HORSEMANSHIP AND TRAINING. 21 



ance to the pull of the rein is what the mouthing bit and 

 these lessons teach the colt not to try. He is like a 

 man in a straight-Jacket — he can do nothing. 



All the articles used in the first lesson are the mouthing 

 bit, crupper and surcingle, and should not be changed 

 until the second degree requires something else. To 

 facilitate the making of the mouth and obedience to the 

 touch of the reins on this bit, two hard rope lines, fif- 

 teen feet long, with handles made of double plaited rope 

 the thickness of a clothes-line. These should be fastened by 

 spring hooks to the rings of the bit and passed through 

 the terrets on the surcingle, and the trainer, taking the 

 reins in both hands, drive the colt quietly on a beaten 

 track that he knows ; and when used to this, after several 

 lessons, place a number of wagons, carts, buggies, etc.. 



Fig. 3.— HANDLING KEEN. 



about forty feet apart, and drive him through them 

 quietly on a walk, making the figure 8, right and left 

 and back again. As the colt learns these lessons and 

 goes through the wagons, turning of his own accord, place 

 the wagons closer together, thus making the turns shorter. 

 When he knows what you want him to do he will like 

 the exercise, and expect to be petted when his daily busi- 

 ness is over and his head rubbed with a wisp. 



Handles of reins are about two feet long, and the reins 

 one and a half inch in diameter ; and the lines are one- 

 half inch in diameter. The cavesson and lunge are used 

 in the third and future degrees. 



Time, patience, gentleness and regularity with the use 

 of these three instruments and the reins are necessary 

 to break in and make the mouth what it should be, es- 

 pecially for the saddle. Instead of this, most young 

 horses come to our city markets broken in with all kinds 

 of bits ; frequently with small sharp bits, with which colts 



