Take a dragoon, for instance, weighing, with arms, accoutrements, and

kit, from fifteen to twenty stone; this weight, if allowed to fall unduly

on the fore quarter, must help to founder the charger, and bring him into

trouble on the first provocation. Let him make the least stumble, and the

weight of his burden, instead of being back in its proper place, with the

man’s assistance there to help him up, is thrown forward, keeping the

beast tied down, and preventing his rising. But, taking appearances into

consideration, the forward placement of the saddle is most ungraceful,

reminding one of the position of an Eastern driving an elephant, seated

on his bearer’s neck.

I have seen the _tout ensemble_ of a magnificent cavalry regiment

strikingly deteriorated by the ungraceful and absolutely unhorsemanlike

misplacement of the saddles, and consequently of the men—though the

military regulation on the subject is fair enough, directing a saddle

to be placed a handbreadth behind the play of the shoulder. This

would, perhaps, be a slight excess in the other direction, were it not

considered that, in all probability, out of a hundred troop-horses so

saddled, ninety-nine would be found after an hour’s trotting to have

shifted the saddle _forward_, for one on whom it would have remained

stationary or gone back.

It is well known that no rider should ever go fast down-hill on the road,

or round a corner, especially on pavement; but in the field, hunting or

racing, down-hill is the place to make play.

In the absence of an attendant to hold for mounting, some horses are

allowed to contract a habit that is liable to cause accidents, of

starting before the rider is comfortably seated in the saddle. Prevent

this bad fashion by gathering the snaffle-rein (not the curb) tightly up

before mounting, and when across the saddle, and before the right leg is

in the stirrup, check any effort to move off.

When a horse is alarmed, nothing so effectually reassures him as speaking

to him. I have myself experienced the efficacy of gently using my voice

on two or three occasions, when I admit having been run away with for a

short time.

Though a horse ought never to be allowed to have his own way, his rider

should try every means before resorting to actual punishment or fight,

which may be sometimes unavoidable as the only chance of conquest.

An animal requiring such treatment should be handed over to the

rough-rider for subsequent teaching, if not disposed of for more suitable

employment than that of a gentleman’s horse.

Your bearer should not be allowed to keep a perpetual lean upon your

hand, more particularly when walking. Should he stumble while thus

leaning, he is not likely to recover himself, but will fall helplessly on

his knees.

Keep him as self-dependent as possible, though not with a rein so slack

as to leave him to himself altogether. It is the business or amusement of

the rider to be on the alert for all casualties.[18]

To make a horse change his foot in canter, if you find it difficult to do

so by merely using hand and leg, turn him _as if_ to circle towards that

side that you require the foot to lead—he will use the foot forward that

you wish in order to prop himself in turning. Thus, if you circle round

to the right, he will lead with the off fore foot; and if you turn to the

left, the near fore will be advanced.

In using a curb, the rider should remember that if it is properly placed,

with a fair leverage, rough-handling of the lower or bit rein may drive a

fine-tempered animal into a state of great irritation, or even prove an

incentive to rearing;[19] and directly anything like this effect seems

to be produced, that rein should be eased, and the bridoon-rein borne

up.

[Illustration: RIDING AT IT]

In fencing, the snaffle or bridoon bit and rein _only_ ought to be used;

_this the rider should particularly bear in mind_. A rider with a hold

of the curb-rein in fencing, getting the least out of his equilibrium,

or giving an involuntary check to the curb, may put any well-mouthed

animal entirely out of his own way, preventing his jumping safely and

confidently, and probably causing accidents. One of several reasons why

the Irish horses excel in fencing is, that it is very much the custom in

that country to use snaffles in cross-country riding. The curb-rein may

be taken up, if necessary, after the jump is over. (Some horses, however,

are such violent pullers, that, in the full tilt of going to hounds,

where the country is close and fencing frequent, it is almost impossible

to avoid using the curb-rein occasionally in the act of jumping.)

While touching on cross-country riding, it may be observed that many men

who ought to know better, often make a serious mistake in not leaving

hunters more to themselves than they do when going at and taking their

fences. Horses vary in their mode of progression; and whether the gait be

slow or fast, anything of a trained animal, when interfered with under

these circumstances, will be put out of his own way (which is generally

best suited to his peculiar temper or ability), in placing his legs

advantageously to make his jump with safety.[20]

Let your horse, if he is anything of a fencer, choose his own way and

pace to take his jumps.

In riding to hounds, if practicable, it is well to avoid newly made or

repaired ditches or fences; your steed is apt to encounter such with

diffidence; he does not take the jump with the same will, fears there’s

“something up,” and from want of confidence may very possibly make a

mistake.

It would be well, for cross-country horsemen more especially,

to bear in mind Sir Francis Head’s observation, as applied to

riders as well as horses, that “the belly lifts the legs;”

meaning, I take it, that if man or horse is out of tone from

derangement of the stomach or general debility, he cannot be up

to the mark or fit for any physical exertion. It is well known

to steeplechase riders and men who ride straight to hounds,

that occasionally, in consequence of inertion, indulgence, or

dissipation, having deranged the stomach or nervous system, a

rider will be done up before his steed, who, oppressed with

a comparatively dead weight knocking about on his back, will

himself follow suit from want of being held together, and

probably come a burster at some jump before the finish.

To a practical horseman the act of standing in the stirrups will suggest

itself as a matter of expediency to ease himself, when the horse is

pulling hard at or near his full galloping pace.

The great advantage of a rider easing his bearer by walking up-hill is

treated of under the head of “Work,” page 36.

When a rider finds his horse going tender or lame, he ought _immediately_

to dismount and examine his feet. If a stone has become bedded between

the clefts of the frog, or got between shoe and sole, and a picker does

not happen to be at hand, a suitable stone should be sought wherewith to

dislodge the one in the foot. If no stone in the foot can be discovered

as causing the lameness, closer examination must be made in search of a

nail, a piece of iron or rough glass, or other damage to the sole. If no

apparent means of relief present itself, the sooner the beast is led to

the nearest place where a proper examination of the foot can take place

the better.[21] For the amount of work a horse can do, see remarks on

that subject, under the head of “Work,” page 35; and to avoid broken

knees, see hints on that subject, pages 51 and 141.

_Mounting of Lady in Side-Saddle._—The mounter, being as close as

possible to the animal, should place his right hand on his right knee,

and in it receive the lady’s left foot. When she springs she should

straighten her left knee, at the same time having in her right hand the

reins, with a fast hold of the middle crutch, and her left hand on the

mounter’s shoulder to help her to spring up.

HARNESSING.

_The General Mounting_, whether of brass or silver-plated (to correspond

with the mountings of the carriage), or with leather-covered buckles, is

all a matter of taste; the leather being, however, the least durable.

_A Dry Harness-Room_ is indispensable, in which there should be shallow

presses with pegs, but no shelves; otherwise, coverings should be

provided for harness and saddles to preserve them from flying dust.

_Style._—In pairing horses for draught, if one be rather larger than

the other, the larger should be placed on the near or left side, as

the left-hand side of the road being that on which vehicles travel,

the near-side horse will generally be going an inch or more lower than

the off-side one, and the difference of size in the pair will be less

perceptible.

If the animals are of an even size, and one be more lazy than the other,

that one should be placed at the off side, being thus more conveniently

situated to receive gentle reminders from the whip without observation.

If one of the pair _will_ carry his head higher than the other, _his_

coupling-rein[22] should run under that of the animal that leans his head

the most, so as to bring their heads as much on a level as possible. An

ivory ring, to run the coupling-reins through, looks and acts well.

Both manes should be trained to flow either in or out from the pole; the

latter way is probably preferable.

Horses left to _stand harnessed_ in the stable should be turned round in

the stalls and fastened with the T’s of two pillar-reins passed through

the rings of the bridoon of bit. Should there be no pillar-reins in pairs

belonging to the stern-posts of each stall, tie the horses’ heads up with

the rack-rein, so as to prevent their lying down in the harness.

As a maxim, never leave a bridle on in the stable, unless in the case

where the head can be sustained by a pair of pillar-reins from the

stern-posts. Most serious accidents have occurred through neglect of this

rule.

