50 TRAINING OF 



Second. Having got the horse or colt under control 

 for leading purposes, it will be well to put on a bridle 

 and get him used to having a bit in the mouth, wearing 

 it for some time each day, and gradually get him used 

 to being led by the bit. Care should be taken that the 

 bit is not buckled too high in the mouth ; also avoid 

 sudden jerking, as it is apt to bruise the gums, which 

 are now very tender. This is probably the most fre- 

 quent cause of bad mouths. If farmers could only ap- 

 preciate the enormous losses in value that occurs in the 

 best grade of horses through this circumstance, I am 

 sure they would be more careful than they now are to 

 keep the mouth in as perfect a condition as possible. If 

 they will once grasp the fact that their best interest 

 centres in breeding horses for carriage purposes, in- 

 stead of raising them with a little speed and less 

 size, in the hope that lightning will strike them and 

 make fast trotters of them, they will be in a fair way to 

 get a good price for them. In order to get a good 

 price for a horse for carriage driving he must be of 

 good size, well formed with a good head and neck, a 

 good mouth and sound. A breeder need not look for cus- 

 tomers for such stock, for dealers in fine horses are con- 

 tinually scouring the country in search of them. It 

 is really surprising to see the large number of other- 

 wise valuable carriage horses that arrive in New York 

 every year, with spoiled mouths, which by bad training- 

 become pullers and have to be sold at an uncommonly 

 low figure to be used at some common every day ser- 

 vice. Now, if it is proposed to make a harness horse of 

 the colt, the harness should be placed on him and al- 

 lowed to stay on for some time, while the attendant 

 handles it in various ways pulling at the traces and 



