To Educate a Horse That Kicks or Paws in the Stall
First make the Bonaparte bridle, as before directed; carry the cord through a surcingle, attached around the body, back to a ring in front of the hind-leg, to which are attached two straps, one above and one below the gambol joint of the leg he has the habit of kicking with; thus, when he kicks, he is punished in the act, and soon gives up the habit. Pawing—Continue the cord forward to a ring attached to two small straps above and below the knee-joint, as seen on engraving, observing, as above directed, to attach the appliance to the leg he paws with, reversing the straps when required, which will give a horse the knowledge that when he paws he punishes himself, and the reader will see, by this treatment, the habit speedily broken up.
The habit of kicking in the stall is one that is not only disagreeable to the owner of the horse addicted to it, but is often destructive and costly, as a horse viciously inclined to that habit will sometimes even splinter the boards of the stall, and with so simple and effective a method of correcting the bad habit it should never be tolerated for a single day, and the possessor of this book would be inexcusable should he suffer it to continue in an animal owned by him.
The habit of pawing in the stall, though not so vicious in its nature as that of kicking, is yet sufficiently troublesome and unpleasant to deserve a speedy correction, and the owner of a horse addicted to even the last-named fault will be more than compensated for the slight trouble caused in its removal.
It may seem needless to repeat what has before been said, in substance, that the seemingly small faults of a horse are the ones which most frequently lessen his value and impair his usefulness, and that the removal of any one, however trifling, adds a money value to the horse more than sufficient to compensate for the time and trouble expended.