Illustrated Horse Breaking

necessity of proof here—we should teach our pupil, from the outset, to avail himself of such assistance. As the rider’s weight tends to advance the position of the centre of gravity, the natural turn, especially at fast-paces, will be a compromise between the turn “on the centre,” and that “on the haunches.” I may remark, that the further the weight is thrown back, and the greater is the support of the outward leg, the more will the turn be made on the haunches. The use of this leg-pressure, although necessitated by the unequal distribution of the rider’s weight, is, besides this, valuable in all sharp turns made at speed. The turn “on the forehand” can be taught by the rider, after the simpler one is mastered. In treating about turning, I draw no distinction between the saddle and harness horse; for the latter should be made as “clever” as the former, in “collecting” himself and “coming round.”

Let us suppose that a horse is ridden at a fence, A B (see Fig. 1), and that he “runs out” to the left; although the rider has pulled the animal’s head round to the right, in his endeavour to keep him straight. In this case, the horse yielded to the rein with his neck, but refused to swing round his hind-quarters—a movement, on his part, which would have brought him at right angles to the fence (see Fig. 2); so that he would have had either to jump or to stop, neither of which actions would affect in any way the precision with which the turn had been made. Again, if a horse jibs in harness, and refuses to turn, say, to the right, we shall, in the vast majority of cases, have no difficulty in making him turn his head round in the required direction, although he will obstinately keep his hind-quarters fixed. The same may be said of a horse that rears. If these animals would only turn their hind-quarters round with the same facility that they bend their necks, they would lose their strongest “defence” against our “aids” (the reins and legs of the rider). It is evident that in every turn, the hind-quarters have to move round

in the opposite direction to the head and neck; the centre round which the movement is made, being advanced or brought back, according as the turn is made “on the forehand,” or “on the haunches.”

Reining back.—It is an axiom of the riding-school, worthy of implicit acceptance, that, until a horse has learned to rein back with facility and precision, he cannot be considered to have a good mouth; for, by performing this movement in the manner described, he shews that he is intelligently obedient to the indications of the rein, in yielding to its pressure, and, at the same time, in bringing his hind-legs “well under” him. Herein lies the value of the practice of reining back, which teaches the animal to understand that a pull on the reins is quite as much a signal for him to “collect” himself, as to moderate his pace. Hence, the use of a judicious pull when going at high “timber,” or when galloping through heavy ground, especially, when the horse is tired. If, when travelling fast, the animal will only bend his neck to the rein, while letting his hind-quarters sprawl out behind, he will quickly tire, and will, also, be a most unsafe “conveyance,” from inability to raise his forehand, as occasion may require.

Lunging.—Although lunging usually forms a considerable portion of the work given to young horses, during their period of breaking, I mention it, here, solely with the object of advising its discontinuance altogether. Making a horse circle with the weight on his forehand, while his hind-quarters are “thrown out,” not alone teaches him an awkward style of moving, but is also a fertile cause of sprain to the tendons and ligaments of the fore-limb. Again, as it is much more easy for the vast majority of men to keep turning round in one direction—in one opposite to that in which the hands of a clock revolve, for right-handed people—than in the other; it follows, that the generality of men, when they lunge a colt or filly, will circle the young one more to the left than to the right; just as we may see done any day on Newmarket Heath, opposite the railway station. The injurious effects of such a practice are self-evident. I shall describe, further on, a method of circling a horse—the breaker being on foot—by which the animal is made to move in a thoroughly “balanced” manner, and by which his mouth can be “formed” at the same time. I am confident that all good horsemen to whom it is new, will, on seeing how it is done, adopt it unreservedly. I am aware that the practice of lunging is discredited by many good breakers who are unacquainted with the method of circling which I have introduced.

