HORSES AND HOUNDS. 21 



away, Tlie next time the bar may be raised ratlier higher, and 

 the horse trotted up to it. After three or four days' lessons, the 

 bar may be raised as high as tlie horse's breast, but beyond this 

 there is no occasion to advance ; neither should the colt be dis- 

 gusted by too long a drill. When perfect in his lessons, a boy 

 may be placed on his back, to ride him over, but care should be 

 taken that the lad is a good rider, and can stick tight to the 

 saddle or the cloth, for should the horse stop short at the bar, 

 and throw his rider, the manoeuvre will be repeated. My own 

 practice in breaking young horses, was to back them always 

 first in the stable. A lad was made to mount and dismount 

 from the colt for several times in succession, sitting on his back, 

 talking to him and patting him. This lesson was persevered in 

 for an hour, or until the horse was perfectly reconciled to the 

 lad. He was then led out with him on his back. Sometimes a 

 sack, containing two or three bushels of corn, was placed on the 

 horse, to accustom him to carry weight, with which he had to 

 stand in the stable for an hour or two at a time. Without the 

 use of this dumb jockey, we had very little difficulty in thus 

 breaking in our young horses ; neither did we have recourse to 

 lunging them at all, which I think is generally practised by 

 colt breakers, to save both time and trouble. As with old, so 

 with young horses, walking exercise should alone be permitted 

 at first, until they are got into tolerable condition for greater 

 exertions. Walking over fallows, or up and down hill for two 

 or tliree hours a day, will be found quite sufficient exertion to 

 keep most young horses tolerably quiet, and they will thus gra- 

 dually become inured to the weight they have to carry, and, 

 when put to faster paces, go with more ease to themselves and 

 comfort to their rider. Colts before being regularly broken in, 

 should have, at least, two mild doses of physic, as a preventive 

 against inflammation from overheating. I lost once a very 

 valuable young mare from this cause, she having been, I think, 

 over-ridden by the whipper-in, although he was generally a 

 quiet, careful man. He had to go a few miles one day in the 

 heat of summer, and was directed to walk the mare there and 

 back ; but he must have departed from his instructions, as she 

 was brought home in a violent heat, as I was afterwards 

 informed, and inflammation suddenly taking place, she was 

 dead the next day. 



In my father's time we had a plan of breaking in young 

 horses to stand still when their rider was thrown, which in the 

 present day may be characterised as partaking rather of cruelty, 

 not to animals, but to boys. It certainly had the desired effect. 

 We had a large field, enclosed by a high wall, round which tha 



