216 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



forward, becomes regardless of the bit, and runs away either 

 quite unmanageable or is stopped after being worried out with 

 fright and exertion. After these lessons, if he be a colt of high 

 spirit, he will shy and start at many strange objects for which 

 being flogged he will always associate the frightful objects and 

 the flogging as necessarily connected, and be more frightened 

 than before. If poorly kept and worked regularly, an ordinary, 

 good-tempered colt will in time become a tolerably safe and 

 useful horse even with such an education, but very spirited and 

 plucky animals are almost sure to acquire some dangerous or 

 troublesome vices. 



This system of breaking colts is founded upon the govern- 

 ment of brute force or fear, and has been in use in various 

 forms from the earliest times. Tlie horse is subdued at the 

 present time in different countries by various means on this 

 same general plan. 



Horses and other animals may be completely subdued by 

 choking, starvation, bleeding, physic, want of sleep, violent 

 exercise, pain, or any other means by which their strength and 

 courage are destroyed, so that they can make little or no 

 resistance. 



In Chili, horses are exhausted and subdued by worrying 

 them constantly in the stall until they lie down in despair or 

 fall down from weakness, which will generally happen in about 

 forty-eight hours. They are then saddled or hai-nesscd, and if 

 refractory, the cruel process is continued until they become 

 gentle. 



On the pampas of South America wild horses are caught 

 with the lasso, thrown to the ground, saddled and bridled, and 

 ridden with whip and spur until completely exhausted and per- 

 fectly submissive. The long hair of their tails is then squared 

 off with a knife to indicate that they are broken, and they are 

 again turned loose. Tliis method of riding a horse quiet was 

 adopted by Alexander in breaking Bucephalus, and with slight 

 variations is now employed in Australia, in Mexico, and among 

 the Indians of North America, k^onie of the latter are said to 

 have the custom of breathing into the nostrils of the horse while 

 prostrate upon the ground, or so hobbled as to be in a helpless 

 condition, with the idea that it inspires him with confidence. 



