ill-results from sore mouths, and among the more serious of these are
the restless and irritable habits horses develop when being ridden
or driven out of the stable, such as going off with a rush, rearing,
plunging and balking. A great deal depends upon the sensitiveness
of the individual as to the manner in which he shows his restiveness
and irritability when with a sore mouth again facing the bit. A horse
of a good, mild temperament may do nothing but show a hesitation in
going into the bit and if in double harness hang back for a time,
or he will not go up with his mate. Others will go sideways, cross
their jaws, press on one side of the bit, or toss their heads in
an irritable manner that makes it almost impossible to guide them.
High-strung, nervous, determined horses may show their irritability
in the more dangerous manner of rushing, plunging or rearing. Drivers
of horses are sometimes very much astonished to find a previously
well-mannered horse go off with a rush, rear or plunge, but it is
remarkable how seldom they think of looking to the mouth to find out
the cause for the unexpected display of ill-manners, when in the
majority of instances it is to be found there. Even when the lips
are tinged with blood from the injured lining membrane it is seldom
that an examination is made to determine the extent of the injury.
Frequently when an injury to the mouth is pointed out to an owner it
is thought lightly of, the extreme sensitiveness of that organ not
being realized.
Pinches, abrasions and cracks about the commissures of the lips
usually attract attention because they are easily observed, but they
really, as a rule, do not cause nearly the amount of irritation and
pain that an internal injury to the mouth does, and they are easily
prevented by the use of a circular leather cheek piece on the bit.
Some horses that show a disinclination to go into the bit for the
first mile or two, after a time begin to pull, and the farther they
are driven the more they pull. This is usually the result of a sore
mouth, and veterinarians frequently have to remove small portions of
bone which have been detached from the jaw by the extreme pressure
of the bit. Bad “side-liners” are caused by a chipped jaw or else
an extensive excoriation of the soft tissues on one side of the
mouth where the bit exerts its pressure. In the healing up of such
injuries the tissue with which nature repairs the breach seldom
seems to attain the ability to stand the pressure of the bit to the
same extent that one not so severely injured does. The fact that
such permanent ill-effects are apt to follow injuries to the mouth
from the bit should cause the exercise of due care when there is any
evidence of soreness. Certainly high-couraged, ambitious horses are
predisposed to injuries of the mouth, but they can be largely guarded
against by the exercise of care, and it is very important never to
disregard “soreness,” however slight.
There is probably no animal in which a bad habit is more apt to
become confirmed than the horse, and the restless, irritable habits
he is liable to develop on leaving the stable are among the most
disagreeable. Some horses do not what is called “settle down” when
first driven out, but either prance, hop or canter for a varying
distance. This is generally accounted for by the owner as being
evidence that the animal in question is “feeling too well,” or, in
other words, is suffering from an exuberance of spirits. This may be
the cause, but in the large majority of cases it is attributable to
uneasiness in connection with the mouth. Sometimes this discomfort
may not be the result of absolute soreness, as a change of bit may
cause it. It may be noticed in an otherwise well broken horse where
a curb bit is first substituted for a snaffle, particularly if it
is placed too low in the mouth and if, as very often happens, the
tongue is put over it, in which case a horse is very unlikely to go
steadily, and his mouth is almost sure to get sore in a very short
time.
The placing of the bit in a horse’s mouth is a very important matter
in influencing his manner of going. Some horsemen say there is one
proper position for a bit in a horse’s mouth and that it should
always be placed in that position. My experience is that this is best
determined by experiment with each individual, and one can tell, by
driving or riding a horse a few minutes, as to where the bit should
be placed in his mouth. It is usually best to place it rather high at
first, particularly when changing to a curb bit, but if he keeps his
tongue under it and does not respond readily to pressure, lower it as
much as he will stand without showing restlessness. The lower the bit
in the mouth, within certain limits, the better, provided the horse
will keep his tongue under it and not fuss with it, and face it with
a reasonable degree of firmness.
How frequently we see horses go off their feet when going well
within their speed at the trot. Sometimes this is the result of
excitability, but in nine cases out of ten it is due to a feeling of
discomfort or want of confidence in connection with the mouth. Very
often this is caused by the arrangement of the curb in giving too
much leverage, especially if the hands of the driver are not good.
