+The Horse.+
In almost every region of the globe, not only on its surface, but at
different depths beneath it, the history of the horse is recorded.
"Fossil remains," says Colonel Hamilton Smith in the twelfth
volume of the Naturalist's Library, "of the horse have been
found in nearly every part of the world. His teeth lie in the
Polar ice along with the bones of the Siberian mammoth; in
the Himalaya mountains with lost, and but recently obtained,
genera; in the caverns of Ireland; and, in one instance, from
Barbary, completely fossilized. His bones, accompanied by
those of the elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, and hyæna, rest by
thousands in the caves in Constadt; in Sevion at Argenteuil
with those of the mastodon; in Val d'Arno and on the borders of
the Rhine with colossal urus."
But what is most deserving of attention is that while all the other
genera and species, found under the same conditions, have either ceased
to exist, or have removed to higher temperatures, the horse alone
has remained to the present time in the same regions, without, it
would appear, any protracted interruption; fragments of his skeleton
continuing to be traced upwards, in successive formations, to the
present surface of the earth--the land we live in.
In like manner in history, sacred, profane, and modern, the horse is
to be found omnipresent, sharing in the conquests, in the defeats, in
the prosperity, in the adversity, in the joys, in the sorrows, in the
occupations, and in the amusements of man.
In Genesis xlvii. 17, Moses records that the Egyptians (1729 years
before Christ), at a time when the famine was sore in the land of
Canaan, gave to Joseph their _horses_ in exchange for bread.
Two hundred and thirty-eight years afterwards (1491 +B.C.+), six
hundred chosen chariots for nobles and generals, all the war chariots
of Egypt armed with iron to break the enemy's battalions, _the
horsemen_, and all the host of Pharaoh, in their pursuit of the
children of Israel, were overthrown in the midst of the Red Sea, so
that there remained not so much as one of them.--(Exodus, chap. xiv.)
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the
Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he has
triumphed gloriously: _the horse and his rider_ hath he thrown
into the sea."--Exodus, chap. xv.
The Canaanites whom Joshua engaged at the waters of Merom had
_cavalry_, and a multitude of chariots drawn by _horses_. Sisera,
general of Jabin, King of Hazor, had 900 chariots of iron. Judah could
not get possession of the lands because the ancient inhabitants of the
country were strong in chariots of iron. The Philistines, in their war
against Saul, had 30,000 chariots and 6000 _horsemen_. David having
taken 1000 chariots of war from Hadadezer, King of Syria, hamstrung the
_horses_, and burned 900 chariots. During the latter periods of the
Jewish monarchy Palestine abounded in horses.
In 1 Kings, chap, iv., it is stated that Solomon had 40,000 stalls _of
horses_ for his chariots, and 12,000 _horsemen_.
Cyntacus, a King of Ethiopia, entered Egypt at the head of 100,000
cavalry; and from that period to Balaklava, and from it to the last
battle in modern history, horses in greater or less numbers have shared
in the dangers of war.
In many instances the history of an individual horse forms part
and parcel of the history of his rider: accordingly we learn that
Bucephalus (so called because his head resembled that of a bull,
Βου κεφαλος), when thirty years old, saved the life of
Alexander the Great, who, in remembrance, built a city which he called
after his name.
We are, moreover, taught in our schools, that the Emperor C. Caligula,
as an especial honour to his favourite horse, not only created him a
high-priest and consul, but caused him to live in marble apartments, in
which he stalked about adorned with the most valuable trappings and
pearls the Roman empire could supply.
In statuary, ancient as well as modern, the horse lives with his rider.
On the frieze of the Temple of Minerva, in the Acropolis of Athens, at
Nineveh, and numerous other localities, are to be seen sculptured or
painted, more or less beautifully, ancient figures of men on horseback.
In all the great cities of Europe the horse and his rider, or rather
the rider and his horse, are ornaments deemed worthy to occupy
conspicuous positions in the most important thoroughfares. Accordingly
in London, within a few hundred yards of each other, are to be seen
equestrian statues of Kings Charles I., William III., George III., and
George IV.
Mounted on one charger, the Duke of Wellington in his cocked hat and
feathers, military cloak, sword, pistols and spurs, in all weathers,
rides triumphantly on the summit of an arch at the western end of
London, while, at the same moment, in pantaloons and shoes, without
hat, stirrups, or spurs, mounted on another charger, he appears, as a
sentinel, in front of the Bank of England, the commercial heart of the
empire.
