70 The Horse Farrier. 



THE PROPER WAT TO BIT A COLT. 



Farmers often put a bitting harness on a colt the 

 first thing they do with him, buckling up the bitting 

 as tight as they can draw it, to make him carry his 

 head high, and then turn him out in a lot to run a half 

 day at a time. This is one of the worst punishments 

 that they could inflict on a colt, and very injurious to 

 a young horse that has been used to running in pasture 

 with his head down. I have seen colts so injured in 

 this way that they never got over it. 



A horse should be well accustomed to the bit before 

 you put on the bitting harness, and when you first bit 

 him you should only rein his head up that point where 

 he naturally holds it, let that be high or low ; he will 

 soon learn that he cannot lower his head, and that 

 raising it a little Avill loosen the bit in his mouth. This 

 will give him the idea of raising his head to loosen the 

 bit, and then you can draw the bitting a little tighter 

 every time you j)ut it on, and he will still raise his head 

 to loosen it; by this means you will gradually get his 

 head and neck in the position you want him to carry 

 it, and give him a nice graceful carriage without hurt- 

 ing him, making him mad, or causing his mouth to get 

 sore. 



If you put the bitting on very tight the first time, 

 he cannot raise his head enough to loosen it, but will 

 bear on it all the time, and paw, sweat, and throw 

 himself. Many horses have been killed by falling back- 

 ward with the bitting on ; their heads being drawn up, 

 strike the ground with the whole weight of the bo^dy. 

 Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly should 

 not have the bitting on more than fifteen or twenty 

 minutes at a time. 