Some horses that go unsteadily with the reins in the bar will go much
better in the half-check, or it may be in the plain check, but very
often the breaking at the trot is due to an injured mouth. Horse
owners sometimes endeavor to overcome this tendency to breaking by
giving long drives, and fatigue will temporarily overcome it as a
rule, but there are horses that go unsteadily when almost jaded. This
tendency can usually be overcome in a moderately worked horse if the
bitting is made comfortable for him and the soreness of the mouth
relieved.
Soreness of the mouth is by no means an uncommon one among the
exciting causes of “interfering” and may frequently be observed
even in well broken horses when a change of bit, particularly a
change to a severe one, has produced some injury to the mouth.
Fatigue, bad shoeing, rough or slippery roads, and the swaying of
a heavy two-wheeler are all exciting causes of “striking,” and the
awkwardness arising from an imperfectly made (not thoroughly bitted)
mouth, with the incidental soreness, is an important factor.
Driving green horses in double harness is a very fertile cause of
sore mouths. There are undoubted advantages in handling green horses
in double harness, particularly shy, nervous ones, as the break horse
inspires confidence in the green one and he is more easily controlled
if badly frightened; but one can make more rapid progress in making
a mouth in single harness, or in the saddle, than in double harness,
for the opportunity of humoring it is better, and there is only one
temper to consider. Trainers of green horses usually change the side
horses are driven on every day, which is a good plan, as it tends
to make them drive straight; but it is a tacit acknowledgment that
there is more or less soreness of the mouth.
If the mouth is bruised or excoriated on the portion of the bars
of the lower jaw where the bit presses, keep the bit out of it, if
possible, until it heals. This need not prevent the horse being
exercised, for if a suitable place is available, he can be lunged a
sufficient time daily to keep him in condition and under control. The
lunging line can be buckled in the noseband of the halter, and no
bit need be used. If a suitable place for lunging is not available
and it is necessary to lead the horse alongside of another that is
ridden, it can be done without the use of a bit by using a tightly
applied standing martingale, made with a headpiece and attached to
a girth that is kept in its place by a crupper. The headline should
be attached to the noseband of the headstall. In some instances
changing to a bit that exerts its pressure so as not to interfere
with the sore part will answer, as, for instance, the substitution of
a snaffle for a Liverpool; but in most instances it is better to keep
the bit out of the mouth altogether until it heals. When the mouth
is sufficiently healed to stand the pressure of the bit again it is
a very necessary precaution before driving for the first few times
to take the sharp edge off the spirit of the horse by lunging him
so that the sore part will not be so likely to be reinjured by the
animal’s “taking hold.”
It is well to emphasize what has already been stated, that the front
grinders should be kept in condition, so that they can inflict no
injury to the cheeks, by having them thoroughly beveled or rounded
off with the tooth rasp. This does no harm, provided it is done in a
rational way, and is frequently of much benefit in preventing injury
to the lining of the cheeks.
TURNING HORSES OUT
In the large Eastern cities the practice of horse owners turning
all or some of their horses out for a portion of the year is a very
common one. Consequently it is an important matter for them to study
this question from every standpoint. For instance, is it wise to turn
a horse out if he is going sound, and is in good working condition?
Many owners express themselves and act as if it were a benefit to a
horse to be thrown into complete idleness at intervals for a time.
Others do it with the object of saving expense. Mr. C. J. Hamlin,
of Buffalo, whom everybody knows as a gentleman of long experience
and also as one of good judgment in horse matters, is said to have
given expression to the following aphorism, viz., that “two let-ups
are as bad as a break-down.” This statement may be considered rather
an exaggeration by some, but those who have had an opportunity for
fully observing the effects of “turning out” on horseflesh will
agree that there is a large measure of truth in it. If you throw a
horse into complete or comparative idleness for any length of time,
every active tissue of the body becomes relaxed and incapable of
standing anything like severe work. The tendons and ligaments lose
their strength, the muscular fibres their tone, the nervous system
its power of supplying energy for any lengthened exertion. The
relaxing effect of idleness on muscular fibre is well exemplified in
connection with the circulation. Take, for instance, a saddle-horse
that has been carrying 200 pounds on his back every day all winter
and well into the spring, with impunity. The owner is going abroad
for three months and turns his horse out. When he comes back he
thinks that his horse has had a long rest, and should therefore carry
him particularly well. In a short time, however, the horse begins to
show signs of fatigue by dropping his head, going heavy in hand, and
very likely by “forging.”
