EDUCATION OF THE COLT 103 



too anxious to get the colt to work. Quite aside 

 from chances of overstrain in the case of animals 

 that are broken when immature, it is safer to let 

 the colt acquire his working habits gradually. 



It is hardly possible and perhaps needless for 

 me to take up all the minor points in breaking; 

 on one matter, however, I think I should say a fe^f 

 words, and that is in teaching the colt to back, 

 I have often heard breakers say that " it takes a 

 year to teach a colt to back properly " ; whereas 

 it can be taught readily in half an hour and I 

 have often taught it in ten minutes. I may per- 

 haps be excused for pointing out that there is 

 some difference between ten minutes and a year. 

 The best time to teach it is early in his training, 

 before he has been harnessed to the cart. 



TEACHING THE COLT TO BACK 



Standing behind the colt, with the reins in your 

 hands, pull back strongly but steadily upon them, 

 saying " Back, back." Of course, the colt does 

 not know what you mean, and he bears hard against 

 the bit, often with his legs straddled out and resist- 

 ing your backward pull as hard as he can. In a 

 little while, however, to relieve himself from the 

 painful pressure on his mouth, he takes a reluctant 

 and half-unconscious step backward. This is 



