THE BAROUCHE, LANDAU, AND BROUGHAM HORSE.
The Victoria, T-cart, light waggonette, or dog-cart horse—The
omnibus and van horse—The cart-horse—The Lincolnshire dray-horse
—The Suffolk punch—The Clydesdale—Scotch breeders 131
CHAPTER I.
METHOD OF HALTERING A COLT.
THAT MOST IN VOGUE—A SCENE—DRIVING A COLT FROM PASTURE—GETTING
HIM INTO THE STABLE—SELECTION OF HALTER—HOW TO TAME LIONS AND
TIGERS—SIGNS OF TEMPER IN A COLT—HOW TO HANDLE HIM—TYING HIM UP
—AN INSTANCE OF A WILD COLT.
CHAPTER I.
METHOD OF HALTERING A COLT.
The first step towards the breaking-in of a horse is placing a halter
upon his head.
There are many methods of doing this in vogue, most of which are by
brute force; for instance, a farmer has a colt he wishes to halter, so
he gets his men together, and drives the colt into a yard or stable; a
man then hangs on to the timid animal by one of his ears and his nose,
another man seizes his tail, whilst three or four more men push against
either side of the poor frightened beast; then ensues a struggle: the
colt, frightened out of his senses and not knowing what is required
of him, fights the half-dozen men clinging to him; he rears, kicks,
bites, and strikes with his fore feet. The men on seeing this, and the
farmer standing near, say he is a savage brute, and must be reduced by
savage means. The colt is then beaten with a broom or pitchfork-handle,
his tail is twisted, and every means of inflicting excruciating pain
is resorted to, which instead of subduing the animal has the reverse
effect; the colt, being driven to madness, struggles and fights until
he vanquishes his foes. There is then a consultation between the farmer
and his men, and at last this ferocious beast is haltered by stratagem,
but throughout all his life he is either vicious or extremely nervous
and shy, for he will never forget his first introduction to mankind,
and the rough usage he then underwent.
I well remember a scene enacted during the above process, and think I
cannot do better than recount it here.
The colt to be haltered was driven into an empty stable, and got into
one of the stalls; the men then all pressed forward to keep him there,
and the above method of haltering was gone through, but the colt being
a game one, kicked a hole through the partition, and knocked some of
the men down. After the men had recovered themselves they began again,
but with this difference, that two of them got the colt’s tail through
the hole in the partition, and hung on to it with might and main,
they being in security on the opposite side of the partition to that
on which the colt was. Thinking it was not my business to interfere
with the owner’s orders, I stood by and watched this process for an
hour and a half, till at last the men being exhausted, and the colt as
game as ever, the owner asked my opinion as to how the animal could be
haltered, on which I told him that if he would withdraw his men I would
halter him myself, which I accordingly did in about a quarter of an
hour.
To proceed with the subject of this chapter: the colt or filly
(throughout this treatise I shall assume that every animal to be
broken-in is a colt, for if I spoke of colts and fillies I should only
confuse myself as well as my readers) to be haltered should be driven
into a yard, stable, or loose box as quietly as possible—the best way
being to lead an old horse, and endeavour to entice the young one to
follow, having one or two men to walk quietly behind to keep him up,
for he might otherwise lag behind and then gallop off by himself in
an opposite direction. If the men follow up quietly, and at a certain
distance (for they must not be too close, or the animal will take
fright and gallop away) the colt will, as a rule, follow his leader.
The most important point is perfect quietness on the part of the men
engaged in this business; they should, however, speak in low soothing
tones to the colt, and do anything they may happen to think of to allay
the fears of the young animal. The men should keep their arms still; in
fact, the best thing they can do is to put their hands in their trouser
pockets, _and keep them there_. They must on no account yell and shout,
but do all they can to prevent the colt thinking they are following
him; in short, they should dissemble as far as possible, and try to
imagine themselves out for a quiet stroll, and that the movements of
the colt before them have nothing in the world to do with them. By this
means a colt can be driven to the place selected to halter him in with
little or no trouble; but let there be any fuss or unusual noise, and
the animal will then, through his instinct, guess that something is
going to happen to him, and will show you a clean pair of heels.
I will now suppose the colt has been driven into a stable with the old
horse, and will also go so far as to suppose that there is a loose box
in the stable. Not more than two men should be in the stable now, one
of them to hold the old horse, and watch his opportunity of leading him
out, and the other to insinuate himself by degrees between the colt and
the old horse, and stop the colt rushing out when he finds the horse is
leaving him. My reason for now removing the old horse is, that whether
in haltering a colt, or during any other process of breaking-in, you
should always dispense with anything that is calculated to draw the
colt’s gaze from yourself, for _you require his undivided attention_.
A child cannot learn his alphabet and play with the animals in his
Noah’s ark at the same time; much less, therefore, can a colt, being
unable to understand what you say to him, learn by your voice, manner,
and caresses, what you wish of him, when there is another horse or
man near him, whose least movement will attract his attention, if not
alarm him, being as he is in a perfectly new position—namely, in close
contact with a man, who as yet he is unable to perceive will hurt him
or not, but his instinct points to the former.
After the removal of the old horse, and the stable door being closed,
one man only should be in the stable with the colt, who will endeavour
to get him into the loose box, the door of which should have been
previously opened. There should be no noise or bustle outside the
stable to distract the colt. The man in the stable must keep quiet, and
allow the colt to smell about and inspect everything, taking advantage
from time to time of any of his movements to manœuvre him into the box.
The great thing is time; take plenty of time, do not hurry, but watch
your opportunities of improving your position. This may be compared to
a General commanding an army in action; he stands quietly watching the
battle, and gives orders to his men to take up such situations as from
time to time he sees will lead to the success of his army.
By degrees the colt gets nearer his loose box, and out of sheer
curiosity walks in to inspect it. Now is your time; walk up quickly but
quietly and close the door. If you make much noise and fuss about it,
the colt will become alarmed and rush out, and then, through your own
fault, you will have to go through the whole performance again.
