Of all forms of vice, those caused by stubbornness are the most difficult to eradicate; for the animal which sets its will in deliberate opposition to ours, fights us with the weapons--those of reason--by which, alone, we are, usually, superior to it. A horse that objects, from nervousness, or from mere impatience of control, to have its hind quarters handled, will quickly submit; as will, also, in the vast majority of cases, a “refuser,” or jibber in saddle; if they be broken in the manner which will be explained further on. A jibber in draught, however, is apt to find out, that although the breaker is all-powerful, when it has no harness on; the advantage is all the other way, as soon as it gets between the shafts; it being easier, as Professor Sample used to say, to break a horse than to break a horse _and_ trap. Besides this, it is impossible, in many cases, to directly apply breaking methods to animals in harness, in the same manner as we can do in saddle. For instance, if a trapper be accustomed to jib, as soon as it comes to a stiff incline; to back into the ditch, or fence; and, then, to proceed to kick the vehicle to pieces; all that the breaker can do, is to take it out, and endeavour to, indirectly, counteract the fault in some convenient place. He may succeed, to all appearance; although the pupil may forget the instruction received, if anything goes wrong, such as an abrupt halt, which cannot always be avoided, the first time the horse is driven up a hill in a crowded thoroughfare. In such a case, if the animal “shows fight,” it will, almost to a certainty, gain the victory, and the good influence of the previous teaching will be lost. For vices unconnected with harness, on the contrary, the breaker can always find some suitable spot on which to work his will on the disobedient one, under every advantageous condition. I say this with every reasonable reserve; for we may meet with cases, sometimes, of saddle vices--such as running away on a race-course, only, when galloped--to which it is difficult to directly apply efficient breaking methods.
Unless when caused by disease, as, for instance, chronic sexual excitement in the mare, defects of vision, and pain in the legs or feet, which might make a horse refuse to jump, practically speaking, almost any riding or driving vice (I naturally exclude those vices that concern the veterinary surgeon, and not the breaker) can be overcome in time, say within a week or ten days; although I readily admit that I have been beaten in a few cases (about two per cent. of faulty horses) when my time was limited, or when I did not possess the experience I have since acquired.