14 COLT TRAINING. 



that most men make in breaking their colts is, they 

 try to teach them too many things at once. A colt 

 will learn more in one hour per clay, than it will in 

 six hours or any longer. Make the lesson short and 

 teach but one thing at a time. But what you do teach 

 have thoroughly understood. 



THIRD LESSON. 



In this lesson we give the colt a repetition of bit- 

 ting and teach the word Whoa! We will presume that 

 the trainer has not said Whoa to the colt up to this 

 time, (but I have no doubt that he has said it five hun- 

 dred times before he gets to the third lesson.) You 

 could say Whoa ! to the colt until you were gray headed 

 without associating an action, and that would never 

 teach it to stop at the \yord. The first time you say 

 Whoa ! to the colt be sure that you are in a position to 

 associate an action in order to teach it the meaning of 

 the command. Just as you give the command Whoa! 

 give a sharp raking pull on the lines; then immediately 

 slack the lines; repeat until he will stop at command 

 without the action ; then you will have him taught the 

 right meaning of Whoa. 



This word Whoa, is the most important command 

 we have in horsemanship; yet there is no other com- 

 mand that is so much abused. It is the habit of almost 

 everybody, when handling colts or horses, to be contin- 