The next morning the owner goes to look at him and finds he backs out
stiffly, and is more or less swollen about the fetlocks, and his feet
may feel a little warmer than usual. He is suffering from muscular
soreness, the tissues about the fetlocks are congested, the coats of
the blood-vessels in the extremities have not tone enough to return
the blood with proper force to the heart, so there is stagnation of
a portion of it in the dependent parts. That delicate and intricate
network of blood-vessels in the feet, from long and comparative
inactivity, cannot carry on their function with integrity, so we get
congestion and consequent stiffness and shortening of the gait.
“Ah, but,” someone explains, “this is only temporary. If you bandage
his legs, give him laxative food and light walking exercise for a
few days he will be all right again.” The chances are he will, but
two or three days’ work have been lost, and if you then subject him
to the same course you will very likely have a repetition of the
condition. Yes, and it will be several weeks and more likely months
before he is in as good condition to stand work as he was before he
went out. During all these weeks or months that have been spent in
reconditioning, the muscles, ligaments and tendons are more or less
soft and consequently susceptible to strains of varying intensity
which may necessitate lying up for treatment. It is not only strains
we have to fear, but the comparative inactivity of the circulation
during rest renders the legs and feet subject to congestion and
inflammation at various susceptible points when abruptly called into
activity in doing hard work.
No doubt, by taking time and bringing a horse gradually into work he
can be restored to good condition, but to do this there is required
management, some expense and tantalizing delay.
When owners are not prepared to bring their horses gradually back
into condition, they will soon have stale-legged and lame horses.
One or two seasons of “turning out” and bringing up and abruptly
putting into work will often transform a valuable, sound horse into
a “screw.” Although the legs and feet are the parts that suffer most
from this treatment, a horse shows it also in his “top,” for it takes
a long while to bring back the bloom and finish that go with good
condition, after being turned out.
Of course it is a problem for many owners difficult to solve
satisfactorily, what to do with their horses when they go away for
three months, particularly those horses that are practically sound
and in good working condition. It is such an easy solution of the
problem to turn them out at some good farm, where they will be
sufficiently fed, and kept in safety in a loose box and have a run
in a paddock, and only cost fifteen dollars per month apiece. The
question is: Wouldn’t it pay better to give thirty dollars and have
the horses kept in condition, so that they are ready to work as soon
as their owners need them? When we come to consider the danger,
loss of time, and wear and tear incidental to reconditioning, we
must emphatically answer, yes. In the above remarks we have only
considered this question from the standpoint of horses that are
practically sound and in good condition, but it is quite another
matter when we have to deal with horses that are run down from
overwork and other unfavorable conditions, or with pavement-sore and
lame horses.
In horses that are run down comparative idleness is almost
imperative, and there is nothing much better than a run in a good,
shady, well-watered pasture in the early summer, before the flies get
too bad. In that way they get the gentle exercise they voluntarily
take and get the advantage of the alterative effect that good, fresh
grass has upon the system. This, too, is good treatment for slightly
pavement-sore horses, particularly if the pasture land is not too
dry. Lame horses are, in almost all cases, benefited by rest, and if
it is necessary that the rest shall be at all prolonged, the most
economical and favorable place to treat them is in a loose box in the
country. A horse is bound to get out of condition, anyway, if resting
for lameness, and he is usually better in the country, getting lots
of pure air and sufficient space for comfort. The beneficial effects
of treatment and rest must be followed up by a very gradual process
of reconditioning after the lameness has subsided, otherwise the
lameness will be apt to recur.