You had better now leave the colt alone for half an hour or so, that
he may become accustomed to his new quarters, after which you may
endeavour to halter him. Select a halter with a long ‘shank’ (I prefer
one about eight feet in length, if it is much longer it will be an
encumbrance), and tie a knot in it so as to prevent the nose-band
pinching the jaws when the colt pulls at the rope on finding he is
fast. Enter the loose box and close the door, hang the halter up out
of the way of the colt, for it is better to approach him first without
it. Avoid all unnecessary movements of the arms, as they will frighten
the colt; when you take a step, do it slowly and quietly; if you only
take one step in a minute, it will repay you; be deliberate, quiet, and
gentle in every movement. The colt will now be watching you, not being
able to understand what is going to happen. Speak to him soothingly,
and approach gently and slowly. Watch him, do not stare in his eyes
with a ferocious look, as some people do, under the impression that by
so doing they can subdue the wildest animal. I have been told it will
tame a lion or tiger, but I know it will _not_ subdue a horse, for
I have _tried_ it. Do not fix your eye on any one spot on his body,
but keep moving them from his eyes to his ears, from his tail to his
legs, in fact keep them running all over his body, for a man who knows
a horse will understand by any one or combined movements of the above
parts what sort of temper the colt is in, and also in what form he may
expect an attack. For instance, if the colt shake his tail impatiently,
and move one of his hind legs, you may look out for a kicker; if he
arch his neck, lay his ears back, and take short snaps with his mouth,
you must take care he does not bite you; if he paw viciously with his
fore-feet, he probably will strike you if he can. I do not lay these
rules down as facts which are invincible, but that they generally show
in which direction the temper of the colt will be manifested, and thus
the breaker-in can avoid being bitten, kicked, or struck if he keep his
eyes open. As a rule, however, the man should imagine that every colt
has _each and every one of these tricks_, and thus be prepared for any
or all that may present themselves.
I cannot lay down any rule as to what point on the body the hand
should first touch; the best place undoubtedly is the shoulder, but
you must use your own judgment after having watched the animal as to
what part of his body is most accessible. Some colts will allow you
to touch their heads directly, whilst others—and I think they are the
most numerous—present their tails to you. Anyhow, in whichever part
they seem most inclined to allow your first caresses, you must make it
your _rule_ to, by degrees, manipulate _towards the head_; which, after
you have _once_ been permitted to handle freely, you may consider the
battle as won: for are not the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, and
sensation (I have no doubt that the sense of taste has also something
to do with the matter) fully developed in the head? Thus, I make a
point of advising my readers _always_ to make an effort to handle the
head, as by a more intimate and scrutinising inspection of your hand
and body the colt is better enabled to arrive at a fair understanding
with you.
Now that the colt has allowed you to handle him to a certain extent,
and has found you are not going to hurt him, you may leave his side
(quietly and slowly as when you approached him) and get the halter you
previously hung up; but avoid all hurry, jerking of the arms, &c. Hold
the halter in the left hand with the ‘shank’ coiled up, the end of
which you must grasp with the right hand. Approach the colt gently as
before, speaking soothingly to him; place your right hand on any part
of his body which is easiest got at, and work your way gently up to the
neck; spend some time here handling him with your right hand containing
the ‘shank’ end (I am here supposing the man to be on the near side of
the animal, where he ought always to endeavour to be). Having reached
the mane, pay the rope out slowly between your fingers, so that it
will fall on the off side of the neck; when about eighteen inches to a
couple of feet have been worked out through your fingers, you will see
the end of the rope hanging down under the neck on the off side. You
must now keep handling the neck downwards until your hand is close to
the rope’s end, when you must catch it quietly and tie it on the near
side so as to form a noose round the animal’s neck. You can do all this
easily with your one hand as it is all finger work, but if you have
your left hand to help you there would in all probability be a good
deal of elbow movement which would frighten the colt, make him move,
and most likely all your manipulation would have to be gone through
again.
Although as yet the halter is not on the colt’s head, it is virtually
there; for now that you have a rope round his neck you have him to a
certain extent in your power, and the rest is comparatively easy. The
next move is to endeavour to place the halter on his head with your
left hand, whilst you hold the rope in your right, thus have partial
control over the animal. When the halter is near his nose he will ‘bob’
his head, move away, and feeling the constraint of the rope round his
neck for the first time, will struggle and endeavour to drag you to
the other side of the box; but he will soon give in, and then you can
easily place the halter on his head, after which untie the ‘shank’
round his neck, and all is finished.
You must now handle him, pet him, talk to him, and make much of him,
but do not pull at the halter so as to make him fight. In half-an-hour
or so you can slip a leather head-stall over the halter, and remove
the latter. Some people may say: ‘Why do you not put the head-stall on
first instead of taking all this time and bother to put a halter on?’
My answer is this: the halter is easiest put on, for the throat strap
in the head-stall, unlike that of the bridle, is a fixture, and in
placing it on the head this throat strap scrapes along the skin from
the chin to the angle of the jaw, causing the colt uneasiness; and
another drawback is, that in buckling on the head-stall the colt takes
fright, jerks his head, and down drops the head-stall at your feet: but
if you put it on over the halter the colt has by this time got used to
seeing and feeling your hand about his head, and also you can steady
his head with the halter. Again, I think I hear the question: ‘Why do
you take so much time and trouble to tie the halter shank round the
colt’s neck when you might throw a lasso over his head in a second?’
My answer to this is, that I do not wish to frighten the colt, but by
gentleness and kindness to make him repose confidence in me.
If you can spare time, after placing the head-stall on the colt’s
head you may handle him for a time, then place water and food within
his reach, and leave him to himself for the rest of the day to get
accustomed to his new headdress.
On the following day you can handle him quietly in the loose box and
offer him choice locks of hay or corn out of your hand to increase
his intimacy with you, and then you may tie a rope to the head-stall
and fasten him up. He is sure to struggle when he finds himself tied
up, therefore you must not leave him; for if you have done your work
properly he will have already recognised you as a friend and not
a foe, and will, when he hears you speaking to him soothingly and
encouragingly, become quieter by degrees, and will soon cease to
resist. Stay with him for half-an-hour and pet him, then release him,
take off the rope from the head-stall, and leave him to himself. The
day following you can repeat the above, and afterwards let him out in a
yard or paddock by himself for exercise; do not stay with him, but let
him amuse himself as he likes.
He has learnt his lessons very well so far, and will be all the more
fit for future instruction if he is allowed a little recreation. There
is no greater mistake than tying up a colt for half a day at a time; it
makes him disgusted with his lessons and also tends to make him hate
the sight of his instructor, which should always be guarded against.
