168 THE PERFECT HORSE. 



geance. He is actually being educated to "hog on the 

 bit," and be a puller. No method of bitting can be 

 more vicious and villanous than this, inflicting, as it 

 does, torture on the innocent victim, and, in not a few 

 cases, actually putting the animal beyond the reach of 

 future betterment. 



The true way to bit a colt is, not to bit him at all ; 

 that is, let him bit himself When my colts are one 

 year old, I begin to teach them to hold a bit in their 

 mouth. The bit is of pine, some half-inch in diameter, 

 and five inches in length. This piece of soft wood is 

 held in the mouth by a cord tied to either end, and 

 passing over the head, back of the ears. The colt loves 

 to have this in his mouth, because it enables him to 

 bring forward the teething-process. He will bite it, 

 and work it over in his mouth, and enjoy it hugely. 

 He will welcome it, and will actually reach out and 

 open his mouth for it as a trained horse will for the bit. 

 After a few days you can tie strings, making miniature 

 reins to this bit, and teach the colt the proper use of it. 

 When this is done, he is ready for the regular steel 

 bit. Put your bridle on with a leather bit, large and 

 pliant; throw your check-line, if your bridle has one 

 attached, into the pig-sty ; get into your wagon, and 

 drive off. This is all the " bitting" a colt needs. Treat- 

 ed in this way, he will have a lively, yielding, sensa- 

 tional mouth. He will take the bit bravely when work- 

 ing up to his speed, but yield readily to the driver's 

 will. A horse bitted in this sensible way can be driven 



