TRAINING THE HUNTER 23 



and he either refuses or falls. Now, under such 

 circumstances it seems impossible to train a hunter 

 properly, and though some of the bad habits which 

 have been so carefully inculcated into the young 

 horse may be subsequently eradicated by careful 

 and judicious riding, an indifferent horseman soon 

 brings all the old faults to the front. 



The training of hunters cannot be commenced 

 at too early an age. When it is remembered that 

 the better bred a horse is and the higher spirited 

 he is the more nervous he is, it stands to reason 

 that from the earliest age he should be accustomed 

 to be handled and made familiar with his master 

 and his ways. Therefore, as soon as is possible, 

 he should be haltered, and whilst he is a foal run- 

 ning with his dam no opportunity should be lost 

 of handling him and getting him to lead. In 

 these days of showing there is generally plenty of 

 pains taken with a likely foal to make him show 

 himself, but as soon as the foal is weaned he is no 

 more noticed, and probably, unless he should be a 

 show horse, is never handled until he is broken in. 

 The breaking in of a hunter is a matter which 

 should certainly not be conducted in a hurried 

 way, and there is too much inclination to think 

 that a month is about plenty of time in which to 

 complete his education. To make a horse have 

 good manners his education should begin, as I 

 have already indicated, when he is a foal, for the 

 same reason that you do not wait to teach a boy 

 to be a gentleman till you send him to college. 



When a yearling he should be frequently led 

 about, and when practicable he should be handled 

 every day. I think it is not a bad plan, where the 

 time can be spared, to put him into the bridles for 



