108 DEAL GENTLY WITH FEAR. 



the colt as close as you can to it, until he ceases to be alarmed 

 about it. Then choose a good place to meet it, first at a safe 

 distance, and get closer by degrees. These lessons must be 

 repeated until there is no alarm at a passing train or tram, and 

 even after that the familiarity with the steam engine, and all its 

 noises, should be continued for some time with a horse that 

 has been very nervous about it. 



217. — It would be impossible, and it is quite unnecessary, to 

 even enumerate all the objects with 'which a colt must be 

 familiarised in diiferent parts of the world. 



Where a horse has been brought up without seeing them, a 

 common pig, or a donkey, are objects of great alarm to him. The 

 principle is the same with all the objects of his fear ; the colt 

 must be brought in contact with them without hurting him, and 

 shown that he may pass them, ever so closely, without any 

 painful and injurious consequences to himself. To savagely 

 attack him with whip, curb, and spur, because he is already 

 frightened is as mischievous as it is senseless and barbarous, and 

 has made thousands of horses dangerous and worthless, that 

 with more rational treatment would have been safe and valuable. 



218. — The colt may now be said to have passed through 

 his elementary education, and before you can give him his higbj 

 school lessons he should be turned out to grass another year or 

 even two. A valuable colt can hardly be broken in too young, 

 can hardly be put to hard work too late in life. As a rule the 

 larger the horse the later he matures, so that ponies can he worked 

 much earlier than large horses. By far the most perfect and 

 reliable children's ponies we have ever seen were handled a good 

 deal at a month old, regularly broken at a year old, and never 

 let out of hand afterwards, though they were never called on for 

 any severe work, and were never kept long without green food. 

 Such treatment would make any horse more docile and trust- 

 worthy, without injuring their growth or power, but the difficulty 

 is to get them so handled, and we know of no remunerative 

 work to which a young, growing, light horse could be put in 

 these fast times without overtaxing his tender sinews. 



219. — The horse that has been handled as we have advised, 

 at two years <ild, and then turned out, may be taken up again 



