[21]CHAPTER II.LONGEING THE COLT.Thecolt may now be ‘longed’ and taught to lead.Having procured a long cavasson of webbing with a spring swivel at one end, fasten it to the headstall, open the door of the loose box and allow the colt to walk out, following him up quietly and regulating your pace to his, so that he will not feel himself in bondage until he is outside the stable, otherwise he would, on finding he was not free, commence to struggle, and might possibly injure himself by running against the stall posts or slipping upon the stone floor. Once outside the stable endeavour to get the colt to the place selected for longeing, which should be as near as possible. Do not pull at him, but try to get him there by cunningness, that is to say, by taking advantage of his[22]movements and manœuvring as much as possible to make him go there of his own accord. Avoid pulling at him until you arrive at the longing ground, for he is sure to resist and fight, and it is best that this should not take place before you get to the cleared space required for his longing, otherwise obstacles such as trees, gate-posts, &c., will interfere very much in your command over him and might also injure him. If he should struggle before you have got him into a clear space, use all your strength to hold him, but keep as quiet as possible, or he will become so terrified at your struggles as to fight all the more, and it will become a pitched battle between the colt at one end of the cavasson and yourself at the other for mastery. Speak to him quietly, but at the same time keep up a firm steady pull at him, when, as he has already become accustomed to being tied up, he will soon give in and leave off struggling. You must now slacken the cavasson a little, and decrease the distance between you by taking a few steps quietly towards him, then[23]stand still and talk to him, when he will soon recover himself and walk off again, of course in the direction required, for you will have placed him between you and the longeing ground, thus he will walk awayfromyou to it. Having arrived at last at the spot selected, take the initiative by planting your feet firmly andtaking a pull at the colt, thus giving him his first real lesson in submission. He of course will be astonished at your temerity and struggle, but will soon give in, when you must try to induce him quietly to walk, trot, or canter as he likes in a circle round you, the length of the cavasson being the radius of the circle. It is as well to have a whip with you, but do not use it or even crack it until every other means have been tried to induce the colt to do as you wish. As a rule he will give no trouble, but will run round you at the length of his halter, pulling more or less strongly upon the cavasson. Keep him at it for a time, and then gradually shorten the cavasson and stop him, pat him, speak kindly to him, and make much of him, giving[24]him a handful of corn or anything he may be accustomed to eat. After having rested him you may start him again but in theoppositedirection, so as not to tire his legs or make him disgusted with his work. He will soon leave off pulling against you, and when he becomes a little tired he will get used to your word of command and will be glad to stop when told to do so, when you should always approach and make much of him. It is of the utmost importance from the very beginning to familiarise the colt with certain words to indicate what you require of him. As soon as he has learnt to start on his circular trip and continue it without much fuss, you must leave off and take him back to his loose box, and on no account keep him at his work until he is really tired, or he will soon become disgusted with it and will not exert himself on future occasions, or he may turn sulky, which is worse. After placing him in his box again, leave him to himself with food and water within his reach. In the afternoon you may give him another lesson of from[25]three-quarters to an hour in length, according to circumstances. On the following day you can teach him to lead.Take the colt on to the longeing ground and make him circle round you; after a time, when the animal has sobered down a little, you can take in the cavasson by degrees while you walk round in small circles to the colt’s larger radius; keep on decreasing the distance between yourself and the colt until you are within a few feet of him, and then continue walking round with him as before for a few turns, when you can take in all the remaining length of cavasson and walk on as before, but with this difference, that at first you stood still, being in fact a fixed point representing the centre of the circle, then you described small circles to his larger ones, whilst now you are walking side by side with him. Talk to him and pat him, but be very gentle for fear he should take fright and pull away from you. After the colt has become accustomed to this and has gone round quietly a few times with you, you may by pushing[26]against him, gradually cause him imperceptibly to move in another circle, that is, with him nearest the centre, whilst before he had been farthest from that point, and so you change his legs and prevent him from tiring.Keep changing the direction of the circle from time to time, and when you think he has learnt how to lead in a circle, or that