Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 293, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1916 — EDUCATION OF THE COLT [ARTICLE]

EDUCATION OF THE COLT

Never break his spirit bj' I’qny wear 1 some drives, when lit, bec.imin so* tired that his mind becomes so t . llr.i that he sees but does no! observe,. i<nd the same objects later, win n : e< 11 with fresh eyes, become the cause of a ninaway. When th£ colt' training is dope as It sbotild be, eight or ten hfflf hoilr lessons given in systematic order wTtlj nceopiplish more, and put a colt in condition to star 1 more sever? tests, than the haphazaid go as you please . methods now commonly practiced can do in two years. The trainer should put his whole mind on the work at hand, and strive io keep the attention of the colt that he may get the ideji of what is ex ! pected of him.' As soon ps he gets the Idea, repeat always in’ the same way untiF.M understands his lessons thor oughly. No one can do this correctly until he has his mind on his work, and perserves until he has gained the end sought. Whoever does this will find that he has enough to keep him lJusy without any other matter ou hand.

There are several reasons why it is not good policy to train a colt by hitching it by the side of an old horse. • The old horse is slow in starting, and plodding in motion probably, while the young one is impetuous and lively. Soon the young horse, if it be very am? t itious confused when the old one holds it back, and this confus-. ion ends in balking. if the old horse starts before the colt this leaves your lines slack and gives an opportunity for the colt to leap forward, and soon the habit of bolting is formed, and the plbasure of , a good steady driver forever vanishes. There are very few old horses that are so free from bad habits that you would desire a colt to be just exactly like them. Whatever their peculiarities may be, they will be learned by the (?olt if compelled to endure the same conditions. When a colt is trained alone, you bavp more of its attention than can be had otherwise. There should be nothing to divide his attention. Every attempt should be made to impress upon his mind that a certain signal means a certain action, and not al'ow that action to become confused with another signal. A very common mistake is to attempt to’train a horse <0 do too many things at a time. No horse and but few people, can comprehend more thap one thing at «> time.