48 THE HORSE : ITS TAMING, 



trained to meet quietly, or his education is incomplete. 

 .V colt will kick at a sudden noise, will shy off, at a 

 sudden noise, will run away and smash a carriage to 

 pieces, and kill the occupants, in fact, the greatest 

 number of accidents are caused by horses taking 

 fright at noise. I only read a few days ago that the 

 cracking and falling of a branch of a tree started off a 

 pony, which was being driven by a lady; there being 

 another lady in the phaeton. The pony became 

 frantic and uncontrollable, and ran into a wall; the lady 

 driving was killed on the spot, and the other was 

 taken home insensible. This accident happened solely 

 because the animal had an uneducated sensc^ viz., 

 the sense of hearing. Many animals, when in harness, 

 who are at all nervous, will almost kick, or do kick 

 sometimes on a quiet road if another horse and vehicle 

 should come rapidly up behind, and aside of it, so as 

 to pass. This has repeatedly happened to me. I 

 have seen plenty of draught horses set themselves to 

 kick and run away, when I have driven rapidly up 

 aside of them to pass. Now this shows defective 

 training, and I will try and explain the defects. At 

 this stage of breaking under the old system, viz: — 



A colt is put into a trap, with a man on each side 

 of him with a rope, and probably a man in the cart 

 behind him holding the reins, directly the colt hears 

 the noise of the cart behind him he tries to get away 

 from it. He finds himself held fast for the first time in 



