so tight as to stretch the horse out; they should be
loose enough to allow him to stand in a natural position.

Head Ropes (_aghari_).

Head ropes should be fastened to the ring on the head collar (nukta) under
the chin. There should either be two separate ropes, one end of each
fastened to the ring, or one long one doubled in the middle, the central
portion fastened to the ring, and the two ends to two wooden pegs driven
into the ground about three or four feet on each side of the horse's head.
If only a single rope is used, it must, naturally, be fastened to a peg
straight in front, and, to allow the horse to move his head up and down,
must be loose. When fastened in this way he is exceedingly likely to get
his fore leg over the rope and get hung up in it, a nasty wound in the
heel or at the back of the knee being the result, if nothing worse;
whereas, if the ropes are pegged out on each side, he can move about
freely, and it would be difficult for him to get his leg over them. Both
head and heel ropes should be made of hemp; the cotton rope used in India
for most purposes is not strong enough, and soon breaks and wears out. In
Peshawur and along the north-west frontier, a rope is made of goat hair
that is very strong, and is excellent for this purpose. It is somewhat
more expensive than ordinary rope, but with care will last a long time,
and will amply repay itself. Both head and heel ropes should be tied to
the pegs in a slipknot, so that with a single pull horses can be set free
when necessary. "Syces" will usually tie them in a jam-knot, and horses
struggling to get loose when frightened very often badly injure themselves
before they can be set free.

Fetlock Picketing.

A method of picketing horses was introduced into the Indian army some
years ago, by dispensing with head ropes and using a short chain shackle
about three feet long, buckled round one of the fore fetlocks, and
fastened to a peg driven into the ground. This was chiefly done with the
object of reducing the weight carried, and with animals used for military
purposes, doubtless fulfilled the purpose, but in a private stable I fail
to see its advantages over the other plan.

Picketing Posts.

When horses are picketed outside the stable, and there is space enough,
picketing posts are the most preferable method, as they allow greater
freedom than any other. A stout smooth post, about five or six inches in
diameter, is driven several feet int