76 BALKING 



judging by my own voice, is rather apt to 

 panic any horse who has a good ear for 

 music. 



Balking. There is a story of a New Eng- 

 land farm horse drawing a load of hay, whose 

 master had no influence with him. After 

 trying for an hour to persuade the animal to 

 move, he made a bonfire under its belly. When 

 the flames caused him discomfort, the horse 

 moved on — eight feet, exactly enough to bring 

 the bonfire underneath the hay. 



Tap quickly with a whip behind his knees, 

 hitting them alternately. He will mark time 

 then walk to get away from the whip. I 

 heard lately of a stranger who walked up to a 

 balking horse, rolled a cigarette paper and 

 placed it carefully in the animal's ear, then 

 led him unresisting along the road. Mr. 

 Horse was wondering, " Why the deuce did 

 he put that thing in my ear ? " He forgot 

 to balk. No horse can think of two things at 

 the same time. 



Balking at a Gallop. Whereas refusing to 

 start is evidence of a misguided past, the 

 sudden refusal to take a jump may indicate 

 that the horse lacks confidence in his rider, or 

 that the reins are very badly handled, giving 

 him no chance of taking off with head free. 



