HORSE TAMING AND HORSE TRAINING—HORSE MANAGEMENT—WHIP TRAINING—CURING
BAD HABITS, ETC.
Some few persons imagine that to possess a proper mastery over their
horses, they must maintain their authority by brute force. This is a
great mistake. More work, within the limit of safety, can be got out of
a horse by kindness than by cruelty, and as far as _managing_ a horse is
concerned the chief point is to teach him confidence in you. If he
believes you to be his friend he will not only strive to please you, but
will have less fear of strange objects which otherwise might startle him
and render him refractory.
The Rareys—there are two or three of them—taught the world a most
important lesson when they taught it the “power of kindness” and
“self-control” in the management of horses, donkeys, zebras, and other
animals. How often do we see inconsiderate parents fly into a passion
and, without reason or religion, thrash the object of their displeasure.
So of brutal, heartless drivers, when the “blinded” horses chance to
misstep, get off the track, stumble, or in the wrong place. By their
actions it would appear that they expected a horse or an ass to reason
quite as well as themselves. Employers may not look for the same talent
in their apprentices as in their foreman. Teachers may expect every
little urchin to be self-regulating and to mind his books; but this it
is his duty to _teach_ him to do, and he should be all patience, all
kindness, affection, perseverance, if he would produce the _best_
results. The same spirit is required to subdue and manage a horse. If
you say you are not equal to the task; if you say your child, your
horse, or your ox knows _more_ than you, is your master, then you are
not the one to manage him, and you should resign in favor of one who is
superior to child, horse, or ox. A weak man in intellect may indeed be
outwitted by a sagacious child or horse.
There is no disguising the fact that viciousness is innate with some
horses. But far more so with some, nay, most, men, from whom they get
it. It is no doubt sometimes hereditary, and follows some of the best
strains of blood we have. That viciousness should accompany a highly
nervous organization is not to be wondered at. Hence it causes no
surprise when we find such dispositions among the finely organized
thoroughbreds—animals of a most sensitive and nervous organization—from
which the common expression “thin skinned,” as applied to a too
sensitive man, is obviously derived. The treatment horses receive, and
the _moral_ atmosphere in which they are thrown, have a much greater
influence than most horsemen are generally inclined to admit. The
pinching, tickling, rough, boisterous stable boy who annoys a spirited
horse for the sake of enjoying his futile, though almost frantic kicks
and leers, is affecting the disposition of the horse and his descendants
for generations to come, besides putting in jeopardy the lives and limbs
of those who are brought in contact with the horse so tampered with. A
horse is surely influenced by the character of the men with whom he
associates.
Sometimes, however, it is necessary to conquer a bad tempered horse, and
if possible to secure a radical conversion or change of character which
shall be lasting. No timorous man need undertake this task; he will only
make matters worse. A horse tamer should be calm, cool, brave, and
fearless—the horse will know it; he should be quiet, for then the horse
will be put off his guard; he should be firm and give the brute no
advantage, but crowd him up to doing something, and that, invariably,
what the tamer wants him to do. Thus any ordinary horse will soon give
up and own man his master. The kindest treatment and even petting must
always follow yielding; and if possible to help it, the horse should
never be frightened by any treatment, and above all things he should
never be angered by petty torture. His own contrariness should appear to
him to be the cause of all his trouble, and man his best friend. This
principle is at the foundation of Rarey’s successful practice.
POWELL’S MANAGEMENT OF WILD HORSES.
Place your horse in a small yard, or in a stable or room. If in a stable
or room, it ought to be large, in order to give him some exercise with
the halter before you lead him out. If the horse belongs to that class
which appears only to fear man, you must introduce yourself gently into
the stable, room, or yard, where the horse is. He will naturally run
from you, and frequently turn his head from you; for you must walk about
extremely slow and softly, so that he can see you whenever he turns his
head toward you, which he never fails to do in a short time, say in a
quarter or half an hour. I never knew one to be much longer without
turning toward me.