In _Yoking_ or “_putting to_,” the shafts of a vehicle must never be left

on the ground while the horse is being backed into them. If the shafts

touch him he will probably kick, or he may injure by standing on them. In

double harness, especially with spirited animals, to prevent the danger

of their backing, and being induced to kick by coming in contact with the

splinter-bar when putting to, first confine them to the point of the pole

by the pole chains or leathers, so lengthened as to enable the traces to

be attached (the outer ones first) to the carriage; which done, tighten

the chains or leathers to their working length. Accidents may thus be

averted. From the moment horses are “put to” their draught, until they

are driven off, some one should stand before their heads, whether they be

in single, pair, or four-horse harness.

_Traces._—Great care should be taken in adjusting these to prove that

they are of an even length, as the least deviation in equality is liable,

by pressure on one side, to produce a sore on the neck, under the collar

of the horse that happens to be on the side of the shortest trace.—_See_

“Jibbing,” page 87.

The buckles of all traces and back-bands ought to be provided with

detached pieces of leather cut square the width of those straps, and

placed under the buckles the tongues of which pass through these bits of

leather; the straps, thus protected from being cut by the buckles, will

wear nearly thrice as long as otherwise, and there is nothing unsightly

in the arrangement.

In all cases draught-horses should be placed close to their work—_i.e._,

the traces should meet as short as will just allow of the animals going

down an inclination at a brisk pace without coming in contact with the

carriage; the britching for single, and the pole-chains for double

harness, being tightened in proportion, to keep the carriage from running

on them down-hill.

For _Pole-Chains_ and _Swinging-Bars_, see page 73.

The _Hames_.—In order to divide the draught or pressure of the traces on

the shoulders a little, the hames might be furnished with scroll draught

eyes; this, however, has become unfashionable from being much used by

cabmen, and for rough draught.

_Hames Top-Straps._—Care should be taken that these are perfectly sound

and strong, especially in _double_ harness, where the strain of stopping

and backing the carriage of necessity comes upon them.

_Britching_ and _Kicking-Strap_.—It is better in single harness to

have the britching made with side-straps attached to the buckle or tug

of the _back-band_, and not to pass over the shaft (confined there by

a loop or staple as is usual). These side-straps can be tightened or

loosened according to the size of the animal, and if properly adjusted,

effectually prevent any carriage from running on the quarters. Across

the horses’ hips and through these straps, confined by square metal D’s,

passes the kicking-strap, which is attached to the tugs on the shafts by

buckles. This caparison, instead of being unsightly, is positively more

elegant than the ordinary-shaped britching, and provides a kicking-strap

at all times with the britching.

The kicking-strap for double harness must always be inelegant, nor can it

be made as effectual as that for single harness; for which reason, if for

no other, a kicking horse should never be used in double harness under a

gentleman’s carriage.

Britching is not generally used for double harness; but where appearances

are not regarded, it finds place amongst various other contrivances

available to make kickers, jibbers, bolters, plungers, and runaways, work

as placidly as if “they couldn’t help it.”[23]

The _Terret-Pad_ must be left to the taste of the owner and saddler, with

an observation, that in single harness it should be ascertained that the

back-band has always free play through it; and as a precaution, it is

desirable that in single harness the belly-band be always wrapped once

round at least one of the shafts before the tug, whether the draught be

on four or on a pair of wheels. Neglect in this particular has often

occasioned accidents. The terret-pad is generally placed too far forward;

the shortening of the crupper remedies this.

In double harness have a care that the terret-pad trace bearing-straps

are not buckled too short. I have seen fine tall horses greatly worn by

these straps being too tight, tying the animals across the back, the

undue pressure being aggravated with each elevation of the frame in the

act of progression.

[Illustration: FIG. 1.—Front View of a Collar, with the stuffing placed

as it should be for wear with ease and safety. _a a_, rim of collar all

round. _b b_, stuffing projecting round outside of rim. _c c_, stuffing

to project inside at back of rim, for the purpose of tightening the

collar on the neck in that situation, and thus obviate abrasion.]

The _Collar._—More care and judgment are necessary in shaping the

stuffing of the collar to fit a horse than for any other part of the

harness. The collar should not press either on the mane or on the under

part of the neck round the gullet; the pressure should be on each side of

the neck at _c c_ in figure. Collars to fit the ordinary run of horses

ought to be shaped thus, by the padding exclusive of the rim. The shape

of the rim is comparatively immaterial, but it must be strong to retain

the collar in shape. Any collar, be it ever so well shaped, should be

tried on the horse’s neck before it is taken into wear, to make sure that

it is neither too large nor too small.

Some horses’ heads are large in proportion with the size of collar they

require; in such cases, out of compassion for the poor animal over whose

head the small collar has to be forced at the risk of injuring his eyes,

the collar, which is generally closed, should be made open at the top, to

fasten with buckle and strap.

Under ordinary circumstances the open collars are not preferable, as

the opening and closing weakens the rim, and is likely to put them out

of shape; but as grooms have a fashion of putting the collar on with

the rigid hames tightly buckled round it, the whole process of forcing

a small closed collar over a beast’s larger head is so repulsive to him

that in time he learns to dread the very sight of a collar. The plan

of putting on the collar with the hames attached to it should never be

permitted.

_Saving-Collar_, and description of make.—This is generally formed by

harness-makers of basil with quilted padding. More serviceable than this

will be found the saving-collar cut of single leather, from the soft or

belly part of the cow-hide. A breast-strap is placed at the bottom of the

collar with a loop and buckle at the end, through which the belly-band of

the terret-pad passes to confine the collar.

Every owner of harness should be provided with one or two saving-collars

of this description to be used where severe work is expected, on long

journeys, or with animals new to harness. They should be open at the top,

to fasten there with two buckles and narrow straps, the tightening or

lengthening of the latter enabling it to be fitted to the horse’s size.

Some care is necessary to observe that the regular collar does not rub

the buckles of the saving-collar against the horse’s neck and make a sore.

The saving-collar should be always kept well moistened with grease or

oil, and carefully looked to after use, the crusted sweat and dandriff

being scraped off it. In the absence of a saving-collar, the collar

itself should be watched in the same respect.

The bridles generally in use for harness appear to require little or no

improvement.

The _Bit_ must be equally adapted to the horse’s mouth, &c., as for

riding (page 38), except that with harness, while to all appearance using

the same kind of bit with a pair of horses, the leverage on the mouths

can be altered, by placing the billets or buckle-end of the driving-reins

high or low in the cheeks of each, according to the animal’s temper, his

bearing on it, &c.

In placing the billets in the bit, it should be borne in mind that the

more use is made of the curb the more will be taken out of the horse;

therefore, when a long journey or severe work has to be done, animals

should be driven in snaffle, or the billets should be placed as near as

possible to the mouthpiece of the bit.

Experience only can demonstrate the difference in the wear and tear of

the general physique, resulting from a judicious arrangement or otherwise

of the reins and bit.

_Blinkers._—The question of “blinkers or no blinkers” can best be

answered by the observation, that if you can find horses that may be

depended upon to work safely and steadily without them, they may be

dispensed with; but as such animals are rare, blinkers are likely to

continue in general use.

Placing crests or ornaments on blinkers, unless the latter are light

and well hollowed, and kept extended in front by stiff blinker-straps,

is a practice likely to be injurious to the animals’ eyes; in fact, all

blinkers, unless light and well hollowed, are dangerous for the eyes, and

of course the increased weight of crests and their fastenings aggravates

the objection.

Heavy forehead-bands and rosettes, though ornamental, are anything but

desirable, as far as the horse himself is concerned.

The _Noseband_ of the harness bridle, like the riding one, can by

tightening be made very useful with some descriptions of hard-pulling

horses.—_See_ “Noseband,” page 42.

The _Breastplate_, or head-stall martingal, can be made useful in the

same way.—_See_ page 40.

_Throat-lash._—_See_ page 43.

_Reins._—Saddlers generally suit the reins admirably to the work for

which they are intended. A buff hand-piece with pullers is decidedly

preferable to plain leather, as its roughness enables the driver to have

a much firmer hold of the reins, but will become slippery in wet.