he is getting tired, you can lead him back to his box bycircles. Do not attempt as yet to induce him tobe led in a straight line, for if you do he is almost sure to fight; he cannot be made to understand everything at once. So far he has been taught to lead in a circle by stratagem, and by stratagem he will also be taught to lead in a straight line, but this must take place by degrees, being postponed to a future day.Leave him in his loose box until the afternoon, when you can longe him again, and then by degrees shorten the cavasson as before and lead him in circles as in the morning, but do not keep him out more than an hour, after which take him back again in circles. On the[27]next day you may teach the colt to lead straight. Take him on to the longeing ground and run him round a few times until he has got rid of his exuberant spirits, then do as before and lead him round in circles, changing the direction of the circles from time to time, by degrees enlarging them; then, instead of leading him round an entire circle, make semicircles, that is to say, a half circle one way and then a half circle in the opposite direction, and so on, so that thecentresof these semicircles will be in a straight line. Thus by degrees you can diminish theshortdiameters of these semicircles, at the same time increasing theirlongdiameters in length, so as to form semi-ovals, and by continuing to lengthen them you will in time have imperceptibly gained astraightline. When you have to turn him do so in a sweeping curve, and gradually get him into the straight line again. Keep him at this some time, for this walking exercise will not tire him, and he will get used to you and to his work. In the afternoon you can repeat the lesson, and also on the[28]day or two following, until he leads well. On the second day of leading him in a straight line you should carry a whip, to teach him always to walk with his shoulder opposite yours; his head should always be in front of you, and your body should be level with his fore-arm and shoulder, otherwise if you allow his head to be level with you he will by degrees hang back, and you will teach him to drag on you, and for ever afterwards when being led you will have topullhim along. To prevent this fault you must lead him with the cavasson in your right hand, and with your left hand containing the whip, whenever his shoulder drops behind yours, you must strike him gentlybehindyou, when he will come into his proper position immediately. By doing this and watching him carefully, you will in a few days teach him to lead well, keep his shoulder always level with yours, and not hang back, and thus prevent him in after days from beingpulledalong, and save him much ill-usage and beating. In two or three days he will lead well, and then you may put[29]the tackling on him, which will consist of a roller, a crupper, and a bit. The roller is nothing more than a surcingle having that part which corresponds to the saddle well padded, having on each side of it on a level with the sides of the withers a buckle for the reins, and behind, in the centre line, a D for the crupper, which should near the tail have a buckle on the near side of it, or it may be as well to have one on either side. The buckle greatly facilitates placing the crupper under the tail, as it can be put round its root easily, instead of having to be drawn over its whole length from the tip to the root, hair and all.As to the best bit, everyone has his particular fancy in this respect. Some advocate a large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its central ring; others a large smooth straight bit; others a straight bit with rollers on its mouthpiece; others a large straight bit the mouthpiece of which is of wood; others a circular bit consisting of a smooth ring with a loop on its upper surface at either side for its attachment[30]to the bridle, whilst others again believe in a bit having a smooth semicircular mouthpiece. I will now mention these bits in their reverse order. The semicircular bit being only a modification of the circular, I may treat the two as one. Allowing, as they do, no relief to the gums and mouth, through their continued pressure on them, they are not qualified to give a colt a good mouth, but at the same time they are most admirable bits for the use of grooms leading horses out for exercise, or even for the horses they ride during exercise, as they are least calculated to spoil a mouth of any bits with which I am acquainted, and as it is a notorious fact that almost every groom (and a good many gentlemen too) hangs on by the bit instead of by the muscular power of his legs, of course the bit which is least severe on a horse’s mouth, and calculated to do least damage to it, is the best. Therefore I can confidently recommend both these bits for exercise work, watering bridles, and in fact for any stable work.