On horse-breaking

"On Horse-Breaking" by Robert Moreton, is a manual from the late 1800s about training horses. It speaks to common misconceptions and the cruel ways people used to train horses. Instead, it pushes for kinder and better ways to make horses behave. Moreton wanted to give farmers and horse owners information to make their horses more valuable by training them the right way. The book's opening shows how the author felt about the harsh and old-fashioned ways people used to try to put halters on colts. Moreton tells a story of how some men tried and failed to put a halter on a scared colt, because they were using too much force. This emphasizes the need to be gentle and think things through. He then shares his own method that works based on being calm, having patience, and slowly making the horse trust you. This way is respectful to the animal's worry and instincts, and it creates a good base for later training.