MANAGEMENT OF BALKY HORSES. 47 



them. This is an invariable rule with balkj horses, 

 just as much as it is for them to look around at their 

 sides when they have the bots ; in either case they 

 are deserving of the same sympathy, and the same 

 kind of rational treatment. 



When your horse balks, or is a little excited, on 

 if he wants to start quickly, or looks around and 

 don't want to go, there is something wrong, and he 

 needs kind treatment immediately. Caress him 

 kindly, and if he don't understand at once what you 

 w«int him to do, he will not be so much excited as 

 to jump and break things, and do everything wrong 

 through fear. As long as you are calm, and can 

 keep down excitement of the horse, there are ten 

 chances to have him understand you, where there 

 would not be one under harsh treatment ; and then 

 the little jiare up would not carry with it any unfa- 

 vorable recollections, and he would soon forget all 

 about it, and learn to pull true. Almost every 

 wrong act the horse commits is from mismanage- 

 ment, fear or excitement ; one harsh word will so 

 excite a nervous horse as to increase Ids pulse ten 

 beats in a minute. 



When we remember that we are dealing with 

 dumb brutes, and reflect how difficult it must be for 

 them to understand our motions, signs and language, 

 we should never get out of patience with them be- 

 cause they don't imderstand us, or wonder at their 

 doing things wrong. With alj^our intellect, if we 

 were placed in the horse's situation, it would be dif- 

 ficult for us to understand the driving of some 