[31]The straight bit having a wooden mouthpiece I also object to, for by being softened with the saliva in the mouth, it is easily torn and roughened during the process of ‘champing,’ (for every colt will play with his bit as a rule,) and whenever it comes in contact with his teeth a wooden bit is more or less lacerated, thus presenting a roughened surface, which is anything but conducive to the formation of a good mouth.The next on the list is a straight bit with smooth rollers or rings on its mouth-piece, which are for the purpose of preventing the colt from sliding his mouth from one side of the bit to the other. This may be all very well in theory, but here prevention isnotbetter than cure, for the colt will so injure his lips and gums as to make him either hard-mouthed or extremely sensitive, so much so in fact that the least pull on his mouth will make him throw up his head instantly, and thus not being able to see where he is going to is the cause of many an accident. This is the bit which brings[32]martingales so much into use, from its having been used during the so-called mouthing of the colt.The next bit under consideration is the large, smooth, straight one, with keys hanging from its centre. So far I have condemned all the bits I have mentioned, but this one will not allow of a mere mention and then a dismissal, it having its strong points, and in my opinion, its weak ones also. Its advocates say it prevents the colt from being mouthed irregularly, or in other words that the colt cannot relieve the pressure on its mouth by alternately leaning on either side of the bit. This, I must say, is not reasonable, for if the animal only arches his neck a little more, and turns his head to the right when he is tied with the reins to the roller, the pressure of the bit will be on theleftside, thus relieving the right side, andvice versâ. Again, these bits seldom fit the colt’s mouth, and consequently they either pinch and hurt the mouth, or are much too wide, which is generally the case, thus teaching the animal to[33]slide his mouth on it from side to side, for which trick the straight mouth-piece with rings has been invented for its eradication. When I say that the colt can, by keeping his tongue more or less elevated in his mouth, prevent all pressure of this bit on his gums and lips, I think I may pass it over as incompetent for the object in view, namely a good mouth.The next, and last bit to be considered is the large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its central ring.I consider this to be the best bit as yet invented for mouthing a colt. No movement of the tongue can raise it from the gums or lips, the colt can play with it with ease, and seems to enjoy it, instead of continually fighting with it more or less, as he does with the others already mentioned, with the exception of the circular or semicircular bits. Some people may say it causes an unequal mouth, but I maintain that it does not, for if, as already described, the animal arches his neck and turns his head to the right, undoubtedly thepressure[34]of the bit will be on the left side, but theweightof the right half of the bit will still be on the right side of the mouth, which cannot be the case with a straight mouth-piece. Again, it is not of so much consequence as to whether this sort of bit fits the colt’s mouth or not, provided it is placed in the proper place in the mouth, as the weights of each half depending from their centres will keep the pressure on both sides equal. The great mistake made in mouthing a colt is that the animal is tied up too long with the bit in his mouth, for when muscular contraction is exhausted he is forced through sheer fatigue tolean upon the bit, and thus lay the stepping stone to a hard mouth.Men think now-a-days they can mouth a colt by machinery. They tie his head up and down in the most intricate manner, put a great bit in his mouth, and if the bit is not considered heavy enough, a bag of shot is tied to each side of it. The animal is then forced to stand in a stall with his head tightly buckled up to the roller, and there he is made to stand, fastened[35]to the pillar reins, in a fixed position for hours at a time. No wonder that half the horses in England have mouths like cast-iron. Colts cannot be mouthed by machinery, but only by proper handling in the saddle. It is of no use going through all the elaborate process now in vogue ofstablemouthing, india-rubber dumb jockeys, reins, &c. It is the man’shandsonly which can do so, but at the same time I must confess it is a difficult thing to find a man with good and light hands. Perhaps this system of mechanical mouthing may have had something to do with hardening men’s hands as well as horses’ mouths.I may now describe the proper position for the bit in the mouth. It should not be drawn up tightly into the angle of the lips, neither should it be so slack as to be among the incisor teeth, but it should be exactly opposite thegroovein the chin where the curb-chain ought to be when used. I think I need not tell my readers how to put the roller on the colt; the only things required are to take time,[36]be as gentle as possible, and take care not to buckle it on tight at first, but leave it loose for the first two or three days. To put the crupper on, all that is required is to unbuckle it on the near side, elevate the tail, place it in its proper position, and then buckle it up again. There will be no trouble in placing the roller or crupper on the colt if he has been previously treated as advocated by me, for by this time he will have become tolerably quiet through having been gently handled daily. Most people fasten the bit to the head-stall, which I object to; for when you lead or longe the colt the cavasson is attached to the nose-band