HOW TO BREAK A COLT 41 



hocks to result from the colt kicking through being 

 kept on the pillar reins too long. 



My system is to place a bit in the colt's mouth — 

 a bit with properly-constructed keys, especially for a 

 dry-mouthed colt, who fails to froth. I always smear 

 the bit with treacle mixed with soft soap. Without 

 this the colt cannot froth, and without frothing no colt 

 can mouth at all. I leave the bridle on for about two 

 hours in the morning and the same during the afternoon 

 for a few days. 



It is essential to give the colt a perfect mouth, 

 especially if the colt is a well-bred one. A well-bred 

 horse with a perfect mouth is a pleasure to drive, but a 

 well-bred, high-spirited horse with an imperfect mouth — 

 a mouth spoiled when a colt — is always difficult to drive 

 by a driver who has bad hands ; in a case of this kind a 

 good coachman with good hands usually excels as a 

 good whip. 



I have had horses kick, rear, and bolt when the bit 

 has hurt their mouth, but when bitted with an india- 

 rubber bit they are usually well -humoured and go well, 

 without any signs of temper. 



I had a four-year-old hackney brought to me as nappy, 

 bad-tempered and ' garratty." When I drove her I 

 soon learned that her mouth had been cruelly treated. 



