Breaking Yearlings. 131 



the yearling's mouth. Still steadying the yearling's head 

 and retaining his hold of the two cheek pieces with his left 

 hand, the operator now releases his grip of the head-collar, 

 and with his free right hand takes the poll-piece by its top 

 and carries it carefully over the yearling's ears, and releases 

 it just behind them. Simultaneously with this release of 

 the poll-piece, he relaxes his grip of the two cheek pieces, 

 and allows them to pass to their proper position just behind 

 the yearling's eyes, while still retaining the pressure of the 

 left hand on the animal's face to steady him should he flinch. 



When the bridle has to be removed single-handed, the 

 operator first takes off the cavesson, and replaces it with the 

 bead-collar, taking care to adjust the latter under the bridle, 

 so as not to impede the subsequent removal of the latter. 

 He then lets out the jaw pieces of the bridle, as far as it is 

 possible to do so, without causing the bit to drop out of the 

 yearling's mouth. Standing in front of the colt, he takes 

 the off-side jaw piece of the head-collar in his left hand, 

 levers the animal's mouth open with his thumb, grasps the 

 poll-piece of the bridle with his right hand, lifts it clear, 

 and brings it over the ears, then lowers it, and the bit slips 

 out of the yearling's mouth by its own weight, the animal's 

 head being held steady throughout the operation by the left 

 hand grasping the head-collar. 



Some readers may perhaps think the above methods of 

 putting on and taking off a bridle unnecessarily elaborate 

 and fussy. The author holds very strongly that " Preven- 

 tion is better than cure " when handling young horses. It 

 often takes a fortnight's patient work to undo the evil effects 

 of a few seconds' rough bungling. 



The "hall mark" of a well-broken horse, whether for 

 riding or driving purposes, is a good " mouth," and in no 

 case is it more essential than in that of the race-horse. A 



