Farmers often put bitting harness on a colt the first thing they do to
him, buckling up the bitting as tight as they can draw it to make him
carry his head high, and then turn him out in a lot to run a half day at a
time. This is one of the worst punishments that they could inflict on the
colt, and very injurious to a young horse that has been used to running in
pasture with his head down. I have seen colts so injured in this way that
they never got over it.
A horse should be well accustomed to the bit before you put on the bitting
harness, and when you first bit him you should only rein his head up to
that point where he naturally holds it, let that be high or low; he will
soon learn that he cannot lower his head, and that raising it a little
will loosen the bit in his mouth. This will give him the idea of raising
his head to loosen the bit, and then you can draw the bitting a little
tighter every time you put it on, and he will still raise his head to
loosen it; by this means you will gradually get his head and neck in the
position you want him to carry it, and give him a nice and graceful
carriage without hurting him, making him mad, or causing his mouth to get
sore.
If you put the bitting on very tight the first time, he cannot raise his
head enough to loosen it, but will bear on it all the time, and paw, sweat
and throw himself. Many horses have been killed by falling backward with
the bitting on, their heads being drawn up, strike the ground with the
whole weight of the body. Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly
should not have the bitting on more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a
time.