CHAPTER VII. 



RUNNING AWAY. 



THOUGH the treatment for this habit is, to a great ex- 

 tent, given under the heads of " Kicking," and " Fear/' yet 

 in bad cases it is liable to be so troublesome to manage that 

 I deem it necessary to consider it more definitely. The 

 main point is to make the mouth manageable to the re- 

 straint of the bit. But if there is much viciousness or re- 

 sistance, it is necessary to tone it down or overcome it by 

 a general course of subjection, when the control by the 

 mouth can be made more easy and certain. For example : 

 A nervous, excitable colt, so unmanageable as to be both 

 difficult and dangerous to put in shafts by any control that 

 can be brought upon the mouth, after a proper course of 

 subjective treatment which would overcome his fear and 

 excitement, would be found to offer but little resistance 

 to the control of even a common bit. The effect is the 

 same in the management of headstrong, runaway horses, 

 moved by some special cause of excitement, such as the rat- 

 tling of a wagon or other object. 



There are three principles of controlling the mouth: 1. 

 By training, as done with the Breaking Bit ; 2. By a 

 form of bit that will prevent the horse from pulling against 

 it, on account of the pain it causes ; 3. By obtaining 

 such power upon the mouth and head as will prevent the 

 horse from pulling. 



Of course these conditions run more or less into each 



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