By DR. J. C. HENNESSEY, RENO, NEVADA.
The horse is conceded to be the most intelligent of animals, the best
friend to man, and until recently the most universally used and most
necessary; yet the same animal is also the most universally abused. Men
hitch the poor animals in harness that is sometimes too small, or too
large, as the case may be, and in consequence he rebels and refuses to
pull a load when by doing so he suffers torments by chafing, or from
choking, if the collar be too small. This is all that is necessary to
stigmatize the poor brute as being balky, and unless some humane person
happens to run across the animal it will be spoiled, and no one will
take it as a gift. Now, as a matter of fact, the horse that absolutely
refuses to be treated thus is the horse that has the right material in
him and the one that will give you most service, providing you treat him
right. The horse I own was such an animal and was given up as a “runaway”
and “kicker.” Yet he is now so gentle that he will absolutely refuse
to run away on any pretense whatever. Upon hearing that a fine looking
but “mean” horse was for sale, I took occasion to visit the owner and
learn something of the “outlaw.” After seeing the animal, even after I
had learned that he had been in runaways and had broken up at least four
buggies, I bought him for $150, but not until I had made a phrenological
examination and found that the horse was particularly well supplied, as
I thought, with good horse sense. I could see that his disposition was
“keyed” up pretty high and that trait combined with a broad forehead and
a good eye, suited me, and was what I always select in an animal. The
price was as nothing, when we consider that he was a Woodnut by Nutwood,
and that his sire sold for $22,000, and his grandsire for, I think,
considerably more.
I only drove the animal a few times before he was as gentle as a lamb and
has never committed one unkind act while I was with him. He now performs
twenty tricks and is trained to hunt, and enjoys it. I shoot over his
head and he waits for me to get the game. He will stop when he sees a
rabbit and expects me to shoot it. If you want your animals to be kind to
you you must first treat them kindly. After driving this “runaway horse”
for a few months my wife and I drove across the mountains on a hunting
trip. On going down a steep grade the buggy upset and we were both thrown
out, but the wild horse absolutely refused to run away. He would have
been as kind to his former owner if he had been treated properly. You can
tyrannize over some people, while others will fight back, and it is just
so with animals.
A horse never forgets anything, and if he is badly scared in a certain
place, he will show the same fear if brought back to that place a
year afterwards. A horse will develop the same disposition as the man
who drives him, and if the man is nervous and fretful, by continually
jerking the lines and striking the horse with a whip, he instills this
irritability into the poor horse, and sooner or later the animal starts
up too soon, and, expecting to be whipped, runs off at the top of his
speed, perhaps killing somebody. Of course, the poor horse is to blame
for this (?). Sometimes he is hitched so close to the wagon that he
cannot trot without striking his hocks against the vehicle and, thinking
he is being abused, he will run away. If the traces are too tight he will
suffer from sore shoulder or sore neck.
Never allow a blacksmith to spring a shoe in a place by pressing down
and nailing. Have him take the shoe off and straighten it on the anvil.
Do not allow him to cut the frog away as it furnishes nourishment and
moisture to the hoof. Don’t check your horse too high unless you wish him
to be knee sprung. In shoeing horses some people are of the same opinion
as is John Chinaman when buying boots. They want to get all the material
they can for their money and in shoeing a horse too heavy you not only
ruin his gait, but cause him to get tired sooner than he otherwise
would. In driving, control your animal by speaking to him. By following
this method and being kind, not allowing yourself to lose your temper,
you will be surprised at the control you will have over your horse in
a short time. If the animal wishes to run away there is no man strong
enough to hold him. You cannot stop a runaway by sawing on the bit, but
if you will not lose presence of mind and not get excited, you can stop
any horse and cure him of trying to run by the following method: Grasp
the lines tightly and pull as tight as you can. Let one line slip through
your fingers (not losing it entirely), and pull hard with the other,
which will bring the horse’s head around to the side. If you hold his
head in that position you will throw him down as the legs will become
mixed by thus drawing the head to the side. If you leave his head free
once more he will stagger but not fall and will have great respect for
the driver who can thus mix him up. This is something that every one
should know, as no horse can run unless he can have his head in front of
him. To control him it is necessary to jerk the head quickly, and the
driver must keep the horse from turning around, thus upsetting the rig.
