154 



KICKING. 



case of a green colt, the first thing to do is to accustom all parts of 

 the body to be touched and handled until there is no fear or resist- 

 ance. It will be noticed that a nervous colt may at first resist very 

 violently, but in a short time, if properly done, all this fear will seem 

 to cease, and there will be perfect submission to being handled as 

 desired. 



If it is a matter of teaching a colt to kick, the point first is to 

 get him started in the act, gradually, repeating and encouraging for 

 doing so, when by its repetition the horse will be taught to kick as 



Fig. 205. 



A Good Expression ol the Sullen Kicker. 



Pio. 206. 



a trick or habit. Now, when the habit is formed, and we wish to 

 break it up, the point is, if the colt has been excited by fear, to over- 

 come that cause of fear, which is not at all difficult. . Next, when 

 learned v as a habit, no matter how vicious or persistent it is, the 

 point is to combat it most directly until it can be overcome, when the 

 better nature is to be brought into co-operation, and thus even the 

 most reckless case can be easily broken of the habit. Now, in the 

 cases referred to in the commencement of this chapter, this is just 

 what I did by the advantages of the treatment here described. In 

 the case of a simple colt, or one that has been spoiled in breaking, 

 no ^matter how wild or reckless, if unable to overcome the resist- 

 ance by simple good management, I simply subjected to either or 

 all the methods of restraint or control described, until the habit was 

 given up, when all that was necessary to do was to treat the case 

 gently, at the same time accustoming the horse to being handled 

 until all inclination to repeat the resistance was entirely overcome. 



