first knot through the second, so as to form a loop which will not draw tight. Make a halter by taking a turn of the rope through the fixed loop (see Fig. 19). Place the halter over the horse’s head, and the loop in his mouth. Make a half hitch with the free part of the rope, pass it over the horse’s head and under his upper lip, and draw moderately tight (see Figs. 20 and 21). By making the fixed loop long, one can obtain more power than with the halter-twitch.
If an ordinary head-stall or snaffle-bridle is on, the twitch may be applied by knotting the end of the rope to one of the D’s on the cheek-pieces of the former, or to one of the rings of the latter, and passing the half hitch over the ears and under the upper lip, as before described.
If there be much difficulty in applying the rope-twitch, the horse may be tied head and tail (see page 197), and it can then be put on without trouble; the animal being, of course, released, immediately after this is done.
Head-stall twitch.—Fig. 22 will explain this ready and effective method of applying the twitch. The rope is passed through the upper ring of the cheek-piece of the head-stall, and is tied on to the lower ring. The turn over the ears and under the upper lip is, then, taken, with the portion of rope which, after being drawn out, is included between the two rings.
The bridle-twitch.—This is a useful and ready means for making the horse stand quiet after he is bridled, and is applied by passing one of the snaffle-reins under the upper lip, and drawing it tight to the opposite side (see Figs. 23 and 24). I was shewn this twitch by Mr. Esa, of the firm of Shaikh Ibrahim & Co., Poona.
The strait-jacket.—For English readers, I
venture to apply this term to the hippo lasso of MM. Raabe and Lunel. It consists of a
breachen and breast-band, supported by straps passing over the back, and connected by traces, which proceed from the breachen, through D’s, with rollers on them, at the end of the breast-band, back again through similar D’s on the breachen, and then forward; to become finally attached to buckles on the sides of the breast-band (see Fig. 25). A strap and buckle, laid along the top of the back, connects the two back straps together. A felt guard may be used with the supporting strap of the breast-band, so as to prevent it hurting the back. The breachen should be lined with felt. The back straps should be made of strong stirrup leather. The traces should be particularly strong, close to the breachen. The breachen and breast-band should be provided, at their respective centres, with a D, to which ropes may be attached, in order to keep the animal steady, before and behind.
This gear may be applied in the following way:
If the horse is quiet, the breast-band and breachen may be put on separately, with the back straps supporting them, and may be
connected together by the strap on the top of the
back, and by the traces on each side. The breast-band should rest high up against the fore-arms, and the breachen behind, and a little below the level of the stifles (see Fig. 26).
If the animal is dangerous to handle, only, behind; the breast-band may be put on, and the breachen attached to it, in the manner just described, but without putting it over the quarters. A rope can now be fixed to the D in the centre of the breachen, which, by the aid of the rope, can be pulled over the croup into its proper position, by an assistant from behind. Before doing this, the traces should be let out, to be pulled tight, the moment the breachen slips over the tail. In this and other cases of difficulty, ropes may be attached to the ends of the traces, so that the assistants who hold them, need run no risk of getting kicked.
When the horse strikes out, as well as kicks, the different parts of the strait-jacket may be connected together, with the exception of, say, the near trace, the end of which may be held by an assistant, while another helper holds a rope attached to the D which is on the near side of the breast-band. The loop formed by the breast-band and its back strap is, now, passed over the horse’s neck, the end of the near trace passed through the near side D of the breast-band, and the remaining fixings accomplished. Or, if the animal be not very violent, the gear may be connected together; the loop made by the breast-band and its back strap, passed over the head and neck; and the breachen pulled over the croup by a rope.
If the precaution of putting on the rope-twitch be taken, no difficulty need be experienced in subsequently applying the strait-jacket.
Lifting up a hind-leg.—The two methods to which I need direct my readers’ attention, for performing this operation, are as follows:
1. If the operator has two assistants—one to
hold the horse, the other to hold up, say, the near fore-leg—he may get alongside the animal’s near hind; catch the tendo Achillis (the hamstring) with the left hand, and the pastern, backhanded, with the right hand; give a signal to the assistant to let go the near fore; then lift the leg, and place it resting on his left thigh (see Fig. 27).
