Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-03-22
BREAKING COLTS.
Oonsensus of Valuable Opinion From Ex-
perienced Breeders.

From the correspondence Of The Rural
New Yorker we extract the following
rotes on the training of colts:
One breeder says: Colts handled
much, and especially pets, are very like
ly to develop disagreoable tricks. They
don't fear OF much respect their mas.
tiers. Tho theory is perhaps good. The
practice will not bear it out. | have had
Lad experience in this line. One very
intelligent colt was SO loved and petted
that she became a marvel. She would
follow mt into the house or up stairs,
How much we expected of her! She was
never ''broke, but just hitched up and
used when the time came. No trouble
for some time. Then one day she be-
came disguised with doing as I liked
instead of as she liked. She kicked her.
self loose in short order. She was not
excited or angry. l was. She remained
the same roguisll, demure creature, was
good as pie for some days, then sulked
again, kicked a $50 cart to pieces and
went to eating grass by tho roadside.
We conquered her habit, but it was
harder than to have broken a wild colt.
BE gentle to your colts by all means.
Halter break when Il few days old. But
dom let the boys fool with them and
never make much of a pet of IA colt be
fore it is broken.
Another writes: When the colt is 2
CT 3 months old. Or perhaps younger, if
able to travel without injuring it.
self, it should, when the mare is at
work in TIE field, be hitched to the
names hy "a halter or bride. Later on,
when it has learned the meaning of
Sect up and ''Whoa!'' it should have
a small collar and names or breast col
lar harness, the tugs Of which may be
tied up out of the way, or a very light
weight attached.
When ! Wa a boy, l mado a harness
that answered my purpose very well by
sewing come old harness tags together,
making the breast collar and tugs all
II piece and then sewing the back
strap to the tugs at either side. l broke
my colt III this rude harness, and many
a pleasant ride did | take on my hand
sled III winter drawn by my favorite
gray. In either of the ways mentioned
great care should be taken not to over
tax the strength of the colt. In addition
to the above methods "a biting harness
may be used if desired. If | We're break
ing a colt especially for driving, would
break him with a biting harness only.
Thus Il third: | have made a point of
feeding the least AMOUNT of food to keep
my horse i'll good working condition.
My common feed has beon corn two
parts, oats two parts and one part OF
rye or wheat, all ground together, and
Ii part of this with one or two parts
OF bran. | am very partial to clover hay
when well cured, feeding as small an
amount as will keep them i'll good
condition with the work they are do.
Ing. | believe in horses earning theil
living. | never turn my horses to ,,a,'
ture, as they get soft, and it takes &
long time to get back to working con-
dltion. In lieu Of pasture | rely on car.
rotS. feeding them very sparingly
through the winter, but about the Isl
of March ! feed about all they will pl-
until May or as long as tho carrots vii.
keep well. | have IA span Of colts Is aDo
30 months old. Both were broken t,
The halter before they We're a week ole
and have been handled ever since unit
at present they urive nicely. We han.
die them only enough to keep them way
wise. NriThcr has been out to pasture.
but both have been fed On the abov,
plan. They weigh respectively 40 anC
900 pounds. They have a yard run