The _Bearing-Rein_ is only used to keep up a horse’s head and give him a

showy appearance, therefore no experienced person will use it except with

that object, and it is injurious in every other respect.—(_See_ “Broken

Knees,” pages 52 and 141.)

_Crupper._—This strap is intended to keep the terret-pad and back-band

in their proper places, and to restrain the former from running too far

forward or pressing on the withers (_see_ “Sore Withers,” page 151); also

as a sustainer to the terret-pad against the bearing-rein when the latter

is strained into its hook. Grooms have a very improper habit of leaving

the whole of the hinder part of the harness suspended in one mass by the

crupper-dock on a peg in the wall of the harness-room; this should not

be allowed. Let the terret-pad when not in use be always placed across a

proper saddle-rack, with the britching and crupper suspended therefrom;

or let them, at all events, be put somewhere by themselves.

_To put on Harness._—First, while the horse’s head is towards the manger,

place the terret-pad loosely across the back—take hold of the tail, and

carefully turn down the hair over the end of the flesh; thus grasping and

holding the tail and its hair together in the left hand, with the right

draw the crupper-dock over it, and adjust the latter to its place at the

root of the tail, being careful _not_ to leave a _single_ loose hair

under it. Then arrange your terret-pad in the place where it should work

by shortening or lengthening the crupper-strap; which done, tighten the

belly-band.[24]

Now turn the horse in his stall, and, your collar and hames having been

hung up close at hand, slip the wide end of the former _by itself_ over

the head.

Leave the collar so, on the narrow part of the neck, till you place your

hames within the collar-rim, and fasten them thereto by buckling the top

strap over the narrow part or top of the collar: now turn the collar and

hames round on the neck _in the direction_ of the _side_ over which the

_mane hangs_.

Put on the bridle and attach driving-reins, temporarily doubling their

hand-piece through the terrets. Fasten the horse thus harnessed to the

pillar-reins till you are ready to “put to.”

_To take off Harness_, begin by removing the reins and bridle; then take

off the hames _by themselves_, then the collar, and lastly the terret-pad

and crupper.

DRIVING.

In driving, a man should sit up against his work, and be thoroughly

propped by his legs and feet, with the left or rein hand held well into

his body, in front of or a little below the waist. Nothing looks more

ungraceful than to have the reins at arm’s-length, held out at a distance

from one’s chest.

A driver should always be seated before any one else in or about the

vehicle; and having carefully taken a firm hold of the reins in his

left hand BEFORE mounting his seat, they should so remain, and never be

shifted. But should the driver be either obliged or find it convenient to

allow others to be seated first, he will then of necessity have to mount

from the off or right side, in which case he will in the first place have

to take the reins in his right hand until seated, when he will at once

transfer them to their proper position in his left.

The whip should invariably be placed in the socket, or be handed

carefully to the driver after he has mounted. To mount with it in hand

is highly dangerous; the sight of it over the blinkers, or an accidental

touch to an animal when the driver is unprepared, may startle and set off

a team—while holding a whip in the act of mounting renders that piece of

gymnastics doubly awkward to accomplish. All turns and manœuvres may be

effected by the fore-finger (and thumb if necessary) of the right or whip

hand, either on the off or the near side rein, according as the direction

of the intended movement is towards the right or left.[25] But in driving

four-in-hand, unicorns, or tandems, insert the fourth finger of the

whip-hand between the lead and wheel reins on the side you want to pull,

to turn or direct your horses.

With four-in-hand the general principle is, while allowing only a certain

amount of play to the heads of your leaders, to keep your wheelers well

in hand, ready for any sudden emergency, bearing in mind that it is

only with them, as they are attached to the pole, that you can stop the

carriage.

A driver having occasion to raise his right hand for any purpose, should

first place the whip transversely under the thumb of the left or rein

hand (above, but upon, one of the reins), leaving the other hand at

liberty; indeed, the whip should always lie in this transverse position,

whether in the right or the left hand, unless when in use for correction.

Many horses are very clever at watching the whip over the blinkers, and

careless pointing forward with it may keep a high-spirited animal in a

continual fret.

To ascertain how each horse is doing his work, judge not only by the test

of the willing horse bearing more on your hand; see also how each horse

keeps his traces. In whichever case they are slack, you may depend that

_that_ horse has no draught upon him; if tight, he is doing his share of

the work, or more. A good whip will correct the defaulter so as to avoid

annoying the other horse. There is no better criterion of skill in the

use of the whip than this.

With the leaders in tandem and four-in-hand, and in low-seated carriages,

unless the dash-board be very high, the reins are apt to get under the

horses’ tails. In such cases, to avoid a kicking match, no immediate

attempt should be made to replace the reins while they are confined;

but a _very light_ lash of the whip on the leg will engage the attention

of the animal, and while the tail is switched up on the touch of the

lash, the reins may be released. Horses should always be kept well in

hand, unless that, upon a long and tiresome journey, some consideration

may be shown for what they have to go through. Under such circumstances,

attention may well be directed to the manner the billets are placed in

the bit (page 62).

On the level a fair pace can be maintained, but up hill no merciful man

will ever press his beasts. When a heavy load has to be drawn up a sharp

short hill, it is not a bad plan to _cheat_ the horse out of the first

half of it by going at it with an impetus, suffering the pace to merge

into a walk without further pressure as the first impetus declines.

When the ascent is long and gradual, horses should be allowed to walk the

whole way, which can always be admitted of on ordinary roads, where the

pace is not intended to exceed eight miles an hour, as the speed may be

accelerated when the fall of ground is reached, without distressing the

animals.

Let a man suppose himself to be obliged to wheel a hand-cart with a

heavy burden for a given distance within a given time, on an undulating

roadway, and he will soon discover the course he would pursue to effect

his object; he would certainly save himself by going very slowly up

the hills, and make up the time and distance with most ease by rolling

the vehicle at a rapid rate down the declivities. Let the principle of

working thus exemplified be always applied to the usage of horses in

harness.

An old driving maxim may be added, though not recommended by the metre:—

“Up the hill spare me;

Down the hill let me run and bear me;

On the level never fear me.”

Or,

“Walk me a mile out and a mile in;

Up the hill spur me not,

Down the hill I’ll walk or trot;

On the plain spare me not;

In the stable forget me not.”

I have driven a great deal in my life, and have never met with an

accident from driving at a fair trot down a moderate hill, with plenty of

road-room, and no turning to be made till after gaining the level, the

team being well in hand throughout.

This observation applies equally to any number of horses; but with tandem

or four-in-hand the wheelers should be held particularly tight, and the

leaders pulled back.

If, in descending a hill, the wheel can be drawn along rough stones

without the horses being also brought on them, it is desirable to avail

of such a drag.

In such hilly countries as Wales, Devon, &c., the constant use of a skid

is indispensable. The uninitiated may not quarrel with me for reminding

them of the necessity for keeping always to their own or the left side of

the road(_the right on the Continent, in America, and other countries_).

In turning a corner, however, if it be to the left you intend going,

_before_ you make your turn get from your proper side of the road a

_little_ towards the right, if possible, and from thence make your turn,

by which means you will more easily reach the left, or your proper side,

of the new route you intend to take, besides being able to see everything

that is approaching en the other. To turn a right angle you must have

space accordingly, and it is better to make use of that which you see

insured to you than to be depending on that which is uncertain.

It is hardly necessary to remark that it is infinitely safer to make

your turns at a slow pace than faster. Turning quickly round corners is

reckless work, but the faster your pace the more necessary it is to get

to the wrong side of the road when turning to the left _before_ you make

your turn to the new, or _before_ entering a narrow gateway or passage.

When the turn is to the right, you will keep to your own or left side of

the road.

Where a narrow gateway has to be entered with four wheels, having brought

your vehicle fairly in front of it, place your pole directly over the

centre or bolt stone; in the absence of this guide, mark with your eye

some object in the centre, and bring your pole right over it. The wheels

will take care of themselves, if there is at all room for the carriage.

