89 



Teaching a Horse that Man is his Master. 



After having gentled a horse in the preceding 

 manner, so that he can be handled and led, the next 

 step, if he be quiet, is to prevent him from finding out 

 his strength ; if he be vicious, is to teach him that it 

 is impossible to contend successfully with his trainer ; 

 both of which lessons are taught after the same man- 

 ner, and as follows : 



Having, then, so far soothed a colt, that he will per- 

 mit you to take up his legs without resistance, take 

 strap 1 (vide plate 1^), pass the tongue through the 

 loop under the buckle so as to form a noose, slip it 

 over the near fore-leg and draw it close up to the pas- 

 tern-joint, then take up the leg as if you were going 

 to shoe him, and passing the strap over the fore-arm, 

 put it through the buckle, and buckle the lower limb 

 as close as you can to the arm without hurting the 

 animal. 



In dealing with a vicious horse or a colt that has a 

 trick of striking out with his fore-legs, for protection 

 the trainer can make use of a cart-wheel. The wheel 

 may either be used loose, or the animal may be led 

 up to a cart loaded with hay, when the horse-tamer 

 can work under the cart through one of the wheels, 

 while the horse is nibbling the load. In those in- 

 stances in which you have had no opportunity of pre- 

 viously taming and soothing a colt, it will frequently 

 take you au hour of quiet, patient, silent perseverance 



