144 



remain: but if otherwise, if his head be too long or more especially, 

 if he be cock throppled, which is, to wear the arch below, instead of 

 above his neck, he will never carry his head, or rein Avell, and the 

 giving him a good mouth, is the best and only thing which can be 

 done for him. 



Colts which do not sufficiently bend their knees, or are careless 

 goers, should be ridden with care over deep earth, ruts and stoney 

 grounds, and frequently blinded with winkers, which will occasion 

 them to lift uj) their feet, as it may be observed all blind Horses do. 

 They should be accustomed to stand fire, to endure the beat of a drum, 

 and various strange noises, and sights: to pass Avindmills under sail, 

 tilted waggons, bonfires, and all those objects at which the gene- 

 rality of our Horses are, or pretend to be, violent alarmists. Some 

 one of my readers may perhaps ridicule vay superfluous and trouble- 

 some cautions, one week, and get his neck broke by a shy Horse the next. 

 I however, wish every one of them, more caution and better luck. 



A great defect in common colt-breakers is, that they are not aware 

 of the consequence of teaching, or rather suffering, a colt to perform 

 his paces distinctly, and without jumbling and confusing one pace with 

 another, an ill habit which seldom afterwards leaves him. For exam- 

 ple, a Horse being hurried in his walk by an unskilful rider, will get 

 into an awkward hitch, between the walk and trot, or between the 

 trot and canter. 



The CANTER, or contracted gallop, or as it was formerly called in 

 Suffolk, the hand gallop, is a natural pace of the Horse, and a very 

 valuable and pleasant one, when steadily, safely and handsomely per- 

 formed. But although this be a natural pace and much used by colts 

 whilst at their liberty, yet I have observed that even those which have 

 cantered about the fields most readily and gracefully, scarcely affected 

 it at all when they came to be ridden, and were brought to canter with 

 reluctance. No colt, if in health, ever failed to canter in the fields, 

 beside his dam, yet what numbers of hacknies a man may mount, 

 which he cannot put into a canter ; or which, if by force, they may be 

 made to hobble on, most probably with the wrong foot first, will not 

 be weary of the pace, in the course of a few hundred yards. This arises 



fi'om 



