[65]CHAPTER IV.TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.Nowthat the colt has been mounted and more or less mouthed during his fortnight’s road work, he must be taught his paces, viz., how to walk, trot, canter, and gallop properly. Ambling, pacing, and running not being in vogue in this country, I shall make no mention of them.The Walk.—It is of great importance to teach a horse to walk well; there is nothing more disagreeable than riding a horse that walks as if he was crawling to his own funeral, or one which will not walk, but prefers to shake the life out of you with a jig-jog. People in this country do not place so much value on the walk as they would if they had long journeys to go. The Australians, on the contrary,[66]who live in the saddle, appreciate a good walking horse, and will give a good deal more for a walker than they will for one that is not. An Australian may be travelling a long distance, or in search of lost sheep, cattle, or horses; in either case the pace would be slow, and probably the distance covered daily from forty to forty-five miles, or perhaps more, and to ride a horse day after day for this distance, which will not walk, but only jig-jog, is simply martyrdom. Therefore those men who break-in horses for their own use take very great pains to teach them to walk well. In England the average pace of a horse which has any pretensions to walking is about four miles an hour, and I very much doubt if the best ever get to five. In Australia, where horses areeducatedto walk, good walkers can do their six miles an hour. The Americanseducatetheir horses to trot, and beat us at that pace. A good Australian walking horse will be able to keep up five miles an hour for the distance of twenty miles; and for a long distance, say a journey of two or three[67]hundred miles, doing from thirty to fifty miles daily, he will walk four and a halfmiles an hour. In fact a bushman knows to a mile how far he has gone by consulting his watch only, for he is able to tell through experience the pace his horse is walking at, just in the same way that a jockey judges the speed of his race-horse. At all the largest horse-shows in the Australian Colonies, special prizes are given for the best walking horses.To teach a horse to walk well is a very easy matter, only requiring patience, time, and a certain amount of knack. The reins must not be drawn up tightly, but on the contrary they must be slack, and only so drawn up as just to feel the colt’s mouth and no more. A horse cannot extend himself and walk fast if he has not his head, which holds good with respect to any pace, for a horse can neither gallop, trot, or walk at his best, if his head is confined. When commencing to teach a horse to walk, the only thing to be done is to prevent him from indulging in the jig-jog; and to prevent[68]this every time he does so, he must be brought up to the walk again by means of pressure on the bit. No endeavour should now be made at fast walking; the only thing to be done is to make him walk insomestyle or other, and to prevent him from breaking. A man who is used to this work willfeelthe colt is going to break, or wants to do so, and so will be in readiness to prevent him, or at least prevent him breaking badly. It will take a month or more before the colt is tolerably free from breaking, but as soon as he has got to understand he is not to do so, and his breaks grow less in number, he may be taught to increase the speed of his walk by pressure of the heel or spur. You should not use a whip, for it generally causes them to break. As soon as he has recovered his break, slack the reins again and urge him to his fastest walk, which in time will be double what it was at first. The colt should not be sickened of one pace, but after walking a mile he must be trotted or cantered for half a mile, and then drawn up to the walk[69]again. When a colt is being taught his paces, he should not be out long; if he gets an hour of it twice daily, and is made to do his best all the time, it will be plenty for him. When he is walking he must be made to do his best, and when he gets a trot or canter to rest him from walking, he should be made to do that also in his best form. By so doing he is taught to exert himself, and to learn that he must not move in a slovenly manner, and at the same time, although the chief subject at present is to teach him to walk, he is also being initiated into the proper method of trotting and cantering. Although he will, in three or four months, be a fair walker, it will be a year, or perhaps two, before he has attained perfection. The Americans do not count months, but years, in educating a horse to trot. To get a horse at his best pace requires time, and time and patience alone can accomplish it.The Trot.