BREAKING AND TRAINING. 177 



the same quiet way, though on no account should he be urged 

 forward. Contending with him at this period is by all means 

 to be avoided. If he chooses to move at a walk and in a circle 

 as he has been accustomed to do at this place, good and well ; 

 he must not be checked for a time, but gradually brought to 

 feel one or other rein, so as to be induced to go at last where 

 it is desired. There must be no pulling or jerking at his 

 mouth, nor urging with the legs. An hour or two of this 

 according to his temper and will will suffice ; then he is taken 

 to his box, caressed and fed, and the lesson repeated again in 

 the afternoon. 



Biding the colt twice a day for three or four days in this 

 way, in a field, is the best training, and it is better, at first, 

 not to take him from home or his associations. If at any time 

 during these early days he becomes refractory and unper- 

 suadable, he must not be fought with ; it is better to dismount 

 from him, and longe him in a circle or lead him for a time, 

 and then mount and try him again. He is like a child, and 

 must be humoured at first and taught as children are, by 

 degrees. Obedience is the thing to be taught, and this is better 

 inculcated by kindness and firmness than by bullying and 

 beating, which in nearly all cases produce confusion, stupidity, 

 stubbornness or vice. Intelligence can be largely cultivated in 

 horses, by teaching them under favourable conditions ; these 

 conditions rest with the trainer, as much as does the production 

 of a good light mouth. To do things well, the colt must 

 understand how and when to do them. To punish him for 

 not doing them, when he has not been properly taught, or if 

 so, has not been informed when or where to do them, is stupid 

 and cruel. 



When accustomed to the guidance of the reins, the leg 



should be brought into play for a similar purpose, and then the 



colt may be ridden on public roads, in which there should be 



plenty of room, in case of his shying or proving unsteady if 



M 



