The first domestication of the horse, one of the greatest achievements of
man in the animal kingdom, was not the work of a day; but like all other
great accomplishments, was brought about by a gradual process of
discoveries and experiments. He first subdued the more subordinate
animals, on account of their being easily caught and tamed, and used for
many years the mere drudges, the ox, the ass, and the camel, instead of
the fleet and elegant horse. This noble animal was the last brought into
subjection, owing, perhaps, to man's limited and inaccurate knowledge of
his nature, and his consequent inability to control him. This fact alone
is sufficient evidence of his superiority over all other animals.
Man, in all his inventions and discoveries, has almost invariably
commenced with some simple principle, and gradually developed it from one
degree of perfection to another. The first hint that we have of the use of
electricity was Franklin's drawing it from the clouds with his kite. Now
it is the instrument of conveying thought from mind to mind, with a
rapidity that surpasses time. The great propelling power that drives the
wheel of the engine over our land, and ploughs the ocean with our
steamers, was first discovered escaping from a tea-kettle. And so the
powers of the horse, second only to the powers of steam, became known to
man only as experiments, and investigation revealed them.
The horse, according to the best accounts we can gather, has been the
constant servant of man for nearly four thousand years, ever rewarding him
with his labor and adding to his comfort in proportion to his skill and
manner of using him; but being to those who govern him by brute force, and
know nothing of the beauty and delight to be gained from the cultivation
of his finer nature, a fretful, vicious, and often dangerous servant;
whilst to the Arabs, whose horse is the pride of his life, and who governs
him by the law of kindness, we find him to be quite a different animal.
The manner in which he is treated from a foal gives him an affection and
attachment for his master not known in any other country. The Arab and his
children, the mare and her foal, inhabit the tent together; and although
the foal and the mare's neck are often pillows for the children to roll
upon, no accident ever occurs, the mare being as careful of the children
as of the colt. Such is the mutual attachment between the horse and his
master, that he will leave his companions at his master's call, ever glad
to obey his voice. And when the Arab falls from his horse, and is unable
to rise again, he will stand by him and neigh for assistance; and if he
lays down to sleep, as fatigue sometimes compels him to do in the midst of
the desert, his faithful steed will watch over him, and neigh to arouse
him if man or beast approaches. The Arabs frequently teach their horses
secret signs or signals, which they make use of on urgent occasions to
call forth their utmost exertions. These are more efficient than the
barbarous mode of urging them on with the spur and whip, a forcible
illustration of which will be found in the following anecdote.
A Bedouin, named Jabal, possessed a mare of great celebrity. Hassad Pacha,
then Governor of Damascus, wished to buy the animal, and repeatedly made
the owner the most liberal offers, which Jabal steadily refused. The Pacha
then had recourse to threats, but with no better success. At length, one
Gafar, a Bedouin of another tribe, presented himself to the Pacha, and
asked what he would give the man who should make him master of Jabal's
mare? "I will fill his horse's nose-bag with gold," replied Hassad. The
result of this interview having gone abroad; Jabal became more watchful
than ever, and always secured his mare at night with an iron chain, one
end of which was fastened to her hind fetlock, whilst the other, after
passing through the tent cloth, was attached to a picket driven in the
ground under the felt that served himself and wife for a bed. But one
midnight, Gafar crept silently into the tent, and succeeded in loosening
the chain. Just before starting off with his prize, he caught up Jabal's
lance, and poking him with the butt end, cried out: "I am Gafar! I have
stolen your noble mare, and will give you notice in time." This warning
was in accordance with the customs of the Desert; for to rob a hostile
tribe is considered an honorable exploit, and the man who accomplishes it
is desirous of all the glory that may flow from the deed. Poor Jabal, when
he heard the words, rushed out of the tent and gave the alarm, then
mounting his brother's mare, accompanied by some of his tribe, he pursued
the robber for four hours. The brother's mare was of the same stock as
Jabal's but was not equal to her; nevertheless, he outstripped those of
all the other pursuers, and was even on the point of overtaking the
robber, when Jabal shouted to him: "Pinch her right ear and give her a
touch of the heel." Gafar did so, and away went the mare like lightning,
speedily rendering further pursuit hopeless. The _pinch in the ear_ and
the _touch with the heel_ were the secret signs by which Jabal had been
used to urge his mare to her utmost speed. Jabal's companions were amazed
and indignant at his strange conduct. "O thou father of a jackass!" they
cried, "thou hast helped the thief to rob thee of thy jewel." But he
silenced their upbraidings by saying: "I would rather lose her than sully
her reputation. Would you have me suffer it to be said among the tribes
that another mare had proved fleeter than mine? I have at least this
comfort left me, that I can say she never met with her match."