Among the great potentates of the earth, the coin that is most
currently used, in proffers to each other of amity and friendship,
is _a horse_. And accordingly, the Beys of Tunis, of Algiers, and
Egypt; every sovereign in Europe, including the Czar of Russia, and the
Sultan of the Turks; the Emperor of Morocco, the Kings of Persia and
Abyssinia, and other rulers of smaller name, have transmitted to the
Queen of Great Britain, with due compliments, specimens of their finest
_horses_.
In the Life of Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller, it is recorded that
Fasil, after having assembled the leaders of the Galla tribes, said to
the noble Briton, "Now, before all these men, ask me any thing you have
at heart, and be it what it may, they know I cannot deny it to you!"
Bruce, of course, asked to be conducted immediately to the head of the
Nile. Fasil then turned to his seven chiefs, who got up. They all stood
round in a circle and raised the palms of their hands, while he and the
Galla with great apparent devotion repeated together a prayer, about a
minute long. "Now," says Fasil, "go in peace: you are a Galla. This is
a curse upon them and their children, their corn, grass, and cattle,
if ever they lift their hand against you or yours, or do not defend
you to the utmost, if attacked by others." Upon this, Bruce offered to
kiss his hand, and they all went to the door of the tent, where there
stood a very handsome grey horse. "Take this horse," said Fasil, "as
a present from me. But do not mount it yourself. Drive it before you,
saddled and bridled as it is. No man of Maitsha will touch you when he
sees _that horse_,"--which proved a magician that led him towards his
object--an Ægis that shielded him on his way.
In like manner to the people of France, the '_Moniteur_' has just
officially made the two following announcements:--
"Algiers, 19th September, 1860.
"The Emperor and Empress yesterday morning laid the first stone
of the fine boulevard which is to run along the shore. An immense
concourse of persons, both French and native, were collected,
eager to see their Majesties, and the ceremony displayed a most
picturesque character. Under the skilful direction of General
Jusuf, contingents of the Kabyle infantry and cavalry of the
three provinces, with all the Aghas and Caids at their head, had
been assembled to come and pay homage to the Emperor. After a
sham fight between the different tribes a grand fantasia took
place by from 9000 to 10,000 horsemen rushing forward at the
swiftest gallop, and discharging their firearms before their
Majesties' tent; afterwards a magnificent charge was given by
twelve squadrons of Spahis, crossing the plain like a hurricane;
then followed tilting matches, gazelle, ostrich, and falcon
hunts; a grand filing-off of the Touaregs, with their faces
veiled, and mounted on their camels; and of the Chambaas, those
inhabitants of the depths of the Desert, and the future carriers
of French commerce into the Soudan. After, in short, one of the
most splendid spectacles that could be imagined, all the Goums,
forming an immense line of battle, advanced majestically, with
banners displayed and muskets held high in the air, towards
the eminence on which the Emperor's tent had been pitched. The
chiefs, clad in the richest burnous, alighted from their steeds
and came in a body to present _the horse of homage_, caparisoned
with gold, and thus perform an act of submission to the Sovereign
of France. At this moment, rendered solemn by the beauty of the
scene and the warlike appearance of the various tribes whose long
resistance has given glory to the French arms, the Emperor could
not prevent himself from giving way to visible emotion. The Bey
of Tunis was present at this grand solemnity."
"Paris, 28th September, 1860.
"General Count Pierre Schouvaloff, Grand Master of Police at
St. Petersburg, and his brother, Count Paul Schouvaloff, both
aides-de-camp to the Emperor of Russia, were received the day
before yesterday by the Emperor Napoleon, and had the honour
of presenting to his Majesty four horses, sent as a present
by the Emperor Alexander. These fine animals, which have been
accompanied to Paris by a veterinary surgeon, four hussars, and
a non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Guard, are of the
celebrated Orloff race, and come from the Imperial breeding stud
at Chrenovsky. They were selected from among a great number by
the Czar himself; and during the two mouths that their journey
from the very heart of Russia has occupied, they have been the
objects of the greatest care. His Majesty greatly admired the
beauty, strength, and symmetry of _the horses_, and expressed
to the Counts Schouvaloff how gratified he felt at a mark of
attention which showed the friendly relations existing between
the two Sovereigns."
In war, the value of these noble animals to man is well described by
Shakspeare's thrilling exclamation of King Richard--
"_A horse! a horse!_ my kingdom for _a horse_!"
