The Carriage for Breaking to Harness. 367 



it is better than an open road or field, because everything Hkely to excite or distract the 

 attention of the equine pupil should be avoided. It is also advisable not to put harness on a 

 well-bred hunter or riding-horse until he has had two hours of regular exercise, at such a pace as 

 without exhausting, will take away all that superfluous energy which leads an animal to bounce 

 and start at the slightest provocation, or if a young unbroken colt, by laying carefully. It 

 may be advisable to break tight-bound three-year-olds to harness before they can be ridden 

 safely by any one but a boy, and then laying is a valuable preparation. 



The next question is, to what vehicle shall the horse be harnessed .■' 



The circus people generally employ a log, with a splinter-bar to keep the traces, which 

 should be very long, apart. This answers very well in a school, but in a field a light bush 

 harrow, made of hurdles and the cuttings of hedges, would answer even better. In this way a 

 horse is taught by degrees to pull a weight, and if he stops suddenly, the log or bush harrow 

 does not run on him as a vehicle on wheels would. 



The Americans, who make a study of harness-horses, generally break their trotters in one 

 of their light four-wheeled wagons, which is not a wagon at all in our sense in England, but a 

 very light phaeton. In this country a high two-wheeled vehicle of the dog-cart class is generally 

 preferred. 



There are two modes of using it. In one, and the less common, but suitable for training 

 hunters, is to put a steady harness-horse in the shafts and attach the hunter, saddled and 

 mounted, by traces to an outrigger pole with a splinter-bar, and have him ridden alongside the 

 shaft horse. By this expedient a well-broken riding-horse in hard condition has been trained 

 to harness in a single day. Another plan, especially adapted for horses inclined to kick, is to 

 put the unbroken one in the shafts, where he is made fast by a strong kicking-strap, and 

 accompanying him with a steady, well-broken horse harnessed to an outrigger, who will do all 

 the work until he takes to the collar. Kicking can be kept down more eftectually in shafts 

 than in pair-horse harness. 



The orthodox style of putting a new horse into single or double harness is fully described 

 in the following paragraphs from the writings of a contributor to the Old Sporting Magazine 

 who, in the course of his life and misfortunes, acquired great practical experience in every part 

 of a coachman's art : — 



" The horse should be harnessed in the stable, where he is least likely to be alarmed. A 

 collar, opening at the top, should be put on. A crupper that unbuckles on both sides 

 should be placed under the tail, which should be let down very gently on it. Everything 

 should be done as quietly as possible. He should then be turned round in his stall, the 

 bridle put on and buckled to the reins. He thus gets accustomed to winkers, which make 

 every object come suddenly before him (this is my objection to breaking-in with winkers). 

 After standing some time (Query, some hours), he should be led out to feel his new trappings, 

 walked, and trotted. 



"When he moves without being alarmed at these, the break, with the break-horse ready 

 harnessed, should be placed where there is ample room for a plunge or two. The breaksman 

 must find what sort of a mouth he has, and buckle the reins to the cheek or bars accordingly. 

 The outside driving rein should be on him when he is led up, so that there is only the 

 coupling rein to be fastened when he is put to. In forty-nine cases out of fifty the reins should 

 be buckled to the cheek, but with a horse inclined to kick to the lowest bar. 



" He must be taken up carefully, so as not to touch the pole suddenly. The breaksman 

 stands at the head of the horses to give orders, one man is to be ready to pole-piece him 