With single harness the horse is brought direct at the gate, and kept

very straight, his hind feet passing over the centre object.

In driving through crowded streets or in a narrow way, especially with

vehicles coming rapidly towards you, and every prospect of a collision,

take a stronger hold of your horses, and moderate your pace, remembering

that, if you cannot avoid grief, the less the impetus the less the

crash, if it should come. This result is amusingly exemplified by the

stage-coachman’s definition of the difference between the results of road

and rail accidents. Coachey says, “If even an upset occur on the road,

_there you are_; but if an accident takes place by rail, _where are you_?”

Remember to collect your horses well in hand before you alter your

course on the road, or to cross it, in order to have them alert and handy

for any emergency.

When travelling in damp weather, the roads being sticky, half wet and

dry, your horse requires saving and consideration, no matter to what

extent the wind may be blowing, if it goes only in the _same direction

as himself_. When the roads are perfectly dry with a light wind blowing

_against_ your horse, he travels under the more favourable circumstances.

Neither blinkers nor bit should ever, upon any consideration, be removed

from a horse while he is attached to a carriage, whether to feed or for

any other purpose. Want of caution in this respect has been a fertile

source of most serious accidents.

_When a horse falls_ irretrievably in harness, the driver should avoid

leaving his seat till some assistant can go to the animal’s head, who,

placing his coat or some soft substance between it and the road, to

prevent injury to the eyes, presses one or both knees lightly on the

neck, but so as to prevent the beast from rising; which done, the driver

can get down from his seat, and, availing of all the aid he can procure,

frees all the harness as rapidly as possible, and, running back the

carriage from the horse, assists him to rise. To disengage buckles easily

in such cases, instead of dragging at the point of the strap in the usual

way, force both ends of it to the centre of the buckle, which will cause

the tongue to turn back, and so free the strap.

When a fall in harness occurs on slippery pavement such as some of the

London streets, or in frosty weather, before the horse is permitted to

make any effort to rise, some ashes, dry clay, sand, sawdust, hay or

straw, or even any old rug or piece of cloth or carpet, should be so

placed as to prevent him from slipping in his ineffectual and distressing

endeavours to recover his legs.

_Backing._—When a horse takes to backing, and danger is threatened, if

you cannot get him forward, and have no assistant to take him by the

head, the more rapidly you bring the brute’s head to the point where

he aims at bringing his tail the better. It is a bad _habit_, however,

to give an animal, to allow of his being taken by the head when he is

obstreperous, and should only be resorted to when quite unavoidable.

_Kicking in Harness._—When there is no kicking-strap or other means of

restraint available, and an animal seems disposed to persist in kicking,

the driver, _retaining his seat_, should direct some one to hold up one

of the fore feet (if he finds a difficulty in doing so, doubling the knee

and tying a handkerchief tightly round it) so as to prevent the foot

reaching the ground, which done, the driver may help to unharness, while

the other assistant takes hold of the horse’s head.

_Shying._—See page 88.

_Runaways_ are frequently checked by sawing the mouth. In such cases,

retain your presence of mind, determined to stick to the ship to the

last; if you have the luck to meet with an ascent, that is your time to

get a pull.

A horse that has once run away, especially if, in connection with that

feat, he has met with any noisy disaster or breakage, is _never, as long

as he lives, safe to drive again_. It only remains for his owner to use

humanity and judgment in disposing of him.

_Stubborn horses_, or _jibbers_, in single harness.—On the first

appearance of this disposition at starting, the neck should be

examined, to discover whether the fit may not have been occasioned by

indisposition to work against an ill-fitting or dirty collar, which may

have produced abrasion or tenderness of the skin under it (_see_ page

61). If the unpleasantness proceed from innate stubbornness in the brute,

and simple means do not succeed in single harness, place him in double

harness, beside a well-tempered, good worker, that will _drag him away_,

starting _down-hill_. In this manner the habit, if not confirmed, will be

overcome. In _extreme_ cases, different appliances have been used with

varied success in making the beast move on—such as a round pebble, about

the size of a hen’s egg, placed in the ear, and secured with a cord tied

round the latter, near the tip, or stuffing a glove in each ear. I have

also seen coachmen put two or three handfuls of mud into the horse’s

mouth, and rub it against his palate with good effect, or tap him with a

stick at the back of the fore legs, just under the knee.

Letting a stubborn beast stand for hours in harness in the spot where

he has taken the fit, and, when he has become well hungered, placing a

feed of corn before him and gradually walking away with it, is a dilatory

proceeding sometimes resorted to, but scarcely worth mentioning.

DRAWING.

The size of horses should be in proportion to the weight and size of the

vehicle and loads they are intended to move, upon the principle, easily

demonstrated by experiment, that weight drags weight. For instance, a

horse having to drag a cart up a hill, will do so more easily with the

driver on his back than otherwise, as the weight of the man assists the

horse against the weight he has to move. The latter part of this argument

only refers, however, to short distances, or to starting a draught.

The higher the wheels are, and the closer together, whether they be

two or four, the lighter will be the draught. In fact, to render the

draught as easy as possible, the axles ought to be on a level with

the trace-hooks, or point of traction, or as nearly horizontal as

possible with the traces and their place in the leg of the hames. It

is self-evident that if a horse has to be pulling _up_, it is like his

having to raise a certain part of the weight of the carriage with every

step he moves; and the faster he goes, the more injuriously does this

principle operate against him.

The point of the pole-and-chain attachment should be always so elevated

from its insertion in the carriage as to be on a level with the rings

of the hames through which the pole-chains pass. On the point of the

pole should be a revolving steel cross-tree, from eight to ten inches in

length, in the ends of which the pole-chains or leathers are inserted.

The working of this contrivance will, to any practical man, demonstrate

its utility.

In light double harness, I much prefer using swinging-bars instead of one

inflexible splinter-bar, unless for very heavy draught. Horses should be

placed close to their work. For adjusting the traces to that effect, see

page 58.

It should be remembered that the farther forward in a carriage the weight

to be drawn is placed, the easier will be the draught on the horse. Thus

the weight of one man at the extreme end of the vehicle (like a conductor

on an omnibus) has as much effect on the traction as that of two men on

or near the driving-seat. The deader the weight, let it be placed as it

may, the greater the trial of the horse; therefore inanimate matter is

heavier on traction than anything having life.

Vehicles of which the lower carriage and axles are kept braced together

by a perch steadying the action of the wheels, are much the easiest on

the draught. The Americans are well aware of the advantages of such a

construction for encountering the roughness of many of their roads. Not

only are all their pleasure carriages, or “buggies,” so constructed,

but the waggons have a perch that by an admirable arrangement can be

detached, to allow of the carriage being lengthened when required to

carry timber or other lading. The perch, being in two pieces, can be

coupled by the simple contrivance of a movable iron band and pin, giving

a freedom, most desirable in a rough country, to the movement of the

lower carriage. This contrivance works well, and might with advantage

be applied to our military train-waggons and ambulance-carts. Horses

cannot but suffer from the present construction of carriages in general

use, where the axles are left unsupported and unbraced to encounter the

roughness and inequalities of the road.

_Axle-Boxes._—Proper lubrication of the axle-boxes is too often sadly

neglected. Even Collinge’s patent will not run freely without periodical

aid in proportion to use, and it is no harm to make an occasional

examination of the wheels of a carriage when they are lifted off the

ground by setters, to see that there is thorough freedom in the working

of them, by spinning them round with one’s finger against the spokes. The

reapplication of gutta-percha or leather washers is essential, as the

amount of friction by work will wear that requisite.

For a few days after the washers are replaced, the boxes should not be

screwed too tightly, but subsequently they should be re-tightened. The

noise of wheels joggling upon their axles indicates want of screwing up,

or of washers.

A round tire is decidedly easier for draught than a flat-edged one.

_Carriages_, immediately after use, should be cleaned, or at least have

water dashed over them, to prevent the mud from drying on the paint,

which can scarcely fail to deteriorate it, and give it a premature

appearance of wear.

SHOEING.

Some horses are very averse to being shod, through some fright the first

time of shoeing, or bad management. It is better to overcome such shyness

or vice by gentleness or stratagem than by force of any kind.

