8Y4 rarey's method or taming horses. 



A horse should be well accustomed to the bit before yo:i 

 put on the bitting harness, and when you first bit him you 

 should only rein his head up to that point where he naturally 

 holds it, let that be high or low ; he will soon learn that he 

 cannot lower his head, and that raising it a little will loosen 

 the bit in his mouth. This will give him the idea of raising 

 his head to loosen the bit, and then you can draw the bitting a 

 little tighter every time you put it on, and he will still raise 

 his head to loosen it ; by this means you will gradually get his 

 head and neck in the position you want him to carry them, 

 and give him a nice and graceful carriage without hurting him, 

 making him mad, or causing his mouth to get sore. 



If you put the bitting on very tight the first time, he cannot 

 raise his head enough to loosen it, but will bear on it all the 

 time, and paw, sweat, and throw himself. Many horses have 

 been killed by falling backward with the bitting on ; their 

 heads being drawn up strike the ground with the whole weight 

 of the body. Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly 

 should not have the bitting on more than fifteen or twenty 

 minutes at a time. 



How to Saddle a Colt. — The first thing will be to tie each 

 stirrup-strap into a loose knot to make them short, and pre- 

 vent the stirrups from flying about and hitting him. Then 

 double up the skirts and take the saddle under your right 

 arm, so as not to frighten him with it as you approach. 

 When you get to him rub him gently a few times with your 

 hand, and then raise the saddle very slowly, until he can see 

 it, and smell and feel it with his nose. Then let the skirt 

 loose, and rub it very gently against his neck the way the hair 

 lies, letting him hear the rattle of the skirts as he feels them 