either before, behind, or on either side of it, which necessarily must displace the bit more or less; therefore I much prefer a bridle with the bit attached to be placed under the head-stall, when there will be no fear of displacing the bit. Do not fasten reins to the bit for the first day or two, but lead the colt out without them, for he will have enough to do to get used to the constraint of bit, roller, and crupper. When[37]you have placed the tackling on the young animal, you may let him stand in the loose box for half-an-hour to familiarise himself with the objects on his body, when he can be taken to the longing ground, and run round for a time in different directions, after which lead him about for an hour or two. In the afternoon you can longe him a little, and then lead him out of the field and take him along a road or lane to accustom him to see and pass strange objects. The road selected for his first lesson should be the quietest that can be found near the longing ground. When he is startled at a heap of stones, a log of wood, or any other object, he must be spoken to quietly and patted, but above all allow him plenty of time to examine minutely the object which has frightened him, when, after a time, he will approach it, smell it, and touch it with his nose, thus allaying all his fears; he may then be led backwards and forwards past the place a few times, and proceed on his journey. For the day following you will have to longe him, and then lead him[38]along the road both morning and afternoon. Always commence the day’s work by longeing, so as to take some of the ‘gas’ out of the colt and sober him down a little before he begins his daily lessons, otherwise he will be so full of play as to pay no attention to your teaching. On the third day you may attach reins to the bit and buckle them to the roller, but be sure you leave them very slack; you may also lead him about in more frequented roads, and if he has been tolerably quiet so far, you can take him through a village or town, and thus accustom him to objects in a new sphere of life. For a fortnight after the first tackling took place, your work will be to lead him about roads, towns, and even take him to railway stations to get accustomed to the trains. Take the reins up a hole every other day until his head is carried perpendicularly, but then stop, do not take them up the eighth of an inch more. At the expiration of the fortnight you must longe him with the cavasson attached alternately to either side of the bit, so as to[39]teach the animal side pressure, for so far he has only been undergoing direct pressure. It is as well to count how many circles he goes on one side of the bit, and then give him a corresponding number on the other to prevent his mouth becoming one-sided or, in other words, having one side of his mouthmoreorlesssensitive than the other. Do not keep him at this long, or his mouth will become very tender and sore, but occupy the remainder of the time in leading about the roads &c. Continue doing this for two or three days, and then, having procured long reins, drive him about on the longing ground or in a field, turning him from time to time from one side to the other, stopping him every now and then to get him accustomed to his work, and if you do not pull at him too much, but allow him plenty of play with his head, he will in two or three days have a very fair mouth. After the first day of using reins you may drive him about the roads instead of leading him.Of course, during all this time—in fact,[40]from the haltering of the colt—you will have been freely handling him daily, lifting first his fore-feet and striking them with your hand, at first gently, to get him used to the hammer, and afterwards, when this has been accomplished with facility, the same has been done to the hind ones; and after the colt has been taught to drive in reins, it is time he was shod preparatory to mounting him.In mouthing a colt he should never be placed in a stall and fastened to the pillar reins, as is too often the practice now-a-days, for it only teaches him to lean upon the bit and slide his mouth from one side of it to the other, thus teaching him a habit to counteract which the ringed mouthpiece has been invented. A day should be fixed for shoeing the colt, and an arrangement made with the blacksmith to shoe him at a certain hour; for if this is neglected, the animal may have to wait his turn whilst three or four other horses are undergoing the process. Before taking him to the blacksmith’s shop at the hour appointed, the colt[41]must be well longed so as to get him sobered down a little; and if he is a very nervous fidgety animal, he should be longed until he is really tired. If on arriving at the shop the blacksmith is not quite ready for him, do not tie him up, but lead him up and down until he is wanted; and then, during the process of shoeing, stand by him and do all you can to soothe and allay his fears, at the same time taking care that the smith performs his work as quietly as possible. If he is very refractory, get his fore-feet shod and leave the hind ones for the following day.After the colt has been shod and has been driven about the roads in reins for a few days to get him used to going in shoes, he may be got ready for mounting, but that will require a fresh chapter.
