214 KICKING. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 



Next morning, after breakfast, this man called upon me 

 at the hotel, and requested me to go into the street with 

 him. After going a few rods, he pointed to a horse har- 

 nessed to a buggy, and hitched to a post. " There she is," 

 said he. And sure enough, there was the mare. I felt in- 

 dignant that he should disregard my instructions. But he 

 said he had tried her in every way that morning, that she 

 could not be made to kick, so he concluded to hitch her up 

 and drive her down (two miles), and that she had driven 

 all right. 



About six weeks later, when at Newark, Ohio, Mr. 

 McVay came to me, and stated that his mare was perfectly 

 gentle, and the most promising and valuable mare in Rich- 

 land County ; that he used her for family driving, and one 

 day while driving her rapidly before a sleigh, in company 

 with his children, the breeching broke, letting the sleigh 

 run against her heels. He expected, of course, she would 

 kick and run away, but, to his surprise, the instant he said, 

 " Whoa ! " she stopped quietly, not showing the least fear, 

 or offering to kick. He added that if I would come 

 back to Mansfield I could get as large a class as I would 

 want. I felt so indignant at the contemptible opposition 

 and prejudice to which I had been subjected there, that I 

 said I would not go back and teach a class there under 

 any condition. 



It is proper to explain that the mare's riot kicking that 

 morning was very much a matter of chance. Had she 

 kicked, the effect of the treatment the day before would 

 have been entirely undone. This is referred to, to show 

 the importance, at this stage, of being careful to make 

 every step sure in the management of such cases, and leave 

 no chance for failure. 



