186 ON THE EDUCATION OF THE HORSE, 

 structlon to be the best, it is obvious that it can- 

 not be commenced at too early an age. Hence 

 it is adviseable to accustom cohs to the halter at 

 three months old, to handle and caress them, to 

 lift up their legs with the hand, to strike the 

 feet gently with a hammer, and to place bags 

 stuffed with straw across their backs. By pur- 

 suing this method, a colt may be broken in, 

 at a proper age, with very little trouble or 

 danger. 



In bringing young horses into service, it is 

 necessary to consider their age, size, and consti- 

 tution. Small horses are generally fit for labour 

 at an earlier age than large ones, because they 

 sooner acquire the extent of their natural 

 growth, and have their corporeal powers more 

 concentrated. A large raw-boned colt, with 

 his legs badly formed, can never support much 

 fatigue, because he has not only the mechanical 

 disadvantage of the malposition of his legs ope- 

 rating against him, but also the bulk of his body 



being 