The wildest colt I ever saw when first handled, was after a fortnight’s
handling so fond of his breaker-in that he would follow him about
wherever he went in an open field, without having any allurements held
out to him in the shape of corn &c.
CHAPTER II.
LONGEING THE COLT.
LEADING IN CIRCLES, SEMICIRCLES, AND IN A STRAIGHT LINE—BITS USED
FOR MOUTHING PURPOSES—MOUTHING BY MACHINERY _VERSUS_ MECHANICAL
MOUTHING—PLACING THE TACKLING ON THE COLT—TEACHING HIM TO PASS
VEHICLES ETC.—SHOEING THE COLT.
CHAPTER II.
LONGEING THE COLT.
The colt may now be ‘longed’ and taught to lead.
Having procured a long cavasson of webbing with a spring swivel at one
end, fasten it to the headstall, open the door of the loose box and
allow the colt to walk out, following him up quietly and regulating
your pace to his, so that he will not feel himself in bondage until
he is outside the stable, otherwise he would, on finding he was not
free, commence to struggle, and might possibly injure himself by
running against the stall posts or slipping upon the stone floor. Once
outside the stable endeavour to get the colt to the place selected for
longeing, which should be as near as possible. Do not pull at him,
but try to get him there by cunningness, that is to say, by taking
advantage of his movements and manœuvring as much as possible to make
him go there of his own accord. Avoid pulling at him until you arrive
at the longing ground, for he is sure to resist and fight, and it is
best that this should not take place before you get to the cleared
space required for his longing, otherwise obstacles such as trees,
gate-posts, &c., will interfere very much in your command over him and
might also injure him. If he should struggle before you have got him
into a clear space, use all your strength to hold him, but keep as
quiet as possible, or he will become so terrified at your struggles as
to fight all the more, and it will become a pitched battle between the
colt at one end of the cavasson and yourself at the other for mastery.
Speak to him quietly, but at the same time keep up a firm steady pull
at him, when, as he has already become accustomed to being tied up,
he will soon give in and leave off struggling. You must now slacken
the cavasson a little, and decrease the distance between you by taking
a few steps quietly towards him, then stand still and talk to him,
when he will soon recover himself and walk off again, of course in
the direction required, for you will have placed him between you and
the longeing ground, thus he will walk away _from_ you to it. Having
arrived at last at the spot selected, take the initiative by planting
your feet firmly and taking a pull at the colt, thus giving him his
first real lesson in submission. He of course will be astonished at
your temerity and struggle, but will soon give in, when you must try
to induce him quietly to walk, trot, or canter as he likes in a circle
round you, the length of the cavasson being the radius of the circle.
It is as well to have a whip with you, but do not use it or even crack
it until every other means have been tried to induce the colt to do as
you wish. As a rule he will give no trouble, but will run round you
at the length of his halter, pulling more or less strongly upon the
cavasson. Keep him at it for a time, and then gradually shorten the
cavasson and stop him, pat him, speak kindly to him, and make much of
him, giving him a handful of corn or anything he may be accustomed
to eat. After having rested him you may start him again but in the
_opposite_ direction, so as not to tire his legs or make him disgusted
with his work. He will soon leave off pulling against you, and when
he becomes a little tired he will get used to your word of command
and will be glad to stop when told to do so, when you should always
approach and make much of him. It is of the utmost importance from the
very beginning to familiarise the colt with certain words to indicate
what you require of him. As soon as he has learnt to start on his
circular trip and continue it without much fuss, you must leave off and
take him back to his loose box, and on no account keep him at his work
until he is really tired, or he will soon become disgusted with it and
will not exert himself on future occasions, or he may turn sulky, which
is worse. After placing him in his box again, leave him to himself with
food and water within his reach. In the afternoon you may give him
another lesson of from three-quarters to an hour in length, according
to circumstances. On the following day you can teach him to lead.
Take the colt on to the longeing ground and make him circle round you;
after a time, when the animal has sobered down a little, you can take
in the cavasson by degrees while you walk round in small circles to the
colt’s larger radius; keep on decreasing the distance between yourself
and the colt until you are within a few feet of him, and then continue
walking round with him as before for a few turns, when you can take
in all the remaining length of cavasson and walk on as before, but
with this difference, that at first you stood still, being in fact a
fixed point representing the centre of the circle, then you described
small circles to his larger ones, whilst now you are walking side by
side with him. Talk to him and pat him, but be very gentle for fear he
should take fright and pull away from you. After the colt has become
accustomed to this and has gone round quietly a few times with you, you
may by pushing against him, gradually cause him imperceptibly to move
in another circle, that is, with him nearest the centre, whilst before
he had been farthest from that point, and so you change his legs and
prevent him from tiring.
Keep changing the direction of the circle from time to time, and when
you think he has learnt how to lead in a circle, or that he is getting
tired, you can lead him back to his box by _circles_. Do not attempt
as yet to induce him to be led in a straight line, for if you do he is
almost sure to fight; he cannot be made to understand everything at
once. So far he has been taught to lead in a circle by stratagem, and
by stratagem he will also be taught to lead in a straight line, but
this must take place by degrees, being postponed to a future day.
Leave him in his loose box until the afternoon, when you can longe him
again, and then by degrees shorten the cavasson as before and lead
him in circles as in the morning, but do not keep him out more than
an hour, after which take him back again in circles. On the next day
you may teach the colt to lead straight. Take him on to the longeing
ground and run him round a few times until he has got rid of his
exuberant spirits, then do as before and lead him round in circles,
changing the direction of the circles from time to time, by degrees
enlarging them; then, instead of leading him round an entire circle,
make semicircles, that is to say, a half circle one way and then a half
circle in the opposite direction, and so on, so that the _centres_ of
these semicircles will be in a straight line. Thus by degrees you can
diminish the _short_ diameters of these semicircles, at the same time
increasing their _long_ diameters in length, so as to form semi-ovals,
and by continuing to lengthen them you will in time have imperceptibly
gained a _straight_ line. When you have to turn him do so in a sweeping
curve, and gradually get him into the straight line again. Keep him at
this some time, for this walking exercise will not tire him, and he
will get used to you and to his work. In the afternoon you can repeat
the lesson, and also on the day or two following, until he leads well.