Good hands.—The term “Good hands” signifies the ability of taking a pull at the rein—supposing it be required—when the horse’s head is in the proper position for the mouth-piece to act on the “bars” of the animal’s mouth; and of slackening them when the horse attempts to escape the pressure by bringing his head into a wrong position, or when the animal yields to the indication of the rein. The action of the mouth-piece, and the advisability of refraining from pulling at the reins when the head is in a wrong position, have been fully dealt with in the preceding pages. I may, however, draw attention to the fact that when the horse’s head is in the wrong position for the action of the bridle, it is in an unfavourable one for the movements of the fore-limb; being raised or depressed to an undue extent, or too much flexed or extended on the neck (i.e. chin drawn in, or poked out). Hence, the natural tendency of the horse will be, if his mouth be not interfered with, to bring his head in the position which is the best for his own movements, and which is the most suitable for the action of the mouth-piece of the bridle. A hard-pulling horse, for instance, ridden or driven by a man with “good hands,” will, probably, get his head “up,” on feeling the pressure of the mouth-piece, when he tries to break away. Being inconvenienced in his movements by this awkward carriage of the head, and lacking, on account of the slackness of the reins, the incentive to keep it “up,” he lowers it, to again experience the restraining pull. This will, probably, go on for a few times, until, wearied by a contest in which he finds himself baffled, he yields to the indication of the rein, and slackens his pace. Feeling that he “saves” his mouth the moment he does this, by the rider “giving” to him, he remains “in hand” for the rest of the journey. The typical “mutton-fisted” man, on the contrary, will keep hauling away at the reins, after the horse has got the mouth-piece on to the corners of the mouth, or, by getting his chin into his chest, and his head down, has transferred the pressure on to his poll. Consequently, the animal, experiencing the relief thus obtained, will naturally conclude that he has got the best of the battle, and will continue on his own course as long as he pleases. The harder such a man pulls on the reins, the more likely will he be to incite the animal to shew fight. In this case, the man foolishly pits the strength of his arms against the greatly superior power of the horse’s neck. The rider with good hands, on the contrary, uses a pull on the reins, merely as a means of letting the animal know, that, if it will obey his wishes, it will “save” its own mouth; a hint which, as a rule, is readily taken. I need hardly say that the severer the bit, the better should be the hands of the man who employs it. A really fine horseman can ride with success in almost any kind of bit.

Snaffles and curbs.—The only advantage possessed by the curb over the snaffle is, as a rule, its greater power of control. This superiority is attended with the serious objections that: (1) the use of the curb is, often, irritating to the horse, who, if roused, can always successfully resist its control; and (2) that it is, more or less, detrimental to the action of the horse, by tending to make him averse from “going up to his bridle,” and by obliging him, so as to “save” his mouth, to carry his head in a more or less constrained manner. As we can easily obtain the necessary control with the snaffle during breaking, it is evident that we should altogether dispense with the use of the curb during this process, so as to avoid the introduction of any disturbing element in the working out of the principle of using indications, rather than severity.

The thin, so-called, racing snaffle should not be used; as it is apt to wound the bars of the mouth, and thereby irritate the horse into shewing fight, which is the very thing we should seek to avoid while using the reins, of which, when we are in the saddle or driving seat, we are masters only on sufferance.

Elastic reins on dumb jockeys.—These contrivances should not be employed in breaking; for they never allow the complete freedom from pressure which the horse should experience as a reward for obedience, when he bends his neck and yields to the rein; unless, indeed, the elastic lines are ineffectually loose, or the animal draws in his head to an immoderate extent.

