GOOD CARE 



77 



destroyed while he is yet young; and he is likely to become an unsound, 

 played-out horse before he has reached his natural prime. Light work and 

 good care, for a season, will temper him to the new conditions, preserve 

 his best qualities, and make him a useful animal. 



Treat your horse right and he will work for you full twenty years. 



Start all horses gradually into heavy work, especially the colts. Give 

 the muscles time to harden and develop to meet the strain. 



THE Look well to the collar, 



COLLAR the center of strain and 

 the center of power. See 

 that it is neither too big nor too 

 small, but fits easily and does not tor- 

 ture. Most injured shoulders are the 

 result of badly fitted collars. Let 

 your harness-maker fit the collar to 

 your horse, removing the padding or 

 making the collar over if necessary to 

 make it fit nicely. Poorly made or 

 poorly fitting harness makes a big 

 difference in horse power. Clean the 

 collar of all sweat and dirt, for dirty 

 collars are a common cause of sore 

 shoulders. The greatest strength of 



a horse is limited by his own worst point, or the most serious fault with his 

 harness. 



Many a horse is blamed for faults that are his driver's. 



THE BIT For instance, "pullers" are made, not foaled. Change to a 



milder bit. 



A rubber covered mouth-piece will cure many a case of 

 pulling. The bit should be just above the "tush," with check-strap short 

 enough to keep the bit from coming in contact with the nippers, and yet 

 long enough to leave the mouth easy at the corners. 



A frosty bit is a good thing to put in your own mouth some cold 

 morning if you want to see how it will make an animal behave. 



A good bit is one that gives most control to the driver, both for speed 

 and direction; and yet does it with the least annoyance to the horse. The 

 half-check snaffle bit used nine times in ten has no flexibility. Try a Liver- 

 pool bit for driving and a Weymouth bit for riding. 



THE GOLDEN RULE 



Feed well, care well, drive well and you'll prob- 

 ably get on without doctoring. 



WHAT RUINS Nagging when on the road, always driving at highest 

 HORSES speed, twitching the lines, touching him up, pulling up 



with a short stop, starting off with a burst of speed 

 will ruin your horse, so that he will probably last you about two years, and 

 then be "knocked out" for use on the road. 



A horse has nerves, same as you and I. Don't keep him keyed up 

 at fever heat. The more spirited the animal thus treated, the greater the 

 outrage. 



Gentleness, kindness, quietness are the prime requisites in handling 

 animals, and especially horses. 



