92 GENTLING. 



of the lessou is to keep up the delusion that he must yield to a 



pull on either side, where the walls will enforce the lesson, and 



give him no chance to pull effectually against you. An hour of 



this will be quite enough, after which go to his head and rub it all 



over with your hands, going gently over the eyes and ears until he 



makes no objection to such handling. If he seems at all suspicious 



about it, spend a good deal of time to gain his confidence ; rub 



the corners of his eyes and the roots of his ears again and again, 



until he is quite reconciled to the process. Then take a wisp of 



straw, and, letting him first touch it with his muzzle, rub the head 



gently with that, working back down his neck and fore legs and 



over his shoulders and back. Take his hind quarters cautiously, 



» holding the rein in your left hand, and keeping an eye on his ears, 



and on the hind leg that is not carrying the weight of the body, as 



he cannot kick you with the other until he has shifted it. There 



is rarely any difficulty about all this with the early handled colt, 



but if there is any disposition to kick, or any strong objection to 



be handled in any part, this will be the proper time and place to 



deal with that frailty with safety to the colt and to yourself, and 



the lesson will not be without good effect in making the colt 



more submissive in all his following lessons. 



187. — Strap up one of his fore legs (353), and then go back 

 to his hind quarters and wisp them all over, going down the 

 hind legs and handling his feet, lifting his tail, and reconciling 

 him to be touched in every part ; showing him, in fact, that your 

 touching him and rubbing him in any part will not hurt him. 

 If the foot has been strapped up without much difficulty, and 

 the colt is not very restive, don't keep him on three legs more 

 than ten minutes, but let the foot down and take up the other 

 one. The more frequently this is done the more easily it will be 

 found to yield to the process, and it makes the colt more 

 tractable for shoeing, and many other purposes. If there has 

 been much difficulty in getting the foot up it may be kept up a little 

 longer. In this you must be guided by the weight and hard or 

 soft condition of the colt. Ponies with no surplus flesh, and in 

 hard condition will hop a mile, or stand an hour on three legs, 

 but a heavy, soft, fat horse will sometimes lie down rather than 



