TRAINING THE HORSE. 103 



taught him the word " whoa," is unreasonable in the 

 extreme. 'Tis -true, we cannot handle the wild colt that 

 is actuated by fear as we can the old horse that is 

 actuated by vengeance; with the one we are all mild- 

 ness, whereas we take hold of the other in a manner 

 that satisfies him that there is to be no partnership 

 arrangement about it, but we are to have it our way 

 all the time. 



TO TEACH THE COLT TO BACK. 



Put on the Bonaparte bridle; stand directly in front 

 of your horse, having hold of the cord — about twenty 

 inches from the head — with your left hand, resting 

 the right on the cord or bridle about four or five inches 

 from the head. You will say, " Back, sir," and at the 

 same time press down and back with your right hand 

 steadily on the cord until, by way of relieving himself, 

 he will step back one step; then let up on the cord and 

 pat him. That teaches him what you want. Then 

 repeat for a few times, and after you have given him 

 the idea and the motion, you can press him back 

 sharply with the cord, and in a few minutes more at 

 the word. This will never fail to teach the colt or bad 

 horse to back. 



BITTING THE COLT. 



All you can possibly accomplish with the old- 

 fashioned bitting bridle I can accomplish with my 

 bridle in forty minutes, and that is to teach the horse 

 to hold down his head, hold up his head, and to the 

 right and to the left, at the touch of the rein. If na- 

 ture has not designed the horse to have a high, stylish 

 head and carriage, no art of man can alter it, and the 

 old-fashioned practice of straining up the neck in an 

 unnatural position, and leaving it there for hours, in 



