Breaking. 121 



jockey" buckled on his roller, with springs contained 

 within its arms, by which the bit is allowed to give and 

 take with the horse's action ; but still always having a 

 tendency to bend the neck and bring the horse back on 

 its haunches. Unless this is effectually done, and the colt 

 is made to use his hind legs by bringing them well under 

 him, thus carrying a good part of his weight, he is never 

 safe across ridge-and-furrow, nor in awkward places, where 

 he is obliged to creep up close to the take-off, and gather 

 all his legs together before making his spring. When the 

 horse is being lunged he may be made to jump a bar, but 

 not too often over a moveable one, or he finds out its 

 tendency to fall, and becomes careless. A fixed bar should 

 be used as soon as the horse understands this part of his 

 business, and he will not hurt himself if he falls over it a 

 few times, because there is nothing to hold his legs, and 

 consequently he either falls forward or backward without 

 injury. The bar should have side-guides, so that in lung- 

 ing, the horse must go over or come back and face the whip 

 of the groom following him ; and when they are properly 

 managed, the leading-rein slides over them without catch- 

 ing, and the bar may be taken by the horse in each round 

 of the lunge. Some horses seem to enjoy the fun when 

 they^are clever and good-tempered, but not more than six 

 or eight jumps should be given in any one lesson, for fear 

 of disgusting the pupil. When he is perfect over the bar 

 with the lunging-rein, and after he is broken to all his paces, 

 he may be ridden over it, or any small fences, in cool 

 blood ; but he never ought to be put at this kind of work 

 till he is perfect at all his other lessons. For if he does 

 not know what the spur or the pull of the rein means, it is 

 useless to confuse him by trying to make him do what 

 he does not understand. No large jump should ever be 

 tried without hounds, and when the colt is willing to go 

 when he is wanted over small places, it is better to defer 

 the conclusion of his jumping education until he can be 

 taken out with hounds. 



With hounds the colt is inclined to follow the field of 

 horses, and will soon attempt any place his breaker puts him 

 at ; though often making mistakes, and sometimes carrying 