The standing martingale.—The use of this martingale is to prevent the horse from getting the mouth-piece off the bars, when he throws up his head. Hence, if we employ it lengthened out, so that it will be just short enough to accomplish this object, and no more (see Fig. 3), it will give us the immense advantage of having the mouth-piece always in an effective position, with but little drawback. I, here, suppose that it is attached to the rings of the snaffle and not to the nose-band. At first glance, it may be considered that this mechanical restraint would be a constant source of danger, in the event of the animal getting into difficulties. I have frequently heard it urged,—but only by men who had not seen its use practically demonstrated,—that if a horse, on making a “blunder” at a fence, could not extend his head more than the properly lengthened out martingale would allow him to do, he would, being thus deprived of this supposed means of recovering his equilibrium, run a great risk of falling. We may see the fallacy of this argument, if we consider that the only effect of this poking out of the head, is to endanger the equilibrium, which becomes unstable, the moment a perpendicular line drawn through the centre of gravity, falls beyond the fore-feet. We find, therefore, by observing the comparative tightness, before and after jumping, of the standing martingale, that the horse’s tendency, when fencing, is to bring his head back, on advancing the fore-limbs. If he adopts, with the martingale on, the other and unsafe course, the pain caused by the consequent severe pressure of the mouth-piece on the bars, will soon teach him to save his mouth by holding his head in a proper position. Besides the increased control obtained by the mouth-piece always remaining on the bars, the presence of the standing martingale, by stopping him from poking out his nose, will tend to prevent him going “uncollectedly” behind, and, even on this account alone, will be specially useful for the hunter, chaser, and polo pony. Whatever be the horse’s work, whether on the flat, across country, or in harness, he should be ridden or driven in a standing martingale, if he has the habit of trying to get the mouth-piece off the bars of the mouth, or has any tendency to go uncollectedly. Objection to its use can be taken, only, in the case of the ’cross-country horse, who will be much more liable to be brought to grief by the practice of either of the faults just mentioned, than by this martingale. When he has learnt to carry himself properly, but not till then, should its employment be discontinued. Its constant use quickly teaches the horse to hold his head and to carry himself in the desired style; for obedience to the indications it automatically affords, is at once rewarded by relief to the mouth. No such useful lesson can be learned by the employment of the running martingale; for, with it, no saving of the mouth is obtained by any yielding of the head and neck to the rein. When it is on, whatever relief is procured, must be the result of the action of the rider’s hands, which cannot possibly “give and take” with the same precision as the fixed martingale. I may mention, that this gear has the great advantage of preventing a rider with “bad hands,” from hauling on the reins when the mouth-piece is on the corners of the mouth. Hence, the worse the rider, the more need he has of using a standing martingale with a horse that requires one.

That good horseman, Mr. Blew of The Field, remarks to me that he has seen one or two falls result from the use of the standing martingale, in cases of horses, out hunting, getting their fore-feet into a deep “gripe,” and, then, being prevented by this gear, from throwing up the head, and, thus, relieving the fore-hand. He, consequently, advises that it should be employed, only, in breaking. Those fine steeplechase riders, Colonel Hickman of the 21st Hussars and Colonel Wardrop of the 12th Lancers, as well as many other good ’cross-country performers, consider, with me, that its addition renders horses requiring such restraint, safer over fences than they would be without it. Although the solution of this debatable question may be left to each man’s own individual feeling on the matter, there can be no doubt as to its paramount importance in breaking, which is the subject, at present, before us.

The statement may be advanced, that men with really fine hands will gain nothing from the employment of the standing martingale. I entirely dissent from this; for it is impossible for any man, however delicate his touch may be, or strong his arms, to prevent, as this martingale will do, the animal from getting his head up, and thereby successfully resisting control, for the time being. I may mention that many of our finest Irish riders are its devoted admirers.

When a horse pulls hard, he will, almost invariably, try to advance his chin further than the standing martingale—at a proper length, let it be understood—will allow him to do. Hence, this amount of restraint will always be a direct saving to the arms; while it will be taken off the mouth, and the controlling indication afforded, the moment the animal brings his head back into its natural position. I need hardly explain, that the horse being unable to bring forward the bars of the lower jaw, will try, when resisting the action of the standing martingale, to advance his poll as much as possible, by bending the joint connecting the lower jaw to the head, and that by which the head is attached to the neck.

