172 



KICKING. 



experimenting. I have heard of one case in Maine of a horse break- 

 ing his jaw by kicking against the bit, and one'*in Ohio, killed by the 

 severity of the shock upon the neck. 



It will be found then when the horse kicks against the mouth or 

 nose, he will soon learn to throw the head down to give greater 

 length between it and the legs, as this destroys the force of the blow. 

 With the use of the Patent Bridle the force of the kicking throws the 

 head up, and at the same time punishes with such severity that 

 there will not be much inclination to repeat it, and the habit will 

 soon be overcome. 



Fig. 231. — Kicking-slrap as Arranged (or Use. 



Twenty years ago, a very bad mare defied my utmost efforts to 

 stop her kicking, and as a matter of experiment I passed a rope from 

 the bit to the hind leg below the fetlock, and thence back to the op- 

 posite side of the bit, and held it in my hand while I excited her to 

 kick. After a few repetitions she gave up unconditionally. By this 

 means I succeeded in breaking her of the habit, but the rope chafed 

 and tore the skin so badly upon the legs that I had much trouble in 

 curing them. To guard against this in other cases, I put on straps 

 to which I attached rings, and passing the ro r pe through them as be- 

 fore, I irritated her to kick, repeating until there was submission. 

 But as this could not be carried out in driving, the kicking-straps, 

 with the connection mad? to the bit, w6re devised ; after which the 

 pulley arrangement was added. These straps are best adapted to 