Thecolt may now be ‘longed’ and taught to lead.
Having procured a long cavasson of webbing with a spring swivel at one end, fasten it to the headstall, open the door of the loose box and allow the colt to walk out, following him up quietly and regulating your pace to his, so that he will not feel himself in bondage until he is outside the stable, otherwise he would, on finding he was not free, commence to struggle, and might possibly injure himself by running against the stall posts or slipping upon the stone floor. Once outside the stable endeavour to get the colt to the place selected for longeing, which should be as near as possible. Do not pull at him, but try to get him there by cunningness, that is to say, by taking advantage of his[22]movements and manœuvring as much as possible to make him go there of his own accord. Avoid pulling at him until you arrive at the longing ground, for he is sure to resist and fight, and it is best that this should not take place before you get to the cleared space required for his longing, otherwise obstacles such as trees, gate-posts, &c., will interfere very much in your command over him and might also injure him. If he should struggle before you have got him into a clear space, use all your strength to hold him, but keep as quiet as possible, or he will become so terrified at your struggles as to fight all the more, and it will become a pitched battle between the colt at one end of the cavasson and yourself at the other for mastery. Speak to him quietly, but at the same time keep up a firm steady pull at him, when, as he has already become accustomed to being tied up, he will soon give in and leave off struggling. You must now slacken the cavasson a little, and decrease the distance between you by taking a few steps quietly towards him, then[23]stand still and talk to him, when he will soon recover himself and walk off again, of course in the direction required, for you will have placed him between you and the longeing ground, thus he will walk awayfromyou to it. Having arrived at last at the spot selected, take the initiative by planting your feet firmly andtaking a pull at the colt, thus giving him his first real lesson in submission. He of course will be astonished at your temerity and struggle, but will soon give in, when you must try to induce him quietly to walk, trot, or canter as he likes in a circle round you, the length of the cavasson being the radius of the circle. It is as well to have a whip with you, but do not use it or even crack it until every other means have been tried to induce the colt to do as you wish. As a rule he will give no trouble, but will run round you at the length of his halter, pulling more or less strongly upon the cavasson. Keep him at it for a time, and then gradually shorten the cavasson and stop him, pat him, speak kindly to him, and make much of him, giving[24]him a handful of corn or anything he may be accustomed to eat. After having rested him you may start him again but in theoppositedirection, so as not to tire his legs or make him disgusted with his work. He will soon leave off pulling against you, and when he becomes a little tired he will get used to your word of command and will be glad to stop when told to do so, when you should always approach and make much of him. It is of the utmost importance from the very beginning to familiarise the colt with certain words to indicate what you require of him. As soon as he has learnt to start on his circular trip and continue it without much fuss, you must leave off and take him back to his loose box, and on no account keep him at his work until he is really tired, or he will soon become disgusted with it and will not exert himself on future occasions, or he may turn sulky, which is worse. After placing him in his box again, leave him to himself with food and water within his reach. In the afternoon you may give him another lesson of from[25]three-quarters to an hour in length, according to circumstances. On the following day you can teach him to lead.
Take the colt on to the longeing ground and make him circle round you; after a time, when the animal has sobered down a little, you can take in the cavasson by degrees while you walk round in small circles to the colt’s larger radius; keep on decreasing the distance between yourself and the colt until you are within a few feet of him, and then continue walking round with him as before for a few turns, when you can take in all the remaining length of cavasson and walk on as before, but with this difference, that at first you stood still, being in fact a fixed point representing the centre of the circle, then you described small circles to his larger ones, whilst now you are walking side by side with him. Talk to him and pat him, but be very gentle for fear he should take fright and pull away from you. After the colt has become accustomed to this and has gone round quietly a few times with you, you may by pushing[26]against him, gradually cause him imperceptibly to move in another circle, that is, with him nearest the centre, whilst before he had been farthest from that point, and so you change his legs and prevent him from tiring.
