6 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY", 
if they accustom themselves much to it, they will grow dis- 
gusted with hay, which ought, however, to be their principal 
food during the second winter, together with bran mixed 
with barley, or oats wetted. They are managed in this man- 
ner, letting them graze in the day time during winter, and in 
the night time during the summer, till they are four years 
old, when they are taken from the pastures, and fed on 
hay. This change in his food requires some precaution; 
for the first eight days, the colt should have nothing but 
straw, and it is proper to administer some vermifuge 
drinks, as worms may have been generated from indiges- 
tion and green food. 
“ Great attention must be paid in weaning young colts, 
to put them into a proper stable, not too hot, for fear of 
making them too delicate and sensible to the impressions 
of the air. They should frequently have fresh litter, and 
be kept very clean, by rubbing them down with a wisp 
of straw. But they should not be tied up and curried till 
they are two years and a half or three years old; this cur- 
rying gives them great pain, their skin being as yet too 
delicate to bear it, and they would fall away instead of 
growing fat from it; care must also be taken that the rack 
and manger are not too high, the necessity of raising their 
heads too high in order to reach their food may possibly 
produce a habit of carrying it in this fashion, which would 
give them an awkward appearance. 
“ At the age of three years, or three years and a half, the 
rider should begin to break them and make them tracta- 
ble; they should at first have a light, easy saddle, and 
ought to wear it two or three hours every day; and they 
should be accustomed to have a snaffle bit in their mouths, 
and to lift up their feet, on which they should sometimes 
receive rather smart strokes, and if designed for coach or 
draught Horses, should wear harness and a bridle. At 
first a curb should not be used, they should be held by a 
caveson, or leather strap, and be made to trot, on even 
ground, without a rider, and with only the saddle or har- 
ness on the body; and when the saddle Horse turns 
easily, and willingly follows the person who holds the lea- 
ther strap, the rough rider should mount him and dis- 
mount again in the same place, without making him move, 
till he is four years old, because before that age, the weight 
of a man overloads him, but at four years he should be 
made to walk or trot, a little way at a time, with the rider 
on his back. When a coach Horse is accustomed to the 
harness, he should be paired with a Horse that is tho- 
roughly broken, putting on him a bridle, with a strap 
passed through it, till he begins to be used to the draught; 
after this the coachman must teach him to back, having 
the assistance of a man before, who must push him gently 
back, and even give him some blows to make him do 
it: all this should be done before young Horses have 
changed their food, for when once they are what is 
called corn-fed, that is, when they feed on grain and hay, 
as they are more vigorous, it is remarked also that they 
are less tractable, and more difficult to break. 
“The bit and the spur are two means made use of to 
bring them into order. The mouth does not appear form- 
ed by nature to receive any other impressions than that of 
taste and appetite; there is, however, so great a sensi- 
bility in the mouth of a Horse, that, in preference to the 
eyes and ears, we address ourselves to it, to make him un- 
derstand our pleasure; the smallest motion or pressure of 
the bit is sufficient to inform and determine the animal; 
and this organ of sense has no other fault than its perfec- 
tion. Its too great sensibility must be managed, for if it 
is abused, the mouth of the Horse is spoiled, and render- 
ed insensible to the impression of the bit; the senses of 
sight and hearing are not subject to such a change, and 
could not be dulled in this manner; but it has been found 
convenient to govern Horses by these organs, and it is 
generally true, that signs given by the sense of feeling 
have more effect on animals in general than those con- 
veyed to the eyes or ears; besides, the situation of Horses 
with relation to those who mount or conduct them, makes 
their eyes almost useless for this purpose, because they 
see only straight forwards, so that they could only per- 
ceive the signs made to them when they turned their 
heads round; and although they are frequently conducted 
and animated by the ear, yet in fact, if they are well bro- 
ken, the smallest pressure of the thighs, or most trifling 
motion of the bit, is sufficient to direct them; the spur is 
even useless, or at least it is only made use of to force 
them to violent motions; and as, through the folly of the 
rider, it often happens that in giving the spur he checks 
the bridle, the Horse, finding himself excited on one side, 
and kept in on the other, only prances and capers, with- 
out stirring out of his place. 
“ By means of the bridle we teach Horses to hold up their 
heads, and place them in a proper manner, and the small- 
est sign or movement of the rider is sufficient to make 
the Horse show all his different paces; the most natural 
is perhaps the trot, but ambling and galloping are more 
pleasant for the rider, and these are the two paces we par- 
ticularly endeavour to improve.” 
[ To be continued. ] 
TO THE EDITORS OP THE CABINET OP NATURAL HISTORY. 
Gentlemen: — At your request I send you for publi- 
cation, the calendar of nature which accompanies this. It 
was kept at a time when I had but little acquaintance with 
