Breaking Yearlings. 125 



When he again tires and stops, reverse the procedure. It is 

 amusing to note how quickly a youngster will realise what 

 is required of him if the above plan is carried out smartly 

 and intelligently. 



If matters in the meantime have progressed satisfac- 

 torily, on the fourth day " bitting " should be taken in 

 hand. 



The figure opposite illustrates a style of bit favoured 

 by the author. It is a smooth, thick snaffle, with keys ; the 

 bottom halves of the cheek guards have been removed, and 

 the top halves are held in position by " keepers " attached 

 to the jaw pieces of the bridle. A pair of couplings connect 

 the rings of the snaffle. 



Getting bit and bridle on a yearling for the first time is 

 really the most critical operation during the whole business 

 of yearling breaking. Any bungling at the first lesson will 

 cause great delay, and make big demands on the stud 

 groom's stock of patience and good temper if a bridle-shy 

 yearling is to be avoided. If the pupil has been thoroughly 

 accustomed during foalhood to having its foretop and face 

 handled, the operation of putting on its first bridle will be 

 immensely facilitated. Although two men will be necessary 

 to carry out the business smartly and efficiently, it is desir- 

 able that control of the yearling's head should devolve on 

 the chief operator, i.e., the person who actually gets the bit 

 into the pupil's mouth; otherwise, in the event of the two 

 operators getting at " cross purposes," the yearling may get 

 rattled and a bungle result. Getting the bit into the colt's 

 mouth usually presents no difficulty ; trouble, if it occurs at 

 all, begins when his ears have to be negotiated. It goes 

 without saying, that the taller a man is, the more suited he 

 is for this particular job. A short man attempting to put 

 a first bridle on a tall yearling is at an obvious disadvantage. 



