[LESSON IV.]
TO LOWER THE HEAD.
Always look over your horse before beginning your instruction, to see that he has not met with any mishap. Observe that his eye is bright and that he feels in good spirits; run your eye over his limbs to detect any cut, bruise, or swelling; see that the hoofs are not cracked.
Assure yourself that he is properly groomed—one good test being the absence of scurf at the roots of the mane; that his mouth has been sponged out before putting in the bit, his hoofs wiped off clean—never, however, blacked—and that he is properly saddled and bridled. With a little practice you will do all this in half a minute, while you are buttoning your gloves. About once a week ask after his food and appetite, and make the groom show you his shoes; and when the time comes for him to be re-shod (which should be at least once a month) positively forbid any trimming of the frog or of the inside of the hoof—any “cleaning up of the foot,” as farriers are pleased to call it. The only part to be touched with the knife is the bottom of the outer, horny shell, which is not half an inch thick; and even this must be cut with moderation, never burned by fitting the shoe to it hot—the common makeshift of lazy farriers—nor filed on the outside, as both these operations not only weaken the hoof but impair Nature’s arrangement for oiling and lubricating it. Should the horse not bear equal weight on all four legs, move him a step to see if the faulty posture may not have been accidental; and if it is repeated, examine the “favored” leg, carefully laying your bare hand on the hoof and joints to detect inflammation, feeling along the bones for lumps, comparing any suspicious spot with the same part of the corresponding leg, observing whether it is warmer or more sensitive than its fellow.
LOWERING THE HEAD.
Having assured yourself that your horse is in perfect order, and that he has forgotten nothing of your previous instruction, you will now proceed to the lesson of the day. Place yourself on his left, or “near,” side, take the snaffle-reins at a few inches from the bit, and pull his head downward. Should he not yield, cross the reins, by taking the right rein in the left hand and vice versa, which will pinch his jaw sharply, and pull again till he drops his head, when you will hold it down a few seconds, praising him the while; then raise it up, and allow him a little time to rest.
