BREAKING TO HARNESS. 151 



pendicular position. In the second series, comprising ten days, the 

 first fifteen minutes will be occupied in stationary supplings and 

 backings, followed by an equal time devoted to moving straight 

 ahead in the walk and trot. The rider, while taking care to keep 

 the head in good place, will commence a slight opposition of hand 

 and legs, in order to give regularity to the paces. The third series, 

 making up twelve days, will combine the previous supplings with 

 pirouettes ; while the fourth and fifth series, making up the whole 

 time, will go on to develop the various elementary paces of the 

 manege. Now, in all this, it appears to me that we have only our 

 best English modes of breaking carried out to excess ; and I am 

 yet to learn that any great novelty has been introduced by this 

 standard authority of the French school. 



SUPERIORITY OF THE ORDINARY METHOD. 



IT WILL READILY BE GATHERED from what I have already writ- 

 ten that for breaking the average colt I greatly prefer the methods 

 which have been in use for many years in this country. Mr. Ra- 

 rey is entitled to every credit for introducing a novel mode of con- 

 trolling a vicious horse, which is also of service in training cavalry 

 and circus horses. Beyond these departments, however, his plans 

 effect no good as far as my judgment goes, and instead of improv- 

 ing the mouth they have a tendency to injure it. I have shown 

 that time and patience are grand elements of success in horse- 

 breaking, and that it is a disadvantage to hasten the process, which 

 is all that Mr. Rarey pretends to effect. We do not want to man- 

 age our horses without reins, but on the contrary to guide them 

 and stop them with the slightest possible touch consistent with the 

 equilibrium to be maintained in the saddle. Hence the first object 

 is the formation of a good mouth, and as this requires a consider- 

 able time to develop, there are ample opportunities for gradually 

 accustoming the colt to the presence and control of his master 

 while it is being produced. If several breakers were to be pitted 

 against each other as to which should first ride a high-spirited 

 unbroken colt, undoubtedly Mr. Rarey would come off victorious ; 

 but, on the other hand, I would back against any horse broken by 

 his method, another which had been submitted to a good breaker 

 on the old English plan, if the palm was to be given to that one 

 which should prove to have the most perfect mouth and action. 



BREAKING TO HARNESS. 



THE EARLY PROCEEDINGS in breaking a colt to harness are 

 exactly the same as for the saddle, and indeed it is well in all cases 

 to make him handy to ride before he is put into the break. We 

 may therefore assume that this has been done, or at all events that 

 a good mouth has been made, and the colt handled and accustomed 