If he has no one to hold up the near fore, he may “pick it up” in the way previously described; grasp the hoof with the right hand, while facing to the horse’s rear (see Fig. 28); take a step forward with the left foot; catch the hamstring with the left hand (see Fig. 29); let go the near fore, and, at the same moment, seize the pastern, backhanded, with the right hand; and place, as before, the animal’s leg on the left thigh. This method, which, I believe, I have been the first to devise, ensures almost complete immunity from danger. As long as one has hold of the fore-hoof with the hand, one can get forward, out of danger, if the horse tries to kick. The grasp of the left hand deprives the hind-leg of the greater part of its action, and the hind pastern is caught so quickly after, even if not before, the near fore reaches the ground, that the animal has not time to make a deliberately offensive movement. By catching the pastern in the way described, we aid in preventing the animal from cow-kicking, to do which, he must bend his hock; for the muscle which flexes the foot extends the hock. Were we to catch the canon bone, instead of the pastern, we should, besides losing this advantage, have less ability to act on the lever formed by the bones below the hock, by reason of our shifting the point of application of the “power,” closer to the fulcrum (the head of the tibia). The irritation caused by the grasp of the hand on the hamstring—which is composed of two tendons—stimulates their muscles to contract, and, thus, to keep the hock extended. In this operation, we should follow the principles, already laid down, of removing the cause of any pain or irritation,
inflicted by us on the horse, the moment he yields to our wishes. I need hardly say, that if the horse overpowers the grip of our hands on his hind-leg, and kicks out behind, he can do us no harm, for we are then in front of his hind-leg. If the animal will not submit, we should apply the rope-twitch (see page 113); and, by its aid, and a little “gentling,” proceed as before described.
2. In order to “gentle” the hind limb, or to take it up and let it down at will, while maintaining complete control over it, we may proceed as follows: Put on, say, the near hind pastern, a hobble with a D attached to it. Take a strong cord about 20 ft. long, and tie with it a “double sheet bend” (see Fig. 30) to the end of the tail, in the middle of the cord. Pass one end through the D to the near side, the other end through it to the off side, and give the respective ends to an assistant on each side to hold (see Fig. 31). These men should stand at right angles to the horse, and can lift the leg by
pulling equally on their respective cords. In this manner, the leg will be brought straight up under
Fig. 32.—Leg pulled back with one rope, a method which should be avoided; as it throws the horse off his balance.
the body, so as not to throw the animal off his balance. The fact of thus keeping the joints of the leg flexed will obviate any chance of his straining himself while struggling, which he might do by the old method of using only one cord,
which will necessitate the leg being pulled back, and will, consequently, disturb the animal’s equilibrium
(see Fig. 32). By the other and better method, which was taught me by Colonel W. Gatacre, the foot may be lifted up, and put down again, without causing the animal any inconvenience. It is a most valuable means for “gentling” the hind limb; for its action is irresistible, and, at the same time, causes no irritation. If the horse’s tail is too short to make a knot in its hair, we may pass a loop made in the middle of a doubled cord over the dock, and further secure it by a half hitch (Figs. 33 and 34).
I have devised the following method for improvising a hobble for lifting up a hind-leg, which, I think, will be found useful. Place a stirrup iron, foot part pointing to the rear, at the back of the hind pastern; take a few turns, with the stirrup-leather, round the pastern and iron, and buckle up (Fig. 35).
Gagging a Horse.—This is useful for preventing the animal using his teeth aggressively, and, also,
for breaking him of this objectionable habit. The
one I use is made out of a block of hard wood, 5 inches long and 2 inches square, which is made octagonal by planing off the corners. Lately, I have had this gag made with a semicircular groove, about a third of an inch broad, running down the centre of each face of the octagonal, in order to make it more “punishing.” A hole is bored, down the centre, for a chain which is attached to the head-stall. I use leather guards on each side to prevent the animal from getting the gag out of his mouth (see Fig. 36). This is a modification of Rarey’s wooden mouthing bit, which was a round block of wood.
