HOW TO TRAIN A COLT. 16-^ 



be instantly remitted on his compliance. No steady pull 

 should be put upon him. What you are after is, not to 

 so develop the muscles of your arms that you can pull or 

 drag him backward, but to teach your colt to back at the 

 luord of command; and no colt is fit for market until he 

 will back any reasonable weight with the lines lying 

 loose at a word from the driver. To teach a young 

 horse to push hack a load is a longer process, because 

 he does not know at first the proper position in which 

 to put himself to perform this feat, nor are his back- 

 muscles strong enough to do it ; but, by patience and 

 kindness, all horses can be taught " to throw themselves 

 into the breeching " with a force and directness of 

 propulsion sufficient to move great loads. 



Perhaps I have " overrun my game," as hunters say 

 of dogs that have left birds in the rear ; and I will stop, 

 and beat back until we find one branch of my topic 

 which perchance should have been mentioned sooner. I 

 refer to the " bitting-process " as it is generally termed. 



It is astonishing how much nonsense and humbuggery 

 trainers and grooms tolerate in connection with this 

 point of horse-education. To see the bits that have 

 been invented, and the " bitting- machines " that have 

 been patented and sold, to serve this purpose, is enough 

 to set the satirist on edge, and arouse the ire of the 

 humane. The truth is, the only use of any "bitting- 

 machine," if it is any thing more than a plain bar -bit 

 in a bridle without blinkers or check-line, is to make 

 money for some ignoramus, and torture the horse. The 