At the very moment he turns his head, hold out your hand toward him, and
stand perfectly still, keeping your eyes upon the horse, watching his
motions, if he makes any. If the horse does not stir for ten or fifteen
minutes, advance as slowly as possible, and without making the least
noise, always holding out your left hand, without any other ingredient
in it than what nature put in it. I have made use of certain ingredients
before people, such as the sweat under my arm, etc., to disguise the
real secret and many believed that the docility to which the horse
arrived in so short a time was owing to these ingredients; but you see
from this explanation that they were of no use whatever. The implicit
faith placed in these ingredients, though innocent of themselves,
becomes “faith without works.” And thus men always remained in doubt
concerning the secret. If the horse makes the least motion when you
advance toward him, stop, and remain perfectly still until he is quiet.
Remain a few moments in this condition, and then advance again in the
same slow and almost imperceptible manner. Take notice, if the horse
stirs, stop, without changing your position. It is very uncommon for the
horse to stir more than once after you begin to advance, yet there are
exceptions. He generally keeps his eyes steadfast on you, until you get
near enough to touch him on the forehead. When you are thus near to him,
raise your hand slowly and by degrees, and let it come in contact with
that part just above the nostrils as lightly as possible. If the horse
flinches (as many will,) repeat with great rapidity these light strokes
upon the forehead, going a little farther up toward his ears by degrees,
and descending with the same rapidity until he will let you handle his
forehead all over. Now let the strokes be repeated with more force all
over his forehead, descending by lighter strokes to each side of his
head, until you can handle that part with equal facility. Then touch in
the same light manner, making your hands and fingers play around the
lower part of the horse’s ears, coming down now and then to his
forehead, which may be looked upon as the helm that governs all the
rest.
Having succeeded in handling his ears, advance toward the neck with the
same precaution, and in the same manner; observing always to augment the
force of the strokes whenever the horse will permit it. Perform the same
on both sides of the neck, until he lets you take it in your arms
without flinching.
Proceed in the same progressive manner to the sides, and then to the
back of the horse. Every time the horse shows any nervousness, return
immediately to the forehead, as the true standard, patting him with your
hands, and thence rapidly to where you had already arrived, always
gaining ground a considerable distance farther on every time this
happens. The head, ears, neck, and body being thus gentled, proceed from
the back to the root of the tail.
This must be managed with dexterity, as a horse is never to be depended
on that is skittish about the tail. Let your hand fall lightly and
rapidly on that part next to the body a minute or two, and then you will
begin to give it a slight pull upward every quarter of a minute. At the
same time you continue this handling of him, augment the force of the
strokes as well as the raising of the tail, until you can raise it and
handle it with the greatest ease, which commonly happens in a quarter of
an hour in most horses, in others almost immediately, and in some much
longer. It now remains to handle all his legs; from the tail come back
again to the head, handle it well, as likewise the ears, breast, neck,
etc., speaking now and then to the horse. Begin by degrees to descend to
the legs, always ascending and descending, gaining ground every time you
descend, until you get to his feet.
Talk to the horse while thus taming him; let him hear the sound of your
voice, which at the beginning of the operation is not quite so
necessary, but which I have always done in making him lift up his feet.
“Hold up your foot,” you will say; at the same time lifting his foot
with your hand. He soon becomes familiar with the sounds, and will hold
up his foot at command. Then proceed to the hind feet and go on in the
same manner; and in a short time the horse will let you lift them, and
even take them up in your arms.
All this operation is no magnetism, or galvanism; it is merely taking
away the fear a horse generally has of a man, and familiarizing the
animal with his master. As the horse doubtless experiences a certain
pleasure from this handling, he will soon become gentle under it, and
show a very marked attachment to his keeper.
MANAGING HORSES BY KINDNESS.
A lady visiting Egypt some years ago, gave in one of her letters to her
friends at home, an instance of the power of gentleness in controlling
even the most spirited of horses. She gives the following description of
her experience with the Arabian horses: “I fear you may deem me rather
boastful of my horsemanship when I tell you that the two Arab horses
which threw their cavaliers did not throw me. The cause of the exception
was not in me or my skill; it was the very remarkable predilection these
intelligent animals feel toward individuals of the weaker sex. Let the
wildest and fiercest Arabian be mounted by a woman, and you will see him
suddenly grow mild and gentle as a lamb. I have had plenty of
opportunities to make the experiment, and in my own stables there is a
beautiful gray Arabian which nobody but myself dares to ride. He knows
me, anticipates my wishes, and judiciously calculates the degree of
fatigue I can bear without inconvenience. It is curious to see how he
can manage to quicken his pace without shaking me, and the different
sorts of steps he has invented to realize those contradictory purposes.
