46 Training the Work Horse 



under the lower jaw. Now by snapping the lead- 

 rein or running the tie-strap through this ring, 

 pressure is brought to bear equally on either side in 

 case the horse should pull. A horse should always 

 be tied short, otherwise he may get his foot over the 

 tie-strap, be unable to disengage it, break the tie- 

 strap or the check -rein, become frightened and an 

 accident result. 



AGE TO TRAIN HORSES FOR WORK 



At the present time there is much discussion as to 

 the most profitable age at which to train horses for 

 work. Some good horsemen state that they prefer 

 not to have the horse worked until coming four years 

 old, while others think a more useful animal will 

 result if put to light work at two and one half or 

 three years of age. Each of these methods may 

 prove equally successful, depending on conditions. 

 It would seem that these ages might well represent 

 the extremes. As a rule, the horse should not be put 

 to work under two and one half years of age, and even 

 then the work should be light and the working hours 

 short. If the work is too severe, or continued for 

 too long a time, the animal will be retarded in his 

 growth and he will not make as useful a horse as if 

 the training had been delayed a few months. On the 

 other hand, if the horse is thrifty, it is poor economy 

 to keep him in idleness after he is four years of age. 



