Lead him to and around it; let him look at it, touch it with his nose,
and stand by it till he does not care for it; then pull the shafts a
little to the left, and stand your horse in front of the off-wheel. Let
some one stand on the right side of the horse, and hold him by the bit,
while you stand on the left side, facing the sulky. This will keep him
straight. Run your left hand back, and let it rest on his hip, and lay
hold of the shafts with your right, bringing them up very gently to the
left hand, which still remains stationary. Do not let anything but your
arm touch his back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him,
let the person on the opposite side take hold of one of them, and lower
them very gently to the shaft-bearers. Be very slow and deliberate about
hitching; the longer time you take the better, as a general thing. When
you have the shafts placed, shake them slightly, so that he will feel
them against each side. As soon as he will bear them without scaring,
fasten your braces, &c., and start him along very slowly. Let one man
lead the horse, to keep him gentle, while the other gradually works back
with the lines till he can get behind and drive him. After you have
driven him in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and
all will go right. It is very important to have your horse go gently
when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, there is not
half so much danger of his scaring. Men do very wrong to jump up behind
a horse to drive him as soon as they have him hitched. There are too
many things for him to comprehend all at once. The shafts, the lines,
the harness, and the rattling of the sulky, all tend to scare him, and
he must be made familiar with them by degrees. If your horse is very
wild, I would advise you to put up one foot the first time you drive
him.