48 THE ART OF TAMING HORSES. 



pressly for the purpose of helping to train and lead the 

 young colts. I have known horses that seemed to take 

 a positive pleasure in helping to subdue a wild colt 

 when first put in double harness. 



The great point is not to force or frighten a colt into 

 the stable, but to edge him into it quietly, and cause him 

 to glide in of his own accord. In this simple operation, 

 the horse-trainer will test himself the indispensable 

 quality of a horse trainer patience. A word I shall have 

 to repeat until my readers are almost heartily sick of the 

 " damnable iteration." There is a world of equestrian 

 wisdom in two sentences of the chapter just quoted, 

 "he will not run unless you run after him," and " the 

 horse has not studied anatomy." 



The observations about rope halters are very sound, 

 and in addition I may add, that the mouths of hun- 

 dreds of horses are spoiled by the practice of passing 

 a looped rope round the lower jaw of a fiery horse, 

 which the rider often makes the stay for keeping himself 

 in his seat. 



The best kind of head-stall for training colts is that 

 delineated at the head of this chapter,* called the Bush 

 Bridle, to which any kind of bit may be attached, and 

 by unbuckling the bit it is converted into a capital 

 halter, with a rope for leading a colt or picketing a 

 horse at night. 



The long rope is exactly what Mr. Earey recommends 

 for teaching a colt to lead. Every one of any expe- 

 rience will agree that " a horse that has once pulled on 

 his halter can never be so well broken as one that has 

 never pulled at all." 



The directions for stroking and patting the body and 



* Made by Stokey, North Street, Little Moorfields, London. 



