41 



have no trouble in picking an animal to your lik- 

 ing. Nature has been very kind in implanting the 

 horse's disposition on his head, and can not be 

 treated lightly or with any indifference. 



Things That Cause Horses to Balk. 



Some drivers harness their horses in a heavy 

 wagon when they start to break them, thinking 

 a horse cannot do much damage to a wagon. They 

 will get into the wagon, crack the horse with the 

 whip, and say, "Get up." The horse may prob- 

 ably lunge forward and go along nicely for 

 awhile. He may work well for a few days. Then 

 he may begin to balk. 



Without examining a horse some drivers 

 will whip him and try to make him go, but it is of 

 no use. Such a driver will give up hope and put 

 the horse in the stall for that day. The next day 

 he will have the same trouble over again. The 

 horse soon learns tfyat when he balks he does not 

 have to work, and this makes him the worst kind 

 of a balky horse. If he balks, examine him to see 

 if there are any sore spots where the harness 

 may have rubbed him. If you find this the case 

 buckle the harness away from the sore spots. 

 You can then get into your wagon and ask him to 

 get up; he will go forward, as nothing will be 

 hurting him. When you get him home, get five 

 cents worth of pulverized alum and dissolve it in 

 a pint of water; rub it on the sore spots and it 

 will harden them. 



A good plan is to place all of the harness on 

 the horse as tight as possible about one week be- 

 fore you harness him to a buggy or wagon. This 

 will harden the places where the harness fits. II 

 is not necessary to harness a horse to the heaviest 

 wagon you have. If you have no breaking carl 



