812 HANDLING THE COLT. 



until three years old, running wild about the fields 

 with other horses and cattle, although in these 

 days permitted to have the use of a shed in the 

 farm-yard during the winter months ; and to such 

 there will be little hesitation in following their 

 dam, another old horse, or perchance a donkey, 

 w^hich has been their companion, into a stable or 

 loose box, from which all articles likely to alarm 

 or injure them should be previously removed. 

 And now having stabled him, the floor being well 

 littered with straw, we must commence with our 

 first lesson of '* Handling the Colt." 



In the first place, then, do not remove his com- 

 panion, whether horse or donkey, to whom he has 

 been accustomed, for two reasons ; one being that, 

 if you do remove him at first, the colt will be wild 

 to get out of his place of confinement to follow his 

 friend, and run neighing and half crazy round the 

 stable with fear and excitement, either of which 

 would retard your operations for a considerable 

 time ; the other reason is, that you can use the 

 quiet horse as the most effectual medium of quiet- 

 ing and handhng the colt. I must, however, 

 make one proviso, that you are a quiet, steady 

 man yourself, or you will cut a poor figure in 

 trying to quiet a raw colt. You will have taken 

 the precaution of placing a couple of feeds of corn 



