BREAKING 207 



whole, I cannot but think them superfluous for ordinary purposes, and 

 should be perfectly content with a horse broken in the best English methods, 

 which now combine the " supi^lings " of the great French breaker with the 

 old dead pressure adopted in the methods of our ancestors. The difference 

 between the two is mainly this, that we in England content ourselves with 

 confining the head by the reins in a position which, while it docs not compel 

 the horse to lean upon his bit, yet makes him try to avoid its pressure by 

 bending his neck, and thus rendering its muscles supple. M. Baucher, on 

 the contrary, prefers that the whole of this suppling shall be performed by 

 the pi-essure of the breaker's hand; and, doubtless, his is the best plan, if the 

 man employed is competent to the task, and the time thus devoted can be 

 afforded. It takes a fortnight or three weeks to " make " a horse's mouth, 

 so far as to fit him to bear the hands of his ridei', in either way; but as less 

 than two hours a day during that time will not suffice, and as in the one 

 case the horse supples himself, whUe in the other a man must effect the 

 change, M. Baucher's method costs twenty-eight hours of skilled labour, in 

 addition to subsequent breaking, and it is therefore very expensive. The 

 course of proceedings which good English breakers now adopt is as follows. 

 The bit having been allowed for some days to remain in the mouth without 

 reins, as already described, the breaker next proceeds to attach a rein to it 

 in the ordinary way, and to buckle this loosely to the surcingle or dumb- 

 jockey, whichever he may employ. Mr. Blackwell's india-rubber reins are 

 thought very highly of by some for this purpose; but, as far as I have tried 

 them, I prefer plain leather, because I object to constant pressure, however 

 slight, upon the mouth. A drop of water falling constantly and regularly 

 upon a stone will wear it away sooner than the same quantity dashed at 

 once upon it; and, in the same manner, permanent gentle pressure upon the 

 mouth is more irksome than a more severe occasional pull. The great art 

 consists in shortening the reins so gradually, that the pressure can always 

 be avoided by bending the neck, and this the horse soon learns to do ; and 

 thus, at one and the same time, he gains control over his muscles, and inures 

 his jaws and lips to the bit. It is generally necessary, while the " bitting " 

 is going on, whether in the stable or at exercise, to fix the head down by a 

 martingale, buckled to each side of the bit; for without this the horse, in 

 his struggles to get rid of his restraints, will often toss his head so high as 

 to do himself a serious injury. If the mouthing is conducted in the stable, 

 the horse is either put into a loose-box (which is the best plan), or he is 

 turned round in his stall, and kept in that position by buckling the ordinary 

 pillar-reins to each side of the bit. At first, the reins should hardly confine 

 the head at all beyond the position in which it is naturally carried when the 

 horse is excited; but each day a hole or two may be taken up, until such 

 pressure is made, that the horse has a tendency to relieve his neck and 

 shoulders by advancing his fore-legs and rounding his neck. The best plan 

 is to put on the breaking tackle for an hour in the stable, then loose the 

 reins for a quarter of an hour; after which the colt may be led out for his 

 regular daily exercise, and may be " longed " with the reins buckled more or 

 less tightly, according to the experience of the breaker and the condition of 

 the mouth. In most cases, the process is hurried far too much; the breaker 

 contracts to do all that is required for a given sum, varying from one guinea 

 to three, and it is his object to spend as little time over each of his pupils 



