96 THE HORSE 



beforehand just how a colt will act when being 

 broken, and it is a principle recognized by train- 

 ers of animals of all kinds that the training is 

 best done when the animal is quite young. 



Before taking up the details of breaking let me 

 lay down two important rules : 



First — Always have all your rigging so strong 

 and well-adjusted that the colt cannot, by any 

 possibility, get the advantage of you. 



Second — Make your lessons short and of fre- 

 quent repetition. 



The philosophy of the first rule will be appar- 

 ent, I think, to all who have read my observations 

 on the horse's nature in previous chapters. For 

 that of the second, with the colt, as with the child, 

 the too-long lesson wearies him and benumbs his 

 brain; it is the frequency of successfully adminis- 

 tered lessons that makes the strongest impression 

 on his mind. But remember that they must be 

 successfully administered. If you have a differ- 

 ence of opinion with your colt, persevere until he 

 yields to your will; then at once cease training 

 and put him up in the stable with the impression 

 of your supremacy and his submission fresh in his 

 mind. Be very gentle with him now, make him as 

 comfortable as you can, give him a little hay, and, 

 as soon as he is cool enough, a little grain. Then, 

 after a couple of hours, take him out and repeat 