On the second day of leading him in a straight line you should carry
a whip, to teach him always to walk with his shoulder opposite yours;
his head should always be in front of you, and your body should be
level with his fore-arm and shoulder, otherwise if you allow his head
to be level with you he will by degrees hang back, and you will teach
him to drag on you, and for ever afterwards when being led you will
have to _pull_ him along. To prevent this fault you must lead him with
the cavasson in your right hand, and with your left hand containing
the whip, whenever his shoulder drops behind yours, you must strike
him gently _behind_ you, when he will come into his proper position
immediately. By doing this and watching him carefully, you will in a
few days teach him to lead well, keep his shoulder always level with
yours, and not hang back, and thus prevent him in after days from being
_pulled_ along, and save him much ill-usage and beating. In two or
three days he will lead well, and then you may put the tackling on
him, which will consist of a roller, a crupper, and a bit. The roller
is nothing more than a surcingle having that part which corresponds to
the saddle well padded, having on each side of it on a level with the
sides of the withers a buckle for the reins, and behind, in the centre
line, a D for the crupper, which should near the tail have a buckle on
the near side of it, or it may be as well to have one on either side.
The buckle greatly facilitates placing the crupper under the tail, as
it can be put round its root easily, instead of having to be drawn over
its whole length from the tip to the root, hair and all.
As to the best bit, everyone has his particular fancy in this respect.
Some advocate a large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its
central ring; others a large smooth straight bit; others a straight
bit with rollers on its mouthpiece; others a large straight bit the
mouthpiece of which is of wood; others a circular bit consisting of a
smooth ring with a loop on its upper surface at either side for its
attachment to the bridle, whilst others again believe in a bit having
a smooth semicircular mouthpiece. I will now mention these bits in
their reverse order. The semicircular bit being only a modification
of the circular, I may treat the two as one. Allowing, as they do, no
relief to the gums and mouth, through their continued pressure on them,
they are not qualified to give a colt a good mouth, but at the same
time they are most admirable bits for the use of grooms leading horses
out for exercise, or even for the horses they ride during exercise, as
they are least calculated to spoil a mouth of any bits with which I
am acquainted, and as it is a notorious fact that almost every groom
(and a good many gentlemen too) hangs on by the bit instead of by the
muscular power of his legs, of course the bit which is least severe on
a horse’s mouth, and calculated to do least damage to it, is the best.
Therefore I can confidently recommend both these bits for exercise
work, watering bridles, and in fact for any stable work.
The straight bit having a wooden mouthpiece I also object to, for
by being softened with the saliva in the mouth, it is easily torn
and roughened during the process of ‘champing,’ (for every colt will
play with his bit as a rule,) and whenever it comes in contact with
his teeth a wooden bit is more or less lacerated, thus presenting a
roughened surface, which is anything but conducive to the formation of
a good mouth.
The next on the list is a straight bit with smooth rollers or rings on
its mouth-piece, which are for the purpose of preventing the colt from
sliding his mouth from one side of the bit to the other. This may be
all very well in theory, but here prevention is _not_ better than cure,
for the colt will so injure his lips and gums as to make him either
hard-mouthed or extremely sensitive, so much so in fact that the least
pull on his mouth will make him throw up his head instantly, and thus
not being able to see where he is going to is the cause of many an
accident. This is the bit which brings martingales so much into use,
from its having been used during the so-called mouthing of the colt.
The next bit under consideration is the large, smooth, straight one,
with keys hanging from its centre. So far I have condemned all the
bits I have mentioned, but this one will not allow of a mere mention
and then a dismissal, it having its strong points, and in my opinion,
its weak ones also. Its advocates say it prevents the colt from being
mouthed irregularly, or in other words that the colt cannot relieve
the pressure on its mouth by alternately leaning on either side of
the bit. This, I must say, is not reasonable, for if the animal only
arches his neck a little more, and turns his head to the right when
he is tied with the reins to the roller, the pressure of the bit
will be on the _left_ side, thus relieving the right side, and _vice
versâ_. Again, these bits seldom fit the colt’s mouth, and consequently
they either pinch and hurt the mouth, or are much too wide, which is
generally the case, thus teaching the animal to slide his mouth on it
from side to side, for which trick the straight mouth-piece with rings
has been invented for its eradication. When I say that the colt can,
by keeping his tongue more or less elevated in his mouth, prevent all
pressure of this bit on his gums and lips, I think I may pass it over
as incompetent for the object in view, namely a good mouth.
The next, and last bit to be considered is the large smooth snaffle,
with keys depending from its central ring.
I consider this to be the best bit as yet invented for mouthing a
colt. No movement of the tongue can raise it from the gums or lips,
the colt can play with it with ease, and seems to enjoy it, instead of
continually fighting with it more or less, as he does with the others
already mentioned, with the exception of the circular or semicircular
bits. Some people may say it causes an unequal mouth, but I maintain
that it does not, for if, as already described, the animal arches his
neck and turns his head to the right, undoubtedly the _pressure_ of
the bit will be on the left side, but the _weight_ of the right half
of the bit will still be on the right side of the mouth, which cannot
be the case with a straight mouth-piece. Again, it is not of so much
consequence as to whether this sort of bit fits the colt’s mouth
or not, provided it is placed in the proper place in the mouth, as
the weights of each half depending from their centres will keep the
pressure on both sides equal. The great mistake made in mouthing a
colt is that the animal is tied up too long with the bit in his mouth,
for when muscular contraction is exhausted he is forced through sheer
fatigue to _lean upon the bit_, and thus lay the stepping stone to a
hard mouth.
Men think now-a-days they can mouth a colt by machinery. They tie his
head up and down in the most intricate manner, put a great bit in his
mouth, and if the bit is not considered heavy enough, a bag of shot is
tied to each side of it. The animal is then forced to stand in a stall
with his head tightly buckled up to the roller, and there he is made
to stand, fastened to the pillar reins, in a fixed position for hours
at a time. No wonder that half the horses in England have mouths like
cast-iron. Colts cannot be mouthed by machinery, but only by proper
handling in the saddle. It is of no use going through all the elaborate
process now in vogue of _stable_ mouthing, india-rubber dumb jockeys,
reins, &c. It is the man’s _hands_ only which can do so, but at the
same time I must confess it is a difficult thing to find a man with
good and light hands. Perhaps this system of mechanical mouthing may
have had something to do with hardening men’s hands as well as horses’
mouths.