Keep changing the direction of the circle from time to time, and when you think he has learnt how to lead in a circle, or that he is getting tired, you can lead him back to his box bycircles. Do not attempt as yet to induce him tobe led in a straight line, for if you do he is almost sure to fight; he cannot be made to understand everything at once. So far he has been taught to lead in a circle by stratagem, and by stratagem he will also be taught to lead in a straight line, but this must take place by degrees, being postponed to a future day.
Leave him in his loose box until the afternoon, when you can longe him again, and then by degrees shorten the cavasson as before and lead him in circles as in the morning, but do not keep him out more than an hour, after which take him back again in circles. On the[27]next day you may teach the colt to lead straight. Take him on to the longeing ground and run him round a few times until he has got rid of his exuberant spirits, then do as before and lead him round in circles, changing the direction of the circles from time to time, by degrees enlarging them; then, instead of leading him round an entire circle, make semicircles, that is to say, a half circle one way and then a half circle in the opposite direction, and so on, so that thecentresof these semicircles will be in a straight line. Thus by degrees you can diminish theshortdiameters of these semicircles, at the same time increasing theirlongdiameters in length, so as to form semi-ovals, and by continuing to lengthen them you will in time have imperceptibly gained astraightline. When you have to turn him do so in a sweeping curve, and gradually get him into the straight line again. Keep him at this some time, for this walking exercise will not tire him, and he will get used to you and to his work. In the afternoon you can repeat the lesson, and also on the[28]day or two following, until he leads well. On the second day of leading him in a straight line you should carry a whip, to teach him always to walk with his shoulder opposite yours; his head should always be in front of you, and your body should be level with his fore-arm and shoulder, otherwise if you allow his head to be level with you he will by degrees hang back, and you will teach him to drag on you, and for ever afterwards when being led you will have topullhim along. To prevent this fault you must lead him with the cavasson in your right hand, and with your left hand containing the whip, whenever his shoulder drops behind yours, you must strike him gentlybehindyou, when he will come into his proper position immediately. By doing this and watching him carefully, you will in a few days teach him to lead well, keep his shoulder always level with yours, and not hang back, and thus prevent him in after days from beingpulledalong, and save him much ill-usage and beating. In two or three days he will lead well, and then you may put[29]the tackling on him, which will consist of a roller, a crupper, and a bit. The roller is nothing more than a surcingle having that part which corresponds to the saddle well padded, having on each side of it on a level with the sides of the withers a buckle for the reins, and behind, in the centre line, a D for the crupper, which should near the tail have a buckle on the near side of it, or it may be as well to have one on either side. The buckle greatly facilitates placing the crupper under the tail, as it can be put round its root easily, instead of having to be drawn over its whole length from the tip to the root, hair and all.
As to the best bit, everyone has his particular fancy in this respect. Some advocate a large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its central ring; others a large smooth straight bit; others a straight bit with rollers on its mouthpiece; others a large straight bit the mouthpiece of which is of wood; others a circular bit consisting of a smooth ring with a loop on its upper surface at either side for its attachment[30]to the bridle, whilst others again believe in a bit having a smooth semicircular mouthpiece. I will now mention these bits in their reverse order. The semicircular bit being only a modification of the circular, I may treat the two as one. Allowing, as they do, no relief to the gums and mouth, through their continued pressure on them, they are not qualified to give a colt a good mouth, but at the same time they are most admirable bits for the use of grooms leading horses out for exercise, or even for the horses they ride during exercise, as they are least calculated to spoil a mouth of any bits with which I am acquainted, and as it is a notorious fact that almost every groom (and a good many gentlemen too) hangs on by the bit instead of by the muscular power of his legs, of course the bit which is least severe on a horse’s mouth, and calculated to do least damage to it, is the best. Therefore I can confidently recommend both these bits for exercise work, watering bridles, and in fact for any stable work.
[31]The straight bit having a wooden mouthpiece I also object to, for by being softened with the saliva in the mouth, it is easily torn and roughened during the process of ‘champing,’ (for every colt will play with his bit as a rule,) and whenever it comes in contact with his teeth a wooden bit is more or less lacerated, thus presenting a roughened surface, which is anything but conducive to the formation of a good mouth.