Should your horse get frightened at any object, do not whip him; scold
him and drive him carefully up to the object and he will eventually
become so gentle and observing that he will recognize objects and not get
frightened at them.
Should he get away from you do not get into a passion and beat the animal
as soon as you get him again, for he will always remember it and you
might be miles away from home and should he get loose, you will have to
walk, as he will not care for another beating and will leave you “alone
in your glory.” On the other hand, if you are kind to him you can go
among a band of wild horses, and yours will leave them for you.
Horses know more than they are given credit for and have been known to
carry their master home when the owner was intoxicated and unable to
walk after getting there. A great many horses are spoiled by the driver
forcing them to do something when the horse does not know what is wanted
of him. Show him what you wish him to do and he will do it. Never fool
your horse and always praise and reward him for doing good. Horsemen
will tell you that it spoils a horse to teach him tricks. Does it spoil
a child to educate him? My buggy horse that performed twenty tricks was
thought to be a spoiled horse but at the State fair I could not get a
race for him with trotters and had to enter him with pacers that were
going in :17, :19 and :20. He was never driven better than :26, but did
not make a break, and won handily in straight heats, and the last was
:24. In trying to beat him they ran him into a fence, and on the back
stretch locked wheels, making him drag the other under the wire in :24.
That did not excite him, because I had educated him and he came back
the next heat (fourth) in :24 in a jog. By educating your horse, you
give him courage, make him brave, and he becomes almost human, just
like Lou Dillon when, in a mighty drive she becomes part and parcel
of the greatest educator of animals who ever existed—Millard Sanders.
The old familiar quotation, “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
and waste its sweetness on the desert air,” is exemplified time and
again, when we see trainers driving animals with a world of speed, not
knowing how to shoe, handle or drive them. Would education spoil these
men? Training, gaiting and educating a horse is a mathematical problem,
and the man who can teach a little each day and who understands that by
increasing the action in front means something to the hind hoofs, and by
slowing up the action behind means something to the front hoofs just as
it does to multiply and subtract, is the man who takes the purse at the
race meeting even if he does not make a hit in his workouts. When you
wish to train to perform tricks, start in with the easiest one first
and begin in the following way:
The first and easiest trick to teach a horse is to say “no.” Stand on the
left side and with a tack prick him gently on the withers. He will shake
his head. Ask him a question, at the same instant you prick him, and
after awhile he will get so used to the inflection of your voice that he
will shake his head every time you ask, without the use of the tack. To
teach him to say “yes” prick him on the breast. Be gentle, so he will not
get in the habit of snapping at you. For instance, ask him if he likes
politics and he will shake his head “No.” Ask him if he reads Trotwood’s
Monthly, and he will nod his head “Yes.” Next, teach him to lie down.
Some teach this trick by the aid of ropes. The easiest way is to take the
horse out of the stall, or, better, after a drive, just after unhitching,
while he is sweating, lead him to the corral and say “Lie down, sir.” He
will obey, because he wants to roll. After he gets up give him some sugar
and pet him. After doing this several times he learns what is wanted of
him and finds that by obeying he gets his sugar. Next, you wish him to
kneel. This is easy, as he must always kneel to lie down. By holding the
rope, you can allow him only to kneel after which you give him sugar and
pet him.
To teach him to sit up it is first necessary to make him lie down. Then
say, “Get up, sir.” By holding the rope, allow him to get up on the front
feet only. Next you wish him to open a box. Get one with hinges and have
the lid extend a little over the box. Allow him to eat out of it several
times, being sure to close the lid frequently while he is eating. He will
see you throw the lid back and in a short time will do so himself, that
he may eat the grain. After this be sure to pet him. In a short time
you can send him from a distance to the box and he will open the lid.
To teach him to kiss you is the easiest of all. If he likes candy, as
all pets do, place a piece in your mouth, and he will reach for it. Say,
“Kiss me, sir,” and he will attempt to get it. He will become accustomed
to the command, after a few times and will obey the order without the
candy. Next you wish him to stand on a barrel. Lead him to a box, about
five or six inches high, being sure to have it solid so it will not turn.
