' service in South Africa 

 we never used heel ropes, as our horses, with 

 a few -exceptions, were never shod on the 

 hind fe«t; an enormous amount of transport 

 was thus saved, and cases of injury from 

 kicks were almost unknown. When it is 

 necessary to shorten the head rope, it should 

 be plaited. A clove hitch should be invari- 

 ably used to knot it to the built-up rope. 



The best way to fasten the ring end of the 

 head collar is as follows: — Put a loop of the 

 head rope through the ring of the back- 

 straps, then put the ring of the head rope 

 througli the rope loop and pull the rope 

 taut. This fastening never slips, and can be 

 undone in a moment if the alarm sounds. 