In like manner, in civil life, how often has the schoolboy, who in his
infancy had clutched with ecstasy his toy--a little spotted horse on
wheels--felt that he would give his birthright for _a pony_!
On his arriving at Oxford or Cambridge, how often has the
undergraduate, for the professed purposes of application and
recreation, submitted to his parents or guardians a supplication for
those three stereotyped wants of college life, "a little money, a
private tutor, and _a horse_!" Afterwards, in his manhood, and even
in his old age, how often has the Prime Minister of England, during a
most important debate, risen from his seat in Parliament to propose to
the legion of senators around him "that this House shall adjourn from
Tuesday to Thursday," for the well known object (acknowledged by "loud
and protracted cheering") of enabling _himself_, those who surround
him, and everybody else, "to go to the Derby," to purchase "_Dorling's
correct card of the names of the =+HORSES+=, and the colours of their_
+RIDERS+!"
Among our leading statesmen, how many, as patrons of the turf, have
purchased for several thousand guineas--_a horse_! How many, including
Pitt, Fox, Lord Althorp, Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston, Sir Francis
Burdett, &c., &c., have been ardent followers of hounds!
Her Majesty Queen Victoria and the Emperor Napoleon III. each keep a
pack of stag-hounds; the Prince Consort, a pack of harriers. During
the Peninsular war, and again while commanding the army of occupation
in France, the Duke of Wellington, besides fighting and writing,
maintained either a pack of fox-hounds or boar-hounds.[A] George III.
was strongly attached to hunting; his great grandson, the Prince of
Wales, "loves it better still."
In all our streets, in our fields, in our highways and bye-ways,
along the surface of merry England, and across it; under ground in
coal-mines; revolving in a mill;--in short, in every direction, and
wherever we go, we see before us--sometimes as man's companion,
sometimes as his servant, sometimes as his slave, and occasionally as
his master--_the horse_, respecting which and his rider we will now,
without further preamble, venture to offer to our readers the few
following remarks.
[Footnote A: About 44 years ago a Frenchwoman, the proprietor of a
small farm, showed us, as a great curiosity, a "billet de logement,"
which had been inflicted upon her, of which the following is a
translated copy:--
"The widow ---- will lodge for one night fifty-four dogs." [The
Duke of Wellington's hounds just arrived from England.]
(Signed) ----,
"Mayor."
"Imaginez-vous donc," exclaimed the poor old lady, uplifting her eyes
and the palms of both hands; "Imaginez-vous donc--cinquante-quatre
chiens!!"]
+Mr. Rarey's Mode of Subduing Horses.+
It is a singular fact, that although England produces the finest
horses in the world, and though the English people have always fancied
they understood their management better than any other nation, yet,
lately, not only have we all been astonished by the superior knowledge
on this subject of a trans-Atlantic cousin, but what is still more
surprising, our sporting men have rushed forwards to pay to Mr. Rarey
no less a sum than about 15,000_l._ for exhibiting to them a system
of horse-breaking, the philosophy of which is based upon a few simple
facts, which, although unreflected on, have ever been lying close
before our eyes.
Of all animals in creation, there is no one we should all of us be so
very sorry to lose as the horse. In peace and in war, on burning sands
under the equator, or on eternal snow in the frigid zone, for pleasure
or for business, well fed or starving, he is always not only ready, but
eager, to the utmost of his strength, to serve a master, but too often
inconsiderate, ungrateful to him, and unjust. As soon as his courage is
excited, no fall, bruise, blow, or wound, that does not paralyse the
mechanism of his limbs, will stop him; indeed, with his upper and lower
jaw shot away, and with the skin dangling in ribands, we have seen him
cantering, apparently careless and unconscious of his state, alongside
of the horse artillery gun from which he had just been cut adrift.
But although in the hunting-field, on the race-course, or in harness, a
horse will generally, from sheer pluck, go till he drops, yet, whenever
he encounters physical strength greater than his own, our hero all of a
sudden acts like an arrant coward.
