THE HOKSE 279 



mistake of trying to teach the colt too much at a time ; he should 

 be sure that it understands each lesson thoi-ouij;hly before 

 another is attempted. On the other hand, colts should be trained 

 continuously day by day, and not merely at the convenience of 

 the trainer. The trainer should be gentle and firm at all times 

 and should accomplish whatever he attempts to accomplish. 



Teach hi rf the foal to lead. — The colt should be caught by put- 

 ting one hand under the neck and the other under the hams or 

 around the buttocks ; he should never be caught around the neck 

 alone, for if this is done he will go backward and perhaps fall. 

 If he attempts to go forward, press back with the hand under 

 his neck ; and if he attempts to go backward, press forward with 

 the hand around the buttocks. Colts caught in this way will 

 allow persons to walk up to them, whereas if they are caught 

 around the neck there may be difficulty in catching them. 



"When the foal is to be haltered, a strong, well-fitting halter 

 should be chosen ; it should not be a new one that smells strangely 

 to the colt, but one that has recently been used. Care should be 

 taken not to pull heavily on the nose-band at any time ; occasion- 

 ally deformed face lines and imperfect necks are caused by this 

 means. It is not necessary to drag a colt by the halter in order 

 to suggest to him that his business is to follow. After such 

 treatment, the reverse effect is usual; the harder the colt is 

 pulled, the harder he pulls back. If, on the contrary, he is 

 coaxed along the accustomed route, for example to the watering 

 trough and back, he will soon follow promptly. 



If he continues to resist, however, other means must be tried. 

 At all events the trainer should not stand in front of the colt 

 and try to pull his head forward, for he wdll roll his eyes, shake 

 his head, and step back. Advantage must be taken of the colt 's 

 natural tendency to step forward when pressure is brought to 

 bear on the buttocks. A small rope, the size of a sash cord and 

 about ten feet long, with a noose or a ring at one end, should be 

 placed gently over the colt's back just in front of the hips, with 

 the noose or the ring on the underside of the body. When the 

 other end of the rope is run through the noose, the rojoe can be 

 closely drawn around the flanks, passed along under the body 

 between the forelegs, and then up through the ring in the halter. 

 This is called the loin hitch. The trainer should pull gently on 

 the halter strap with one hand, and, as the colt begins to shake 

 his head, give the light rope a sharp pull Avith the other hand ; 

 the colt will immediately step forward. If the colt is given time 

 to become used to the lesson, he will soon follow wherever he is 



