36 THE COLT. 



the part which slips through the noose back about two 

 feet, and hang the part that goes over the head upon the 

 nails on the end of your pole nicely, keeping hold of the 

 hitching part, which must be as long as your pole. Your 

 halter is now so spread and hung upon the stick as to be 

 easily put on to the head. If the colt is not excited or 

 frightened, as you extend the halter towards him he will 

 reach out his nose to smell and examine it ; and while he 

 is gratifying his curiosity in this way, you can bring the 

 slack part under his jaw and raise the pole high enough 

 to bring the halter over and back of the ears, when, by 

 turning the stick half way round, the halter will drop from 

 it upon the head. This will frighten the colt a little, and 

 cause him to run from you ; but this will only cause the 

 slack part passing back of the jaw to be pulled up, and 

 the halter will be securely adjusted. The moment the 

 colt finds the halter pull upon him, he will be likely to try 

 to pull away. The larger your room, or enclosure, the 

 more he will be encouraged to pull away. On this account, 

 if the colt is bad, be careful to give yourself the advan- 

 tage of a small room or carriage-house, which will be free 

 from pegs or nails in the wall that would be likely to cause 

 injury. By all means avoid a barn with stalls, for the colt 

 will try to run into the stalls for protection. After the 

 halter is on, you had better next aim to overcome the 

 sharp edge of his wildness and confidence by subjecting 

 him to the second method of subjection. If he is young, 

 two or three years old, with long ears, round, small eyes, 

 and a sulky, impulsive action, you must PROCEED CARE- 

 FULLY, for he will fight you savagely at every point. Don't 

 try to lead him, or jerk upon him, as he may lunge and 

 throw himself, but, as gently as you can, catch the hair of 

 the tail with the right hand, holding the halter well up 

 near the head with the left, and, as quickly as you can, 

 turn him around two, three, or four times ; this will make 

 him dizzy, and enable you to carry out easily and safely 

 the second method of subjection. Without this little advan- 

 tage of partially confusing the mind in this manner, and 

 going directly to forcing by the second course of subjection, 

 he might lunge and throw himself over backwards and 

 break his neck. This you must be careful to guard against. 



