136 



FEAR— ITS EFFECTS. 



stop occasionally at the command to " Whoa." In the meantime, 

 as there is submission, treat kindly. This will not usually be found 

 a "difficult habit to overcome. In making, experiments before 

 classes on this kind of cases, which were very common, it rarely re- 

 quired more than fifteen or twenty minutes to hitch [up and drive 

 such safely, even without breeching. 



Jumping out of the Shafts. 



To make a colt entirely safe and reliable in shafts, he should be 

 thoroughly accustomed to objects striking against his quarters or 

 legs. It is not sufficient that he is accustomed to being touched 

 around the tail, or even flanks ; for though brought to submit to 



Fig. 170 



Fio. 171. 

 Contrasts of Character. 



Fio. 17S. 



this, there will be no assurance of his being gentle should the shafts 

 strike lower down on his quarters or legs. In my practice I always 

 made it a point, even after the qolt was proved gentle, standing be- 

 tween the shafts, to pull them against the legs both ways, letting 

 them drop down sharply on the ground, until he is entirely indiffer- 

 ent to their noise or contact. When a horse is not properly trained 

 to this, if the breeching is not unbuckled when he is unhitched, there 

 is danger of his becoming frightened from the breeching pulling the 

 shafts sideways against the legs, and bringing its pressure upon an- 

 other part. Under such circumstances a horse, if at all sensitive, is 

 apt to become very much frightened, kick, and jump around until 

 loose, and is ever afterward, the moment unhitched, ready to jump 

 out of the shafts. The habit, as a rule, is easy to overcome. 

 Simply accustom the quarters to be touched, and treat practically 

 as before explained. 



Top Carriage. 



A little care in preventing excessive fear will save a great deal 

 of trouble. In no respect is this more strongly illustrated than in 

 the fear of a top carriage. Because a horse drives gentle to an 