General Peat suggested to me the advisability of having the gag made with sharp edges, and not round; so as to teach the horse, by the pain inflicted on his gums, not to bite.
CHAPTER IV.
RENDERING HORSES DOCILE.
The crupper leading rein—Gentling the horse—Throwing the horse with the strait-jacket—Making the horse lie down by means of the cord—Keeping the horse in a constrained position on the ground.
In this chapter, we need consider only quick methods of removing a horse’s nervousness, and proving to him that he need have no fear of us, or of his other surroundings; for the ordinary ways of accustoming him to the presence of man, are too self-evident to need any special mention here. The breaker, however, should remember that, by adopting a system of “gentling,” which requires several days, if not weeks, for its completion, he runs the risk of allowing the horse to find out his own power of resistance—a species of knowledge which our rapid style of breaking never permits him to acquire. If the animal sulks, or exhibits deliberate impatience of control, he should be conquered, then and there, as I have mentioned on page 11.
The crupper leading-rein.—Whichever style of breaking be adopted, the first step that I would advise, is to accustom the horse to the “crupper leading-rein,” which can be readily made by taking a long rope, doubling it, making a loop in the middle by knotting it, and passing the loop under the horse’s tail, and the ends of the rope through the halter, or rings of the snaffle (see Fig. 37). By using this leading-rein in preference to one attached to the head-stall or halter, the animal will never attempt to “hang on” the leading-rein, as he will often do with the other, and, when led, instead of “going on his fore-hand,” will move, as he ought to do, “collectedly,” on
account of the pressure of the rope making him “bring his hind-quarters well under him.” I do not know who invented this form of crupper, which was known to Fanchion, Magner, Pratt, Rockwell, and all the other American “horse-tamers.”
Gentling the Horse.—Having put on this crupper leading-rein, the horse may be gentled all over with a long pole. We may, then, lift up his fore and hind legs, successively, and handle him all over. Every display of confidence on his part should be rewarded by encouraging words, patting, and, if procurable, a piece of carrot, or, if he will eat it, a bit of bread, or lump of sugar. If we have got a strait-jacket at hand, we may use it with advantage, in the event of his proving very nervous. If the horse shews fight, we may employ the gag and rope-twitch, invariably using, with the latter, the word “steady,” and discontinuing the application of the rope as soon as the animal obeys the word.
Throwing the Horse with the strait-jacket.—If we want to produce a stronger, or different effect, we may make the horse lie down by means of the strait-jacket. To do this, one assistant should stand at his head, another should hold a rope attached to his tail, so that he may not throw himself forward on to his mouth; while an assistant at each of the traces should pull them tight, and thus bring him down. As soon as he is on the ground, he should be gentled and handled, all over, for a few minutes. The process may be repeated, or lengthened, as may be required. If, say, the off-trace be tightened up and buckled, the aid of the assistant, who would otherwise have held this trace, may be dispensed with. This method of throwing the horse is the gentlest in its action of any I have ever seen. If the appliances and help be at hand, and the breaker be not pressed for time, I would recommend that this method of throwing should be always used, as a preliminary to that of making a horse lie down by pulling his head round, which I shall presently describe; so as to take some of the “fight” out of him, and to prevent him, as much as possible, from “knocking himself about.”
