HOW TO TRAIN A COLT. 175 



he lies down, get upon his head and neck, and make him 

 stay there. After five or ten minutes, he will begin to 

 grow uneasy. He won't know quite what to make of it. 

 Soon he will feel the uncomfortableness of his position. 

 He will make an effort to rise. Now is your time : keep 

 him down. Down with his head flat to the ground, and 

 hold it there. It is no boy's play ; but you can do it if 

 you are determined, and reasonably strong. Only don't 

 let the job out to a small boy ; for the job is a big one at 

 times, and needs a quick eye, a stout hand, and a strong 

 back. Watch the colt, and don't let him up as long as 

 he is rebellious, if you hold him there all day, and the 

 following night at that ! Let him sweat and struggle : 

 he is learning two valuable lessons, — the first of which 

 is, that it does not pay to lie down in the harness; 

 and the second is, that man is stronger than he. This 

 latter point includes almost every thing in relation to 

 the training of a certain class of horses. Until they 

 are taught this idea, they are utterly unmanageable: 

 you can make no progress in their education. But let 

 them once learn that they are not the masters, but are 

 as nothing in the hand of the trainer, and the battle is 

 won : all that is needed follows naturally and easily. 

 Now, there is no position which gives man such absolute 

 command and mastery over a colt as when he has his 

 knees on his neck, and his hands gripped into the bridle- 

 pieces. Thus situated, man is absolutely " master of the 

 situation ; " and I have often thought that it was a very 

 good idea to have a colt of rather vicious temper lie 