I may now describe the proper position for the bit in the mouth. It
should not be drawn up tightly into the angle of the lips, neither
should it be so slack as to be among the incisor teeth, but it should
be exactly opposite the _groove_ in the chin where the curb-chain ought
to be when used. I think I need not tell my readers how to put the
roller on the colt; the only things required are to take time, be as
gentle as possible, and take care not to buckle it on tight at first,
but leave it loose for the first two or three days. To put the crupper
on, all that is required is to unbuckle it on the near side, elevate
the tail, place it in its proper position, and then buckle it up again.
There will be no trouble in placing the roller or crupper on the colt
if he has been previously treated as advocated by me, for by this time
he will have become tolerably quiet through having been gently handled
daily. Most people fasten the bit to the head-stall, which I object
to; for when you lead or longe the colt the cavasson is attached to
the nose-band either before, behind, or on either side of it, which
necessarily must displace the bit more or less; therefore I much prefer
a bridle with the bit attached to be placed under the head-stall, when
there will be no fear of displacing the bit. Do not fasten reins to the
bit for the first day or two, but lead the colt out without them, for
he will have enough to do to get used to the constraint of bit, roller,
and crupper. When you have placed the tackling on the young animal,
you may let him stand in the loose box for half-an-hour to familiarise
himself with the objects on his body, when he can be taken to the
longing ground, and run round for a time in different directions, after
which lead him about for an hour or two. In the afternoon you can longe
him a little, and then lead him out of the field and take him along a
road or lane to accustom him to see and pass strange objects. The road
selected for his first lesson should be the quietest that can be found
near the longing ground. When he is startled at a heap of stones, a log
of wood, or any other object, he must be spoken to quietly and patted,
but above all allow him plenty of time to examine minutely the object
which has frightened him, when, after a time, he will approach it,
smell it, and touch it with his nose, thus allaying all his fears; he
may then be led backwards and forwards past the place a few times, and
proceed on his journey. For the day following you will have to longe
him, and then lead him along the road both morning and afternoon.
Always commence the day’s work by longeing, so as to take some of the
‘gas’ out of the colt and sober him down a little before he begins
his daily lessons, otherwise he will be so full of play as to pay no
attention to your teaching. On the third day you may attach reins to
the bit and buckle them to the roller, but be sure you leave them very
slack; you may also lead him about in more frequented roads, and if he
has been tolerably quiet so far, you can take him through a village or
town, and thus accustom him to objects in a new sphere of life. For a
fortnight after the first tackling took place, your work will be to
lead him about roads, towns, and even take him to railway stations to
get accustomed to the trains. Take the reins up a hole every other
day until his head is carried perpendicularly, but then stop, do not
take them up the eighth of an inch more. At the expiration of the
fortnight you must longe him with the cavasson attached alternately to
either side of the bit, so as to teach the animal side pressure, for
so far he has only been undergoing direct pressure. It is as well to
count how many circles he goes on one side of the bit, and then give
him a corresponding number on the other to prevent his mouth becoming
one-sided or, in other words, having one side of his mouth _more_ or
_less_ sensitive than the other. Do not keep him at this long, or his
mouth will become very tender and sore, but occupy the remainder of
the time in leading about the roads &c. Continue doing this for two
or three days, and then, having procured long reins, drive him about
on the longing ground or in a field, turning him from time to time
from one side to the other, stopping him every now and then to get him
accustomed to his work, and if you do not pull at him too much, but
allow him plenty of play with his head, he will in two or three days
have a very fair mouth. After the first day of using reins you may
drive him about the roads instead of leading him.
Of course, during all this time—in fact, from the haltering of the
colt—you will have been freely handling him daily, lifting first his
fore-feet and striking them with your hand, at first gently, to get him
used to the hammer, and afterwards, when this has been accomplished
with facility, the same has been done to the hind ones; and after
the colt has been taught to drive in reins, it is time he was shod
preparatory to mounting him.
In mouthing a colt he should never be placed in a stall and fastened
to the pillar reins, as is too often the practice now-a-days, for it
only teaches him to lean upon the bit and slide his mouth from one side
of it to the other, thus teaching him a habit to counteract which the
ringed mouthpiece has been invented. A day should be fixed for shoeing
the colt, and an arrangement made with the blacksmith to shoe him at
a certain hour; for if this is neglected, the animal may have to wait
his turn whilst three or four other horses are undergoing the process.
Before taking him to the blacksmith’s shop at the hour appointed, the
colt must be well longed so as to get him sobered down a little; and
if he is a very nervous fidgety animal, he should be longed until he is
really tired. If on arriving at the shop the blacksmith is not quite
ready for him, do not tie him up, but lead him up and down until he
is wanted; and then, during the process of shoeing, stand by him and
do all you can to soothe and allay his fears, at the same time taking
care that the smith performs his work as quietly as possible. If he is
very refractory, get his fore-feet shod and leave the hind ones for the
following day.
After the colt has been shod and has been driven about the roads in
reins for a few days to get him used to going in shoes, he may be got
ready for mounting, but that will require a fresh chapter.
CHAPTER III.
SADDLING THE COLT.
THE COMMON MARTINGALE—THE FRENCH MARTINGALE—THE PROPER POSITION
FOR THE BIT IN THE MOUTH—RIDERS WITH AND WITHOUT HANDS—DITTO
WITH AND WITHOUT SEATS—MOUNTING—THE FIRST RIDE—REMARKS ON GROOMS
AND COACHMEN—HOW TO PASS A HEAP OF STONES—WHEN TO USE WHIP AND
SPUR—MOUTHING—HORSE-TAMING—CAPTAIN CUTTLE’S FIG-TREE.
CHAPTER III.
SADDLING THE COLT.
The colt must now be saddled. Allow him first to look at, smell, and
feel the saddle, then place it gently on his back, draw the girths up,
at first very slackly, put on the crupper with the buckle as before,
and a breastplate. I object to a martingale, my reason for which I
shall mention further on. At first do not put on any stirrup-straps or
stirrups, as they will only act as alarmants to the colt. After petting
him for a time in the loose box, tighten the girths moderately, and
lead him out for a time, and then longe him to accustom him to the
flapping of the saddle; after which drive him about the roads with the
saddle on. Repeat this in the afternoon. On the following day do as
before, but attach stirrup-irons and straps to the saddle; you may also
fasten a strap on either side of the flank to the crupper, so as to
get the animal used to having objects touching and dangling from him.
