XI 
EDUCATING AND TRAINING THE COLT 
Johnstone 5 dwells at length on the education and breaking of the colt, 
thus: 
“Breaking a colt should begin when the youngster is a few days old. 
Fit a little headstall to its head and leave a strap 6 or 8 inches long 
hanging from it. Catch the foal by this strap often and get him thorough¬ 
ly accustomed to being handled, to close association with mankind, to 
have his legs rubbed and his feet picked up. A foal is a friendly little 
fellow as a rule and likes to play and be petted ... It is always 
had to ‘baby’ a horse, but with a foal it is different. Familiarity with 
mankind and the consequent fearlessness accruing are safe insurance 
against trouble when it comes to breaking to harness. Early teach the 
foal to lead. Have a fairly long lead-strap, get behind him and make 
him go ahead. That is the right way. The wrong way is to get in front 
of him and try to drag him along. Gentle persuasion with the whip may 
be necessary, but if the foal has been gently handled he will not be 
afraid and will quickly learn to go on about his business. Make him do 
whatever you set out to teach him to do. Breaking colts or horses is 
much like raising orphan colts—it is largely in the man. A horse, young 
or old, is a stupid sort of a beast at the best and unless he is intelligently 
raised is possessed by fear. Then under strange circumstances he will 
do anything which he ought not to do; he gets rattled and then he does 
not know what he is doing. On the other hand if he has confidence in 
the man who has hold of him, his master’s voice will reassure him. 
“There is a whole lot too much fuss, as a rule, made about breaking 
young horses. If the breaking is made a gradual process it will come to 
a head much as a matter of course. If they are allowed to run practically 
wild until three or four years old and then suddenly caught up and the 
effort made to force them to do something they know nothing about there 
will be trouble and there always is. 
“I figure that it is best to break colts and accustom them to the harness 
at two years of age. First of all, on the farm, take a thick straight bit and 
buckle it in the mouth with two short straps to the square irons in the 
ends of the cheek pieces of the halter. Let them stand tied in the stall 
and they will mouth and champ on the bit and so toughen the cheeks, or 
parts of the lips which the bit contracts, in that process. 
“Now get ready a leather surcingle with a loop strap on top and 
buckles stitched half-way down each side. Buckle the surcingle around 
the colt’s body and adjust a check rein moderately tight or if desired a 
regular bitting harness may be used. This consists of a bridle and check- 
rein, a surcingle and crupper and two side lines, running from the bit 
to the buckles on each side of the surcingle. The bit in a bitting harness 
usually is a thick snaffle with a line of little metal pendants called ‘keys’ 
hanging to the joint in the middle of it. The object of these keys is by 
annoying the tongue to make the colt champ the bit and so toughen his 
cheeks. After the colt has been allowed to go a while with his head 
checked up, attach the side lines and buckle them moderately tight. Turn 
him out thus rigged into the yard and let him go a few hours a day for 
a week. Then substitute real reins for the sidelines and drive around 
until he knows how to guide this way and that, to stop at the word 
‘whoa,’ and to step up when directed. Break the colt to stand absolutely 
still when being harnessed. That is a first essential. A horse that is 
perpetually stepping around while being harnessed is but half broken. 
. . . A gentleman’s horse is broken so that he stands until his owner 