—There are three kinds of trot: the jog-trot or jig-jog, the true trot, and the flying-trot. The jog-trot is a most uncomfortable[70]pace, and is not faster than a walk; the flying-trot is that indulged in by the Americans, and by our own countrymen in trotting-matches, but as the true trot is the only one used by the bulk of the people in this country, I shall confine myself to describing the method of teaching the colt the proper mode of progressing in that pace. The jog-trot is a modification of the true trot, whilst the flying-trot is an exaggeration of it; therefore the true trot is the medium, and the best for all purposes with the exception of race trotting.To teach a colt the true trot, the reins should not be held slack as in walking, but should be well gathered up to make the animal place his hind legs well under him, and also cause him to lift his fore limbs higher, thus giving him knee action; the great beauty and comfort in the trot being free action, and as an extreme pace is not required, comfort and looks are placed in the scale against flying speed. The animal should be urged forward by voice, heel, or spur, at the same time being[71]kept in check by the bit; he is thus forced to expend his increased exertions in the air, or in other words, he will trot with higher action, although his speed will be little or no faster than before. He should not be trotted more than half a mile at a time, but whilst trotting must do so in his best form, and when walked between his trots, he must do that also in his best style.What I have already said under the head of walking, with reference to the time to be occupied daily in teaching a colt his paces, applies equally to the trot and other paces, for a colt, if tired, cannot be taught his paces, and will only be spoilt if persevered with when fatigued; therefore make him do his best all the time, at whatever different paces he is put, but avoid tiring him.The off fore-leg is the best to teach him to lead off with; but some horses go easier, and with more comfort to their riders, when leading with the near fore; therefore I do not think a rule can be laid down as to which is invariably[72]the best, but after having ridden the colt a little time you will soon find out which way he goes best, for I think it a pity, if he goes best with his near fore first, just for the sake of fashion, to alter it to the off fore; for although it is easy to teach him to lead with the off leg, it will never have the same easy and free motion it had when using the near, which in this particular case nature seemed to have intended for that purpose. Again, some horses will trot equally well with either leg leading. If the colt is being taught for a lady’s riding, he must lead with his off fore-leg.The Canter.—By some writers the canter is described as a thoroughly artificial pace, but why, I am unable to understand. Thetruecanter is nothing more than a slow gallop, as is the gallop an extended and fast canter, the difference between the two paces being a matter ofspeed. If the style of movement of some ladies’ horses which go with a sort of hop and a shuffle, which is generally termed a canter, isthecanter alluded to by these[73]authors, then I acknowledge itisan artificial pace, and one very tiring to the animal as well as very prejudicial to his soundness, and, to my mind, very ugly to boot. If ladies must ride rocking-horses, they would be much better supplied with wooden ones, which could be kept at much less cost, requiring neither food, shoeing, nor grooming, whilst the wear and tear of the habit would be much reduced, owing to the lack of mud thrown up. Luckily we seldom see one of these hopping, shuffling brutes, which by some are supposed to be the perfection of a lady’s horse.The colt is taught to canter by urging him forward, the meanwhile restraining him with the bit. In the canter as in the trot, true action is required, and for the same reason, namely, that speed not being requisite, comfort and beauty of pace take its place, which can only be accomplished by having the hind legs well drawn under the body, and the knees well elevated and flexed. If the colt is for a gentleman to ride, I do not think it matters which[74]fore-leg he leads with, for, as in the trot, some animals lead better with one than the other; but if for a lady, the colt should always be taught to lead with his off fore, which is done by drawing his head a little to the near side, at the same time striking him with the whip on the same side.The Gallopis an extension or exaggeration of the canter, the limbs not being elevated so much as in the canter, but extended to a greater extent, whilst the abdomen is brought nearer to the ground. For ordinary galloping the colt requires no teaching; only give him his head, and urge him forward fast enough, and he will gallop. For racing purposes the colt must be taught to make the most of his gallop; but as this is not a treatise on training, and as the racing colt acquires his education under the supervision of his trainer, I shall not enter further into the subject.
