220 EARLY TRAINING 



prepare cattle and sheep for the shambles, and horses 

 for the market, at the earliest age, whereby our beef and 

 mutton are sadly deteriorated, and our horses battered 

 and knocked to pieces before they have attained their full 

 growth. 



The early training of thorough-bred horses for the 

 turf has perhaps given a colourable pretext for breeders 

 of other horses treating their stock in a similar manner, 

 without considering the difference of weight and work to 

 be applied to each. Even with the feather-weights on 

 their backs, numbers of young thorough-bred horses are 

 strained and screwed up before reaching their fourth 

 season ; but what is this in comparison to a colt being 

 shoved along a hard road by a burly farmer of twelve 

 or fourteen stone ? A young horse, just six years old, 

 was offered me the other day, which had only changed 

 hands once from the breeder ; but from being broken in 

 when two years old, and ridden ever since, he was as much 

 strained and crippled as an old post-horse. We used 

 formerly to consider a horse of nine or ten years old in 

 his prime ; but according to the present system, one of 

 that age has done his work. 



Now as to breaking colts a la mode Rarey, I for one can 

 see no possible advantage in it. In fact, although this 

 mighty secret, or one similar to it, has been known by me 

 ever since I knew a horse from a donkey, I have never 

 had occasion to put it in practice, and never should do so 

 were I to live for fifty years to come, except in extreme 

 cases, and those are very rare indeed. To me the process 

 of horse-breaking must be gradual ; I must teach him 

 many things before teaching him to carry me. He must 

 be taught to walk, trot, and gaUop by degrees ; — to 

 carry his head in proper form ; — ^his mouth must be 



