ORDINARY ENGLISH METHOD 203 



agent iu the management of the horse. Again, no colt is to be con- 

 sidered as broken until his rider or driver has altered his paces, and 

 given him such an action in the walk, trot, canter, and gallop, or in 

 some two or three of these paces, that he has become pleasant and 

 safe. Now the plans which I have just described do not affect cither 

 of these objects, indeed their tendency is rather to interfere with the 

 making of a good mouth, for the bit will sometimes cut the angles of the 

 lips, and in this way tend to make it afterwards dull. I do not mean to 

 assert that this is necessarily carried far enough by Mr. Rarey to make his 

 plan objectionable on that account, but merely that if anything is done 

 towards breaking a colt, it is injurious rather than beneficial, with the 

 single exception of the establishment of a mental control, which, as I shall 

 presently show, is not wanted in more than one or two per thousand of 

 our horses. 



Although, at the time of Mr. Rarey's successful exhibitions in this 

 countiy, there were persons claiming to have practised the same methods 

 previously, he is to all intents and purposes the founder of a system which 

 has had many successful imitators. Very considerable improvements have 

 been made in the way of hobbles and horse-gear generally, and this chapter 

 cannot be brought to a close without a tribute to the skill and inventive 

 genius displayed by Captain Hayes, whose work on horse-breaking may be 

 taken as the latest and most complete exposition of what he insists should 

 be considered a science as well as an art. " Professor " Crocker and " Pro- 

 fessor " Sample and others have been able to exhibit great mastery over 

 horses and interest spectators, but as authors professing to instruct the 

 average reader we cannot give them unqualified praise. 



THE ORDINARY ENGLISH METHOD OF BREAK- 

 ING FOR THE SADDLE 



In this country the breaker of the hack is not only supposed to produce 

 in his pupil what is called a good " mouth," but also to teach him the use 

 of his legs, so as to give a pleasant feel to his rider in the walk, trot, and 

 gallop, and in the canter, where specially required. The race-horse is 

 only " mouthed " and " backed," his subsequent education being confided 

 to the trainer; and the hunter, in addition to these developments, is 

 taught to get over the various fences which he is likely to meet with, in a 

 clever manner. Each class must, therefore, go through the same prelimi- 

 nary process, which consists in producing a good mouth, and in making 

 the colt bear his rider patiently in the saddle. To effect these objects, 

 when the colt is running at large he must be caught and haltered, and I 

 shall now proceed to show how the matter is effected ah initio. In doing 

 this it will be necessary to examine into the best apparatus for carrying 

 it out. 



The halter, which in this country is generally fix'st used, is the ordi- 

 nary one, made of hemp webbing, for the head, with a running eye in the 

 back of the nose-piece, in which runs a stout rope attached to the head. 

 Thoroughbred colts are always made to carry a light leather head-stall 

 from the end of their first year, and so, indeed, are all well-bred }'earlings 