Some few animals even require to be cast, or placed under the influence

of the painful twitch. Before resorting to any force, however, the

following means should be tried in preference to others:—Let whoever is

in the habit of riding or exercising the horse _mount him_ when regularly

bridled and saddled, the girths being a little looser that if intended

for work; ride to the side of the forge, and there let him (his rider

still on his back) be shod the first time; on the second visit to the

forge, if it be spacious enough, he may be ridden into it for the same

purpose.

In shoeing, the smith’s rule ought to be to fit the shoe to the foot,

_not the foot to the shoe_, according to the general practice of those

gentry.

In London and all large towns, the best thing a gentleman can do is

to contract with a veterinary surgeon for the shoeing as well as the

doctoring of his horses.

The night previous to a horse being shod or removed, the groom should

stop his feet, to soften them, and enable the farrier to use his

drawing-knife properly, and without injury to that instrument.

In shoeing, any _undue_ accumulation of sole may be pared away;

judgment must, however, be used in this particular, as the feet of some

animals grow more sole than others, and superfluous increase tends

to contraction, whereas care must be taken not to weaken the sole of

ordinary growth. I am aware that great difference of opinion exists on

this subject, but I speak from practical experience of the results of

opposite modes of treatment in this particular.

If no shoes were used, the wear and tear of work would provide for the

disposal of this accumulation, which, as nature is interfered with by the

use of shoes, must be artificially removed.

If the frog be jagged it may be pared even, but the sound parts should

not be cut away, and on no account should the smith’s drawing-knife

be allowed to divide the bars or returns of the foot—an operation

technically called by the trade “opening the heels,” to which fallacious

practice farriers are pertinaciously addicted, because, in some one case

of dreadfully contracted feet, they may have seen or heard of temporary

relief being given by this process, with the natural result, which they

ignore, of the remedy proving itself in time worse than the disease.

If farriers are allowed, they will almost invariably drive as many

shoe-nails round the inside quarter as the outside. This is a lamentable

mistake, especially regarding the fore feet, as the foot being thus

nearly all round confined to the shoe, its proper action is interfered

with, preventing a possibility of its natural and gradual expansion in

action from the toe towards the heel, as the horse lays his foot upon the

ground, with all weight, as well as the act of propulsion, pressed on it.

The reason for liberating the inside quarter in preference to the outside

is, that the inside, being more under the centre of gravity, will be

found to expand and contract more than the outside, as will be proved by

the removal and examination of a shoe that has been in use three or four

weeks. On observing the part of the shoe that has been next the foot,

it will be distinctly perceived that the friction of the inside quarter

of the foot has worn a cavity in the portion of the shoe which has been

under that quarter of the foot, while the side that has been under the

outside quarter bears comparatively little evidence of friction above it.

This being an established fact, it seems desirable that the full number

of nails should be driven round the outside quarter, and not more than

one or two (for hunting purposes) on the inside from the toe. (Six nails

altogether is the cavalry regulation.)

If your horses are not quick wearers on the road, the fore shoes should

be removed within two or three weeks after shoeing (care being taken that

the clenches of the nails in the hind feet are at the same time properly

levelled to the hoof to prevent brushing), and let them be re-shod every

five or six weeks.

In all foot ailments, whenever a horse is lame, although the disease

may not apparently be in the foot, let the shoe first be carefully

removed, and the shoeless foot examined by as competent a farrier as can

be procured (in the absence of a veterinary surgeon), by pincers round

the nail-holes, gently pressing wall and sole together, by the hammer

tapping the sole, and a judicious use of the drawing-knife, to detect the

possible seat of disease.

I have known a lame horse to be brought to a reputedly-experienced

amateur horse-doctor, the cause of disease being so evidently

inflammation of the sheath of the tendon, that the animal was ordered

to be treated accordingly—viz., with cold applications; and this not

succeeding, firing the leg was resorted to, after which, the weather

being suitable, it was thought expedient to let the beast have a run at

grass. As a preliminary the shoes were removed, in the course of which

operation a bed of gravel was found to have secreted itself in the foot

of the supposed diseased leg, and the inflammation occasioned by the

gravel having gone up, caused what appeared to be _marked_ disease about

the tendon.

Such were the results of neglecting the precautions here recommended.

_Brushing_, or cutting, is a very tormenting weakness in the horse,

whether behind or before, and often highly dangerous in the latter case.

The ordinary practice of farriers under such circumstances is to rasp

away the inside quarter of the offending hoof, as well as doubly

thickening the shoe under the weakened wall, leaving the toe to extend

itself forward. This is a great mistake, yielding only a temporary

improvement, not at all tending towards a cure. On the contrary, it would

be better to shorten the toes by degrees; and on no account should a rasp

be put near the wall of the inside quarter, in order to let it get as

strong as possible towards the heel.

I would certainly allow no nails to be driven inside, but let the shoe be

fastened round the outer quarter of the foot, the shoe itself being of

equal thickness on both quarters as an ordinary shoe; but on putting it

on, it should not be suffered to project outside the inside quarter, and

the _shoes_ might _here_ be rasped to guard against rough edges, which

might injure the pastern of the opposite leg during work.

A strong clip should also be thrown up on the outside quarters of these

shoes to catch the wall and effectually prevent them from shifting

towards or projecting beyond the inside quarter, which might cause them

to come in contact with the opposite pastern-joint while in motion.

Until the brushing be somewhat remedied, an india-rubber ring or a bit

of leather, and elastic strap round the pastern, will prevent it from

receiving present injury. If the above treatment is attended to and

persevered in, the probability is that in nine cases out of ten a cure

will be effected in course of time.

_Corns._—Every horse-owner ought to make himself acquainted with the

part of the sole between the frog and the wall on the inside quarter

of the fore foot, called the seat of corns (_see_ pages 131 and 140),

and every time that a horse is shod or removed, in paring the foot the

drawing-knife should be used to clean away this cavity (without weakening

the adjacent wall), where the disease originates from undue pressure

of the shoe on the _inside_ quarter of that susceptible spot, or from

friction of the coffin-bone, on the inside of the sole, above the seat of

corn. The shoe ought to rest _entirely_ on the _wall_ of the foot, and

not on _any_ part of the _sole_.

_Roughing_ and _Frosting_ is simply drawing out the old nails about

the toes and replacing them with very large sharp-headed ones, called

frost-nails. Horse-nails being made purposely of a soft metal, are unfit

for frosting, as the heads wear down so quickly. If smiths would _steel_

the _heads_ of frost-nails, they would last much longer. This precaution

against slipping, however, is only effectual in slight frosts. In regular

frosting, the nails are carried completely round, with the addition of

sharp calkins being turned on the heels of all four feet, and sometimes

also short spikes or cogs turned down from the toes; but the latter are

common only in severe climates, though their use is quite as desirable

in England, especially to assist horses in ascending slippery hills,

where the cogs on the heels have little or no hold in the ground. Cogs or

calkins should be rasped by the smith, to sharpen them, every couple of

days.

Although it may be inconvenient and expensive to have horses prepared in

frosty weather, it is highly necessary to do so where work is required

of them. The very extraordinary exertion that is needed on the part of

the animal to keep his feet when unprepared, as well as the fret to his

energies, takes a vast deal more out of him in one day’s work than a

month’s daily use would do under ordinary circumstances, not to speak of

the risk of pecuniary loss from accident.

It is a most pitiable thing to see the poor beasts struggling in their

high courage and good temper to do their best, for what I can only call

cruel or thoughtless masters, to say nothing of the liability of the

animals’ breaking their knees and bringing their riders or drivers to

serious trouble, smashing harness and vehicles, &c.

I have always found servants most ingenious in making objections to

having their horses prepared for frost, the grand secret being their

anxiety to keep them in the stable the whole time the frost lasts, that

they may be saved from the trouble of cleaning either them or their

caparison, carriages, &c. They will alarm you with the stereotyped

objections, “tearing the horses’ feet to pieces,” “driving fresh

nail-holes,” “ripping off shoes,” “his feet won’t bear a shoe after,” &c.

