154 



STABLE ECONOMY. 



other horses will never have occasion to stand or pass behind 

 them. Those that kick at the groom, or persons going about 

 them, are always most dangerous to strangers. A great many 

 can be intimidated by threatening them with the whip. Pre- 

 vious to entering the stall, the man warns the horse by speak- 

 ing roughly to him ; and by placing him on one side, he may 

 be approached on the other. A drunken, or awkward groom, 

 however, is almost sure to receive injury from a confirmed 

 kicker ; and a timid man is never safe. Vicious, and perhaps 

 all kinds of horses, discover timidity very quickly ; those that 

 are so inclined soon take advantage of the discovery. Many 

 kickers give warning. They whisk the tail, present the 

 quarters, and hang the leg a moment before they throw it out. 

 Others have more cunning, and give no notice. They often 

 let a man enter the stall, when they turn suddenly round and 

 strike out, either with one foot or with both. Some strike 

 only as the man is leaving the stall with his back to the horse ; 

 some are slow, and some so quick that the motion is scarcely 

 seen till the blow is struck. Some strike with the fore-feet, but 

 these are easily avoided when the vice is known. 



Fig. 16. — Stall for a Kicker. 



