These instructions are very good, but not quite sufficient for horses of
all kinds, and for haltering and leading the colt; but I have inserted
them here because they give some of the true philosophy of approaching
the horse, and of establishing confidence between man and horse. He
speaks only of the kind that fear man.
To those who understand the philosophy of horsemanship, these are the
easiest trained; for when we have a horse that is wild and lively, we
can train him to our will in a very short time--for they are generally
quick to learn, and always ready to obey. But there is another kind that
are of a stubborn or vicious disposition; and although they are not
wild, and do not require taming in the sense it is generally understood,
they are just as ignorant as a wild horse, if not more so, and need to
be taught just as much: and in order to have them obey quickly, it is
very necessary that they should be made to fear their master; for, in
order to obtain perfect obedience from any horse, we must first have him
fear us, for our motto is, fear, love, and obey; and we must have the
fulfilment of the first two before we can expect the latter; for it is
by our philosophy of creating fear, love, and confidence, that we govern
to our will every kind of horse whatever.
Then, in order to take horses as we find them, of all kinds, and to
train them to our liking, we will always take with us, when we go into a
stable to train a colt, a long switch whip (whalebone buggy-whips are
the best), with a good silk cracker, so as to cut keenly and make a
sharp report, which, if handled with dexterity, and rightly applied,
accompanied with a sharp fierce word, will be sufficient to enliven the
spirits of any horse. With this whip in your right hand, with the lash
pointing backward, enter the stable alone. It is a great disadvantage in
training a horse to have any one in the stable with you; you should be
entirely alone, so as to have nothing but yourself to attract his
attention. If he is wild, you will soon see him on the opposite side of
the stable from you; and now is the time to use a little judgment. I
should not want, for myself, more than half or three-quarters of an hour
to handle any kind of a colt, and have him running about in the stable
after me; though I would advise a new beginner to take more time, and
not be in too much of a hurry. If you have but one colt to gentle, and
are not particular about the length of time you spend, and have not had
any experience in handling colts, I would advise you to take Mr. Powel’s
method at first, till you gentle him, which he says takes from two to
six hours. But as I want to accomplish the same, and what is more, teach
the horse to lead, in less than one hour, I shall give you a much
quicker process of accomplishing the same end. Accordingly, when you
have entered the stable, stand still, and let your horse look at you a
minute or two, and as soon as he is settled in one place, approach him
slowly, with both arms stationary, your right hanging by your side,
holding the whip as directed and the left bent at the elbow, with your
hand projecting. As you approach him, go not too much towards his head
or croup, so as not to make him move either forward or backward, thus
keeping your horse stationary; if he does move a little either forward
or backward, step a little to the right or left very cautiously; this
will keep him in one place. As you get very near him, draw a little to
his shoulder, and stop a few seconds. If you are in his reach he will
turn his head and smell your hand, not that he has any preference for
your hand, but because that is projecting, and is the nearest portion of
your body to the horse. This all colts will do, and they will smell your
naked hand just as quickly as they will anything that you can put in it,
and with just as good an effect, however much some men have preached the
doctrine of taming horses by giving them the scent of articles from the
hand. I have already proved that to be a mistake. As soon as he touches
his nose to your hand, caress him as before directed, always using a
very light soft hand, merely touching the horse, always rubbing the way
the hair lies, so that your hand will pass along as smoothly as
possible. As you stand by his side, you may find it more convenient to
rub his neck or the side of his head, which will answer the same
purpose as rubbing his forehead. Favour every inclination of the horse
to smell or touch you with his nose. Always follow each touch or
communication of this kind with the most tender and affectionate
caresses, accompanied with a kind look, and pleasant word of some sort,
such as, “Ho! my little boy--ho! my little boy!” “Pretty boy!” “Nice
lady!” or something of that kind, constantly repeating the same words,
with the same kind, steady tone of voice; for the horse soon learns to
read the expression of the face and voice, and will know as well when
fear, love, or anger prevails, as you know your own feelings; two of
which, fear and anger, a good horseman should never feel.