18 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



and treatment of horses in late years, much yet remains to be 

 done. Many alterations, I am satisfied, may yet be made in 

 harness, and particularly in the collar, which is still unneces- 

 sarily heavy — also in the saddle of riding horses, the tree of 

 which, as now made, may, I think, be dispensed with. But I 

 will reserve further observations on this point to a more fitting 

 opportunity. 



Young horses of three j'-ears old may be walked about the 

 country over uneven surfaces and fallows, which will teach them 

 to lift their legs. Unless very refractory, there is no occasion 

 of lunging them at this age, as they will have sufficient exercise 

 in following a man about for two or three hours in the day — 

 neither is there any occasion for a heavy lout of a fellow to be 

 placed on their backs to break them in to carry. Half the work 

 under the old system of lunging, until the horse was nearly ex- 

 hausted, with the dumb-jockeys, cavesson, &c., can now be dis- 

 pensed with ; a foal that has been properly treated, and gradually 

 broken in by gentle hands, and gentle means, will require none 

 of these rough usages, and a boy may be placed on its back 

 without any fear of his even attempting to throw him oflT. 

 There is a great deal of nonsense and trash talked, about " put- 

 ting him on his haunches," making him " carry his head in the 

 right pl:Ace," "giving him his mouth," &c., &c. The horse will 

 go as he is formed, most easily to himself and to his rider. 

 Some will naturally carry their heads high, and others low, ac- 

 cording as the head is affixed to the neck, which an observant 

 rider will soon discover ; neither can they be forced to carry 

 them otherwise than thus formed, without inconvenience and 

 pain to themselves. 



The mouth, however, may be formed by the judicious manage- 

 ment of the bit, which, it may be observed, was never intended, 

 as some imagine, to hold on by, but merely to guide a horse in 

 the direction he is intended to go. There is more mischief done 

 by an ignorant man pulling and hauling a young horse's mouth 

 about tlian may at first sight appear. His mouth will become 

 hardened by such usage, and will lose that sensibility of touch 

 winch is the greatest recommendation and comfort in a saddle 

 horse. I have seen colts reined up in a stall so tightlj^, and for 

 so long a time, that they were obliged to rest and lean upon the 

 huge bit placed in their mouths; and if such a custom is likely 

 to give a horse a fine mouth, as it is termed, I must confess my 

 ignorance in not being able to see any such result likely to hap- 

 pen. From the first year, foals may be accustomed to have a 

 small rug placed on their backs (after being rubbed over), with 

 a roller ; in fact, a quiet man may do anything with them, and 



