if you stop half an hour, take off your saddle: especially if the weather be warm. When you stop at night, curry your horse well, and bathe his back in cold water, if the weather be warm. Give him as much corn and fodder as he will eat, but always give him the fodder an hour, or at least half an hour before you give him the corn. Arise early in the morning, and go yourself, or send a servant of confidence, to see that your horse eats as much as he will before you start on your journey; for good feeding is likewise a pretty good remedy to prevent a horse’s back from getting sore, because a horse in good order is less liable to be hurt than a lean one. Should your horse get foundered on the road, ride him or make him walk for at least two hours: after which bleed him copiously in the mouth, and continue your journey the next day, without fear of his failing; for though he should still limp a little, he will be well by night. I had forgot to observe, that before you bleed him, you must rub all his legs well, and bathe them in cold water. In rubbing them, it must always be done by beginning at the upper part and rubbing downwards.
HOW TO TREAT A HORSE UPON A JOURNEY.
From September to March, never feed your horse at noon. It is good to start early in the morning. When you stop to eat breakfast, unloose your girt, and, if the weather be warm, take off the saddle. If you stop for dinner, do the same. Let your horse drink as often as he pleases; but give him nothing to eat, till you stop at night, or, rather, a little before sun-set. When you stop, it is good, if your horse is warm, to let him walk about a few minutes, before you take off the saddle. When he gets perfectly dry, have him curried; and, in very warm weather, bathe him. Give him fodder for an hour before you give him his corn, if you feed with corn; but if with oats or barley, you may give either to him at the same time that you give him his hay. When you start in the morning, go on rather moderately till ten or eleven o’clock. Then you may go a little faster, and increase your pace in the afternoon. When you stop at night, give your horse as much corn and fodder as he will eat. Let hay or fodder remain in the rack all night, but not the corn. Give him twenty or thirty ears, if he will eat so many, before you start. From April to the first of September, feed a little at noon. Clean the mud out of your horse’s hoofs, every now and then; that is, every morning, or second morning; and, if you perceive that your horse often gets balls of hard, dry earth in them, rub soft soap upon the inside of them, and that will prevent the mud from sticking.
A HORSE THAT IS APT TO STUMBLE THROUGH CARELESSNESS.
Feed well: that, in the first place, will give him strength to stand upon his feet firmly, and be able to support his rider; and, should he still stumble, ride him with a Spanish bridle, and hold the reins rather short, and check him whenever he stumbles. This is, perhaps, the most efficacious remedy known. Some horses are so constructed that they are natural stumblers. It is very difficult to cure such a one of this defect, though by using him some time to the Spanish bit, he will stumble less.
HOW TO BREAK A MULE BY THE SECRET: AND THE DIFFERENCE THERE IS TO BE OBSERVED BETWEEN A MULE AND A HORSE.
A mule seems to belong to all three classes of horses, as to vices: it will run at a man, bite, and strike at him, like a horse of the first class; it will again fly from him, like one of the second class; and kick, and appear to be afraid of every thing, like a horse of the third class: and yet I have broken two or three in a day; and one day, I broke four in ten hours and a half, so that a man might handle their feet, and take them up with the greatest ease; saddle and bridle them, and put two or three boys upon them, and ride them through the streets of a populous town. This I did, in the city of Jalapa, seventy-five miles above the city of Vera Cruz, on the road to Mexico. But this may be looked upon as a rare case; for it generally takes from six to eight hours to break a mule, so as to ride him with safety. Now, a man may know how to break a horse, according to the rules I have here laid down, and completely fail in his first attempts upon a mule. In the first place, it is absolutely necessary to have a halter upon the mule, of that kind called a jaguima, in the Spanish language. Now, when I draw nigh them, as is indicated in the manner which I follow in coming up to a wild horse, for the first time, I always take up the rope, which is tied to the head-stall of the halter, and then approach with much precaution, but without any signs of fear, &c., &c. Now, as I write for the timid, as well as for the courageous and intrepid, and as I look upon a mule as a most treacherous animal, I will here state, that all these precautions may be rendered unnecessary, by making a pen just big enough to put the mule in, and so high that it cannot jump over it; and let the bars be far enough apart to pass your hand between them and handle the mule. The pen must be made in such a manner that you can go around it on each side, as well behind as before, and be able to get upon it so as to saddle the mule, when you find it sufficiently gentle to proceed thus far. Then continue the operation as with a horse, but with this difference: you ought always to load the mule with bags of sand, or the like, and exercise it before you ride it. A weight of about two hundred pounds is not too much for the first time. As for any thing further, do as you would with a horse, &c.
