GENERAL ADVICE. 119 



To show the importance of keeping the subject free from 

 excitement, and of touching just right, I will refer to a marked 

 case during last season. A fine Knox colt, a stallion four 

 years old, was owned by Mr. Stevens, a sharp horseman in 

 Lancaster, N.H. This colt was wonderfully nervous, but a 

 very fine, intelligent one. Wishing to take every possible 

 care, regardless of expense, to have the colt broken well, 

 Mr. Stevens employed a horse-breaker of good reputa- 

 tion, forty miles away from there, to break the colt for 

 him. Before going to Lancaster, I visited the town where 

 this horse-trainer lived. He told me about the trouble he 

 had with the colt ; that he had him there six weeks, and did 

 every thing with him he could think of; that he was a devil, 

 lunging and throwing himself, doing every thing mean. Citi- 

 zens told me the man had abused the colt so much, they had 

 to arrest him for cruelty. After keeping the colt six weeks, 

 and doing all he could to break him, he was compelled to 

 send him home to the owner, unbroken ; and he said to me, 

 " When you go to Lancaster you will get him to handle." 



Some weeks after, when forming a class in Lancaster, 

 Mr S. was pointed out to me : he kept away from me, an 

 indifferent spectator. I was a little provoked at his in- 

 difference, and, walking up to him, urged him to give me 

 his personal attention. He told me candidly that he had 

 no confidence whatever in me ; that he had seen all the 

 horse-trainers, &c. ; that he knew all he wanted to know 

 about it ; told me about his colt, and that he did not know 

 what to do with him. I said to him, " Bring your colt here 

 immediately, and I will tell you in two minutes just what 

 I can do with him. I think I know what the trouble is, 

 and I will put you in the way of breaking him without any 

 trouble." The colt was brought forward for inspection. 

 I found him a remarkably intelligent but sensitive fellow. 

 I informed the owner on the instant that I could drive 

 him gently in harness, in fifteen minutes, and that in an 

 hour he would be as gentle as an old horse. He said he 

 could not believe any human power could do it ; that it 

 was impossible. The man was fearfully incredulous and 

 hostile : he believed me, he said, either a humbug of the 

 worst kind, or wonderfully skilful ; and he could not tell 

 which. Now, there was no trouble at all in controlling 