IMPROVING ACTION
BITTING, SHOEING AND CONDITIONING FOR ACTION--I
Horses that have a tendency to show action can undoubtedly have it
very much increased by the adoption of a proper system of training,
but there are many without this inclination which it is hopeless
to develop to a degree that makes it worth while spending time
and effort on them. The influence which contributes most to the
development of action is bitting. This requires knowledge, time and
patience. Some horses’ mouths are much more easily made than others,
and there are some it is almost hopeless to try to make anything like
perfect. A good mouth is a responsive one. Pressure from both reins
should cause the head to bend readily on the neck, while that from
either near or off-rein should cause correspondingly prompt flexion.
There are some horses that it is almost impossible to bend, owing to
the defective anatomical relations of the head and neck, and unless
they naturally have a lot of action, they are not likely, even in
the best hands, ever to show very much. A horse with his head well
put on his neck, that has a responsive mouth and some ambition, will,
when urged, get his head up and nose in, and if restrained at the
same time by moderate pressure of the bit, will step much higher than
if he has a free head when going at the same rate of speed. Some
horses, when going fast, show a considerable amount of action, that
at a slow pace will exhibit very little. If such horses have their
mouths well cultivated, so that when restrained their force will be
exerted to step up instead of stepping on, their action, in front at
least, will be much increased. If, however, a horse’s mouth is not
cultivated to a proper degree of responsiveness, and he is urged into
the bit, he will lug or bore and go ahead instead of going up.
To those who are anxious, then, to develop action in their horses,
the first step is to endeavor to cultivate a responsive mouth. As has
been stated, this requires time and skill. Many horses’ mouths are
frequently permanently injured by insufficient time being taken for
this process. It is a very similar one to teaching a child to write.
The tyro at writing cannot regulate the movements of his hand and arm
so as to make smooth and regular lines in an easy, flowing manner.
The nerves and muscles of his hand and arm have to be cultivated by
degrees to be able to accomplish this. So with the horse’s mouth; the
nerves of it have to be educated to make prompt and easy response
to pressure, and the muscles, acting under the influence of the
nerves, have to be strengthened and developed, so that the head
can be bent on the neck and properly carried without discomfort to
the individual. The head should not only be bent on the neck to a
reasonable degree, but should also be steadily carried.
The first step in the process of making a horse’s mouth is to get
him used to the pressure of the bit without showing restlessness.
No pressure should be brought to bear upon the tongue by means of
the reins until the horse will stand a bit in his mouth without
fussing. The bit should be placed sufficiently high in the mouth,
so that there is no temptation for the horse to get his tongue over
it. The old-fashioned plan of putting a big, thick bit, with keys
hanging from it, placed low in the mouth, is entirely erroneous, as
it gets the colt into the way of fussing with his tongue all the
time, which is a habit to be avoided. In a good mouth, if the horse
is comfortable, his tongue lies quietly in the groove formed by
the branches of the lower jaw, and acts as a protective cushion in
preventing injury to the delicate and sensitive covering of the bars
and the bars themselves. If, then, through faulty management, the
tongue is not by degrees trained to stand the pressure of the bit,
the horse is sure to develop some irritable habit with that organ,
such as putting it over the bit, drawing it up in the mouth, or
“lolling” it. The result of the two former habits is that the bars of
the jaw lose the protection of the tongue and become exposed to the
pressure of the bit, which they cannot stand without suffering pain
and injury. Consequently the mouth becomes very unsteady, loses its
responsiveness, and the horse is put off his balance, so that he is
apt to go off his feet, hitch, and go cornerwise instead of straight.
Putting the tongue over the bit and retracting it in the mouth
has the further ill-effect of making a horse show irritability in
a variety of ways, such as crossing the jaws, carrying the head
sideways, throwing the head up, keeping the mouth open, slobbering,
frequent movement of the head instead of a steady carriage of it,
which is so important in conducing to a responsive mouth. Putting the
tongue over the bit soon becomes habitual with some horses, and it is
quite a difficult matter to remedy effectually. Spoon bits and all
such mechanical contrivances to prevent it are very unsatisfactory,
as a horse is never comfortable with them, and never carries a steady
head with any of them in his mouth. It can, however, be cured by
gradually getting a horse used to the presence and pressure of the
bit on his tongue. Putting the tongue over the bit becomes such a
confirmed habit that some horses will do it as soon as the bit is
put in the mouth and before any pressure whatever is brought to bear
on the tongue by the bit. This aggravated form of the habit can be
remedied by using an ordinary ring bit with a straight mouthpiece.