The same pen you make for one mule, may serve for others which are of about the same size; and thus you may break, in a very few days, a great many mules, so as to go immediately to work with them, without laming them by blows and rough usage, which is often the cause of their being refractory the rest of their lives. I have broken a sufficient number of them to bear witness of the truth of this assertion. All those persons who may have learnt any part of my secret of breaking horses in a few hours, have remained perfectly silent with regard to mules, though they have undoubtedly tried their skill upon them, but in vain.
HOW THALES, ONE OF THE SEVEN WISE MEN OF GREECE, CORRECTED A MULE OF THE HABIT OF LYING DOWN EVERY TIME IT PASSED A CERTAIN RIVER.
Thales, one of the seven wise men of Greece, had a mule which used to carry loads of salt from one place to another, in consequence of which, it had to cross a very wide, but rather shallow river. It so happened one day, that whilst it was crossing the river, being heavily loaded, it stumbled and fell down, and remained some time in the middle of the water, which soon melted and washed away the salt that was in the bags. The animal, finding itself thus alleviated and discharged of its load, was able to jump up and pursue its journey without fatigue: from thence it concluded that the said fall and immersion in the river had been favorable and beneficial to it; therefore, when it had to cross the river a second time with a load of salt, it stopped in the midst of the river, and plunged in such a manner that its load soon melted away; and this happened every time it passed the stream; nor was it possible to break it of this trick, either by words or blows, though vigorously and well-applied. At last, the wise Thales bethought himself of this stratagem: He loaded the beast with a very bulky load of sponge; the mule, according to custom, plunged into the water, and remained some time; but, when it got up, it could hardly stagger under the weight of its load, and, instead of relief, found itself oppressed to such a degree, that it ever after crossed the river with the greatest care, so as not to fall in the water and increase the weight of its load.
HOW TO MAKE A DULL HORSE APPEAR METTLESOME AND FULL OF FIRE FOR A SHORT TIME.
Take of red pepper, of the strongest kind, a small handful. Pound it fine, and add half a spoonful of vinegar to it. Put the whole into a small bag, made of linen, and tie it to that part of the crupper which goes immediately under the horse’s tail. Buckle the crupper rather short, so that it will press upon the little bag, as the horse trots off. The juice will flow out of the bag, and come in contact with a certain part, which will immediately have the most wonderful effect upon the horse imaginable. He will champ his bit, if you hold him in, and appear to be all fire and mettle. When you ride off, he will hold up his head, stick his ears forward, lift his feet with agility, and caper about like a young colt. In a word, he will act the part of a fiery, mettlesome horse, full of vigor and spiritedness.
THAT PART, OR THOSE PARTS OF THE MEXICAN STATES IN WHICH THE BEST RACE OF HORSES IS TO BE FOUND, AND SOME OF THEIR QUALITIES.
The horses that are brought to Louisiana, under the name of Spanish horses, generally come from Caahuila, Tamaulipas, and Neuvo Leon. They are of a pretty good size, and commonly of a vicious disposition. They are very much affected by the change of climate. They are likewise used to a better kind of grass than that growing in Louisiana. They are much larger than the creole horses, and when acclimated live longer. When mixed with the creole horses, they form a good race, far better than the creole horses. Planters generally suffer great loss in purchasing northern horses, which are so much affected by the climate that hundreds of them die every year. A better and more serviceable race of horses may be raised, by procuring northern mares, and putting them with creole studs. They will not only stand the climate as well as the creole horses, but will render more service than the northern horses, and do not require half so much care. But a race of horses, far superior to either of the above-mentioned, can be raised, by procuring some of those beautiful Andalusian studs, and putting them with northern mares. This would be really improving the race of horses in this country. I would likewise advise the planters to procure both mares and horses, and raise at least some elegant riding horses from this Andalusian race. I have more than once mounted upon a fiery Arabian steed, that hardly seemed to touch the ground, as he bounded over the plains—I have likewise ridden upon some of the finest horses raised in New Spain—and, for my life, I have found it difficult to distinguish the difference between the former and the latter. They are of the same size—their shape is the same—their long, floating mane the same—their beautiful, small and well turned hoof the same, and so hard that they travel over vastly high and rocky mountains, without being shod. Add to this, their hardiness to undergo fatigue. I have ridden one of these horses for twenty days together, going from fifty to fifty-five miles a day, and frequently changing from a cold to a hot climate, and vice versa; for in New Spain, climates are hot or cold, according as they are higher or lower; and this I have done, without my horse ever appearing in the least jaded, or the leaner for it. The rider himself feels much more at his ease, than he does when riding a heavy, clumsy horse, that moves along like a camel, and is remarkable only on account of his unwieldliness, and is, as a Kentuckian would say, “waste timber!” Besides, the Andalusian or Arabian breed are the most elegant easy-going horses in the world. They have no resemblance to those Spanish horses which are brought to this country.