The next on the list is a straight bit with smooth rollers or rings on its mouth-piece, which are for the purpose of preventing the colt from sliding his mouth from one side of the bit to the other. This may be all very well in theory, but here prevention isnotbetter than cure, for the colt will so injure his lips and gums as to make him either hard-mouthed or extremely sensitive, so much so in fact that the least pull on his mouth will make him throw up his head instantly, and thus not being able to see where he is going to is the cause of many an accident. This is the bit which brings[32]martingales so much into use, from its having been used during the so-called mouthing of the colt.
The next bit under consideration is the large, smooth, straight one, with keys hanging from its centre. So far I have condemned all the bits I have mentioned, but this one will not allow of a mere mention and then a dismissal, it having its strong points, and in my opinion, its weak ones also. Its advocates say it prevents the colt from being mouthed irregularly, or in other words that the colt cannot relieve the pressure on its mouth by alternately leaning on either side of the bit. This, I must say, is not reasonable, for if the animal only arches his neck a little more, and turns his head to the right when he is tied with the reins to the roller, the pressure of the bit will be on theleftside, thus relieving the right side, andvice versâ. Again, these bits seldom fit the colt’s mouth, and consequently they either pinch and hurt the mouth, or are much too wide, which is generally the case, thus teaching the animal to[33]slide his mouth on it from side to side, for which trick the straight mouth-piece with rings has been invented for its eradication. When I say that the colt can, by keeping his tongue more or less elevated in his mouth, prevent all pressure of this bit on his gums and lips, I think I may pass it over as incompetent for the object in view, namely a good mouth.
The next, and last bit to be considered is the large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its central ring.
I consider this to be the best bit as yet invented for mouthing a colt. No movement of the tongue can raise it from the gums or lips, the colt can play with it with ease, and seems to enjoy it, instead of continually fighting with it more or less, as he does with the others already mentioned, with the exception of the circular or semicircular bits. Some people may say it causes an unequal mouth, but I maintain that it does not, for if, as already described, the animal arches his neck and turns his head to the right, undoubtedly thepressure[34]of the bit will be on the left side, but theweightof the right half of the bit will still be on the right side of the mouth, which cannot be the case with a straight mouth-piece. Again, it is not of so much consequence as to whether this sort of bit fits the colt’s mouth or not, provided it is placed in the proper place in the mouth, as the weights of each half depending from their centres will keep the pressure on both sides equal. The great mistake made in mouthing a colt is that the animal is tied up too long with the bit in his mouth, for when muscular contraction is exhausted he is forced through sheer fatigue tolean upon the bit, and thus lay the stepping stone to a hard mouth.
Men think now-a-days they can mouth a colt by machinery. They tie his head up and down in the most intricate manner, put a great bit in his mouth, and if the bit is not considered heavy enough, a bag of shot is tied to each side of it. The animal is then forced to stand in a stall with his head tightly buckled up to the roller, and there he is made to stand, fastened[35]to the pillar reins, in a fixed position for hours at a time. No wonder that half the horses in England have mouths like cast-iron. Colts cannot be mouthed by machinery, but only by proper handling in the saddle. It is of no use going through all the elaborate process now in vogue ofstablemouthing, india-rubber dumb jockeys, reins, &c. It is the man’shandsonly which can do so, but at the same time I must confess it is a difficult thing to find a man with good and light hands. Perhaps this system of mechanical mouthing may have had something to do with hardening men’s hands as well as horses’ mouths.