This should be placed high in the mouth, so that it is impossible to
put the tongue over it, and left in all day except when the horse is
feeding. In two or three weeks’ time the horse will become accustomed
to keeping his tongue in its proper position with respect to the bit
and stop trying to get it over.
This, however, is only the first step, and the next and most
important one is to get the tongue used to pressure. To accomplish
this, attach reins to the bit and buckle them to a roller at the
withers. For some time they must be left very loose, so that the
bit will exert no pressure unless the horse extends his nose beyond
its usual position. In this way he will be brought to experience,
by degrees, a little pressure on the tongue. For a time he should
be lunged daily with the reins loose, so that he will get used to
the presence and occasional pressure of the bit when in motion. Very
gradually indeed the reins may be tightened, so that after some weeks
the subject may gradually be brought to stand moderate pressure on
the tongue, and by still slower degrees may the bit be lowered in the
mouth until it reaches the lowest position the individual will stand
and still keep his tongue in place and carry his head steadily. Very
great vigilance must be exercised to see that the tongue never goes
over; if it does so by any chance, immediately raise the bit, and
lessen the pressure.
When sufficient progress has been made, as evidenced by the ability
of the tongue to stand pressure when the subject is in motion, he
may be ridden or driven. A rider with good hands can accomplish
much in cultivating the mouth and can humor it so that the horse
may gradually be brought to stand pressure. It is better to use the
horse in single harness than in double, as his mouth can be better
humored where there is only one temper and mouth to consider. The
necessity for getting the tongue used to standing the pressure of the
bit cannot be too much emphasized, but of course there is a limit
to this, and some horses that are lacking in sensitiveness will
stand pressure on their tongues until they become black and blue,
thoroughly dried up in some cases, projected from the mouth, and the
mouth kept more or less open. The most important exciting cause of
this fault is placing the bit so high in the mouth that the horse
will not bend his head upon his neck in response to the pressure of
the bit. All this may be overcome in many instances by lowering the
bit an inch or two in the mouth, when pressure of the bit will cause
responsive giving of the jaw and thus relieve the tongue of undue
pressure.
A horse should never be allowed to go with his mouth open, as it
becomes dried, which lessens the sensitiveness and responsiveness of
that organ and encourages pulling. If a horse shows a tendency to
keep his mouth open, try to determine the cause, as it is sure to
be due to some discomfort in connection with the mouth. In addition
to removing the cause, any tendency to this fault should be checked
by the use of a tight noseband. The mouth must be kept closed, as
a horse never goes nicely with it open. Although faulty mouths are
usually the result of careless, thoughtless, unskilful management, it
must be acknowledged that there is a decided predisposition in some
horses to what are called bad mouths. When this tendency does exist,
however, it can usually be overcome by rational management and a
pleasant, valuable, useful horse kept from becoming an uncomfortable
brute, much lessened in value from the possession of a bad mouth.
The horse with a small tongue and narrow, sharp bars, is apt to be
very sensitive to pressure and easily made to develop irritability
and unsteadiness of the mouth; but if he is taken cautiously and
carefully with easy bits, and gradually brought to stand pressure, he
is likely to develop a delightfully responsive mouth. Some horses,
on the other hand, have thick, leathery tongues, which it is almost
impossible to make responsive, owing to their lack of sensitiveness.
This inherent lack of sensitiveness of mouth is occasionally
associated with a corresponding lack of sensitiveness of the skin,
so that the horse does not feel the whip. I have had experience with
individuals of that sort that were free-goers and determined pullers,
in which there was something evidently lacking in the nerves of
sensation. Cases are, of course, exceptional, where there seems to be
a general lack of sensation, but it is not so rare to find a leathery
mouth.