252 EXPENSIVE EXPERIENCE. 



so my needle stood harmless. If she had sat down 

 on it, I could have found it in my heart to have 

 clinched it, and kept her there for ever as a hecatomb 

 to the departed spirits of my murdered pheasants ! 



In educating horses for draught, the great thing to 

 teach them is not to be alarmed at objects behind 

 them : their being thus alarmed is the cause of more 

 accidents in harness than any other circumstance 

 likely to arise with horses devoted to such purposes. 

 The colt should therefore, long before he is intended 

 to be put to any vehicle, be accustomed to wear har- 

 ness, and to be exercised with trappings hanging 

 about his hocks and heels. A horse that has never 

 felt a rein under his tail will probably kick the first 

 time he feels one there. It may be said such an 

 accident does not often occur with a good coachman : 

 granted ; but with a bad one it is a matter of frequent 

 occurrence ; and though we may say a bad coachman 

 has no business driving, still, as such will drive, 

 broken bones and a smashed carriage is too severe a 

 penalty to allow them to pay for their imprudence if 

 we can avoid it. 



In putting a young one first in harness, it is most 

 desirable to prevent anything touching his hocks or 

 hind parts lest we might set him kicking. Why is 

 this precaution so necessary ? Because the colt has 

 not been properly prepared : if he had, he would no 

 more mind anything touching his hind parts than his 

 fore ones. Some persons may say, "we have goneoii 

 very well for centuries with horses broken to harness 

 in the usual way.' 1 Such persons invariably dislike 

 any innovation on an old custom ; but in answer to the 

 going on "very well" I must be permitted to remark, 

 that we have certainly "gone on" whether "very well" 



