THE HORSE 155 



Now, if two or three persons are present, the colt 

 gets confused with trying to keep an eye on all 

 of them at once, gets terribly nervous, hardly 

 realizes what is being done to him, and much 

 valuable time and energy of both horse and 

 breaker are wasted. This has been proved time 

 after tune. In the case of a terribly nervous and 

 wild little hill pony brood mare of nine years old 

 which was being broken, she could be caught, 

 bridle, surcingle, and crupper ailixed in about five 

 minutes, alone ; but the presence of an assistant 

 rendered it impossible to do these things at all 

 except by sheer force and after a prolonged 

 struggle. 



The first step in the actual breaking, then, is to 

 affix the head-stall with a fom^-foot rope attached 

 to its back dee, and by pulling the horse's head 

 round to one side to upset his equilibrium and get 

 him to move. Xever stand m front of a horse 

 and endeavor to drag him forward. For one 

 thing, it is impossible to succeed in making him 

 budge an inch by this means if he does not "^vish 

 to, as he is perfectly stable in this position, and is 

 heavier than his breaker. If you stand close to 

 the shoulder, hovv^ever, and pull or push the head 

 round gently, the horse is bound to move a fore- 