Different countries have their different modes of horsemanship, but
amongst all of them its first practice was carried on in but a rude and
indifferent way, being hardly a stepping stone to the comfort and delight
gained from the use of the horse at the present day. The polished Greeks
as well as the ruder nations of Northern Africa, for a long while rode
without either saddle or bridle, guiding their horses, with the voice or
the hand, or with a light switch with which they touched the animal on the
side of the face to make him turn in the opposite direction. They urged
him forward by a touch of the heel, and stopped him by catching him by the
muzzle. Bridles and bits were at length introduced, but many centuries
elapsed before anything that could be called a saddle was used. Instead of
these, cloths, single or padded, and skins of wild beasts, often richly
adorned, were placed beneath the rider, but always without stirrups; and
it is given as an extraordinary fact, that the Romans even in the times
when luxury was carried to excess amongst them, never desired so simple an
expedient for assisting the horseman to mount, to lessen his fatigue and
aid him in sitting more securely in his saddle. Ancient sculptors prove
that the horsemen of almost every country were accustomed to mount their
horses from the right side of the animal, that they might the better grasp
the mane, which hangs on that side, a practice universally changed in
modern times. The ancients generally leaped on their horse's backs, though
they sometimes carried a spear, with a loop or projection about two feet
from the bottom which served them as a step. In Greece and Rome, the local
magistracy were bound to see that blocks for mounting (what the Scotch
call _loupin_-on-stanes) were placed along the road at convenient
distances. The great, however, thought it more dignified to mount their
horses by stepping on the bent backs of their servants or slaves, and many
who could not command such costly help used to carry a light ladder about
with them. The first distinct notice that we have of the use of the saddle
occurs in the edict of the Emperor Theodosias, (A.D. 385) from which we
also learn that it was usual for those who hired post-horses, to provide
their own saddle, and that the saddle should not weigh more than sixty
pounds, a cumbrous contrivance, more like the howdahs placed on the backs
of elephants than the light and elegant saddle of modern times.
Side-saddles for ladies are an invention of comparatively recent date. The
first seen in England was made for Anne of Bohemia, wife of Richard the
Second, and was probably more like a pillion than the side-saddle of the
present day. A pillion is a sort of a very low-backed arm-chair, and was
fastened on the horse's croup, behind the saddle, on which a man rode who
had all the care of managing the horse, while the lady sat at her ease,
supporting herself by grasping a belt which he wore, or passing her arm
around his body, if the _gentleman was not too ticklish_. But the Mexicans
manage these things with more gallantry than the ancients did. The
"pisanna," or country lady, we are told is often seen mounted before her
"cavalera," who take the more natural position of being seated behind his
fair one, supporting her by throwing his arm around her waist, (a very
appropriate support if the bent position of the arm does not cause an
occasional contraction of the muscles.) These two positions may justly be
considered as the first steps taken by the ladies towards their improved
and elegant mode of riding at the present day.
At an early period when the diversion of hawking was prevalent, they
dressed themselves in the costume of the knight, and rode astride. Horses
were in general use for many centuries before anything like a protection
for the hoof was thought of, and it was introduced, at first, as a matter
of course, on a very simple scale. The first foot defense, it is said,
which was given to the horse, was on the same principle as that worn by
man, which was a sort of sandal, made of leather and tied to the horse's
foot, by means of straps or strings. And finally plates of metal were
fastened to the horse's feet by the same simple means.
Here again, as in the case of the sturrupless saddle, when we reflect that
men should, for nearly a thousand years, have gone on fastening plates of
metal under horses' hoofs by the clumsy means of straps and strings,
without its ever occurring to them to try so simple an improvement as
nails, we have another remarkable demonstration of the slow steps by which
horsemanship has reached its present state.
In the forgoing remarks I have taken the liberty of extracting several
facts from a valuable little work by Rolla Springfield. With this short
comment on the rise and progress of horsemanship, from its commencement up
to the present time, I will proceed to give you the principles of a new
theory of taming wild horses, which is the result of many experiments and
a thorough investigation and trial of the different methods of
horsemanship now in use.
THE THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
OF MY THEORY
Founded on the Leading Characteristics of the Horse.
FIRST.--That he is so constituted by nature that he will not offer
resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends, if made
in a way consistent with the laws of his nature.
SECOND.--That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his
experience, and can be handled according to our will, without force.
