CHAPTEE Vil. 



The Di-um. — The Umbrella. — Riding-habit. — How to bit a colt. — 

 How to saddle. — To mount. — To ride. — To break. — To harness. — 

 To make a horse follow and stand -vidthoiit holding. — Bancher's 

 plan. — Nolan's plan. 



It is an excellent practice to accustom all horses to 

 strange sounds and sights, and of very great importance 

 to young horses which are to be ridden or driven in 

 large towns, or used as chargers. Although some horses 

 are very much more timid and nervous than others, 

 the very worst can be very much improved by acting on 

 tlie first principles laid down in the introduction to this 

 book — that is, by proving that the strange sights and 

 sounds will do them no harm. 



When a railway is first opened, the sheep, the cattle, 

 and especially the horses, grazing in the neighbouring 

 fields, are terribly alarmed at the sight of the swift, dark, 

 moving trains, and the terrible snorting and hissing of 

 the steam-engines. They start away — they gallop in 

 circles — and when they stop, gaze with head and tail 

 erect, until the monsters have disappeared. But from 

 day to day the live stock become more accustomed to 

 the sight and sound of the steam horse, and after a 

 while they do not even cease grazing when the train 

 passes. They have learned that it will do them no 

 harm. The same result may be observed with respect 

 to young horses when first they are brought to a large 

 town, and have to meet gi'eat loads of hay, omnibuses 