If the standing martingale be fixed on to the nose-band, it will fail to act in the manner described; owing to the fact that the pressure thus exerted on the nose by this strap, causes little or no pain; unless, indeed, it be specially arranged to produce this effect, as in the way described on page 217.

Nose-bands.—The use of the nose-band is to prevent the horse relieving the bars of some of the pressure of the mouth-piece, by opening his mouth; an action on his part which will tend to render this pressure oblique, and to transfer a portion of it to his poll.

CHAPTER III.

HORSE-CONTROL.

I may here impress on the reader the danger there is to the breaker of having any one standing right behind him when he is handling vicious horses; for, in such a case, if the animal make an offensive movement, the man will probably knock up against the other, and thus fail to get out of harm’s way.

Making a rope-halter.—The simplest way to do this is to take a half-inch rope, about 9 yards long; make it double for about 3 ft. 6 in.; put a knot on the doubled part, so as to form a large loop, in which make a small loop, for the leading rein to pass through. The second knot should divide the large loop, so that the head-piece should be about twice as long as the nose-band. The halter will now be ready to be put on (see Figs. 4 and 5). The nose-band may be made sufficiently long, and the loop through which the loose end passes, tight enough to prevent the nose-band and leading rein (the free end of the rope), forming a running noose, which might hurt the horse. Or, if required, a knot may be made with the leading rein at the ring through which it passes; so that the nose-band of the halter may not squeeze the horse’s jaws together.

The rope employed should be soft, and not too thick, so as to allow the knots to be made with facility.

The reader will observe, that this halter which I have devised, is only an improvised adaptation, which need not take half a minute to make, of the ordinary rope-halter. I have no doubt that others, prompted by necessity, like myself, have hit on this rough-and-ready method; although I have never seen a halter made in quite the same manner as I have described.

Haltering a loose Horse.—Let us suppose that the animal is in some suitable enclosure, such as a yard, loose box, or small paddock; for it is almost needless to say, that if he were at liberty in the open, and averse from being captured, no man unaided could possibly catch him. The first thing to do is to make the rope-halter—as described in the preceding part of this chapter—if one be not at hand, and then to get the horse to stand quietly in some convenient corner. We may make him move, or stop, as may be required, by gently working a long pole held in the hands across the body, alternately, behind and in front of him; and, having got him into the proper position, we may induce him to stand steady, as I have found by experience, by touching him on the neck, and then rubbing it with the end of the pole. I have hardly ever known this to fail in its object. Horses, almost always, like having their necks scratched. As soon as the animal will stand still, while his neck is being “gentled” with the stick, the halter may be put on the end of the pole by a couple of turns (see Fig. 6), while the free end of the rope may be twisted once or twice round the pole, to prevent it hanging down too low. The operator will now take the pole, with the halter then rigged on to it, and will endeavour to bring the crown-piece of the halter behind the ears, without frightening the animal; while holding the end of the pole a little above

its head (see Fig. 7). He can take the precautions I have described, for making the horse stand still, as he may think necessary. As soon as the crown-piece of the halter comes behind the ears,

the operator should swing the pole smartly down in front of the animal’s nose, and then under the lower jaw; a proceeding which will bring the halter into its proper place. Nothing now remains except to withdraw the pole. Care should be taken not to bring the pole under the lower jaw, until the nose-band is in front of the ears; for, if it remains behind them, when the end of the stick is brought down, the horse will be lassoed and not haltered. The precautions necessary to be taken in haltering the horse will depend on the amount of his vice, or timidity. A horse can be thus caught best, when he is standing in the corner of a wall which is too high for him to look over. In a circular enclosure, the animal will be able, by turning round, to defeat the intentions of his would-be captor, much more easily than he could do in a rectangular one. In a roped-in arena, the horse can get his head away from the halter, easier than he could do when close to a wall. There is no fear of a horse, however vicious he may be, of “charging home” on the operator, if the man keeps the pole across the animal’s face, ready, if need be, to give him a tap or two on the muzzle. The larger the enclosure, the less will a horse attempt to “savage” any one approaching him. In extreme cases, a blow on the forehead might be necessary. I may mention that the brain is covered at the forehead, by only a thin plate of bone. Mr. O. S. Pratt, the American “horse-tamer,” gives, in his book, a method for haltering a loose horse, by putting the crown-piece of the halter on the end of the pole (see Fig. 8). In applying this, the horse is very apt to shy away from the halter, which has to be put on from the front. The manner of haltering which I have described, and which was shewn to me by Mr. Banham, F.R.C.V.S., appears to be much better than Pratt’s plan.