Horses being as liable to forgetfulness as other organized beings, my
incomparable gray would allow his natural ambition to overcome his
gallantry, and if another horse threatened to pass him, would start off
with the speed of the whirlwind. Woe to me if, under these
circumstances, I were to trust to the strength of my arm or the power of
the bridle! I knew my gallant charger better. Leaving my hand quite
loose, and abandoning all thoughts of compulsion, I would take to
persuasion; pat him on the neck; call him by his name; beg him to be
quiet and deserve the piece of sugar waiting for him at home. Never did
these gentle means fail. Instantly he would slacken his pace, prick up
his ears as if fully comprehending his error, and come back to a soft
amble, gently neighing as if to crave pardon for his momentary offense.”
This power of women over the Arabian horses is partly due, no doubt, to
the fact that when still a colt he is reared in the back part of the
tent, the movable harem of the Arab. He is constantly petted, and it is
the women who see that he is supplied with food, and tenderly cared for.
It is the attachment which is by these means awakened in the horse that
leads him to so cheerfully yield obedience to the female voice.
Deservedly high as may stand the Arabian horse for docility and
sagacity, it should not be forgotten that, in the absence of all other
amusements, the education of the foal becomes a pleasure as well as a
business; it thus becomes attached to its biped companions, and takes a
pride in enacting all that is required of him. If his rider falls, the
horse will stand by and neigh for assistance; if he lies down to sleep,
the horse will watch over him and give notice of the approach of man or
beast. Similar anecdotes are related of all horses kindly treated, no
matter where may be their home. We heard of one who had a drunken
master, and this horse surpassed the Arab example even in intelligence,
for he would modify his gait so as to keep his reeling rider from
falling off; and if this catastrophe did happen, the horse would stand
for hours, regardless of food or drink, and with anger and determination
attack man or beast that would approach too near.
TO CURE A STUBBORN DISPOSITION.
If your horse, instead of being wild, seems to be of a stubborn or
_mulish_ disposition; if he lays back his ears as you approach him, or
turns his heels to kick you, he has not the regard or fear of man that
he should have to enable you to handle him quickly and easily; and it
might be well to give him a few sharp cuts with the whip, about the
legs, pretty close to the body. It will crack keenly as it plies around
his legs, and the crack of the whip will affect him as much as the
stroke; besides one sharp cut about his legs will affect him more than
two or three over his back, the skin on the inner part of his legs or
about his flank being thinner, more tender, than on his back. But do not
whip him much—just enough to frighten him; _it is not because we want to
hurt the horse that we whip him_—we only do it to frighten vice and
stubbornness out of him. But whatever you do, do quickly, sharply, and
with a good deal of fire, but always without anger. If you are going to
frighten him at all, you must do it at once. Never go into a pitched
battle with your horse, and whip him until he is mad and will fight you;
it would be better not to touch him at all, for you will establish,
instead of fear and respect, feelings of resentment, hatred, and
ill-will. It will do him no good, but harm, to strike him, unless you
can frighten him; but if you can succeed in frightening him, you can
whip him without making him mad; _for fear and anger never exist
together in the horse_, and as soon as one is visible, you will find
that the other has disappeared. As soon as you have frightened him, so
that he will stand up straight and pay some attention to you, approach
him again, and caress him a good deal more than you whipped him; thus
you will excite the two controlling passions of his nature, love and
fear; he will love and fear you too; and, as soon as he learns what you
require, will obey quickly. The stubbornness once broken down, there is
seldom any farther trouble of that score, if the horse be afterward
managed with judgment and kindness. He will appreciate your kindness and
become desirous of pleasing you.
THE CORD AND LINE WEBBING.
One of the main appliances used by horse tamers is a three or four ply
cord or rope, one of cotton being the best, such as is used by the
Indians for subduing their horses. This cord is a powerful instrument
for either good or evil, as it is properly or improperly used. It may be
prepared by any one in the manner shown in the engraving:
[Illustration: LOOPING THE CORD.]
A knot is to be tied in each end, then make a loop by doubling the cord
and passing the knot through as represented above. Be careful to make
the loops at such a distance from the knot as will allow the cord to
pass around the neck at one end, and the lower jaw at the other, passing
the knot through the loop from the opposite side of the loop to where it
passed through in making the lap. The necessity for this will be seen on
applying the cord. The object is to obtain steady pressure upon the
lower jaw, as well as friction in the mouth.
