Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-12-31
Anrionltnral.
How to Halter Break a Colt.

How TO Halter Break Colt.
When the colt is three weeks old, or there.
abouts, he should be broken to the halter.
And this should be done properly for this
is the first act which brings his will and
strength in opposition to mans, and should
be so done as to convey clearly and decid.
edy mans superiority, and his inability to
contend with him. Early impressions in
the case Of animals, as truly as in the Gaze
Of children, are lasting and here aud now,
in this, the FIRST step in educating the colt,
the impression should be inlelbly stamped
upon his mind that man is his master Aud
this can and should be done without violence
or cruel force. | will explain my method
Of treatment, and The reason therefor To-
quire, then, what the groom or educator Of
the colt proposes to do. This evidently
He proposes, ia the irst place. to teach the
colt to follow after or by his side that il,
keep close to the one who is leading him by
the halter Ia the second place, he proposes
to show the colt that he cannot successfully
resist him thathe is not 20 strong as man.
This lesson once taught the colt, this impress
sion once fairly embedded is his mind, be will
never after, 10 all his life, forget it, lie
will live and die with the idea in his head
that man is stronger than he And this is /
most valuable lesson for colt to learn, |
and to learn early il s1ves much. after
labor and many risks. Wei, then to The
method put hcad-hater on, made Of
soft material so that it will not cut into his
tender skin, and so made that the check
pieces will not draw into his eyes when he
pulls back or struggles aud when this is |
done quietly aud gently, with pleasant words
and kind caresses, step out in front ofbim,
and planting myself squaroly so that he
shall not with all his efforts move me from
my tracks, pull steadily on the halter, say
ing all the time, while the pressure on him
is being increased " Come sir; come Z"
Sometimes the colt win come yielding read
lily to the pressure in which case pat him
kindly, so as to make him feel that he has
done theright thing and then step forward
and repeat the slight pressure and the kind
command. In many cases | have found
this enough aud the colt was chatter.
broke ere you knew it,, as one might say
But more often, as soou as the little fellow
felt the pressure Of tho pull upon the halter,
alarmed, and yexed too perhaps, at this
las he regards it) rude Interference with bis
liberty, he would " set back upon the hall
ter, resisting the pressure With all his
simply hold your own Don't twitch him,
or yank him about or drag him forward
violently Let him pull Every moment
is exhausting his strength, and increasing
the pain he feels by reason Of the halter
bands being drawn into him and, after
few seconds of resistance, discouraged, aud
unable to endure the pain bis own effort is
causing him, he will give one great wrench,
rear up, and come toward you. The pres.
sure and the pain are RENTED aud stand
ing by your side, your arm over bis moist
ened neck, and hand kindly patting him, be
learns this sweet lesson that nearncss to
the one that is leading him means absence
of pain This once understood By the colt,
he is thoroughly halter-broko. With this
he has also got another idea-tbat You are
stronger than he Had you tied him 20
post, and let him "pull it out as the
phrase is, he would have got no such idea
the post or tree, not man, would have been
his master. Or, had you waited until he
was a year or even six months old, he would /
have been stronger than you and be would
have found it out, too. In bis FIRST match
against man, man would have been beaten I.
He, not you, would BE- the master at the .
halter exercise at least and while he might
have followed after time, still you would .
b., 20 Loot tbo orDortttpift- "a 8 i,urrnssiY D.; -,
with his powerlessness when arrayed against .
man, which a wise educator will always /
seek to give &c every colt he takes in
hand. How unwise viewed in this light, is .
that neglect to break colts to the halter
even until they are three or four, or even
five years Of age Children" says a
thoughtful writer are made obedient be-
fore they are old enough to talk ;" and
colts, it might be added, arc made obedicnt
to man, if properly educated, long before
they are old enough to use in harness. Now
and then, the colt, if he be Of high spirit
and Justly will struggle long, and make
real fight over it !" and, to avoid acci- |
dents in case that he should reel and fall, /
select for the school ground a spot Of soft .
greensward, free from stones, in order That
his falls may be harmless to him. Be sure
also, in case Of falling, that you keep his
head from striking the ground heavily f.
which you can always do, because your
hand is on the halter, by which it c.u be
supported. This, in brief, is the manner in
which give my colts their first lesson in
that course of education, which, when COM
pleted, has brought them to that pitch Of