Making the Horse lie down by means of the cord.—If the horse refuses to give in, we may make him lie down in the following manner, which Professor Sample informs me was invented by the American “horse-tamer,” Hamilton. It is a modified and greatly improved form of Rarey’s method. Place on the horse, a surcingle which has three rings on its pad, and attach a crupper to the rearmost ring. Tie a rope to the tail for an assistant to hold; so as to be able to pull the horse over, on the proper side, if he appears likely to fall the wrong way. Put on the horse’s head, a leather head-stall, having a circular D on one side, or attach an iron ring to the D, so that the cord which has to be employed, may run smoothly through it. Fix a strong cord to the middle ring on the pad; pass it through the ring on the side of the head-stall, and back through the front ring on the pad. Put kneecaps on, and suspend to the surcingle the fore-leg of the side, away from which the head will be turned (see Fig. 38). The buckle of the leg-strap should be put on the inside, so that when the horse lies on his off side, there may be no difficulty in undoing the strap, in order to let him up. Then, all being ready, take the end of the cord, draw the head round, say, to the near side, bring the cord across the base of the neck, and pull on it from the off side, until the animal yields, and rolls over on to that side. When the horse goes down, comparatively, easily, the free part of the cord may be drawn over his back, as in Fig. 38, and not under his neck. No attempt should be made to throw him forcibly down; for the effect we should aim at is that produced by his “giving in” to power which he finds irresistible. Hence, the more he fights, and
pits the strength of his muscles against the action of our mechanical appliances, the better will be the result. If the horse appears likely to fall on his near side, the assistant who holds the rope should pull him over on to his off side; for, if he fell on the near side, he would be in the awkward position of having his neck doubled under him. The horse may now be kept, say ten minutes, on the ground, with his head pulled round to his side (see Fig. 38), and “gentled.” When “gentling” the horse on the ground, the breaker should remain at his back, so as to keep out of reach of his heels.
Having carefully attached a rope-noose to the off hind pastern, the breaker may pull that hind limb toward himself, and gentle it.
I need hardly say that it is quite immaterial to which side the horse’s head is drawn, provided that, in either case, the opposite leg be tied up.
Keeping a horse in a constrained position on the ground.—If the animal goes down without a struggle, and sulks on the ground, he should be forced to “shew fight” by keeping him in the constrained position depicted in Fig. 39, until he has got rid of the most of his “temper” by ineffectual struggling. When a horse begins to groan, and to considerably moderate the violence of his struggles, we may feel confident that “the sulk” has been taken out of him, more or less, and that he is fit to be allowed to get on to his feet again. If an error happens to be made with respect to the amount of the effect produced, it should be on the side of leniency, rather than on that of severity; for the operation can be always repeated, and more time given on the next occasion, without running any risk of unduly cowing the animal. Whatever punishment we employ, should never be pushed beyond the point necessary to gain our required object, which, in this case, is the attainment of authority over the horse.
My own practice is, with animals that are
simply impatient of control, to produce the desired effect by making them lie down several times; and, with stubborn ones, by keeping them down, with their heads pulled round. The latter method might alone be employed, if the ground be hard or slippery, or if the horse’s fore-legs be liable to become sprained. In such cases, both the strait-jacket and throwing gear might be put on the horse, who might be made to lie down with the former, and have his head pulled round by the latter; after doing which, the strait-jacket could be taken off, so as to give the animal entire liberty to kick as much as he pleased. We might use a body-piece on the horse to save the point of his hip that is on the ground, from getting rubbed.
I cannot impress my readers too much with the value, for overcoming stubbornness, of the foregoing method, which, I believe, I have been the first to use.
This throwing gear is exactly similar in its action to that described in Pratt’s book, although differing from it in its construction. Pratt used to employ a rope which was looped round the neck and passed through the mouth, for pulling round the head. He also had a single rope to form both surcingle and crupper. The chief objection to Pratt’s method, as far as I can see, was, that the ropes passing through the mouth and under the tail were apt to hurt those parts.
The employment of the tail-rope is an improvement which I have devised, and which I have found most useful. As the surcingle has to be girthed up tight, I like to use a felt saddle-cloth, or numdah, under it, to prevent it slipping forward; in which case, it might squeeze the withers, or the crupper might rub the root of the tail.
In order to make a horse “give in” to the required degree, after he submits to lie down readily with one leg tied up, I like to continue the process with both fore-legs free, until he goes down without any trouble.
The process of obtaining control over the horse, as a rule, had best be completed in one lesson, which can be repeated as may be required.
We may utilise the knowledge that a horse cannot get up off the ground, when his head is pulled round, for keeping him down—for instance, when he has fallen in harness—by holding his head in an upward and backward direction, while keeping his neck bent by aid of the pressure of the knee (see Fig. 40).
CHAPTER V.
GIVING HORSES GOOD MOUTHS.
Mouthing gear—Bridling and saddling a horse for the first time—Mouthing on foot.