In addition to the cord a piece of worsted webbing, such as is used for
driving lines should be prepared in the following manner: Divide it into
two parts, one piece being of sufficient length to girt the body. Make a
loop in one end large enough for the other end to pass through, so as,
when adjusted it is sufficiently long to tie. These pieces of webbing
will be useful in carrying out future directions.
TO TEACH A HORSE TO STOP.
The word “whoa” should be used only to stop a horse when he is in
motion. Never use it when you approach a horse standing quietly. Horses
soon learn to distinguish any word often addressed to them, and they
should learn to associate it with some definite and exact duty which you
wish them to perform. If any word of command is used indiscriminately,
or out of its proper place, the animal becomes confused and loses the
association between the word and the object desired.
To teach a horse the meaning of the word “whoa,” the arrangement shown
in the accompanying illustration may be used. Put the large web,
previously described, around his near fore foot, pass it under the
girth; and as the animal walks along, pull up the foot, saying at the
same instant, “Whoa.” He will be brought to a stop, and by repeating the
lesson he will soon raise the foot and stop even though the web is not
pulled upon.
[Illustration: “WHOA.”]
[Illustration: TEACHING THE HORSE TO BACK.]
TO TEACH A HORSE TO BACK.
Put the cord upon the horse, using the small loop; draw it with a steady
pull; this brings the horse’s nose toward his body. Keep a firm hold
upon the cord until he steps back a little, using at the same time the
word “back.” Then caress him; by doing so you show him that he has done
exactly as you wished him to, and the caresses should be repeated every
time he obeys. The utmost gentleness must be observed in order not to
excite him, and the lesson should not be long enough to tire him. Five
to ten minutes being the best length, repeated at intervals of a few
hours. As soon as he understands what you desire he will probably back
promptly at command.
TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU.
The directions make simple what have hitherto been among the mysteries
of the circus. Turn the horse into a large stable or shed, where there
is no chance to get out, with a halter or bridle on. Go to him and
gentle him a little, take hold of his halter, and turn him toward you,
at the same time touching him lightly over the hips with a long whip.
Lead him the length of the stable, rubbing him on the neck, saying in a
steady tone of voice, “Come along, boy!” or use his name instead of
“boy,” if you choose. Every time you turn, touch him slightly with the
whip, to make him step up close to you, and then caress him with your
hand. He will soon learn to hurry up to escape the whip and be caressed,
and you can make him follow you around without taking hold of the
halter. If he should stop and turn from you, give him a few sharp cuts
about the hind legs, and he will soon turn his head toward you, when you
must always caress him. A few lessons of this kind will make him run
after you, when he sees the motion of the whip—in twenty or thirty
minutes he will follow you about the stable. After you have given him
two or three lessons in the stable, take him out into a small field and
train him; and thence you can take him into the road and make him follow
you anywhere, and run after you.
TO STAND WITHOUT HOLDING.
To make a horse stand without holding, after you have him well broken to
follow you, place him in the center of the stable—begin at his head to
caress him, gradually working backward. If he moves give him a cut with
the whip, and put him back to the same spot from which he started. If he
stands, caress him as before, and continue gentling him in this way
until you can get round him without making him move. Keep walking around
him, increasing your pace, and only touch him occasionally. Enlarge your
circle as you walk around, and if he then moves, give him another cut
with the whip, and put him back to his place. If he stands, go to him
frequently and caress him, and then walk around him again. Do not keep
him in one position too long at a time, but make him come to you
occasionally, and follow you around the stable. Then make him stand in
another place, and proceed as before. You should not train your horse
more than half an hour at a time.
WHIP TRAINING.
So accustomed are we to the use of bit and reins for driving that we
have got to consider them absolutely requisite for guiding a horse.