Making a loose Horse stand still.—If timidity

is the only cause that renders a loose horse difficult to halter, we may make him stand still after having put him in a proper enclosure, by cutting him, with the whip, about the hocks and hind-heels whenever he attempts to turn round, and to shew his hind-quarters to the breaker. If the animal attempts to pass by, the man should stop him with the point of the whip. As soon as the horse understands that he exposes himself to punishment by turning round, he will, proportionately, abstain from doing so. He will then be readily induced to stand still by the point of the whip preventing him from passing; and the fear of punishment, from turning round. As a rule, the operator can quickly get up to his forehand by “gentling” his crest with the end of the whip or pole, and afterwards with the hand. The foregoing method, which I learned from that excellent teacher, Professor Sample, is not altogether suitable for horses that “strike out in front.” The punishment that has to be inflicted during its application, may be an objection to its employment.

Taking up a fore-leg.—Having haltered the horse, we may, in order to gain further control over him, take up a fore-leg in two ways.

1. If we are afraid that the horse, on our approaching him, will “strike out,” or kick, we

may, as Colonel Rawlins, R.H.A., shewed me, form a noose about two feet and a half in diameter, with a rope, and having laid it on the ground, give the free end to an assistant to hold. We may, then, make the horse move about until he places one fore-foot within the noose (see Fig. 9), when the assistant should pull the rope, and thus lasso the pastern. The end of the rope may, now, be thrown over the animal’s back to the other side, and the leg pulled up (see Fig. 10); or, if the animal will not stand this being done, the leg may be pulled back by the rope, and lifted up by another assistant. If the horse “shews fight,” it may be necessary to blindfold him at this stage of the proceedings. The long pole may, also, be called into requisition to “gentle” the horse, and thus render him comparatively quiet. The operator can always quickly accomplish his object, in the manner described, if he will only exercise a little patience.

I may mention that this method of noosing the leg, is precisely similar to that employed in securing the limbs of wild elephants, in India, when they have been driven into a stockade.

2. The best way for lifting up a fore-leg, with the hand, is, as I have found out, to grasp, say, the near fore, with the left hand; pinch it with the fingers to stimulate the flexors of the knee to contract; turn the elbow in, and press it against the upper part of the fore-arm, so as to throw the weight from the near, on to the off fore, and thus to render the picking-up of the near fore a very easy matter (see Fig. 11). If required, an upward pull is given with the left arm, and the foot is caught with the right hand as the horse lifts it up. I may add, that the muscles against which the man’s elbow presses assist in raising the foot from the ground. By this plan the breaker can stand at the side of the leg that has to be raised, and a little away from it, thus keeping out of danger, as much as possible. If

he attempts to lift the fore-leg of a bad cow-kicker, in the ordinary way, by catching hold of the pastern, he will run a great risk of getting hit on the head or body, by having to stoop down while standing close to, and a little behind, the fore-leg.

Mr. J. Leach, M.R.C.V.S., shewed me a neat method for lifting up the leg of a heavy cart-horse, by catching the hair of the fetlock, and then drawing up the leg. The slight irritation caused by the pull at the roots of the hair will cause the horse to readily bend the knee.

