168 



THE ORANGE COUNTY 



on the contrary, every young horse should be put in first by 

 himself, and then if he refuse to move, he can be allowed to 

 wait till he is tired of inactivity, which practically he soon is. 

 My own opinion is founded upon more than twenty years' 

 experience with all sorts of horses, and I am persuaded that 

 by far the safest and best method is to put every horse into 

 double harness first. Many farmers break their colts in by 

 putting them to plough between two other horses, but the 

 pull at this work is too dead for well-bred colts, and many 

 jibbers are produced in this way. Every high-couraged 

 horse has a tendency to jump forward on the first impulse to 

 do so, and feeling the restraint of the collar he is irritated to 

 increase his pull, whereby his shoulders are galled, causing 

 him to dislike his work from the pain which he suffers. It is 

 quite possible to break in a colt of average good temper for 

 single harness without putting him first into double, but the 

 plan is always attended with danger to both horse and 

 driver, and I should strongly caution my readers against it. 

 Even after two or three lessons in the double break, which 

 have been quietly submitted to, the colt often turns restive 

 when put in by himself, but still by that time he knows what 

 he has to do, and is not made sulky by being punished with- 

 out cause. 



THE APPARATUS 



necessary for breaking to harness consists of, 1st, a set of 

 strong double and single harness, made in the ordinary way, 

 except that the crupper for the colt should buckle on one 

 side; 2dly, a double break of the ordinary construction; but 

 it is a safe plan to have the whole space between the fore car- 

 nage and the splinter-bar made up with iron rods so close to- 

 gether that, if a horse kicks, he cannot get his legs hung over 

 the bar; 3dly, a single break, to be hereafter described. 



BEFORE THE COLT 



is put to draw he should be accustomed to the pressure of 

 the harness, and, as a matter of course, in any case he must 

 have this put on him. Every groom ought to know how to 

 do this, but at the same time in a colt he should be cautioned 

 to proceed slowly and quietly, so as not to frighten him. 

 The plan of showing the horse everything which is to be put 

 on him is a very good one, and taking advantage of it, before 

 the collar is slipped over the head, a little time may be 

 allowed for the future wearer of it to smell it and examine it 