Horses however may, if properly taught, be driven without either bit or
reins, merely by signals with the whip. Probably the simplest and most
concise directions for whip training are given by Mr. Jennings in his
valuable work on training horses. Mr. Jennings says:
“To train a horse thoroughly to drive without bit or line, under the
whip, requires from four to six weeks’ time; it requires also a man of
strong nerve and self-control to be a successful trainer in this
particular branch. Whip training illustrates the beauty and power of our
system of horse training. Such a feat as driving a horse without bit or
line cannot be accomplished by any other system known to man. Having
selected a horse with a moderate share of intelligence, the next thing
is to secure a suitable place for training. An enclosure twenty-five or
thirty feet square is required. If you have it smaller, and your horse
should be disposed to kick, you would be in danger; if larger it gives
the animal too much room to get away from the whip. It is better that
you go in with the horse alone, as then the animal will have no other
object to take his attention. Turn him loose without bridle or halter in
the enclosure; take your position in the centre, holding in your right
hand a straight whip nine or ten feet long; you crack the whip as you
take your position; this alarms the horse and causes him to run into one
corner of the enclosure; crack it several times that he may learn that
you do not intend to hurt him; now commence tapping him lightly upon the
near shoulder, but not to hurt him; if a nervy fellow he is all
excitement for a few minutes; continue the tapping until he turns his
head toward you, which he will do in a short time. The moment he turns
it, however slight it may be, cease the whipping; as soon as he turns it
away again repeat the tapping with the whip; in a few minutes he again
turns his head toward you; stop the motion of the whip; as he turns away
repeat the whip tapping as before; in a very short time he turns around
so that you can approach him; now gently caress him; move away and again
approach him; should he turn away repeat the whipping, by this means you
teach him to come to you on the near side. After he has learned this
thoroughly, which requires about one week’s training, half an hour each
day, then proceed in the same manner upon the off side; as soon as he
obeys the motion of the whip upon this side, take your position behind
him, and turn him by the motion of the whip to the right or to the left;
as soon as he performs nicely, put the harness upon him, take the lines
behind him, and, as you give him the word to go forward, throw the whip
down by his right side without touching him, at the same time have the
long web around the near fore foot, and give it to an assistant; you
want him to stop, give him the word ‘Whoa,’ at the same time your
assistant pulls up the foot, turn the whip in a horizontal position
above your head—in this way you teach him that the whip in that position
means ‘Whoa.’ By repeating these motions, he learns in about four weeks
to turn to the right whenever the whip is thrown toward the right
shoulder; to the left when thrown toward the left shoulder; to go ahead
when thrown down by the right side; and to stop when held in a
horizontal position. You now want to teach him to back; having
previously instructed him according to our rule, put the cord, using the
small loop, in his mouth; take the cord in your hand with the reins,
pull upon the reins and say ‘Back,’ at the same time keep the whip
directly over the animal’s back, giving it an upward and downward
motion, or you may tap him gently upon the back with the whip—this is
best done in a sulky. If he starts forward, set him back by pulling
quickly upon the cord; repeat the operation until he will go back by the
motion of the whip alone. Should he make repeated efforts to go forward,
bring the whip quickly once or twice down over his nose, he will not
then repeat the operation very often; with this training, it is
necessary to use an open bridle, so that the animal will see the motion
of the whip; you are now prepared to hook him up for the first drive.
Take an assistant with you; have the foot strap or long web secured upon
the near fore foot; give it in charge of your assistant; let the lines
lie over the dash, as a matter of precaution. Now commence operations
with the whip; if the animal acts promptly, remove the foot web and
begin again, having the lines over the dash as before; drive the animal
in this way at least two or three weeks before removing the bit from the
mouth. Your horse is now safe to drive under the whip.”
The large and noble looking horses which draw the trucks of the safe
manufacturers in this city, are hitched in single file, only the rear
one having reins attached. Sometimes six or eight horses will be
required to draw the ponderous load, and the coolness and dexterity with
which they wend their way through the confused mass of vehicles in the
crowded streets is a truly remarkable sight. Without any guidance the
leader will press onward through the mass, deftly avoiding collisions
and entanglement. Changes of route, stoppages, etc., are effected by
such orders as “Whoa,” “Gee,” “Haw,” which the leader promptly and
intelligently obeys.
TO CURE BALKY HORSES.