Holding up a fore-leg.—If the fore-leg be held up by the hand passing under the fetlock or pastern, as is frequently done, the horse, by bearing a portion of his weight on the man’s hand, can easily kick with either hind-leg. The foot should, on the contrary, be held by the hoof, under which the fingers pass, while the thumb presses down on the sole (see Fig. 12). The animal will now avoid placing weight on the man’s hand; for by doing so he would cause the joints of the foot to become bent in a painful manner.

A convenient way for holding up the fore-leg, for “gentling” and other purposes, is that shewn by Fig. 10.

Tying up a fore-leg.—Having “picked up” the foot, we may secure it as follows:

1. By Rarey’s leg strap, which is about 3 ft. long, and is furnished, at one end, with a buckle, below which, a leather “keeper” is placed on both sides (see Fig. 13). To apply it, the free end is passed round the pastern, from the outside, through the keeper at the back of the buckle, thus forming a loop. Another turn is taken round the forearm, and a second loop is made by passing the end through the buckle. The strap can now be tightened up as may be required, and the end run through the second keeper. Fig. 14 shews how this can be equally well done with a stirrup leather, with which two or three turns have been taken round the pastern; so as to bring the punched holes sufficiently near

the buckle. (See, also, Fig. 16.) The objections to the employment of this method of tying up the leg are: (a) That it is apt to irritate the animal by the compression needed to keep the strap in its place; (b) That, when the leg is thus fixed, the horse, in the event of his “coming down,”

is liable to hurt his knee, “capped knee” being the usual result of the injury; on account of the broad extensor tendon being, necessarily, tightly stretched over the part. I have had this accident occur, on different occasions, when making a horse lie down, even when he had knee-caps on, and when the ground was quite soft; (c) The heel of the shoe, if one be on, is apt to bruise and cut the elbow; (d) The compression exercised by the strap on the fore-arm numbs the leg, and tends to make the animal fall awkwardly, if he is made to lie down; (e) Unless the strap is kept very tight, it is apt to slip down the fore-arm, and thus exercise an injurious strain on the fetlock joint.

2. By far the best way for tying up a fore-leg is the one described by Mr. Saunders in ‘Our Horses,’ by which the leg is simply suspended, at any length required, from the surcingle. Mr. Saunders advises the use of a small loop to connect the surcingle and strap together (see Fig. 15), with the object, I presume, of keeping the limb in a plane parallel to the general direction of the horse’s body. This is certainly an advantage when making a horse lie down, although I have found, for ordinary purposes of control,

that the employment of the small loop may be dispensed with, and the leg-strap passed through the surcingle, or girth.

This method of suspending the leg is most useful, when gentling the fore-limb, and when shoeing a “difficult” animal; as the foot can be retained at any convenient height from the ground without irritating the horse, and, consequently, without inciting him to “fight.”

I have learned, on more than one occasion, by bitter experience, that it is possible for a horse to effectually cow-kick with the hind-leg of the side on which a fore-leg is tied up.

A stirrup leather, with two or three holes punched at convenient distances, will make a capital leg-strap (see Fig. 16). It has the advantage of having, at the back of the buckle, no leather keeper, which is always liable to give way, by reason of the strain exerted on it.

For suspending a fore-leg, we need punch no extra holes in the leather, if we take, as before

described, a few turns with it round the pastern, before passing its end through the lower part of the buckle. This way would naturally take a few seconds longer than if the holes were punched at proper distances, and, consequently, is not as applicable as the other, to horses that are extremely difficult to handle.

Blindfolding a Horse.—After the animal has been secured in the manner described, or after he has been simply haltered, a further step in the process of rendering him helpless may be taken, by throwing a rug, or other convenient cloth, over his head, and then applying the rope-twitch (see page 113). If he be dangerous to approach, the rug may be placed on the end of a long pole, and then brought over his head, or a blindfolding halter may be put on, now, or in the first instance. The originating idea of this appliance is, I believe, of French origin. It consists of an ordinary halter, with a cloth filling up the space between the cheek-pieces, brow-band, and nose-band; so as to cover the horse’s eyes.

