BITTING AND DRIVING 241 



a colt without using a block to stand on, and " how to 

 ride him " afterwards, without taking a leaf out of Mr. 

 Rarey's book. We know all about " getting on and off 

 his back a good many times before we take him 

 out of the stable," and when out of the stable we 

 calculate on understanding how to manage him with 

 or without a martingale. " The proper way to bit a 

 colt " follows, which is putting the cart before the horse, 

 as bitting should precede mounting ; and under this 

 head we are told that " farmers often put bitting harness 

 on a colt the first thing they do to him, buckling up to 

 the bitting as tight as they can draw it, to make him carry 

 his head high, and then turn him out in a field to run a 

 half day at a time." This is one of the worst punishments 

 that they could inflict on the colt, and very injurious to 

 the young horse that has been used to running in pasture 

 with his head down. I have seen colts so injured this 

 way that they never got over it. As we are told farmers 

 (meaning, I suppose, American farmers) often do these 

 things, it is very evident that this modem art of horse- 

 taming was published for their especial instruction and 

 edification. 



Under the next head, " How to drive a horse that is 

 very wild and has any vicious habits," strapping up the 

 fore leg is recommended, as ''* there is no process in the 

 world equal to it to break a kicking horse, for several 

 reasons ; first, there is a principle of this kind in the nature 

 of the horse, that by conquering one member you conquer 

 to a great extent the whole horse. You have, perhaps, 

 seen men operate upon this principle by sewing a horse's 

 ears together to prevent him from kicking. I once saw 

 a plan given in a newspaper to make a bad horse stand 

 to be shod, which was to fasten down one ear." (Does 