Mouthing gear.—The gear I use for giving a horse a good mouth—in other words, for teaching him to obey the indications of the rein and leg—consists of a bridle with a heavy, smooth snaffle, which has leather guards on each side; a standing martingale; long reins; a driving pad, or cross-trees which prevent the reins going over the horse’s back, and which is kept in place by a crupper and rein-bearers hanging down on each side of the quarters (see Figs. 41 and 42).
The standing martingale is attached to the
rings of the snaffle and to the girth of the driving pad, and is lengthened out, as much as is compatible with its preventing the animal from getting the snaffle off the bars of his lower jaw, and on to the corners of his mouth (see page 70 and Fig. 3). The reins are 22 ft. long, are made of 1½ inch “circular” webbing; they pass through the rein-bearers, and buckle on to the rings of the snaffle. The reins are separate from each other; so that, if the horse tries to bolt away when being driven on foot, he can always be pulled round and held fast, by letting go one rein and holding the other tight. The rein-bearers are made about 3 ft. 6 in. long on each side for a horse about 15·2 high, and can be taken up or let out as may be necessary.
Bridling and saddling a Horse for the first time.—These operations may be accomplished with great ease, by means of the rope-twitch (see page 113), and, if necessary, by tying up one fore-leg; especially, if the animal has been rendered quiet in the manner described in Chapter III.
Mouthing on foot.—After making the horse sufficiently steady to pay attention to the instruction about to be given—if this has not already been done—the breaker, while remaining on foot, should take the reins in his hands, and, by gently “feeling the mouth,” “clucking” to him, and, at times, cracking the whip, should get him to circle round him, to the left, for instance. If the animal resents the outward rein touching his quarters, the driver should, at first, work with this rein on the driving pad or cross-trees, as in Fig. 41, and then, as the horse gradually learns to bear the pressure without flinching, he should bring it down, as in Fig. 44. By the aid of the rope-twitch (see page 113), to be used by an assistant as may be necessary, it is very easy to overcome any resentment the horse may evince to the rein coming against his hind-legs. We need not, except, perhaps, in very rare cases, employ this form of punishment here; for the horse, on finding that the rein does not hurt him, will quickly cease from manifesting irritation at its presence. The employment of pressure with the outward rein will teach the horse the use of support from the rider’s outward leg.
When we have got the animal to circle quietly to the left for a few times, we should turn him to the right with the right rein, acting on his mouth and quarters, so as to teach him, on feeling the indication of the rein on his mouth and side, to turn his quarters, as well as his head and neck (see page 56). He should now be circled to the right on the same principle. After he has learned to do his circles readily and collectedly, with the reins hanging down, he should be made to perform them with the outward rein on the driving pad; so as to accustom him to the feel of the rein in the position it would occupy, when he is being ridden, or driven in harness. If he refuses to turn when the rein is on the pad, a cut or two with the whip will soon teach him to come round quickly. When he is perfect in circling and turning at the trot, we should teach him to rein back, taking care to ease the reins and allow him to “collect” himself, after each step he takes to the rear. When turning, stopping, restraining, or reining back the horse, our pull on the reins—to use Mr. John Hubert Moore’s expression—should resemble that which we would employ in drawing a cork out of a bottle, it being free from any snatch or jerk. While circling the horse, the breaker should stand to the side and a little to the rear of the animal (see Fig. 43). This mouthing on foot should, I think, be confined almost entirely to circling, with, of course, frequent changes, and occasional reining back, and should be continued until the required softness of mouth and suppleness of neck are attained. If the animal be found to be “harder” on one side of the mouth, than on the other, he should be worked more on the former, than on the latter;
until he goes equally well on both. The reader need only see this method of driving on foot practically demonstrated, to recognise its immense utility, and to acknowledge the fact that it entirely does away with any necessity for the objectionable process of lunging (see page 64).