Blindfolding is an efficient means of control with the majority of horses, although it excites some to offer more vigorous resistance than they would otherwise do. I have never found a horse that would, when blindfolded, attempt to kick, or strike out, on the chance of hitting his man, unless he was touched about the limbs or body; nor bite, whether touched or not, under similar circumstances. I, therefore, think that the breaker runs no risk whatsoever in going up to the animal’s head, when it is, thus, temporarily deprived of sight, no matter how vicious it may be.

Applying the halter-twitch.—At this stage of the proceedings, the breaker may apply a modification of Pratt’s twitch, by making a half hitch with the free part of the rope of the halter, passing the loop over the ears (see Fig. 17), bringing the lower part of the loop under the animal’s upper lip, and then pulling it taut (see Fig. 18). He may jerk the rope (leading rein) three or four times, accompanying the action on each occasion with the word “steady.” I may

mention that the part of the rope which passes under the upper lip, should be kept slack, except

when the jerk is given, and that any other suitable word may be substituted for that of “steady.” It is now perfectly safe to remove the blindfolding apparatus; as no horse will attempt any aggressive movement towards the man who holds the leading rein, when thus secured. The rope may be jerked and the word “steady” used, as may be required. The pain inflicted by the application of this twitch, is a necessary evil, which may well be disregarded; for its amount is trifling in comparison with the extent of control obtained by its means. If employed carefully, no mark need be left on the mucous membrane. The proper use of this twitch is thoroughly rational, for it keeps the horse quiet by its deterrent effect, and not by retaining the horse in a continued state of suffering, as is done by the ordinary twitch. The word “steady,” or any convenient substitute for it, should never be omitted; for, after the animal has learned, as he will do in a minute or two, to connect it with the idea of pain, the twitch may be removed, and the word alone used, in order to keep him in subjection. In this experiment, it is evident that the horse fears the word, and not the twitch; for, no matter how often the rope is put on, he will not resent its application more than he did on the first occasion. The oftener, on the contrary, the ordinary twitch is employed, the shyer will the animal become of having his muzzle touched. The chief advantages of the rope-twitch over the common one, are: that it can be easier procured and applied; it does not inflict so much pain, which, with it, is momentary, and not continuous, as with the other; it is more effective; it is not so liable to slip off; it can be retained in position for any reasonable length of time, to be used as required; it has a more or less permanently good effect on the horse’s temper, and not a bad one, like the other; and it does not make the horse shy of having his mouth touched. The fact of numbers of horses being rendered difficult to bridle, by the employment of the ordinary twitch, will, naturally, occur to the reader. The general substitution of this twitch for the ordinary one, by veterinary surgeons, would certainly remove a grave reproach against us which now exists. It is, of course, used by them, only, faute de mieux.

If, when the ordinary twitch is twisted up tight, its stick be struck or jerked, as some do, on the animal moving, it will doubtless have a deterrent effect, as well as the one produced by the brutal and needless infliction of continued pain.

The rope-twitch.—Everything I have said in the preceding paragraphs, respecting the halter-twitch, applies equally well to its original form, as described in Mr. O. S. Pratt’s book, ‘The Horse’s Friend,’ which was published at Buffalo in 1876. Mr. C. G. Frasier, who was Pratt’s assistant for some years, in America, tells me, that this twitch was not invented by Pratt, long before whose time it was in use. He thinks that it was, probably, the idea of the “horse-tamer,”

Fanchion, who practised his art many years ago in the States. Pratt calls it “the double-hitch Bonaparte bridle.” It is made as follows: Take a rope, and make a simple knot with it at one end, at a distance of about eighteen inches from which make another knot loosely, and pass the