I may now describe the proper position for the bit in the mouth. It should not be drawn up tightly into the angle of the lips, neither should it be so slack as to be among the incisor teeth, but it should be exactly opposite thegroovein the chin where the curb-chain ought to be when used. I think I need not tell my readers how to put the roller on the colt; the only things required are to take time,[36]be as gentle as possible, and take care not to buckle it on tight at first, but leave it loose for the first two or three days. To put the crupper on, all that is required is to unbuckle it on the near side, elevate the tail, place it in its proper position, and then buckle it up again. There will be no trouble in placing the roller or crupper on the colt if he has been previously treated as advocated by me, for by this time he will have become tolerably quiet through having been gently handled daily. Most people fasten the bit to the head-stall, which I object to; for when you lead or longe the colt the cavasson is attached to the nose-band either before, behind, or on either side of it, which necessarily must displace the bit more or less; therefore I much prefer a bridle with the bit attached to be placed under the head-stall, when there will be no fear of displacing the bit. Do not fasten reins to the bit for the first day or two, but lead the colt out without them, for he will have enough to do to get used to the constraint of bit, roller, and crupper. When[37]you have placed the tackling on the young animal, you may let him stand in the loose box for half-an-hour to familiarise himself with the objects on his body, when he can be taken to the longing ground, and run round for a time in different directions, after which lead him about for an hour or two. In the afternoon you can longe him a little, and then lead him out of the field and take him along a road or lane to accustom him to see and pass strange objects. The road selected for his first lesson should be the quietest that can be found near the longing ground. When he is startled at a heap of stones, a log of wood, or any other object, he must be spoken to quietly and patted, but above all allow him plenty of time to examine minutely the object which has frightened him, when, after a time, he will approach it, smell it, and touch it with his nose, thus allaying all his fears; he may then be led backwards and forwards past the place a few times, and proceed on his journey. For the day following you will have to longe him, and then lead him[38]along the road both morning and afternoon. Always commence the day’s work by longeing, so as to take some of the ‘gas’ out of the colt and sober him down a little before he begins his daily lessons, otherwise he will be so full of play as to pay no attention to your teaching. On the third day you may attach reins to the bit and buckle them to the roller, but be sure you leave them very slack; you may also lead him about in more frequented roads, and if he has been tolerably quiet so far, you can take him through a village or town, and thus accustom him to objects in a new sphere of life. For a fortnight after the first tackling took place, your work will be to lead him about roads, towns, and even take him to railway stations to get accustomed to the trains. Take the reins up a hole every other day until his head is carried perpendicularly, but then stop, do not take them up the eighth of an inch more. At the expiration of the fortnight you must longe him with the cavasson attached alternately to either side of the bit, so as to[39]teach the animal side pressure, for so far he has only been undergoing direct pressure. It is as well to count how many circles he goes on one side of the bit, and then give him a corresponding number on the other to prevent his mouth becoming one-sided or, in other words, having one side of his mouthmoreorlesssensitive than the other. Do not keep him at this long, or his mouth will become very tender and sore, but occupy the remainder of the time in leading about the roads &c. Continue doing this for two or three days, and then, having procured long reins, drive him about on the longing ground or in a field, turning him from time to time from one side to the other, stopping him every now and then to get him accustomed to his work, and if you do not pull at him too much, but allow him plenty of play with his head, he will in two or three days have a very fair mouth. After the first day of using reins you may drive him about the roads instead of leading him.
Of course, during all this time—in fact,[40]from the haltering of the colt—you will have been freely handling him daily, lifting first his fore-feet and striking them with your hand, at first gently, to get him used to the hammer, and afterwards, when this has been accomplished with facility, the same has been done to the hind ones; and after the colt has been taught to drive in reins, it is time he was shod preparatory to mounting him.
In mouthing a colt he should never be placed in a stall and fastened to the pillar reins, as is too often the practice now-a-days, for it only teaches him to lean upon the bit and slide his mouth from one side of it to the other, thus teaching him a habit to counteract which the ringed mouthpiece has been invented. A day should be fixed for shoeing the colt, and an arrangement made with the blacksmith to shoe him at a certain hour; for if this is neglected, the animal may have to wait his turn whilst three or four other horses are undergoing the process. Before taking him to the blacksmith’s shop at the hour appointed, the colt[41]must be well longed so as to get him sobered down a little; and if he is a very nervous fidgety animal, he should be longed until he is really tired. If on arriving at the shop the blacksmith is not quite ready for him, do not tie him up, but lead him up and down until he is wanted; and then, during the process of shoeing, stand by him and do all you can to soothe and allay his fears, at the same time taking care that the smith performs his work as quietly as possible. If he is very refractory, get his fore-feet shod and leave the hind ones for the following day.
After the colt has been shod and has been driven about the roads in reins for a few days to get him used to going in shoes, he may be got ready for mounting, but that will require a fresh chapter.