For instance, in the mail, it apparently matters not to the spirit of
the horses whether there be one passenger or six--light bags or heavy
ones; on the contrary, the greater the weight, the more eagerly do they
strain to force it to follow them. The faster they are allowed to go,
the harder do they pull, until, if the reins were to break, they would
enjoy the opportunity by running away, not as in the days of Phaeton
with the chariot of the sun, but with say a ton and a half, of they
know not what, at their heels. And yet, if on the following day the
same high-flying, high-spirited, high-mettled horses were to be hooked
to a sturdy living oak tree, after two or three ineffectual snatches
to move it, no amount of punishment would be sufficient to induce
them to go to the end of their traces; in short, to use a well-known
expression, they would all "_jib_." Again, if a horse in harness,
however resolutely he may be proceeding, slips upon pavement, and
falls heavily on his side, after vainly making three or four violent
struggles to rise, he becomes all of a sudden so completely cowed, that
not only without any resistance does he allow his harness piecemeal to
be unbuckled, the carriage detached, and pushed away far behind him,
but, when lying thus perfectly unfettered, it requires kicks, stripes,
and a malediction or two, to induce him to make the little effort
necessary to rise from his prostrate state.
Again, in the hunting-field, a noble, high-couraged horse, a rusher at
any description of fence, the very sight of which seems to inflame his
ardour, in most gallant style charges a brook, which when he is in the
air he sees is too broad to be cleared. On his chest striking against
the bank, and while his rider, delighted at feeling that he is not a
bit hurt, is luxuriously rolling over and over on the green grass like
a rabbit that at full speed has been shot dead, this gallant steed
makes two, three, or four desperate efforts to get to him; and yet,
simply because the mud at the bottom of the brook catches hold of his
hind feet, and the sticky perpendicular clay bank grasps his fore ones,
his courage suddenly fails him, and as nothing will then induce him to
make another effort, it becomes necessary to send, often several miles,
for cart-horses to drag this high-bred animal out by his neck.
But although this strange mixture of courage and cowardice appears to
us at first to be inexplicable, yet on reflection we must perceive that
it is in strict accordance with the beneficent decree that "man should
have dominion over every beast of the field."
The weight and muscular strength of a horse multiplied into each other,
form a momentum which, if his courage were as indomitable as that of
man, would make him the master instead of the servant of the human
race; and accordingly, although, for all the purposes for which man can
require them, his energy and endurance are invincible, yet, to ensure
his subjection, his courage has been so curiously constituted, that,
as it were, by touching the small secret spring of a safety valve,
the whole of it instantly evaporates; and although Mr. Rarey has not
exactly explained this theory, he has, with extraordinary intelligence
and success, reduced it to practice as follows:--
When a horse of a sensitive and sensible disposition is placed under
the care of a man of weak nerves, he very soon finds out that, by
the help of his body, teeth, and heels, that is to say by squeezing,
crushing, biting, and kicking his groom, he is able to frighten him;
and no sooner is this victory attained, than the tyrant begins to
misbehave himself to everybody in every possible way, until, as in
the case of _Cruiser_, it is declared dangerous to approach him, even
with food; that no man can ride him; in fact, that he is an animal
beautiful to look at, but thoroughly useless to mankind.
Now, to cure this disorder, the wild beast, for such he is, with great
precaution, by several guy-ropes, is led close to the wheel of a
waggon, under which Mr. Rarey, putting his hands through the spokes,
manages to lift up and gently strap up one fore-leg, and to affix a
long strap to the fetlock of the other, which two simple operations at
once ensure the victory he is about to attain.
As it gives a horse not the slightest pain or inconvenience to stand
for a short time on one fore-leg, Cruiser, while "amazed he stares
around," is scarcely aware that he is doing so; and as he is totally
unconscious of the existence of the other strap, he is perfectly
astounded to find that no sooner does he attempt to resent Mr. Rarey's
bold approach and grasp, than, apparently by the irresistible power of
man, he is suddenly deprived of the use of both his fore-legs.
The longer and the more violently he can be encouraged to resist, the
more deathlike will be the trance in which he is about to lie. He
struggles--struggles--struggles--until, as in the three instances we
have described, his courage all at once evaporates, and with heaving
flank, panting nostrils, palpitating heart, flabby muscles, and the
perspiration bursting through every pore in the skin, he then allows
his conqueror to sit on his ribs, to fiddle in his ears, drum to the
gaping and gasping audience: in short, as the Duke of Wellington
described Lord Ellenborough's proclamation about the gates of Sumnauth,
to sing over his carcase "a song of triumph." And thus as Achilles was
mortally wounded in the only vulnerable part of his body--the heel,--so
does Cruiser find that in a heart which had never before failed him,
and which had been the terror of all who approached him, there exists
a weak point, discovered by Mr. Rarey, which has caused his complete
subjection to man.