THIRD.--That we can, in compliance with the laws of his nature by which he
examines all things new to him, take any object, however frightful,
around, over or on him, that does not inflict pain, without causing him to
fear.
To take these assertions in order, I will first give you some of the
reasons why I think he is naturally obedient, and will not offer
resistance to anything fully comprehended. The horse, though possessed of
some faculties superior to man's being deficient in reasoning powers, has
no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government,
and knows not of any imposition practiced upon him, however unreasonable
these impositions may be. Consequently, he cannot come to any decision
what he should or should not do, because he has not the reasoning
faculties of man to argue the justice of the thing demanded of him. If he
had, taking into consideration his superior strength, he would be useless
to man as a servant. Give him _mind_ in proportion to his strength, and he
will demand of us the green fields for an inheritance, where he will roam
at leisure, denying the right of servitude at all. God has wisely formed
his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man
according to the dictates of his will, and he might well be termed an
unconscious, submissive servant. This truth we can see verified in every
day's experience by the abuses practiced upon him. Any one who chooses to
be so cruel, can mount the noble steed and run him 'till he drops with
fatigue, or, as is often the case with more spirited, fall dead with the
rider. If he had the power to reason, would he not vault and pitch his
rider, rather than suffer him to run him to death? Or would he condescend
to carry at all the vain imposter, who, with but equal intellect, was
trying to impose on his equal rights and equally independent spirit? But
happily for us, he has no consciousness of imposition, no thought of
disobedience except by impulse caused by the violation of the law of
nature. Consequently when disobedient it is the fault of man.
Then, we can but come to the conclusion, that if a horse is not taken in a
way at variance with the law of his nature, he will do anything that he
fully comprehends without making any offer of resistance.
_Second._ The fact of the horse being unconscious of the amount of his
strength, can be proven to the satisfaction of any one. For instance, such
remarks as these are common, and perhaps familiar to your recollection.
One person says to another, "If that wild horse there was conscious of the
amount of his strength, his owner could have no business with him in that
vehicle; such light reins and harness, too; if he knew he could snap them
asunder in a minute and be as free as the air we breathe;" and, "that
horse yonder that is pawing and fretting to follow the company that is
fast leaving him, if he knew his strength he would not remain long
fastened to that hitching post so much against his will, by a strap that
would no more resist his powerful weight and strength, than a cotton
thread would bind a strong man." Yet these facts made common by every day
occurrence, are not thought of as anything wonderful. Like the ignorant
man who looks at the different phases of the moon, you look at these
things as he looks at her different changes, without troubling your mind
with the question, "Why are these things so?" What would be the condition
of the world if all our minds lay dormant? If men did not think, reason
and act, our undisturbed, slumbering intellects would not excel the
imbecility of the brute; we would live in chaos, hardly aware of our
existence. And yet with all our activity of mind, we daily pass by
unobserved that which would be wonderful if philosophised and reasoned
upon, and with the same inconsistency wonder at that which a little
consideration, reason and philosophy would be but a simple affair.
_Thirdly._ He will allow any object, however frightful in appearance, to
come around, over or on him, that does not inflict pain.
We know from a natural course of reasoning, that there has never been an
effected without a cause, and we infer from this, that there can be no
action, either in animate or inanimate matter, without there first being
some cause to produce it. And from this self-evident fact we know that
there is some cause for every impulse or movement of either mind or
matter, and that this law governs every action or movement of the animal
kingdom. Then, according to this theory, there must be some cause before
fear can exist; and, if fear exists from the effect of imagination, and
not from the infliction of real pain, it can be removed by complying with
those laws of nature by which the horse examines an object, and determines
upon its innocence or harm.
A log or stump by the road-side may be, in the imagination of the horse,
some great beast about to pounce upon him; but after you take him up to it
and let him stand by it a little while, and touch it with his nose, and go
through his process of examination, he will not care any thing more about
it. And the same principle and process will have the same effect with any
other object, however frightful in appearance, in which there is no harm.
Take a boy that has been frightened by a false-face or any other object
that he could not comprehend at once; but let him take that face or object
in his hands and examine it, and he will not care anything more about it.
This is a demonstration of the same principle.
With this introduction to the principles of my theory, I shall next
attempt to teach you how to put it into practice, and whatever
instructions may follow, you can rely on as having been proven practical
by my own experiments. And knowing from experience just what obstacles I
have met with in handling bad horses, I shall try to anticipate them for
you, and assist you in surmounting them, by commencing with the first
steps taken with the colt, and accompanying you through the whole task of
breaking.