After getting him as close to it as possible, raise one hoof and place it
on the box, then raise the other and place it by the first, after which
give him the usual reward. As he gets used to this trick increase the
height of the box until you have it as high as you wish and he will climb
up to get the sugar. Teach him to shake hands by picking up his hoof and,
at the same time, giving the command, “Shake hands, sir.” To teach a
horse to tell his age or the time of day, or to multiply, subtract or add
numbers is the hardest of all and requires a great amount of maneuvering
on the part of the trainer. Get him impatient and he will paw the ground
with his hoofs. Pat him every time and he soon learns what you want. The
hard part is to make him stop at the right number. Of course there is a
key to this and an easy method may be used. I stand close to my horse and
nudge him with my elbow when I want him to stop. For instance, I ask him
to multiply 7 × 2, and he paws 14 times. To have him stop I nudge him
just after he paws the thirteenth time, and he stops on the fourteenth.
Train him to stop, to turn corners, and to turn around in this way: When
driving go the same way a number of times, always turning to go home in
the same place and being careful to turn slowly. Say, “Whoa,” and then,
“Turn around, sir.” After a little coaxing with the rein he will do this.
In a little while he will know what is required of him every time you ask
him to turn. Get him used to your gun by driving him with an open bridle
and, for the first few times, shooting back from the buggy. By proper
handling he will, after a time, stop when you level your gun to shoot or,
as my horse does, when he sees anything to shoot at. Teach your horse to
play tag, by giving some person his sugar and having him run from the
horse. The animal will learn to put his ears back, show his teeth and
run for the sugar. This should only be taught horses that are perfectly
gentle, as it makes them cross. When they find people are afraid of them
they always enjoy frightening them. Many horses are considered of no
value because their owner does not know how they should be shod. I shall
be pleased to answer any communications from people who wish to know
how to shoe horses, how to avoid interfering, forging, or any of the bad
habits horses may have. All can be rectified if people only know how.
Remember you can only teach a horse through kindness. As soon as you lose
patience he will be spoiled.
In driving an animal, if you treat it kindly and do not lash it with the
whip when there is no occasion for doing so, it will become attached to
you and will cool down in a moment of danger or excitement, as it feels
that you are its friend and going to protect it; whereas, if you were in
the habit of abusing it you may get into a “tight place” and the horse
will get excited and perhaps kill you. This is something that people
should understand, and how much more satisfactory it is to have your
animals watch for your home-coming and have them run to greet you than
to have them afraid and shrink and expect the lash every time you move.
Teach your animals to be courageous, and then whatever they do they will
go through on their courage and not by the whip. My animal was very fast
and I hired a trainer to train him for the track. I gave him instruction
not to whip the horse, and being headstrong thought he knew it all, so
one day he struck him with the whip and was immediately kicked out of the
cart. The horse ran for about fifty yards and stopped. I informed the
trainer that he received his just deserts and he never drove him again.
In this instance the horse knew more than the man, and I have seen many
such instances. It is not right that we abuse animals, and we should not
be permitted to do so. They are willing to obey us and will always do so
if we give them a chance and I am delighted when I see a horse that will
have the courage to resist ill treatment. Some people check their horses
up to the skies and never put the check down when they tie them, but
leave the poor animals tied to a post for hours with their neck stretched
so that they are in constant pain. It would be a good law that would
cause such men to suffer the same punishment.
It is a very wrong thing to feed a horse too much hay. It only distends
the stomach, and gives the animal an ungainly appearance. Feed him
regularly, and four quarts of oats is a good feed for a buggy horse.
When purchasing a horse, stand directly in front of the animal and look
at front hoofs. If they toe-in, buy; but if they toe-out, do not accept
as a gift, as every time he picks his hoofs up, if he is going fast,
he will strike his shin or knee, whereas, if he toes in, he will pick
them up from his knees and never interfere and you will not be under the
necessity of placing boots on every time you wish to speed him. They
should toe out behind and in that case they spread and pass their front
hoofs when going fast and will not “forge” or strike their quarters.
It is a very common thing for a horse to trot along and by forging you
can hear them a block away. The click, click is caused by the hind feet
striking the front ones, and is very annoying, and at the same time is
very bad for the horse. You can remedy this by shoeing in front with all
the weight in the toe, causing him to pick up the hoof quicker and thus
getting it out of the way of the hind shoe when it comes along. If he
interferes behind, shoe with weight on the outside to spread the hoofs. A
horse should be shod every four or five weeks, as the hoof grows and the
shoe interferes with its expansion.
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No man can be great who does not believe in himself.
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