Repeat this in the afternoon, and also on the following day, when the
colt will be ready for mounting.
Before mounting, longe the colt well with the saddle on, then take him
back to his loose box, and put on a French, or as some people call
it, a Dutch martingale, consisting simply of a couple of rings joined
together, through which the reins pass. To make this clearer for such
of my readers who may not have seen one, I will describe how this is
done. Unfasten the buckle in the centre of the reins, and pass each
rein through a different ring, then buckle the reins together again
over the withers, the rings or French martingale will then be between
the colt’s chin and his breast. I much prefer this French martingale
to the one in ordinary use, which has two straps with rings at their
extremities buckled on to the breastplate, through which the reins
pass, for with the former you are able to steady the colt’s head
without constraining it, which is the worst thing you can do when first
riding a young animal; while the latter fixes the head too much in one
position, and also tends to make him carry it far too low, when all
attempts to mouth him are useless, for the bit will then be in the
_angle of the lips_, the very place where it ought not to be.
There is also a danger should the colt fight much, especially with his
fore-feet, of their becoming entangled in the martingale or reins. Men
put the common martingale on when riding a young colt, for the simple
reason that it gives them a good purchase, and thus enables them to
hold on; a man who requires this aid to keep him in the saddle should
never attempt to break-in a colt, that is, if he wishes him to have a
good mouth, or one only a little removed from cast-iron. If a man can
sit a colt without any pressure on the reins, he will probably be able
to mouth the animal well, provided he has certain other qualities, such
as patience, knack, &c., for a man who can retain his seat without the
aid of the reins has, as a general rule, light hands; while on the
contrary, the man who relies upon the reins to secure him his seat in
the saddle, has neither hands nor seat, and the sooner he contents
himself with riding the horse nature gave him—to wit, his own legs—the
better, for he will only spoil every horse he crosses, provided they
have not been already spoilt by some other bad rider.
To return to the subject. After having put on the ring martingale, see
that everything is right about the colt. Look to the girths, that they
may not be slack, see that the crupper is neither too tight or too
loose, and that no hairs have gathered under it, and satisfy yourself
that everything is as it ought to be, even to the buckles of the
bridle. Then gathering up the reins in your left hand, and standing
with your left side to his shoulder, place your left foot in the
stirrup, and gradually bear weight upon it, when after a while you
may raise yourself in the stirrup, so that both your legs are off the
ground. You must watch minutely every movement of the animal, and speak
gently and soothingly to him. After standing in the stirrup for a few
seconds, lower yourself to the ground again, and then repeat the same
a few times, until the colt seems quiet and used to it, when you may
throw your right leg gently over his back, taking care not to touch him
with it, and placing all your weight on your right hand, grasping the
pommel of the saddle. When your leg is over his back, lower it quietly
into its proper position, but keep it from touching the animal’s side
until you have gently seated yourself in the saddle, then put your foot
in the stirrup and there you are. Now do not spoil everything by trying
to make the colt progress, but sit still, talk to him, pat him, and do
everything you can to pacify the animal, and get him used to seeing you
take such liberties with him as sitting on his back; for, mind you, he
feels an insult as much as you do. If a stranger were to jump on your
back, you would immediately resent it by trying to get him off, and
by fighting him; but if a friend were to do the same thing you would
laugh, and if you did not exactly enjoy the joke, at any rate you would
not resent it. The same with the colt. If you get on his back and urge
him forward, he thinks you are taking a liberty, and as such are an
enemy, and therefore tries his best to get rid of you; but on the other
hand, if you sit still and speak kindly to him, he will recognise your
action as that of a friend, although he may not actually laugh. After
having sat on him a few minutes, you may get off, but very quietly, so
as not to frighten him. Release your right foot from the stirrup, keep
the leg from the animal’s side, and raise it to a level with his back,
then gradually lower it on the near side until you are standing in the
near stirrup. Pause here a few seconds, make much of him, and then
lower yourself to the ground, take your left foot out of the stirrup,
and then handle and fondle the colt. Repeat this a few times, and then
lead him out to the longing ground, as that most familiar to him, and
where he has learnt his several acts of subordination, which latter is
not the least beneficial aid, for he will recognise it as the scene of
such to you. You must now mount him in the same quiet manner as before,
but sit still, talk to him, and above all do not urge him forward, for
if you do he will generally fight, plunge, rear, buck or kick, and
then unless you are a good rider he will send you sprawling on mother
earth. A fight at this juncture should always be avoided, for if he
throws you he will know he is the conqueror, and will most likely be
a kicker, a rearer, &c., for some time to come, if not for life; but,
on the other hand, if you get the better of him it may so cow him that
it will be a long time before he gets out of the sulks, or he may be a
‘slug’ and mean-spirited horse for the remainder of his days. Therefore
avoid making him worse, for if you only give him time he will most
likely walk off of his own accord, and if on the longing ground will
probably walk or jig-jog round the circular track through sheer custom,
or he may take a path of his own, but whether he chooses the circular
path or one of his own, do not check him, but allow him to go where he
likes for a time, of course gradually sheering him off with the reins
until he goes where _you_ like. Do not pull at him, let him have all
the reins you can, your only control being gradual guidance from side
to side. Never mind his taking large corners, you are not mouthing him
as yet, but getting him used to carry you, and by degrees cajoling him
into going where you require him. You must not force him, or there will
be an open fight, which is to be avoided for the first few days after
first mounting, but little by little cause him to go in your direction,
but so imperceptibly as to make him believe it is of his own free will
he is going there.