I never knew an ordinary sound foot to be reduced to such a condition, by

simply changing shoes, that a good smith could not fasten a shoe on.

The only tangible objection to calkins to which attention need be drawn

is, that during their use, unless the horse is moved about in his stable

with great caution in cleaning or otherwise, he is apt to tread with them

on the coronet of the opposite foot, which is a very serious affair,

inflicting a nasty jagged wound on one of the most sensitive vascular

parts of the animal.[26]

The _Bar Shoe_ going all round the foot is intended to protect weak or

thrushy heels.

_Wide-webbed_ or _Surface Shoes_ are used with flat-footed, weak-soled

horses: leather being often introduced above them to save the soles from

being damaged by extraneous substances on the road. Put on with the

ordinary shoe, it is said to lessen the jar of the tread.

_High-heeled Shoes_, when a horse is laid up, properly managed, prove a

most effectual palliation and aid in the cure of “clap of the back sinew”

(page 143).

These shoes are made with calkins (joined by a light iron bar), which

should not be heavy, not more than an inch deep, and gradually reduced by

the smith as the disease abates.

_Steeling the Toes_ is necessary with quick wearers on the road; but

particular cautions should be given to the smith to work the steel well

into the iron, for any protrusion of this hard metal above the iron will

occasion tripping, and possibly an irrecoverable fall.

_Calking_ the hind shoes moderately on the outside quarter only, is most

essential to the hunter to prevent slipping, and to give him confidence

in going at his fences, and on landing. Its advantages can be well

understood by any sportsman who has experienced the difference between

walking himself a day’s simple shooting over soft slippery ground, or

taking a ten-mile walk on a half-wet road, in each case in boots with

headed nails, to enable him to have a hold in the ground, and undertaking

the same exercises in boots without nails, where one wearies himself with

efforts to keep his feet.

I speak as a practical man, having probably come to less grief than most

others in hunting, which may be attributed mainly to the particular

attention bestowed on the calking of my bearers when I was a hard goer.

It seems an unimportant matter, but if looked into will be found to be

far otherwise.

_Tips_, or half-shoes, which cover little more than the toe of a

horse, leaving the heels to come in direct contact with the ground,

are particularly serviceable in cases where the heels are disposed to

contraction, and, from my experience, can be used without injury in any

ordinary description of work while the frog is sound.

The quarters of the feet being left by their use without the usual

confinement of the shoe, and being pressed to expansion on every movement

of the animal, naturally become strong and extended. Tips should become

gradually thinner, finishing in a fine edge towards the ends. I have seen

ill-made tips calculated to lame any horse, with the ends the thickness

of an ordinary shoe (though extending, which is the intention of tips,

less than half-way down the foot), as if the smith who made them expected

the heels to remain always suspended in mid air.

_Slippers._—Regular sportsmen generally carry a spare shoe while hunting;

but if a shoe comes off one of the fore feet in the field or on the road,

and the rider is not provided with a proper shoe, he should at once

dismount and lead his bearer to the nearest forge, where an old shoe most

approaching to the size of the foot that can possibly be found should be

selected from the heap of cast ones that generally lies by in a forge,

and let it be tacked on with three or four nails only, so as to serve the

creature to get home, or until the proper shoe can be made.

If a shoe comes off the hind foot, and the distance from home is not

above three or four miles, the animal can be led or occasionally ridden

that far without injury, especially if the softest side of the road be

selected for the track, the hind feet being generally much stronger than

the fore.

_Travelling._—The day before a long journey, look to your horse’s shoes;

see that the clinches are well laid down and the shoes nailed tightly.

As a rule, do not have new shoes put on just before a journey, for the

least carelessness in fitting or nailing them may occasion more or less

lameness; should it be severe, disappointment and delay may result; while

if only apparently slight at starting, and the animal endure the pain

patiently during its work, the cause being in existence throughout will

produce its effects only too palpably when the day’s journey is over. If

old shoes are nearly worn, but will last the journey, let them by all

means remain on; but directly the work is over, send for any proper smith

whose forge is nearest, and have them taken off in the stable. Should

the forge not be at hand, the old slippers can of course be tacked on

when the horse, having had its rest, is taken to be shod. All shoes, for

road-work especially, should be made full long to cover the heels. It

should be borne in mind that, as the hoof grows naturally, the shoe is

brought forward and thereby exposes the heels.

VICE.

In all cases where active vice, such as rearing, kicking, jibbing,

plunging, has to be combated, the work of correction is half done if the

horse is well tired in the first instance, or, in vulgar terms, “the

fiery edge taken off him,” by half an hour’s rapid loungeing, with his

neck well bent, chin into chest, on the softest and most tiring ground

that is available. For myself, if I find a horse vicious, I never think

of combating him if it can be helped, without having first reduced his

vigour a little; and all horsemen who undertake to conquer any seriously

bad habits are recommended to consider and adopt this practice, if indeed

such is not already their custom.

_Kicking_, to the horseman, is a matter of very trifling consideration.

He may either amuse himself by letting the ebullition expend itself, or

it may be stopped by chucking up the horse’s head and increasing the pace.

_Kicking in Harness_ is a different affair, being generally the prelude

to disaster, and must be guarded against.—_See_ page 58.

_Kicking in the Stable._—Many animals, most gentle in other respects,

take inordinate fits of this practice, and generally in the dead of

night, as if to make up for their usual quietude on all other occasions;

most frequently they resort to the amusement without any apparent cause

of irritation whatever. They will do it when alone or when in company;

while, were it not for the capped hock and otherwise disfigured legs, as

well as the dilapidated stabling behind them, discovered in the morning,

you would think that “butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths.” In other

cases the habit proceeds from obvious bad temper or spite towards a

neighbour. There are many cures proposed for kicking in the stable. One

frequently successful is a round log of wood, four or five inches long

and about two in diameter, with a staple at one end of it, through which

a chain two or three inches long is passed and attached to a strap that

buckles round the pastern (just above the coronet) of one hind leg, or

a log in this way to each hind leg may be used if necessary. Another

means is to pad all parts of the stable that can be reached by the hind

feet. In many instances where this plan is adopted, the animal, no longer

hearing any noise suggesting to his fancy resistance from behind, will

cease kicking altogether, from no other explainable cause. For padding

use some pads of hay or oaten straw, covered with coarse canvass, and

nailed to all places within reach of his heels. Sometimes, where the

habit is supposed to arise from spite towards a neighbour, a change of

location will answer. In other cases nothing but arming all parts of the

stable within reach with furze bushes, or other prickly repellants, will

succeed.

It will be well, in treating this vice, to try the remedies here

recommended in rotation; first with the otherwise quiet horse try the

log, then the padding, the change of location, and the prickly armour

in succession. It is a remarkable fact that horses seldom kick in the

stable during daylight; leaving a light in the stable through the night

may therefore effect a cure where all else has failed; but as light

interferes with sleep, it should be the very last resource.

_Rearing_ is of little consequence in harness, and seldom attempted to

any extent; but to the rider it is, in my opinion, the most dangerous

of all bad habits to which a brute may be addicted. As I consider it

almost impossible for a horseman to cure a practised rearer, my advice

to the owner of such a beast would be, instead of risking his life in

the endeavour, to get rid of him to some buyer, who will place him

where, in the penal servitude of harness, he may perhaps eke out a

useful existence. However, should accident place you on a rearer,

directly he rises lay hold of the mane with one hand; this, while at once

throwing your weight forward where it should be, will enable you also to

completely slacken the reins, which is important.

No one need be ashamed to adopt this plan. I have seen the best riders do

so.

Vicious rearing may, on its first manifestation, be sometimes checked by

a determined and reckless rider giving a well-directed blow on the ear

with some bothering missile; but this is a venturesome proceeding, and

only in emergency should it be resorted to, as an ill-directed blow is

very likely to produce poll-evil, or knock the sight out of an eye.

