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Many of the cases of “balkiness” are nothing but want of power to perform the task assigned; a necessary pause from temporary exhaustion. A driver who understands his business will give his team a breathing spell occasionally while pulling a heavy load. Another thing, if you find your team becoming exhausted and about to give out, it is well to stop them of your own accord; and it is well, too, to give them a few moments rest before encountering a peculiarly difficult part of the route.

If you have balky horses, it is your own fault, and not the horse’s, for if they do not pull true there is some cause for it, and if you will remove the cause the effect will cease. When your horse balks he is excited and does not know what you want him to do. For instance, a young horse that has never been “set” in a gully with a load before, is whipped by his owner or driver because he does not draw the load out. The animal is willing to do what he can, but he does not know how to draw out the load. He tries and finds that it does not move, not knowing that a steadier and stronger pull would do it, and when the lash comes down upon him and he hears the yells of his driver he is frightened, and jumps and rears through fear rather than ugliness or balkiness. No better way could possibly be devised to make a horse balky than to beat him under such circumstances. When he gets a little excited, stop him five or ten minutes, let him become calm; go to the balky horse, pat him and speak gently to him, and as soon as he is over his excitement, he will, in nine cases out of ten, pull at the word. After you have gentled him a while, and his excitement has cooled down, take him by the bits; turn him each way a few minutes as far as you can; gentle him a little; unrein him; then step before the balky horse, and let the other start first, then you can take them anywhere you wish. A balky horse is always high spirited and starts quick; half the pull is out before the other starts; by standing before him the other starts first. By close application to this rule, you can make any balky horse pull. If a horse has been badly spoiled you should hitch him to the empty wagon, and pull it around a while on level ground; then put on a little load and increase it gradually, caressing as before, and in a short, time you can have a good work horse.