Other horses make ineffective plunges forward but never throw weight enough into the collar to overcome any resistance.
Still others stamp, bite, throw themselves to one side rather than forward, rear up, strike with the fore feet, and if whipped kick with the hind. Some will throw themselves down and struggle in this condition.
Under the saddle the animal may crowd against a wall, rear, kick, buck or even throw himself down in his efforts to dislodge the rider. These violent manifestations however rather belong to vice than mere balking. Trembling, perspiration, frequent rejection of urine, and general acceleration of pulse and breathing may manifest a severe nervous disorder.
Diagnosis. It is often important to pronounce upon the exact nature of this trouble so as to determine whether the seller is responsible for a breach of warranty given or implied. As regards implied warranty a sound price for an animal sold to do a given kind of work implies a mutual understanding that the animal is not physically or psychically incapacitated for such work.
The balking horse is one that obstinately refuses to perform a piece of work for which his physical condition seems to be well adapted. The willfulness of the refusal is the important feature. In case of such a serious drawback to the value of a horse, the presumption of fraud on the part of the seller is unavoidable, in case he failed to mention the habit to the purchaser, but of course this is even more emphatically certified if he has warranted the animal as a good worker, or kind, or true in work.
On the other hand he cannot be held responsible for the failure to perform an act in case the horse has been overloaded when fat or out of condition, or if he has sores on back, withers or shoulders, a badly fitting collar, a severe or large clumsy bit, or sores on the lower jaw, or indeed any temporary physical infirmity, to which the balking can be fairly attributed.
Balking is not to be confounded with nervous affections (paretic, spasmodic, congestion) in which the failure to obey is not due to lack of will, but to lack of power. Nor must it be confounded with the inability of the paralysis of lead poisoning. It is perhaps most likely to be confounded with that lack of both sensory and motor power which attends on ventricular dropsy and other chronic affections of the brain. In such cases (immobility, coma) the habitual dullness, drowsiness, general hebetude, and lack of energy contrasts strongly, with the strength, vigor and general life of the animal which suddenly, willfully and incorrigibly balks.
The balky horse which has no such nervous disorder as an excuse, no badly fitting harness, no lesion on shoulder, back, limbs nor mouth, no unsuitable bit, no special softness nor poverty of condition, no slow, ill-adjusted mate, no impatient driver, and no excessive load, nor impassable road, but which jibs without excuse, as a willful disobedience, may well be cause for annulling a sale. In most European countries such a horse can be returned to the seller and the sale set aside within 3 days (Austria), 4 days (Prussia), 5 days (Saxony), 9 days (Hesse).
Treatment. This should be preventive by avoiding the various causes above enumerated, for if the habit is once contracted it is too often impossible to establish a permanent cure. The horse is largely a bundle of habits and the first act of disobedience has given a bias to the nerve cells of the cortex cerebri which like a planted seed tends to reproduce itself whenever an opportunity offers. With every successive act of the kind, the impression on the nerve cells becomes deeper and more indelible and the habit fixed the more firmly.
In slight recent cases in the milder dispositions the vice may be overcome by some resort which engages and engrosses the animal’s attention. Among these may be named tying a cord round the root of the ear and tying it down; giving an inhalation of ammonia or a sniff of powdered capsicum; closing the nostrils until the horse struggles to breathe; blindfolding for a few minutes; tying up one fore leg until thoroughly tired; even stroking the nose or ears until the fret is overcome. Immediately following on any one of these methods, move the horse gently to the right and left and call him confidently to get up. Some will start if gently tapped with the toe below the knee until the foot is lifted and repeating this a few times in succession, then, after a few steps, reward with an apple, sugar or piece of bread, and don’t push too far at a time but repeat the lesson often. If among the first exhibitions of the vice it may be met by occupying the time in a make-believe fixing of the harness until the animal ceases to fret, then standing by his head, tap him on the croup with a whip and call him to go on. Or he may first be moved to the right and left and then ordered to move. A rather wearisome treatment is to place in the stall with a man behind him who taps him on the rump every few minutes, preventing composure, rest, or sleep, and keeping this up without interval for twenty-four hours or even double that time if necessary. If he goes well when hitched, he is driven but if he balks, he is returned to the stall and the treatment continued.