It is said that a bottle full of water, broken on the ear of a rearing

horse, proves an effectual cure; but happily the danger to the rider

during such treatment of his bearer, is a strong guarantee against the

frequent adoption of this barbarous practice. In many cases lowering one

hand with the rein on that side when the horse is just beginning to rise,

will have the effect of breaking the rear, the horse being urged forward

with the spur the instant his fore legs are down; but if, when he has

gained anything like the perpendicular, the rein or head be chucked, or

by any misfortune interfered with, the chances are that the brute will

walk about on his hind legs like a dancing dog, and most likely finish by

falling back on his rider.

A martingal is sometimes found to be a preventive, especially a running

one.

_Jibbing._—The disposition to this vice is generally called into action,

in the first instance, by the fret consequent on the abrasion of the neck

by the collar, or by the working of uneven traces (page 57). The use of

a saving-collar, and the careful adjustment of the traces, may therefore

obviate the propensity.

Sometimes jibbing is the effect of bad handling when starting with a

heavy load. Where such a disposition evinces itself, the carriage should

be pushed from behind, or another horse placed beside, or, if possible,

in front of the jibber, to lead him off.

_Shying_ may proceed from various causes, such as defective sight,

nervousness, or tricks; thus it may be the result of either

constitutional infirmity or of vice. From whatever cause proceeding, the

proper way to manage a shying horse is to turn his head _away from_ the

object at which he shies, in riding, pressing the spur to the same side

to which his head is turned; thus, if the object he dislikes be on the

right, turn his head to the left, and press your left leg, giving him

that spur, and _vice versa_, according to the side on which the object

to be avoided is found. If you have to deal with a bad shyer, your time

being precious, and you only care to get through your present ride with

the least unpleasantness possible, in addition to the above-mentioned

means, take him, if necessary, well by the head, the reins in each hand,

and saw or job his mouth rather sharply, keeping him in rapid motion till

you pass the object.

Operating thus on his mouth _severely_, if necessary, will engage his

attention, and cheat him out of his apprehension for the moment. It

is bad horsemanship, and dangerous besides, to force a horse’s head

_towards_ an offending object while in motion; but if it is particularly

desirable that the animal should become familiarised with anything of

which he is shy, let him be brought to a standstill, and coaxed up

gradually to it, that he may assure himself of its harmlessness by

smelling and feeling it with his nose and lips, if possible. Punishment

by whip or spur—what is called “cramming” him up to a thing—is a vile

error.

When a horse is found to evince a confirmed objection to passing a

particular place, and that he keeps bolting and turning viciously in

spite of all ordinary efforts to prevent it, take him at his own fancy,

and keep turning and turning him till he is so tired of that game that

he will only be too glad to go forward past the objectionable spot. A

horse’s sense of smelling is very acute, and sometimes a dead animal in

the ditch or field by the side of the road, though unseen, will cause an

abrupt and very unseating sort of a shy, with an ordinarily quiet beast

of sensitive olfactory nerves.

SELLING.

If the horse you wish to dispose of be a fancy one, either for beauty,

action, or disposition, and a fancy price be required, efforts must be

made to obtain the fancy customer to suit, and time and attention must be

devoted to that object. But if he be of the ordinary useful class, unless

a purchaser be found at once, let the owner, directly he has made up his

mind to part with him, think of the best market available, whether public

auction, a fair, or private sale by commission.

The public auction, with a good description of the animal’s merits, if

he has any, is the readiest and least troublesome mode of disposing of

all unsuitable property; and from my own experience, I should say that

the better plan is to make up one’s mind positively to dispose of such

the first time it is put up by the auctioneer, having, of course, placed

a reasonable and rather low reserve price on it, and provided that the

sale be fairly attended by purchasers; otherwise I should not allow my

property to be offered until a more favourable opportunity.

A valuable and fancy animal, if his owner is not pressed to sell, had

better be disposed of by full advertisement and private sale at his own

stable. It is bad management to exhibit for sale an animal that is out

of condition; it always pays to make your horse look as well as possible

before he meets the eye of a customer. There is an old and true saying,

“no meat sells so well as horse meat”—of course animal flesh is here

alluded to.

CAPRICE.[27]

All horsemen know how whimsical horses are, and the best riders feel a

certain amount of diffidence, and even awkwardness, on beginning with any

new mount, until a more perfect acquaintance is established between man

and horse.

A horseman who identifies himself with his steed will sometimes by a

mere fluke hit off the means of having his own way with a capricious

though perhaps really well-disposed animal, if one only knew the way to

manage him.

For instance, a first-class hunter of my own (Baronet), whose excellent

performance in the field, where I had seen him tried, induced me to

purchase him, soon gave evidence of a peculiarity for which, unknown to

me, he had made himself remarkable. No ordinary means could prevail upon

him to go through any street of a town except such as he pleased himself,

of which he gave me evidence the first day I had occasion to try him in

that way, walking on his hind legs directly his will was disputed on the

subject, even to the extent of a mere pressure on the rein at the side

he was required to turn. In my difficulty, instinct prompted me to drop

the reins and gently direct his progress with the point of the whip at

the side of his nose, and in this way he went ever after as quiet as

a sheep with me. Having discovered his caprice, I was always provided

with a handle of a whip or a switch of some kind for his benefit. Riding

him one day into Dycer’s, an old acquaintance of his, well aware of

his propensity, exclaimed in terms not complimentary to Baronet at my

possession of him, and was much amused when I told him my simple method

of managing this self-willed gentleman.

The same sort of what I can scarcely help terming “instinct” that has

often taught me, and doubtless hundreds of other practical horsemen,

to meet the whims of their steeds so as to suit themselves, produced

a victory somewhat similar to the foregoing over an animal that, in

the presence of a large assemblage interested in his performance, most

determinedly refused to _trot_, though ridden successively by the most

skilled nagsmen Dycer’s yard could produce, as well as by Dycer himself.

I proposed to try my hand, and the animal at first start pursued the same

uneasy half-canter with me; but perceiving that he seemed particularly

desirous to take a drink from a trough that happened to be in the way,

I allowed his attention to be distracted by taking as much water as he

pleased from it; and then turning him in the opposite direction from that

in which he had so obstinately persisted in his own gait, patting and

doing all I could to reassure him, dropping the bit-rein altogether, and

taking a very light and lengthened hold of the snaffle-rein, I let him

move off at his own pace, which, to the surprise of every one present

(my own, I admit, included), proved to be a walk, which he immediately

changed into a jog-trot all up the yard, winning for me a bet of twenty

sovereigns to one from the late Edward Dycer, that the horse could not be

made to trot within a quarter of an hour of the rider mounting.

Now, it is only caprice that can account for the likes and dislikes of

horses about going lead or wheel in four-in-hand. One horse will not stir

till removed from the wheel, and another will be equally unmanageable

if assigned the leader’s part, while an exchange of places will perhaps

render both animals perfectly tractable.

In double harness it may sometimes be observed that an animal, while

working by itself, or with others not faster, will casually show great

spirit, but when coupled with another possessing more life and action, it

will seem at once subdued from its former liveliness, and go along like

a slug, quite out of sorts at finding itself outpaced, &c., while its

more sprightly neighbour will exhibit a double ebullition of spirits,

as if in reproach to say, “Why can’t you come on?” To prove such cases

of whimsicality further, replace the apparent sluggard by coupling with

our vivacious steed a more lively and active animal, and you will see the

latter in his turn become subdued and “shut up,” in comparison with his

previous sprightliness.

Again, although the animal is decidedly gregarious, a horse, from some

dislike to its companions or other whim, will absolutely pine and cease

to thrive in a stall stabled with others, and be restored to its usual

spirits and health on removal to a loose-box. Such animals are generally

restless at night, and show great ability in smashing their head-collars.

On the other hand, most horses like company, and will pine away if kept

alone.

These things should be studied.

IRISH HUNTERS, AND THE BREEDING OF GOOD HORSES.

Much attention has latterly been attracted to the deterioration in the

superior breeds of horses, having reference more to a decline of power

and endurance than to diminished swiftness.

There is no reason why our old fame for breeding good horses of every

kind should not be maintained. Unrelaxed attention must nevertheless

be given to some well-known and established rules respecting breeding,

and more marked encouragement might with advantage be in every way

afforded to the production and rearing of young animals of a superior

and valuable description. We would therefore suggest that prizes for

young ones should be more liberally and generally awarded at exhibitions;

likewise a careful revision and alteration of many of the present

regulations in connection with racing.

