120 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



responded by kicking most violently. I was summoned to 

 the scene of action, but for some time he would allow no 

 person to approach him, and struck at those who attempted 

 to go near his head with his fore-feet, as viciously as he did 

 with his hind ones ; at length, by strapping up his near 

 fore-leg, they succeeded in getting him released from the 

 plough. His gearing was taken oif, and replaced by some 

 strong harness, when he was placed between the shafts of a 

 substantial roller, such as is commonly used for rolling the 

 land. When properly secured at all points, a powerful and 

 steady horse was put before him, and he was kept moving 

 in a fallow field till night. He kicked the roller furiously 

 and repeatedly, but in doing so he hurt his own legs, and 

 finding he got the worst of it, he left off. The next morning 

 his hind legs were very sore, and he was again attached to 

 the roller, but he did not evince much inclination to com- 

 mence hostilities, and in the course of that day he was put 

 to a gig. I drove him constantly, and he never repeated 

 his vice. It was afterwards discovered that he had been in 

 the possession of a post-master, and that he had kicked the 

 boot of a gentleman's carriage to pieces, for which he w^as 

 sold as incorrigibly vicious." 



It will be found that brute force or brutal violence rarely 

 succeeds or produces the desired effect with horses, or, 

 indeed, with any animal. Brute force subdued Van 

 Amburg's lions, but it did not tame them. They were too 

 much subdued to attack him while his eye was on them, he 

 knew ; but if he had turned his back or shown he had fear 

 of them they would have pulled him down and torn him to 

 pieces. Brute force may compel a horse to do a particular 

 act at the time — it may even make him fear to commit one 

 at va-riance with our safety ; but, and let opportunity occur, 

 we shall soon find that fear alone will never eradicate a bad 

 propensity. 



Plunging is akin to kicking, though very differently 

 performed. The animal makes a bound or spring with his 

 back bowed upward, with the apparent intent of unseating 

 his rider. Sometimes he " tucks," i.e., springs with all four 

 feet oft' the ground suddenly, an experiment very likely to 

 answer his unpleasant intention. When a horse has this 

 habit, hold his head closely, as for kicking, with which it is 

 often complicated or alternated. A modern writer recom- 

 mends that a horse-cloth rolled up, strapped to the front of 