Nowthat the colt has been mounted and more or less mouthed during his fortnight’s road work, he must be taught his paces, viz., how to walk, trot, canter, and gallop properly. Ambling, pacing, and running not being in vogue in this country, I shall make no mention of them.
The Walk.—It is of great importance to teach a horse to walk well; there is nothing more disagreeable than riding a horse that walks as if he was crawling to his own funeral, or one which will not walk, but prefers to shake the life out of you with a jig-jog. People in this country do not place so much value on the walk as they would if they had long journeys to go. The Australians, on the contrary,[66]who live in the saddle, appreciate a good walking horse, and will give a good deal more for a walker than they will for one that is not. An Australian may be travelling a long distance, or in search of lost sheep, cattle, or horses; in either case the pace would be slow, and probably the distance covered daily from forty to forty-five miles, or perhaps more, and to ride a horse day after day for this distance, which will not walk, but only jig-jog, is simply martyrdom. Therefore those men who break-in horses for their own use take very great pains to teach them to walk well. In England the average pace of a horse which has any pretensions to walking is about four miles an hour, and I very much doubt if the best ever get to five. In Australia, where horses areeducatedto walk, good walkers can do their six miles an hour. The Americanseducatetheir horses to trot, and beat us at that pace. A good Australian walking horse will be able to keep up five miles an hour for the distance of twenty miles; and for a long distance, say a journey of two or three[67]hundred miles, doing from thirty to fifty miles daily, he will walk four and a halfmiles an hour. In fact a bushman knows to a mile how far he has gone by consulting his watch only, for he is able to tell through experience the pace his horse is walking at, just in the same way that a jockey judges the speed of his race-horse. At all the largest horse-shows in the Australian Colonies, special prizes are given for the best walking horses.
To teach a horse to walk well is a very easy matter, only requiring patience, time, and a certain amount of knack. The reins must not be drawn up tightly, but on the contrary they must be slack, and only so drawn up as just to feel the colt’s mouth and no more. A horse cannot extend himself and walk fast if he has not his head, which holds good with respect to any pace, for a horse can neither gallop, trot, or walk at his best, if his head is confined. When commencing to teach a horse to walk, the only thing to be done is to prevent him from indulging in the jig-jog; and to prevent[68]this every time he does so, he must be brought up to the walk again by means of pressure on the bit. No endeavour should now be made at fast walking; the only thing to be done is to make him walk insomestyle or other, and to prevent him from breaking. A man who is used to this work willfeelthe colt is going to break, or wants to do so, and so will be in readiness to prevent him, or at least prevent him breaking badly. It will take a month or more before the colt is tolerably free from breaking, but as soon as he has got to understand he is not to do so, and his breaks grow less in number, he may be taught to increase the speed of his walk by pressure of the heel or spur. You should not use a whip, for it generally causes them to break. As soon as he has recovered his break, slack the reins again and urge him to his fastest walk, which in time will be double what it was at first. The colt should not be sickened of one pace, but after walking a mile he must be trotted or cantered for half a mile, and then drawn up to the walk[69]again. When a colt is being taught his paces, he should not be out long; if he gets an hour of it twice daily, and is made to do his best all the time, it will be plenty for him. When he is walking he must be made to do his best, and when he gets a trot or canter to rest him from walking, he should be made to do that also in his best form. By so doing he is taught to exert himself, and to learn that he must not move in a slovenly manner, and at the same time, although the chief subject at present is to teach him to walk, he is also being initiated into the proper method of trotting and cantering. Although he will, in three or four months, be a fair walker, it will be a year, or perhaps two, before he has attained perfection. The Americans do not count months, but years, in educating a horse to trot. To get a horse at his best pace requires time, and time and patience alone can accomplish it.
