392 THE TPOTTING-IIORSE OF AMERICA. 



in hard, unfeeling ones. If a big, heavy bit is used in bit- 

 ting, and it is kept in the colt's mouth long at a time, he 

 will soon begin to hug down upon it, and the probability of 

 his having a good mouth for driving is lost. It will become 

 hard and tough, and he will fall into a habit of always bear- 

 ing the weight of his head upon the bit. There is another 

 thing I will mention here, to which more attention ought 

 to be paid. Bits are often kept in places to which the frost 

 penetrates in very cold weather. The bits become frosted ; 

 and, without a thought of what he is doing, the man claps a 

 frosted steel bit into the horse's mouth. The consequence is 

 a sore mouth, just about as certainly as if the bit had been 

 nearly at a red heat ; and then the man bothers his brains 

 to find out what caused it. If he had put the frozen bit 

 into his own mouth, it would have brought the inner skin 

 of the lips away with it, and then he would have felt the 

 mischief. In very cold weather, take you? bits to the fire, 

 and be sure that there is 110 frost in the steel when the bit 

 is placed in your horse's mouth. 



Now we will return to the colt. When you come to drive 

 him, it should be with a light, firm hand. The reins should 

 be handled nicely and gently. The driver can manage the 

 colt without any jerking or pulling and hauling, if he keeps 

 cool, thinks of what he is about, and uses proper care and 

 patience. The mouth is now fine and sensitive ; and it ought 

 to be kept so, because this is the great organ of communi- 

 cation between a good driver and the trotter, when he is 

 cultivated and improved into a fast horse. What you want 

 the trotter to do when he is at speed is to be got into him 

 through his mouth. You may encourage him by speaking 

 to him, or sting him into a greater effort with the whip; 

 but neither of these is half as good as the play upon the 

 reins, with which you let him know what you want through 

 his lively, sensitive mouth. You are then to keep in con- 

 stant mind the necessity of not impairing the colt's mouth 

 by rough handling of the reins. If you pull and lug at the 