It has been my theory from the commencement of this little treatise so
to work as to cajole and manœuvre the colt into following your wishes,
that they are so imperceptibly gained that he does not notice them as
acts of actual obedience, for they have come upon him in so gradual a
manner that there having been no fight over the matter he imagines the
actions to have been of his own free will. Of course there must be an
open rupture sooner or later which will undeceive him, but this should
be avoided with all possible care until he has been mounted a week
if possible. Ride the animal about the field for an hour or an hour
and a half quietly, not going out of a walk or jig-jog, and then take
him back to his loose box, and repeat the same in the afternoon, your
object at present being to get him used to your weight on his back, and
to gradual guidance; you are not trying to mouth him, or attempting to
teach him his paces. ‘Little by little,’ and ‘Perseverando,’ are my
mottoes, and ought to be those of every man who undertakes to break-in
a colt. It is very much like bringing up a child; you cannot give a
child an adult’s thoughts at one lesson, or teach him right from
wrong, but must continue it over a long course of years; and if you
correct a child harshly, or beat him without showing where his fault
lies and reasoning with him, he will either show fight as best he
can—for he does not _understand_ what he has done wrong or _why_ it is
wrong—or else he turns sulky and broods over his wrongs, which latter
I hold to be worse than the former; and this holds good in the horse,
for a sulky colt is much harder to overcome and requires much more
patience than one which breaks out in open fight, for when the fight is
over it is over, but with a sulky one there is no knowing how long it
may last. As it is best to reason with a child, and prove to him that
he is wrong, instead of whipping him, so is it best to teach a horse
by degrees what is required of him, for he cannot be reasoned with,
but must learn step by step the lessons given him. If you endeavour
to teach him too much at once, or in too rapid strides, he _cannot
understand_, and therefore when you punish or reprimand him he turns
sulky, or shows fight, and very naturally too, for he does not know why
he has been punished after doing his best to please you.
Ride the colt for the three following days (morning and afternoon)
about the field so as to avoid a fight with him caused by passing
carriages, carts, or any other objects which might alarm him, and by
so doing he will gradually become accustomed to the guidance of the
reins and understand the pressure of the heels and other little signs,
imparting to him the pace and direction in which he is to move, after
which he can be ridden on the road. It is best to select a good wide
road, and to avoid all narrow ones and lanes for a time, until he is
handy at passing vehicles &c., for if you meet a cart in a lane there
is very little room for him to pass it by, and as he is almost sure to
dance about a little there is always some danger of his hurting himself
against the wheel or some projecting part of the cart; but on the
other hand, if the road be wide there is no such danger, and he will
also be got past any object which may frighten him much easier, and
the chances of having a fight with him are thus reduced to a minimum.
Always avoid a fight if possible by every means in your power, for
instance, if a carriage is coming very fast towards you, either from
behind or in front, and you think it calculated to frighten your pupil
very much, you can by raising your hand show the coachman that you wish
him to drive quietly until he has passed you, and you will find that in
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred he is civil enough to comply with
your mute request, but the hundredth deserves—— Well, perhaps the
less said about his deserts the better, for I suppose it is impossible
to find a flock of human beings without one black sheep amongst them,
above all amongst grooms and coachmen, who as a class are the most
ignorant and bigoted men on the face of the earth; there are, however,
some few trustworthy excellent men among them, but they are very few
and far between.
If on nearing a heap of stones or any other object, such as a woman’s
petticoat or other garments drying on a hedge, at which the colt seems
inclined to be frightened, do not flog him past but speak kindly to
him and pat him, do not hurry, but let the animal take his own time,
and you will find by degrees that he will take a step or two towards
it, and at last get close to and possibly touch it with his nose after
having smelt it; then you must ride him backwards and forwards past it
a few times, and when he has ceased to notice it continue on your way.
You will of course have a fight some time or other, for the colt may
wish at some cross roads to choose one for himself, irrespective of any
choice on your part, or he may wish to follow some horse on the road
before him, and refuse to leave an animal feeding by the roadside, but
in whichever mode he disputes your authority you must undeceive him,
and that _thoroughly and at once_. If he requires whip and spur, let
him have them, but remember, never allow him to get the upper hand
of you, for if so, you may just as well turn him out and leave off
breaking, until you have found a man who _can_ master him, for he will
have found out his own strength and will not forget it in a hurry. If
it takes you half a day or even a whole one to make him do as you wish,
it will be time well spent.
After having ridden him for a fortnight, you may discontinue the
mouthing bit, and in its stead use an ordinary plain snaffle, taking
care to select as large a one as possible, for if it is too fine it
will hurt the animal’s mouth, and either render it dull or extremely
sensitive.
If a colt is well broken at first there will be no necessity in after
life to resort to such means as those which Rarey introduced, or the
dodging process of M. Carriès as mentioned in the ‘Pall Mall Gazette,’
the paragraph concerning which I here reproduce:—
‘=Horse Taming.=—History repeats itself in horse-taming, it appears,
as well as in other matters. Mr. Rarey and Cruiser have met with their
match in M. Carriès and Trocadéro. Trocadéro, son of Monarque and
Antonio, has of late exhibited symptoms of the most fearful ferocity;
and “about two months ago,” according to “Le Sport,” M. Aumont “met
M. Carriès,” who offered to tame the animal. M. Aumont, having inquired
whether the means employed would not be drugs or such violence as might
injure the horse or render him still more furious, and having received
an assurance that nothing of the kind would be used, he consented; and,
at a time agreed upon, a visit was paid to the stud at Victat-Pontfol,
and the experiments began. The first thing was to enter the horse-box.
This M. Carriès did, in presence of M. Aumont and all the “stable,”
who “s’attendait à le voir dévoré.” An exciting “duel” ensued; the
horse rushing, time after time, with open mouth and with “hennissements
féroces,” at M. Carriès, who merely dodged him by rapid movements
aside, as the toreador dodges the bull. After ten of these attacks
so met, “the animal suddenly stopped to contemplate the audacious
individual who braved him in this manner, and was at once seized with
the nervous trembling which comes over ‘le lutteur aux prises avec un
adversaire contre lequel ses moyens habituels ont échoué. Trocadéro
était dompté!’” And M. Carriès took advantage of the horse’s stupor
to put a saddle and bridle upon him, after which Trocadéro submitted
like a lamb to have his fore-feet shod, and ultimately his hind-feet,
without more ado. The dodging process of M. Carriès certainly beats for
simplicity even the throwing-down process of Mr. Rarey; but it might
be awkward if the tamer were to meet with a horse less susceptible
of “stupeur” than Trocadéro appears to be. The question suggested by
all these horse-taming feats, however, is whether they could not be
rendered altogether unnecessary by care taken in the original training,
and whether, as regards the trainer and the method he adopts towards
his four-legged pupils, the gist of the whole matter does not lie in
what has been said by a French authority:—“S’il est brutal, le poulain
deviendra farouche, violent, et méfiant; si, au contraire, il sait
mettre l’animal en confiance, la bonne entente s’établira promptement.”