From the number of “infallible recipes” given in the papers for curing
balky horses we should judge a little light on the subject is called for
by horsemen. The various remedies which different correspondents
describe as having proved effective in their own experience would form a
curious collection, though some of them betray a remarkable lack of real
knowledge about the matter. One genius has discovered that stuffing a
horse’s mouth and nostrils with road dust is highly successful. Another
humane individual deeply deplores the barbarous practice of whacking
balky horses over the head and legs, and suggests that there should be
substituted a system of steady, but not very severe, pounding in one
spot with a “smooth club,” until “the pain grows intolerable and he
starts nervously forward.” One hero, whose valor deserves to be
chronicled for the admiration of future ages, thus modestly relates
_his_ experience with “one of the perverse animals,” as he calls his
horse:
“The first work I did with him after he came into my possession was to
draw a load of hay from the meadow. He started a few rods and then stood
still, and no amount of urging that I could command would induce him to
budge an inch. I took the pitchfork and sat down on the fore end of the
load and began to prick him about the root of his tail, inserting the
tines just through the skin. He kicked, but the load of hay was a
complete protection. I kept on, moderately and persistently pricking for
about five minutes, when he started for the barn. He never attempted to
balk but once after, when the mere sight of the pitchfork was sufficient
to make him draw.”
In Cecil county, Maryland, a farmer resorted to a rather novel expedient
for getting some “go” out of a balky horse. Having loaded his wagon
rather heavily with wheat, the horses were either unable or refused to
draw it. After trying for some time to put them in motion, he set fire
to a sheaf of wheat, and applied the flame to one of the horses. The
horse, not relishing the application, by a well directed kick deposited
the blazing sheaf in the load of wheat. This becoming ignited, was
entirely consumed, together with the wagon. One of the horses, also,
narrowly escaped perishing in the conflagration.
Many of the cases of “balkiness” are nothing but want of power to
perform the task assigned; a necessary pause from temporary exhaustion.
A driver who understands his business will give his team a breathing
spell occasionally while pulling a heavy load. Another thing, if you
find your team becoming exhausted and about to give out, it is well to
stop them of your own accord; and it is well, too, to give them a few
moments rest before encountering a peculiarly difficult part of the
route.
If you have balky horses, it is your own fault, and not the horse’s, for
if they do not pull true there is some cause for it, and if you will
remove the cause the effect will cease. When your horse balks he is
excited and does not know what you want him to do. For instance, a young
horse that has never been “set” in a gully with a load before, is
whipped by his owner or driver because he does not draw the load out.
The animal is willing to do what he can, but he does not know how to
draw out the load. He tries and finds that it does not move, not knowing
that a steadier and stronger pull would do it, and when the lash comes
down upon him and he hears the yells of his driver he is frightened, and
jumps and rears through fear rather than ugliness or balkiness. No
better way could possibly be devised to make a horse balky than to beat
him under such circumstances. When he gets a little excited, stop him
five or ten minutes, let him become calm; go to the balky horse, pat him
and speak gently to him, and as soon as he is over his excitement, he
will, in nine cases out of ten, pull at the word. After you have gentled
him a while, and his excitement has cooled down, take him by the bits;
turn him each way a few minutes as far as you can; gentle him a little;
unrein him; then step before the balky horse, and let the other start
first, then you can take them anywhere you wish. A balky horse is always
high spirited and starts quick; half the pull is out before the other
starts; by standing before him the other starts first. By close
application to this rule, you can make any balky horse pull. If a horse
has been badly spoiled you should hitch him to the empty wagon, and pull
it around a while on level ground; then put on a little load and
increase it gradually, caressing as before, and in a short, time you can
have a good work horse.
You might as well attempt to make a horse move a three story building
and draw it off, as to get out of a slough with a heavy load, when the
animal has never been taught by degrees to draw a load out of such
places. It is true that it is bad policy to unhitch a horse from a load
under such circumstances, but it is far worse to beat him an hour and
then have to do it. Our way of teaching colts is as follows: We put on
light loads, after they are well broken to a harness, and go into bad
places where it requires hard pulling by degrees; and the animal learns
how to draw the load out. He reasons as a man does, thus: “I have been
here before and got out, and I can do it again,” and out he goes. We add
to the load one or two hundred pounds, and go through the same process,
then wait a day or two and try him again, taking care that we require
nothing to be done extra except with a lighter load. This is teaching a
horse to have confidence in himself, which is the basis of all good
draught horses.
