*>20 Reading-Course for Farmers. 



man off, one will never be able to convince him that he cannot do it again. 

 The best time to take the colt is after he has been exercised vigorously and 

 while tired. The best place is on soft ground where he can hurt neither 

 himself nor the rider. Put on the saddle in the same way as we did the 

 harness ; see that it is fastened securely. Have an assistant hold the colt's 

 head while you mount. The horse may rear, bound forward, buck or lie 

 down. In any event, the rider must stay on, remembering that the colt 

 is already tired and on soft ground. It is often an endurance trial, and 

 this is the reason why one must have the colt tired to begin with, for 

 otherwise he may be able to bound and buck till the rider is so exhausted 

 that he can no longer hold to the saddle. 



Training vicious horses 



In training or handling vicious horses, the most important thing is to 

 impress them firmly with the idea that the trainer has complete control 

 over them and that they must obey. There are several ways of attaining 

 this. Perhaps the most efficient way is to fix a self-punishing harness. 

 With such a harness the vicious horse deals out his own punishment at 

 the instant he violates his trainer's wish. There are many ways of ar- 

 ranging self-punishing harnesses, but perhaps the following is as simple 

 as any : Take a quarter-inch rope about twelve or fourteen feet long, a 

 half-inch rope about six feet long, a pulley, four straps one and a quarter 

 inches wide and about two feet long, and two rings two- inches in diameter. 

 Place the long rope through the eye of the pulley and the short rope 

 through the pulley itself. Draw the short rope backward from the front 

 under the girth so the pulley will rest just back of the girth. Buckle the 

 straps above and below the hocks and through the rings ; then tie, by half 

 hitches, the short rope into these rings at the hocks so as to leave the 

 pulley just back of the girth. Next take the ends of the small rope, 

 carry each to the rings of the bridle bit, at either side, passing through 

 the rings from the outside, then pass the small ropes up over the head, 

 under the head-stall of the bridle, then down the opposite side and fasten 

 to the bridle rings by a half hitch, so that the rope can be easily unfastened 

 no matter how tightly it may be drawn. If there is danger that the straps 

 will slip down over the hocks they should be supported by a light strap 

 placed over the rump and down to the hock on either side. If every 

 piece is strong such harness may be used to correct many bad habits, 

 such as kicking, rearing, bolting, running and the like. Should a horse 

 kick with such a hai;ness, the rope over the head draws the bit up into 

 the angles of the mouth and holds it there till relieved by the trainer. 



