46 TO MOUNT THE COLT. 



hang loosely over his neck, with your left hand ; then 

 gradually bear your weight on the stirrup, and on 

 your right hand, until the horse feels your whole 

 weight on the saddle : repeat this several times, each 

 time raising yourself a little higher from the block, 

 until he will allow you to raise your leg over his 

 croup and place yourself in the saddle. 



There are three great advantages in having a block 

 to mount from. First, a sudden change of position 

 is very apt to frighten a young horse who has never 

 been handled : he will allow you to walk up to him, 

 and stand by his side without scaring at you, because 

 you have gentled him to that position ; but if you get 

 down on your hands and knees and crawl towards 

 him, he will be very much frightened ; and upon the 

 same principle, he would be frightend at your new 

 position if you had the power to hold yourself over 

 his back without touching him. Then the first great 

 advantage of the block is to gradually gentle him to 

 that new position in which he will see you when you 

 ride him. 



Secondly, by the process of leaning your weight in 

 the stirrups, and on your hand, you can gradually 

 accustom him to your weight, so as not to frighten 

 him by having him feel it all at once. And, in the 

 third place, the block elevates you so that you will 

 not have to make a spring in order to get on the 

 horse's back, but from it you can gradually raise 

 yourself into the saddle. When you take these pre- 



