The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-06-03
THE FARM AND HOME
SOME ESSENTIAL THINGS
ABOUT COLT BREAKING.
Few Men Who Are Competent to Under
take TIA Splendid Garden-Pota-
toes-sheep shearings and
Home Hints.
Breakine a Colt.

Very few there are that are fit sub.
jects TO break or handle a colt.
man may know just how it ought TO
be done but still be unable to do it
There are two very essential things re-.
gardlng colt breaking. First yoll
must be man OF courage. and second.
you must be blessed with mild dis
position md be q trne lover OF the
Class OF animals you are hand inc
AZ you have an ungovernable temper.
don't ever undertake to break a colt
There are times when the whip
must be applied but all men do not
know when to stop whipping after
they once commence. Two or three
smart blows with the whip is far
better than double the number hall
as smart Don't keep continually
hitting the colt for every little Of
fence. and don't keep tapping him
along on the road. but when you find
him unwilling to obey the word OF
command hit him once or twice, and
hit him hard. then put up the whip.
You Will find hic: very apt to start
the next time you speak to him.
| believe in the biting bride, SAYS
writer in the American Cultivator.
for it gives the colt good mouth and
accustoms him to the check. 50 when
You hitch him up he is not in the least
troubled with either check or bit,
which is very annoying to him until
he becomes we'll used to them. Har-
ness tie colt and drive him bout sew.
eral times. teaching him TO back and
start at the word of command before
hitching him to sleigh or wheels
when you do hitch him have YOUR
harness strong. and so regulated that
you wont have to unbuckle any
straps. Then if you happen to get
into a scrape and want to detach the
colt quickly from the cart you can do
SO
Never leave of the kicking strap
until the colt has been driven long
enough to be thoroughly broken. no
matter how kind he may appear If
you wish to be safe. keep on the strap
at least Two months. We read and
hear about controlling bits. but they
are no good. There is not bit top OF
earth that will prevent colt or horse
from kicking, and harsh bit of any
kind is the worst thing you can put
INTO the mouth of colt or a puller
Once in while you will find horse
that requires a Jaw breaking bit. but
they are few and far between. and a e
generally not worth the pr,ce OF
the bit. A good sized leather-cov-
eFea PIT and !, @ gpsa z.y ystrap .. bneIssaaad eksa
will contro any ordinary puller or
colt and will not fret or chafe them.
When you first start out with your
colt he is very apt TO want to start off
quickly. 1t is better to indulge him
In this at first rather than to pull him
back. ;is he will settle down after
going short distance, and if you pull
Or yank him. he is very apt to balk.
and it is better always to avoid balk-
ing if possible.
Colts differ in intelligence. the same
as children and as a rule the better
bred the more they know and the less
apt they are TO forget. would much
rather face a locomotive with a we'll
bred. highstrung colt than with
lunkhead. The we'll bred colt has
confidence in his driver. but the lunk-
head never. The dull colt never sees
an object until he comes in contact
with it; then his first impulse is to get
away; but the bright clear-headed
colt sees ahead, and by the time he
comes up to the very thing that has
scared the dull colt has. with the aid
OF his driver reasoned the object out
and nine times out of ten will 90 past
the object without shying.
lake great care when unhitcning
the colt to see that he don't start out
with a hodback or some other strap
hitched. When you hitch the colt
for Il drive compel him 10 stand few
moments after he is hooked to the
This will teach him to
wait until you are ready. Give him
short drives at first and never drive
long enough to get him leg-weary.
Aiwa. drive him a good road gait
making HIM road over the little hills
and well up TO the large ones. BY SO
doing you teach your colt to become
good road horse. which will make him
very valuable even If he never trots
last.
Teach him to be good walker.
and whenever you find him tagging at
the walking gait touch him up He
will soon learn to walk we'll. which is
very essential 10 good horse