The Trot.—There are three kinds of trot: the jog-trot or jig-jog, the true trot, and the flying-trot. The jog-trot is a most uncomfortable[70]pace, and is not faster than a walk; the flying-trot is that indulged in by the Americans, and by our own countrymen in trotting-matches, but as the true trot is the only one used by the bulk of the people in this country, I shall confine myself to describing the method of teaching the colt the proper mode of progressing in that pace. The jog-trot is a modification of the true trot, whilst the flying-trot is an exaggeration of it; therefore the true trot is the medium, and the best for all purposes with the exception of race trotting.
To teach a colt the true trot, the reins should not be held slack as in walking, but should be well gathered up to make the animal place his hind legs well under him, and also cause him to lift his fore limbs higher, thus giving him knee action; the great beauty and comfort in the trot being free action, and as an extreme pace is not required, comfort and looks are placed in the scale against flying speed. The animal should be urged forward by voice, heel, or spur, at the same time being[71]kept in check by the bit; he is thus forced to expend his increased exertions in the air, or in other words, he will trot with higher action, although his speed will be little or no faster than before. He should not be trotted more than half a mile at a time, but whilst trotting must do so in his best form, and when walked between his trots, he must do that also in his best style.
What I have already said under the head of walking, with reference to the time to be occupied daily in teaching a colt his paces, applies equally to the trot and other paces, for a colt, if tired, cannot be taught his paces, and will only be spoilt if persevered with when fatigued; therefore make him do his best all the time, at whatever different paces he is put, but avoid tiring him.
The off fore-leg is the best to teach him to lead off with; but some horses go easier, and with more comfort to their riders, when leading with the near fore; therefore I do not think a rule can be laid down as to which is invariably[72]the best, but after having ridden the colt a little time you will soon find out which way he goes best, for I think it a pity, if he goes best with his near fore first, just for the sake of fashion, to alter it to the off fore; for although it is easy to teach him to lead with the off leg, it will never have the same easy and free motion it had when using the near, which in this particular case nature seemed to have intended for that purpose. Again, some horses will trot equally well with either leg leading. If the colt is being taught for a lady’s riding, he must lead with his off fore-leg.
The Canter.—By some writers the canter is described as a thoroughly artificial pace, but why, I am unable to understand. Thetruecanter is nothing more than a slow gallop, as is the gallop an extended and fast canter, the difference between the two paces being a matter ofspeed. If the style of movement of some ladies’ horses which go with a sort of hop and a shuffle, which is generally termed a canter, isthecanter alluded to by these[73]authors, then I acknowledge itisan artificial pace, and one very tiring to the animal as well as very prejudicial to his soundness, and, to my mind, very ugly to boot. If ladies must ride rocking-horses, they would be much better supplied with wooden ones, which could be kept at much less cost, requiring neither food, shoeing, nor grooming, whilst the wear and tear of the habit would be much reduced, owing to the lack of mud thrown up. Luckily we seldom see one of these hopping, shuffling brutes, which by some are supposed to be the perfection of a lady’s horse.
The colt is taught to canter by urging him forward, the meanwhile restraining him with the bit. In the canter as in the trot, true action is required, and for the same reason, namely, that speed not being requisite, comfort and beauty of pace take its place, which can only be accomplished by having the hind legs well drawn under the body, and the knees well elevated and flexed. If the colt is for a gentleman to ride, I do not think it matters which[74]fore-leg he leads with, for, as in the trot, some animals lead better with one than the other; but if for a lady, the colt should always be taught to lead with his off fore, which is done by drawing his head a little to the near side, at the same time striking him with the whip on the same side.
The Gallopis an extension or exaggeration of the canter, the limbs not being elevated so much as in the canter, but extended to a greater extent, whilst the abdomen is brought nearer to the ground. For ordinary galloping the colt requires no teaching; only give him his head, and urge him forward fast enough, and he will gallop. For racing purposes the colt must be taught to make the most of his gallop; but as this is not a treatise on training, and as the racing colt acquires his education under the supervision of his trainer, I shall not enter further into the subject.