A Scotch paper describes a curious case of horse management, and though
the same treatment has been equally successful in other instances we are
inclined to believe the true secret lies partly in _gentling_ the animal
while the preparations are being made. The fact related is curious and
may be useful, so we reproduce it:
“On Saturday last a groom, mounted on a high mettled hunter, entered the
High street of Coldstream, and, when opposite Sir John Majoribank’s
monument, the horse began to plunge and rear to a fearful extent,
swerving to the right and then to the left, but go forward he would not,
nor could all the exertions of the groom overcome his obstinacy. The
street was filled with people expecting to see the animal destroy
himself on the spikes of the iron railing around the monument, when Mr.
McDougal, saddler, walked up to the groom, and said: ‘I think, my man,
you are not taking the proper method to make the horse go; allow me to
show you a trick worth knowing.’ ‘Well,’ says the groom, ‘if you can
make him go, it’s more than I can;’ when Mr. McDougal took a piece of
whipcord, which he tied with a firm knot on the end of the animal’s ear,
which he bent gently down, fastening the end of the string to the check
buckle of the bridle, which done, he patted the horse’s neck once or
twice, and said, ‘Now, let me see you go quietly home like a good
horse,’ and, astonishing to relate, it moved off as gently as if nothing
had happened. Mr. McDougal says he has seen, in London, horses which no
manner of force could make go, while this mild treatment was always
successful.”
HOW TO PREVENT HARNESSED HORSES FROM RUNNING AWAY.
For the following useful suggestion we are indebted to Mr. Robert
McClure:
“It has often occurred to our mind, on account of the many and
destructive runaways of horses harnessed to sleighs, that have taken
place in this city and its neighborhood the present winter, that some
mode of training might be adopted for family or carriage horses, which
would entirely prevent or at least mitigate the violence and excitement
of horses that may take fright. A good plan, based upon our knowledge
and observation of the excitability and nervous temperament of horses
disposed to take fright, would be to harness them with strong harness to
an old but stout carriage a few times before the sleighing season, and
have them taken slowly out of the city to a country road, not too hard
for the horses’ feet, and drive them at a full run or gallop for a few
rods at a time. Repeating this several times during the drive will so
accustom the horses to the excitement of a run in harness and the rattle
of a carriage behind them, that it will become familiar, and when
occasions arise, as they sometime will in all large cities, to start
them to run, they can be at once brought up and kept under complete
control. The training to an occasional run has familiarized such horses
with the excitement; but conversely, once let a team not used to it in
harness, get a start and run, the excitement every moment becomes
greater, takes the place of animal instinct, and all control of them is
lost—till brought up against some obstacle, with a general smash of all
surroundings, and perhaps the loss of valuable and useful life. Whether
the horse be hurt or not, they are forever of no value for family
purposes, and the groom or coachman not unfrequently loses both
situation and character as a driver. To familiarize your horse to an
occasional run in harness will do them no harm; and our word for it,
much good will be done, and safety insured.”
HOW TO INSTANTLY STOP RUNAWAY HORSES.
When a Canadian family party, traveling in winter over ice covered
rivers and swamps, is so unlucky as to cross a place where the horse
sinks, they save him from drowning, and themselves from the danger of
sharing the same fate, by pulling a rope so arranged that it chokes him.
The water being thus prevented from entering his gullet or windpipe, he
floats on the surface, and it only requires a long and firm pull to
bring him to solid ground, when the rope being relaxed he quickly
recovers his wind and is ready once more to start on his journey.
Perhaps profiting by this example, a similar means has been adopted with
success for stopping runaway and subduing infuriated horses whether in
riding or driving. It consists of a rein composed partly of
thread-covered cat-gut, and partly of common leather, one end of which
is attached to the bridle at the top of the horse’s head, while the
other rests at the pummel of the saddle, or on the coach box, as the
case may be. Running upon the cat-gut part by means of loops, is a short
cross piece of cat-gut which rests against the windpipe of the animal,
ready to be pulled up against it by taking hold of the nearer end of the
rein. A quick and firm pull, to stop the breathing of the animal, is all
that is necessary to bring him to an instantaneous pause. He may be in a
state of panic, running off with the bit between his teeth in spite of
every ordinary means of checking him: but no sooner does he feel the
stricture on his breathing than he is conscious of being outwitted and
nonplussed and becomes instantly as quiet as a lamb; at the same time he
keeps quite firm upon his legs—the check not being by any means
calculated to bring him down. On the contrary, from the position in
which it places the horse, his shoulders being brought up, and being
pressed back upon his haunches, the check is, indeed, calculated to keep
him up.