Fig. 28.—First step in picking up a hind-leg without the assistance of a helper.
hold the horse, the other to hold up, say, the near fore-leg—he may get alongside the animal’s near hind; catch the tendo Achillis (the hamstring) with the left hand, and the pastern, backhanded, with the right hand; give a signal to the assistant to let go the near fore; then lift the leg, and place it resting on his left thigh (see [Fig. 27]).
If he has no one to hold up the near fore, he may “pick it up” in the way previously described; grasp the hoof with the right hand, while facing to the horse’s rear (see [Fig. 28]); take a step forward with the left foot; catch the hamstring with the left hand (see [Fig. 29]); let go the near fore, and, at the same moment, seize the pastern, backhanded, with the right hand; and place, as before, the animal’s leg on the left thigh. This method, which, I believe, I have been the first to devise, ensures almost complete immunity from danger. As long as one has hold of the fore-hoof with the hand, one can get forward, out of danger, if the horse tries to kick. The grasp of the left hand deprives the hind-leg of the greater part of its action, and the hind pastern is caught so quickly after, even if not before, the near fore reaches the ground, that the animal has not time to make a deliberately offensive movement. By catching the pastern in the way described, we aid in preventing the animal from cow-kicking, to do which, he must bend his hock; for the muscle which flexes the foot extends the hock. Were we to catch the canon bone, instead of the pastern, we should, besides losing this advantage, have less ability to act on the lever formed by the bones below the hock, by reason of our shifting the point of application of the “power,” closer to the fulcrum (the head of the tibia). The irritation caused by the grasp of the hand on the hamstring—which is composed of two tendons—stimulates their muscles to contract, and, thus, to keep the hock extended. In this operation, we should follow the principles, already laid down, of removing the cause of any pain or irritation,
Fig. 29.—Second step in picking up a hind leg without the assistance of a helper.
inflicted by us on the horse, the moment he yields to our wishes. I need hardly say, that if the horse overpowers the grip of our hands on his hind-leg, and kicks out behind, he can do us no harm, for we are then in front of his hind-leg. If the animal will not submit, we should apply the rope-twitch (see [page 113]); and, by its aid, and a little “gentling,” proceed as before described.