152 ADAPTATIONS. 



338. — All writers avoid the most difficult part of this subject, 

 and take it for granted that the colt to be tamed is not really 

 wild, and that he is already quietly fixed in a stable ready to 

 allow you to handle his head, body, and legs, and put anything 

 you please on them. As the great majority of our readers have 

 never seen, and may never see a really wild horse, perhaps we had 

 better follow the same course so far as to pass very superficially 

 over the diiferent ways of getting at such an animal. 



339. — For an animal that has run wild and uncared for all 

 his life, and dreads man just as much as he dreads a lion or a 

 tiger, we know of nothing better than the Australian practice 

 (296) of dris'ing them into a strong safe yard, and putting a 

 running noose over their heads with a pole. Two or three men 

 may then hang on to the rope until the horse is garrotted, or 

 brought senseless and helpless to the ground by stopping the 

 supply of oxygenated blood to the brain. His legs must be quickly 

 hobbled, the rope slackened, and then he may be treated on the 

 ground to a similar education to that given to "Grace Darling" in 

 the swamp. 



340. — A half wild horse, that will not dash^ himself to pieces, 

 may be decoyed by a tame horse to follow him into a smooth- 

 boarded crush pen, where he can be closely hemmed in, gently 

 handled and haltered, and get the necessary tackle put on him 

 to lay him down easily, when let out into a yard or loose box. 



341. — A still less wild horse can be jammed into a corner of 

 a loose box, by getting him to push behind an old one, and then 

 putting a long strong plank through a hole in the wall or other 

 support on the left side of his shoulder ; the long plank being 

 held at the other end by a strong assistant, AYith a commonly 

 quiet colt all that is necessary can be done by using the old 

 horse without a plank. With nine-tenths of the English bred 

 colts, even the old horse is unnecessary, and an experienced man 

 may see at once that he has nothing to fear from the colt. But 

 we would advise inexperienced persons to always keep an old 

 horse between them and an entirely unhaudled colt, so as to 

 make sure that they will never have either to fight or to retreat 

 from a colt at their first interview with him. 



