340 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
with it hanging loosely. All the different move¬ 
ments which it will have to perform in after¬ 
life should be taught now, before it is allowed 
to trot or run, that is if, as we now understand, 
it is to be a work-horse. It may be taught to 
do all this at the word of command as easily 
as an ox can be, without any need of touching 
the lines. A team of horses thus educated are 
exceedingly useful on a farm, and will very 
much lighten the labor of plowing or hauling 
loads. The most useful team we ever possessed 
or drove was one that would plow a back-fur- 
would afterwards depreciate the usefulness and 
value of the horse should be now “ nipped in 
the bud.” If he commences to hang out his 
tongue, carry his head improperly, or contract 
other unpleasant habits, they must be reformed 
at once—gently and without irritating him, but 
patiently and persistently. Any strange thing 
should be brought up to him squarely in the 
face, so that he may not -learn to shy, and he 
should be permitted to examine it leisurely. 
But we have never found when a colt has be¬ 
come thoroughly acquainted with us that it has 
ends are hitched into the harness, and the traces 
are hooked on to the cross-piece. The harness, 
back-straps, and breeching should be carefully 
fastened before starting, and the poles may then 
be drawn much more safely than any wheeled 
vehicle. No pressure can come suddenly on 
the breeching, and the colt can not back, for the 
butts of the poles penetrate into the ground and 
prevent it. After sufficient practice with this ar¬ 
rangement, a light-wheeled vehicle may be used. 
During this course of lessons the colt should 
be taught to allow anything to come in contact 
rmm 
[copyright secured.] 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNER OF TRAINING COLTS .— Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
row across a field and turn at the headlands 
without the lines being touched, and could be 
used to load logs upon a wagon or sled as easily 
as any yoke of oxen. They had been taught 
<to work thus when colts. When this has been 
well learned the colt may be taught to trot. It 
should be taken by the halter, close to the head 
at first, afterwards at the end, and encouraged 
to increase its speed. By being taught at first 
to go gently, it will learn to trot without break¬ 
ing up; if it breaks, it should be stopped, 
brought back to the starting-place at a walk, 
and made to commence again. At this time a 
little reward will be found to encourage the 
colt very much, and nothing will please it bet¬ 
ter than a small lump of sugar. We may here 
mention that a colt may be taught in this man¬ 
ner to come from any part of a pasture-field at 
call, and it will do it without fail afterwards if 
taught at this time. A piece of bread, a little 
salt, sugar, or a piece of apple given each time, 
or even a friendly pat or a caressing word, will 
be a sufficient reward to keep up the habit. 
Much loss of time afterwards will be prevented. 
The next thing is to accustom the colt to the 
iridic -/nd the saddle. All bad habits that 
ever shown any surprise or repugnance to any¬ 
thing we may have brought up to it in the hand 
or on the arm. When confidence has been es¬ 
tablished, fear seems not to occur unless under 
some extraordinary circumstances, and they of 
course must be guarded against. A colt that 
has been properly handled may be taught in 
two or three hours to stand near a passing loco¬ 
motive without showing any fear if its owner 
is at its head. But such lessons should be given 
with extreme caution, and when carefully given, 
although a colt may be seen to tremble when 
the locomotive approaches, it will nevertheless 
soon learn to stand quite still without drawing 
on the halter if its owner is near it; such confi¬ 
dence in its owner has a horse that has been 
kindly used. 
After the harness and saddle can be put on 
without the least flinching or apprehension be¬ 
ing shown, the colt may be hitched up. It is not 
well to use a buggy at first, nor anything with 
wheels. The best thing is a frame of light poles 
cut square at the ends; two of the poles should be 
12 feet long and one six feet. The shorter pole 
is lashed with cords across the longer poles at 
about three feet from the butts. The other 
with its heels without resisting it, and also, 
should the lines get beneath its tail, to allow 
them to be removed without fretting or kicking. 
Of course, much depends on the disposition of 
the animal whether or not all this teaching shall 
be successful in a shorter or longer time, but we 
have found that in most cases a horse’s disposi¬ 
tion turns out to be very much what it is made 
to be by his training in his youth. The main 
points referred to in the foregoing article will 
be found illustrated by our artist in the annexed 
engravings. 
It will be noticed probably that no mention 
has been made of the whip or of punishment. 
We firmly hold the whip to be useless, and 
punishment to be totally uncalled for and inju¬ 
dicious at all times. Further than this, the 
whip is so often made an instrument of severity 
and torture to a willing but incompetent horse— 
rendered incompetent often by the stupidity or 
ill-nature of its driver—that in our own practice 
we never allowed a hired man to carry one, nor 
did we ever ourselves find occasion to use one; 
and we would urge the propriety of forever 
banishing the whip as an instrument of punish¬ 
ment from the farm. 
