Breaking. 115 



himself, who leads the colt, as before, with the cavesson 

 and webbing. With this the mounted colt is now led out, 

 and walked about for an hour or more ; after which he 

 should be returned to the stable, and then the lad should 

 dismount ; and on no account should this be attempted 

 at first out of doors, for it has happened that on getting off 

 there has been a fight to get on again, which has resulted 

 in victory to the horse, whereas in the stable it can always 

 be managed, and with the thorough-bred colt it is seldom 

 wanted elsewhere, until he is quite used to it. If there 

 is no stable at hand with a door high and wide enough 

 for this purpose, the colt may be mounted in the paddock, 

 the breaker being very careful to engage his attention, 

 and a third party being on the off-side to assist in keeping 

 the colt straight and the saddle from giving way while the 

 weight is being laid upon the stirrup. Most colts give 

 way at first to this one-sided pressure, but they soon learn 

 to bear up against it, and finally they do not show any 

 annoyance at all. It will be found that any colt may be 

 more readily managed by two people in a roomy stable 

 than by three out of doors, where he is on the look-out 

 for objects of alarm, and is always more ready to show 

 fight : the only difficulty is the getting clear of the door, 

 which should be wide and high ; and if it is the contrary, 

 it offers an obstacle to the plan, which must prevent its 

 adoption. 



The mounted lad should at first sit steadily and 

 patiently still, and should not attempt to use the reins, 

 which might indeed be well dispensed with, but that few 

 riders could balance themselves without holding some- 

 thing. I have found it a good plan to buckle them to the 

 cavesson rather than to the bit, in those cases where the 

 hands of the rider were not very light. The colt on leav- 

 ing the stable often sets his back up, and perhaps plunges, 

 or attempts to kick, which he seldom does in the stable, 

 and less frequently in leaving it than when he is suddenly 

 mounted in the field. If he does this the breaker should 

 speak severely to him, and either keep down his head or 

 the reverse, according to whether he is attempting to rear 

 or kick. It is for the latter vice only that the rider 



