22 THE HORSE OWNER's 



eight inches in length, and to this rubber fasten a small cord, 

 twelve or fifteen feet long, looped through the ring. Now 

 place a common headstall upon your colt's head, with 

 the overdraw-check, leaving the rein quite loose ; leave 

 him in the yard or stable for a few moments, then remove 

 it, frequently replacing and allowing it to remain on a 

 short time, ^y this means his mouth becomes used to 

 the bit, which is much 'better than the old plan. After 

 he has become a little used to the bridle in this way 

 you can commence bitting or teaching him to come to 

 the bit. Take your bitting bridle, and buckle around 

 the neck, (the same as you would a strap halter around 

 the neck), leaving the ring in the strap to come under 

 the throat; now loop the cord into the mouth and draw np 

 your check-rein as tight as he can comfortably bear ; now 

 take your cord in your hand (See Fig. 6.) and lead him 

 about the yard ; whenever he attempts to rest upon the 

 bit, give him a light, quick jerk upward with your cord, 

 which will soon teach him to keep his head up. After 

 working in this manner a few times, then step to the 

 right side, a little back of the quarters, and give him a 

 quick jerk to the right, not hard enough to shake him off 

 from his feet, but just enough to bring him around to 

 you ; now step to the left side, and repeat as on the right 

 side. In about one hour, by limiting your lessons to five 

 or ten minutes, and repeating until the head is rendered 

 freely and readily to the pressure of the rein, you will 

 have him sufSciently bitted to harness. 



HITOHIira THE COLT IN THE STALL THE 

 FIRST TIME. 



After halter-breaking your colt, it is then necessary to 

 give him a rest before working him farther ; and to hitch 