It certainly seems that, if a horse in his years of discretion, or
rather maturity, and of confirmed viciousness, can be tamed so readily
by a resolute but gentle master, there ought to be little or no
difficulty in training him up during foalhood, like Captain Cuttle’s
fig-tree, in the way he should go, so that when he is old he would not
depart from it.’
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.
THE WALK—IGNORANCE OF ENGLISHMEN AS TO THE VALUE OF THE
WALK—AUSTRALIAN WALKING HORSES—THE TROT—THE JIG-JOG—THE FLYING
TROT—LADIES’ TROTTERS—THE CANTER—LADIES’ ROCKING HORSES—THE
GALLOP—TRAINERS.
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.
Now that the colt has been mounted and more or less mouthed during his
fortnight’s road work, he must be taught his paces, viz., how to walk,
trot, canter, and gallop properly. Ambling, pacing, and running not
being in vogue in this country, I shall make no mention of them.
=The Walk.=—It is of great importance to teach a horse to walk well;
there is nothing more disagreeable than riding a horse that walks as
if he was crawling to his own funeral, or one which will not walk, but
prefers to shake the life out of you with a jig-jog. People in this
country do not place so much value on the walk as they would if they
had long journeys to go. The Australians, on the contrary, who live in
the saddle, appreciate a good walking horse, and will give a good deal
more for a walker than they will for one that is not. An Australian
may be travelling a long distance, or in search of lost sheep, cattle,
or horses; in either case the pace would be slow, and probably the
distance covered daily from forty to forty-five miles, or perhaps more,
and to ride a horse day after day for this distance, which will not
walk, but only jig-jog, is simply martyrdom. Therefore those men who
break-in horses for their own use take very great pains to teach them
to walk well. In England the average pace of a horse which has any
pretensions to walking is about four miles an hour, and I very much
doubt if the best ever get to five. In Australia, where horses are
_educated_ to walk, good walkers can do their six miles an hour. The
Americans _educate_ their horses to trot, and beat us at that pace. A
good Australian walking horse will be able to keep up five miles an
hour for the distance of twenty miles; and for a long distance, say
a journey of two or three hundred miles, doing from thirty to fifty
miles daily, he will walk four and a half miles an hour. In fact a
bushman knows to a mile how far he has gone by consulting his watch
only, for he is able to tell through experience the pace his horse is
walking at, just in the same way that a jockey judges the speed of his
race-horse. At all the largest horse-shows in the Australian Colonies,
special prizes are given for the best walking horses.
To teach a horse to walk well is a very easy matter, only requiring
patience, time, and a certain amount of knack. The reins must not be
drawn up tightly, but on the contrary they must be slack, and only so
drawn up as just to feel the colt’s mouth and no more. A horse cannot
extend himself and walk fast if he has not his head, which holds good
with respect to any pace, for a horse can neither gallop, trot, or walk
at his best, if his head is confined. When commencing to teach a horse
to walk, the only thing to be done is to prevent him from indulging
in the jig-jog; and to prevent this every time he does so, he must
be brought up to the walk again by means of pressure on the bit. No
endeavour should now be made at fast walking; the only thing to be done
is to make him walk in _some_ style or other, and to prevent him from
breaking. A man who is used to this work will _feel_ the colt is going
to break, or wants to do so, and so will be in readiness to prevent
him, or at least prevent him breaking badly. It will take a month or
more before the colt is tolerably free from breaking, but as soon as he
has got to understand he is not to do so, and his breaks grow less in
number, he may be taught to increase the speed of his walk by pressure
of the heel or spur. You should not use a whip, for it generally causes
them to break. As soon as he has recovered his break, slack the reins
again and urge him to his fastest walk, which in time will be double
what it was at first. The colt should not be sickened of one pace, but
after walking a mile he must be trotted or cantered for half a mile,
and then drawn up to the walk again. When a colt is being taught his
paces, he should not be out long; if he gets an hour of it twice daily,
and is made to do his best all the time, it will be plenty for him.
When he is walking he must be made to do his best, and when he gets a
trot or canter to rest him from walking, he should be made to do that
also in his best form. By so doing he is taught to exert himself, and
to learn that he must not move in a slovenly manner, and at the same
time, although the chief subject at present is to teach him to walk,
he is also being initiated into the proper method of trotting and
cantering. Although he will, in three or four months, be a fair walker,
it will be a year, or perhaps two, before he has attained perfection.
The Americans do not count months, but years, in educating a horse
to trot. To get a horse at his best pace requires time, and time and
patience alone can accomplish it.
=The Trot.=—There are three kinds of trot: the jog-trot or jig-jog, the
true trot, and the flying-trot. The jog-trot is a most uncomfortable
pace, and is not faster than a walk; the flying-trot is that indulged
in by the Americans, and by our own countrymen in trotting-matches,
but as the true trot is the only one used by the bulk of the people
in this country, I shall confine myself to describing the method of
teaching the colt the proper mode of progressing in that pace. The
jog-trot is a modification of the true trot, whilst the flying-trot is
an exaggeration of it; therefore the true trot is the medium, and the
best for all purposes with the exception of race trotting.
To teach a colt the true trot, the reins should not be held slack as in
walking, but should be well gathered up to make the animal place his
hind legs well under him, and also cause him to lift his fore limbs
higher, thus giving him knee action; the great beauty and comfort in
the trot being free action, and as an extreme pace is not required,
comfort and looks are placed in the scale against flying speed. The
animal should be urged forward by voice, heel, or spur, at the same
time being kept in check by the bit; he is thus forced to expend his
increased exertions in the air, or in other words, he will trot with
higher action, although his speed will be little or no faster than
before. He should not be trotted more than half a mile at a time, but
whilst trotting must do so in his best form, and when walked between
his trots, he must do that also in his best style.
What I have already said under the head of walking, with reference to
the time to be occupied daily in teaching a colt his paces, applies
equally to the trot and other paces, for a colt, if tired, cannot be
taught his paces, and will only be spoilt if persevered with when
fatigued; therefore make him do his best all the time, at whatever
different paces he is put, but avoid tiring him.