The importance of most careful scrutiny in selecting the progenitors

of horses can never be overrated; and though in Ireland experience has

proved in many instances that a good hunter can be produced from a dam

which, in England, would be considered too small, too plain, the _blood_

in both parents has invariably been of the best. The mare, or perhaps her

parents, might have been half-starved—no uncommon result of the scarcity

of food during many successive years of adversity among the poorer

classes in the former country—but her progenitors had been large powerful

animals.

As, in the due course of things, it results in time that every

denomination of useful horse, excepting, perhaps, the heavy dray and

cart horse breeds, is influenced by the characteristics transmitted more

particularly to the powerful, enduring, moderately fleet animal properly

designated the hunter, it is a subject of deep interest to the community

at large to know how the latter should be produced.

The “Irish hunter” is admitted to possess in a remarkable manner the

qualities most desirable in a horse of that or the generally useful

class. Hardy, enduring, courageous, strong, short-legged, short-backed,

long-sided, tolerably fast, but any deficiency in speed made up for

by jumping power; all action, able to jump anything and everything;

intuitive lovers of fencing; their sagacity such that you have only to

get on their backs and leave the rest to themselves;—under ordinary

circumstances it is almost impossible to throw these animals.

[Illustration: THE PROPER FORM]

Such is the breeding that I should be inclined to cross with that of

the powerful English race-horse as sire, taking blood as nearly pure as

possible in both parents, for the purpose of securing valuable stock,

which would in time be dispersed over the country, and replace the

progeny of those weedy thorough-breds which, in Ireland especially, have

done much towards the decline in power and endurance of the present

generation of so-called Irish hunters. The parentage might, of course, be

reversed between sire and dam.

As to the question of climate, any one really interested in discovering

its possible effects might be curious to know what would characterise the

produce of a high-bred English racer and Irish huntress foaled and reared

in France.

As far as we can judge from the peculiarities of those horses with which

we are most familiar, extremes of either heat or cold are unfavourable to

the development of _size_; whereas, under both conditions, a vast amount

of endurance seems to be natural.

The Norwegian and the Arab, differing materially in point of swiftness,

are both notorious for endurance. The plodding perseverance of the first

is well known; while the Arab, ridden at an even gait with a fair weight,

will go with impunity a greater distance, at a rate of eighteen to twenty

miles an hour, than the best European can do. In sporting language, the

Arab can “stay” better than the European.

Arab breeders rarely offer a really high-bred animal for sale under four,

and generally five, years of age; hence he cannot receive the education

bestowed upon the European racer, who, before he is three, often at

less than two, years of age, is taught by the most scientific riders in

the world to “go from the post” at very nearly top speed—a species of

training that sometimes results in his beating horses which are really

superior in every respect except that of being ready at starting, and

capable of putting on their best speed at once. Besides, in those hot

climates the young animal has not the advantage of a soft elastic turf,

so essential to training, nor has he the assistance of proper trainers

and jockeys.

It is much to be regretted that the breeders of Arabia cannot be tempted,

for almost any price, to part with truly high-bred mares, wisely

retaining them to breed for the benefit of their native land.

Warmth of climate seems thus, as instanced in the Arab, to favour

swiftness and endurance; though, on the other hand, we may point to the

mild, moist, but scarcely warm climate of our islands, as having fostered

the production of animals possessing these qualities in the first degree,

in addition to size and power beyond those of the Arab.

France has latterly, since the introduction of pure blood, produced some

splendid horses; but time must tell whether the perfections of these

animals are as lasting as those of others whose early growth may not have

been so much forced by a more genial climate. Therefore, as far as we

know at present, the climate of England is as favourable as that of any

other land to the production and development of perfection in the horse,

the specimens of which that she has presented being hitherto unsurpassed.

It would appear that we make a serious mistake in not providing greater

encouragement to breeders and purchasers of yearlings and two-years-old

of the different descriptions. A decided advantage would, we think,

result from competition among these classes at horse-shows, due care

being necessarily given to placing them in a situation specially adapted

for them, and where they would be free from noise and excitement. Nothing

would tend more to incite to the careful breeding of horses among farmers

than the possibility of obtaining handsome prizes, and thereby securing

the prospect of early remuneration; while the opportunity for market

afforded by these exhibitions would present additional inducements to the

rearing and purchase of young animals. Having in view the encouragement

of a superior breed of horses, it is beginning at the wrong end not to

support it, in the first place, by allotting at such meetings the most

numerous and valuable prizes to the babies.

Fortunately the ventilation given to this important subject of the

deterioration in our horses, more especially in that particular class

denominated the Irish hunter, has aroused the interest of the country at

large, and already led to more earnest efforts on the part of the landed

proprietors and breeders to regain lost ground.

It ought to be borne in mind that the light weights allowed by the

present racing laws for Queen’s plates are, as examples for weighting in

other races, most pernicious. These grants from the Crown were originally

bestowed with the view to encourage the raising of strong thorough-breds,

capable of carrying twelve stone sometimes for four or even five mile

heats; therefore the present arrangement of weights is positively,

however unintentionally, a misapplication of those public funds.

It is probably to the turfmen that the change in the character of

steeplechasing is greatly due; they found it their interest gradually

to alter the weights and distances, so as to bring profitably into play

their second and third rate beaten race-horses. Steeplechases were not

intended for these latter, whose perfection is in proportion to their

speed. Pace is not the chief desideratum in hunters, to prove the

qualities of which steeple or castle chases were instituted; power and

endurance are at least as essential: and it is contrary to the law of

nature, as well as of mechanics, to combine a maximum of speed with that

of power, and _vice versa_. Either will preponderate to the detriment of

the other.

The difficulties, natural and artificial, presented by the general face

of the country in Ireland, have no doubt contributed to the development

of those qualities which render the Irish hunter so valuable. The style

of fence is continually varied; and in the course of a run there will

be encountered double ditches, with a narrow or wide bank, single ones,

stone walls, brooks, bullfinches, gates, wide drains, and occasionally

posts and rails, or iron palings—hurdles being, however, of rare

occurrence; but the horse that can master the above impediments to his

course will soon find out how to jump a hurdle.

[Illustration: PREPARATORY CANTER]

The Irish colt has sometimes also a kind of training not expressly

designed for him by his owner; for being not unfrequently left with other

animals in a field affording an insufficient supply of grass for them

all, he undertakes to prove the truth of the proverb that hunger will

break through stone walls, by jumping over if not through one to obtain

more or better food.

Transplanted to England, the accomplished Irish hunter often finds

himself tested in a manner strange to him; the rate of speed is greater

than he has been accustomed to, for the Green Isle has not yet adopted

generally the extremely swift pace of hounds now so much in vogue

in England, and is thence, as regards the hounds and the horses, in

unquestionably the most sportsmanlike condition. It was never intended

that hunting should become steeplechasing; and the unnatural pace to

which hounds are now forced causes them often to overrun the scent after

they have got away; then, when at fault, the entire ruck of the field

have an opportunity of coming up, to be, of course, once more distanced,

at the repeated sacrifice of the sound principles of hunting, and to the

disadvantage of the true breed of hunters.

If breeders of horses would give their full attention to the pursuit,

there is no reason why they should not be as successful in producing the

best description of every class of this animal, as breeders of sheep and

cattle are in their line. By judicious crossing, animals can be secured

with any peculiar characteristics that may be desired; and for the

encouragement of energy and exertion in this direction, we may remind

our readers that there is now so much competition for the possession

of first-class horses, that our Continental neighbours constantly

outbid us, having learned to value them even more than we do who have

been suffering our best sires to be bought up and removed from their

native soil to improve the foreign stock. It is not impossible that,

circumstances having directed so much attention to this subject, good

will in this as in many other cases spring out of evil, and the fostering

of valuable breeds of horses will become a more widely-recognised source

of emolument than it has been for many years past, regaining, likewise,

its proper standing among Britons as a matter of deep national interest

and importance.