MOUTHING, ETC. 459 



should be put on and the animal accustomed to its action dur- 

 ing this period of schooling. 



The third purpose of these primary lessons is to teach 

 the horse to carry himself properly. By compelling the 

 animal to flex his neck and carry his head low and compara- 

 tively near the body the natural balance is disturbed and 

 the power of speed diminished, but the horse's action is 

 brought into a smaller compass and made more uniform. 

 The result is that he moves like clockwork, and is so col- 

 lected that he is not thrown off his feet by any sudden stop- 

 ping or turning, and is consequently more sure footed. 

 Combined with such training there should be a certain 

 amount of time allotted to schooling the horse over a circle 

 of straw or cornstalks with here and there a log so placed 

 that it can be readily seen. This form of work improves 

 the action of the fore and hind legs, making them act in 

 unison, and causes the horse to be on the lookout for ob- 

 structions. 



The reader will be surprised to see how much more easily 

 a horse is controlled and improved in his action after hav- 

 ing been thoroughly schooled in this manner. Many horses 

 that required severe bits and that interfered, forged or 

 stumbled have, by careful bitting and schooling, been after- 

 wards easily driven in the mildest forms of bits, and all 

 defects in their action have disappeared. The training, 

 however, should only be intrusted to a competent man who 

 carefully advances the work from day to day, and sees that 

 the horse does not become over-fatigued, that the harness 

 is properly and comfortably adjusted, and that the horse's 

 mouth is absolutely free of any injury from the action of 

 the bit. The cost of a Blackwell's dumb jockey is $36.00. 