American horse-tamers use the long reins, without the standing martingale or driving pad, and pass them through rings on a specially prepared surcingle, through the shaft tugs of ordinary single harness, or through the irons of stirrup leathers. Men who try to mouth horses in this manner, are apt to fail to teach their pupils to bend their necks to the rein, and, at the same time, to go up to the bridle; for the animal thus instructed, will always be liable to resist the action of the mouth-piece by chucking up his head and getting the mouth-piece off the bars, and on to the corners of the mouth. In breaking for harness, and, especially, for fast trotting on level ground, the necessity for teaching the horse to bend his neck, to get his hind-quarters under him, and to moderate his speed in response to a pull on the reins, is not nearly so imperative, as in educating the charger, hunter and steeple-chaser, who must have always a “spare leg,” ready for any emergency.
The principle of the specially constructed driving pad and cross-trees, is an idea of my own, which I have found of great use. By its employment, we have no need of the bearing reins, which some of the old Irish breakers were accustomed to use; for, if the horse holds his head too low down, it can be easily got up into its proper position when circling the animal, by “playing” with the outward rein, which, in this case, should rest on the driving pad. I cannot approve of rendering the neck rigid by the combined employment of martingale and bearing reins. With respect to the objections to the use of the last-mentioned appliance, see page 55. With skittish animals that jump about much when being mouthed, and with horses that rear, the standing martingale is of great service in preventing the rein getting over the back, and in giving the breaker command over these refractory subjects. Besides this, I find that the presence of the driving pad and rein-bearers is of great use in allowing me to shift the rein up and down as I like.
The breaker should avoid driving the horse on foot, straight in front of him, more than he can help; for, if he does so, he can hardly escape, at times, from keeping a “dead pull” on the animal’s mouth. The objectionable practice of driving “youngsters” on foot for miles along a road, as may be seen in full operation at Newmarket and other training resorts, is the fruitful cause of the dead mouths and habit of boring possessed by many race-horses. The young animal, to relieve the bars of his mouth of the constant pressure of the mouth-piece, naturally, gets his chin into his chest, in order to transfer a portion of the pull on to the crown of his head. Instead of acting in this fashion, the breaker, if he wants to take his pupil for a walk on foot, might, after having mouthed him in the manner I have described, put on the leading-rein crupper (see page 148), and lead him where he wished, without incurring any risk of spoiling his mouth.
The whole of this mouthing on foot, might be taught the horse in one lesson of, say, an hour’s duration. With a young animal that had never been bridled before, the instruction might be spread over two days, a couple of lessons of half-an-hour’s duration each, being given on each day. In point of fact, one or two lessons will, in almost all cases, be sufficient to teach the horse to obey the indications of the rein properly. After that, he will require only a few days’ careful riding and bending to make his mouth perfect.
If the animal prove headstrong or sulky, he should be brought under control, in the manner described in the preceding chapter.
The method of mouthing which I have described, is as applicable to “spoiled” horses, as it is to animals that have never been handled. To my thinking, one great beauty in it—apart from its immense advantage of never giving the animal the chance of getting the upper hand, which he might easily do, were the rider in the saddle—is, that the breaker who employs it, can tell at any moment how his pupil is progressing, by his touch on the reins, and can, accordingly, with well-grounded confidence, use his own judgment in regulating the amount of instruction. The man, however, who trusts to tying the horse up with side-or pillar-reins to the breaking snaffle, in order to get his mouth soft, must necessarily work, more or less, in the dark, and by rule of thumb. Instead of tying a horse up in a fixed position, and thereby cramping the action of his muscles, we retain them supple and ready to respond to our slightest touch, by keeping them in a constant state of change, from contraction to relaxation, without, however, inducing fatigue, the effect of which, on the nerves, is to cause the muscles to work in a slow and ill-regulated manner.
After having broken the horse thoroughly to the snaffle, we may, if required for special work, break him, in the same manner, to the curb, the principles of which I have described in my book on Riding on the Flat and Across Country.
When one is unprovided with a driving pad made after my pattern, one may use, as a makeshift, a saddle, through the stirrup-irons of which one may pass the reins (see Fig. 44); not forgetting the standing martingale, a substitute for which may be readily made by connecting the rings of the snaffle to the rings of a running martingale, by a loop of leather, or cord.
Colonel Wardrop, who commands the 12th Lancers, shewed me a method he practises, of driving horses over jumps with long ropes which pass