THE HORSE. 701 



day, according to his age, and occasionally a little wheat bran and oil meal, besides all the 

 good hay or ensilage he will eat. When the colt is a year old or more, he can have a larger 

 quantity of oats, providing he has a large yard for exercise, the aim being to have him fit for 

 light work when three years old; some breeders claim that by this process the colt may be 

 used a little for light work at two years of age; if used at all at this age, however, the work 

 should be very light, or the animal would be liable to be injured seriously. Heavy work at 

 this growing period should always be avoided. It can be readily seen that by this method of 

 caring for colts, horses can be raised with more profit to the owner, than by the former 

 practice of sometimes keeping the animal until he was five or six years old before making 

 him useful; and that keeping a horse that length of time before he earns his living, is a losing 

 course from the time he is three years of age. Mr. J. E. Russell, Secretary of the Massachu 

 setts Board of Agriculture, says: 



&quot; Every breeder should be fond of association with animals: he should be a judge of 

 form, health, and improvement, and he should understand how to handle them. There are 

 no secrets in the horse business that men of average intelligence in regard to animals cannot 

 at once master. Quiet, patient ways, with low voice, and gentle but strong hand, will teach 

 a colt all that he needs to know. There are men in every neighborhood who can break colts 

 safely to harness, and by persistent, careful practice, fit them to stand quietly, to stop at the 

 given word, and to be way- wise on any roads. In my county of Worcester, there are com 

 munities where they take great pride in educating oxen; and I have seen, at Worcester and 

 at Franklin County cattle shows, steers trained to an incredible point of intelligence and 

 docility. Boys that can train a steer to walk a chalk-line, and to go on his knees at the word 

 of command, can do wonders with horses; for the horse enjoys the companionship of man, 

 responds at once to kindness, and, next to the dog, has the quickest intelligence of any of our 

 domestic animals. Horses for profit must be sold young, unless they earn their living every 

 day. Leave speculation to jockeys and dealers; sell when you have a customer; sell when 

 ever a reasonable profit is offered to you. The best time to sell is before the colt is foaled, 

 to some one who is in love with the dam: the next best time is when the foal is weaned. To 

 the common eye, all weanlings will make fine horses; and the price of a weanling generally 

 pays more profit than the breeder ever has offered to him again. When your colt is past 

 two, every hour that you delay to sell is burning daylight. Early maturity is one of the 

 great advantages in thorough blood; and no man can afford to breed from any family that is 

 slow in maturing.&quot; 



The best practice, and the one followed by the most successful managers of horses, is to 

 begin breaking or teaching the colt while he is yet a mere suckling by the side of his dam. 

 A very little pains at this period will teach the baby -horse that it has nothing to fear from the 

 presence of man, and that no harm can come to it from being handled from head to foot. In 

 this way he will soon become perfectly gentle, will easily be led by the halter, and will stand 

 when tied. All the subsequent lessons should be by gradual approaches ; the main point being 

 to inspire him with confidence that he will not be harmed. By pursuing this system of 

 gradual approaches with perfect gentleness of manner on the part of the groom or other 

 attendant, there need never be any trouble in breaking the most fiery-tempered colt. 



The most intelligent colt will be the most easily managed by this means, for once having 

 learned the lesson of confidence in his master, he can readily be taught to understand and do 

 what is required of him, while a sensitive and naturally timid animal would be spoiled by 

 any other course of treatment. It is not will or obstinacy that are the usual difficulties to be 

 surmounted in breaking colts, but fear, and a failure to understand what is required of them. 

 Rough treatment in the breaking process has spoiled the temper of many a valuable animal, 

 while on the other hand gentle and intelligent instruction improves the disposition and 

 develops the speed and endurance of colts, qualities so excellent in roadsters. The more 

 good qualities developed while young, the greater will be the merits of the adult animal. 



