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he has necessarily acquired the idea that the action 

 of man towards him is one of continuous cruelty. 

 He is educated accordingly and will naturally em- 

 brace every opportunity which presents itself to rid 

 himself of man's society. A colt thus handled can 

 never be depended on. He will remember his tor- 

 mentor as long as he lives, and will never miss an 

 opportunity to kick, bite, or bolt when occasion arises 

 — aye, and perhaps when it does not arise. 



DANGERS OF TIGHT SIDE REINS. 



The colt is then turned into a court, the side 

 reins put upon him, and, with an amount of ignor- 

 ance which is lamentable, they are drawn as tightly 

 as his tormentor's ingenuity can invent. 



(A certain writer urges that side reins should 

 never be put upon a colt, but we disagree with 

 him and consider their action comparatively painless 

 when adjusted by skilled and humane hands.) 



The colt's head, in such circumstances, is so 

 closely drawn into his breast that he cannot turn it 

 an inch to right or left from the centre, and his 

 mouth, in consequence, becomes lacerated and hard- 

 ened. A great number of breakers are under the 

 impression that the oftener the mouth is broken it 

 is the more sensitive, but exactly the opposite is the 

 case. If a light, pleasant mouth is desired, never once 

 permit the skin to be broken. Naturally, the colt tries 

 in every conceivable manner to relieve the painful 

 pressure of the bit upon his jaw, and very frequently 