"Is this the face that faced ten thousand men,
And was at last out-faced by Bolingbroke?"
In old times this conversion of the bully into the coward could only be
effected, at great risk, by courage and physical force, as follows:--
Some years ago Captain ----, the well-known steeple-chase rider, bought
at Tattersall's, for a very small sum, a magnificent horse that no
stranger in the yard dared approach, and which therefore was "put up"
and honestly sold as a "man-killer."
On these propensities being explained by the purchaser to his head
groom, the resolute fellow bluntly replied that he would not at
all object to take care of the beast provided he were allowed, "in
self-defence, to kill or cure him;" and accordingly, as soon as
the homicide entered his stable, with a steady step, but avoiding
looking into his eye, he walked up to him, and then, not waiting for
a declaration of war, but with a short, heavy bludgeon, striking the
inside of his knees, he knocked his fore legs from under him, and
the instant he fell, belaboured his head and body until the savage
proprietor of both became so completely terrified, that he ever
afterwards seemed almost to quail whenever his conqueror walked up to
him.
Now, on comparing the two opposite systems, humane and inhuman,
scientific and unscientific, just described, it must be apparent to
everybody, that while for the latter a powerful hero must be procured,
all that is requisite for the former is calmness, gentleness, and two
little straps which, in a lower stratum, physically fight a desperate
battle, above which man morally and serenely presides; the horse,
nevertheless, all the while ascribing to him alone the whole credit of
the victory eventually attained.
Under the ordinary process used by horse-breakers, it requires several
weeks before a colt--often broken _down_ as well as _in_ by the
operation--surrenders his own will to that of his rider, whereas Mr.
Rarey has not only in public repeatedly demonstrated, but many who have
followed his prescription have testified, that a young thorough-bred
horse, perfectly unbroken, can, in the course of about half-an-hour, be
so thoroughly conquered by the two straps which he conceives to be part
and parcel of the irresistible strength of his master, that so soon
as he is satisfied that his own powers of resistance are of no avail,
he subserviently allows himself to be bridled, saddled, mounted, and
ridden.
The principle of Mr. Rarey's system of domination is at this moment
curiously exemplified in the little dairy farm-yard of Mr. Roff,
residing on the Brighton road, near Croydon.
Some months ago, on approaching these premises, we observed a lot
of children playing with a yearling colt, who, to our surprise, was
allowing them to crawl between his legs and fondle him in various ways,
just as if he were a dog. On riding into the yard to inquire by what
magical means the little quadruped had been made so gentle and tame, we
were informed by the old farmer who owned him that his wife, kind to
all her beasts,--
"She milk'd the dun cow that ne'er offer'd to stir:
Though wicked to all, it was gentle to her,"--
had for many years been yearning to add to them a pet colt; that
accordingly he had lately bought her one, and that she had tamed it:
with uxorious pride he added "she could tame anything." As, however, we
were perfectly convinced that his good wife, in spite of her comely,
honest face, could not fascinate a horse's heart quite as easily as
a husband's, we cross-questioned the latter for a considerable time,
until he at last mentioned (as if it had nothing whatever to do with
the subject) that when he purchased the yearling (whose mother had just
died), not knowing how to bring it to his wife, with the assistance
of one or two men he strapped together all its four feet, and then,
lifting it into his cart, just as if it had been a calf, he trotted
away with it, jolting it and jumbling it till he reached his home,
where he uncarted it, and, in due time, with his own hands, restored to
it the use of its limbs.
Of course this was a much stronger dose of discipline and subjection
than Mr. Rarey has ever found necessary to administer, even to Cruiser;
and there can exist no doubt it was this cooling medicine, this
soothing mixture, which had produced the strange and salutary effects
that had attracted us into the little yard. And thus, in every region
of the globe, not only colts and horses, but all living animals, man
especially included, surrender at discretion to any authority which,
after a fruitless struggle--such a one for instance as induced Napoleon
I., on the 15th of July, 1815, to seek for refuge on board H. M. ship
Bellerophon from the allied armies of Europe--they find it to be
utterly impossible to resist.
* * * * *
The differences between the character and conduct of a wild horse
and a tame one are, we believe, not very clearly understood. It is
generally conceived that in the difficulty of adhering, technically
termed sticking to the back of a horse, there exist three degrees of
comparison, namely:--