Now, as I have mentioned some of their qualities, I will inform the amateur where he can best procure them. In going by land to the Mexican states, the first horses of this kind to be met with, are raised upon the Hacienda del Xaral, (pronounced Haral, and often written with a J, Jaral,) two hundred and sixty miles this side of the city of San Louis Potosi, in the state of the same name. Still further on, in the states of Guanajuato and Quenetaro, the same race of horses is to be found, and likewise in other places: but, those I here mention, would be by far the most convenient places to procure them, as they are not so far distant as others from Tampico, should one wish to bring them by sea to New Orleans, nor so far from this state, should one prefer bringing them by land. All of these fine horses, I here mention, are raised upon the table-lands, where excessive heat is never felt: and yet, if you take them down to the hot countries upon the coast, they will, even there, do double the service of one of the hot-country horses, in their own climate. I speak from experience, for I have tried both. They likewise possess another good quality, which is that of being the most sure-footed animals in the world, of the horse kind; not even excepting a mule.
CAUTION TO BE OBSERVED, IN CUTTING OR PARING THE HOOFS OF YOUR HORSES IN THIS COUNTRY, WHERE HORSES GENERALLY GO UNSHOD.
When you cut or pare the hoofs of your horses, be careful to cut them so as not to let that soft part, which is in the middle of the foot, commonly called the frog, rise above the outside of the hoof; for if you do, it will undoubtedly make the horse limp. When it is too big, it must be cut off. Nobody will do it so efficaciously as a blacksmith, and it is better to pay such a one some trifle than to lame your horse.
CAUTION TO THOSE WHO RAISE HORSES OR MULES.
He that would raise a good stock of horses or mules, must have good pasture-ground, and take special care that the colts do not want for food in the winter time, and more particularly the first two years. More depends upon the first two years, than any thing that can be done afterwards; for a colt that is badly fed, and allowed to suffer hunger and cold while he is young, will rarely or never make a large horse; whereas, if he has been well fed for two years, he is more able to support hardship afterwards, though I by no means advise any one to neglect him at any time.
TO ACCUSTOM A HORSE TO STAY IN A PLACE.
If you buy a horse in one part of the country, and take him to another, and the horse returns of his own accord to his former abode, cause another person, (if the person be his old master, so much the better,) to take your horse and tie him up, and whip him severely, and let him stand all night without eating any thing whatever. In the morning, let the same person come again to the horse, and give him another good discipline: immediately afterwards, go to your horse, mount him, and ride him back to the place where you wish him to stay, and give him some salt, and plenty to eat. Keep him inclosed for two days, well fed, handled and caressed. Then cause him to be taken to his first place of residence. Let any person catch him, tie him up, and whip him, as at first, leaving him tied all night, without eating. Go to him, get upon him, and ride him home; caress and feed him well, and give him a little salt. Let him loose, at the end of two days, upon trial; if he does not return at the end of four days, have him caught, caressed and fed, and salt given to him, and then let loose. But should he return a third time, which would be a rare case, repeat the discipline. I seldom or never knew this remedy to fail.
TO MAKE A GENTLE HORSE, NOT USED TO A CARRIAGE, GO IN IT.
Harness your horse: handle him in the forehead a few minutes. Let some one lead him, whilst you hold the reins and go behind him with a whip in your hand. Make him advance, by speaking to him; then speak to him to stop, at the same time you pull upon the reins. Exercise him a few minutes in this way, then handle him again in the forehead. Make him advance: let the person who led him now go before, at a little distance, then further off, till at last the horse will suffer himself to be driven, without any one being before him. Now let him drag a small piece of wood, with some one going before as at first, till he suffers himself to be driven without. Exercise him a few minutes, in this way, then with something larger, that will make considerable noise. I have always made use of a barrel, fixed so that it would roll round, and in which I put a quantity of round stones; but, as stones are difficult to be procured in this part of the country, their place can be supplied by something else. Give the horse a good exercise, in the same gentle, progressive manner as above, till he will suffer himself to be driven with this last load in every direction, without the necessity of any one going before him. Then put him to an empty cart, and continue on, in the same progressive manner. Never pull upon the reins, to stop your horse, without speaking to him. I have never yet failed of success in putting a horse to a coach or gig; but, it is certain, that there are some horses so fiery and vicious, that few persons would have patience enough to succeed. I here speak of those horses that have contracted vicious habits, after having been broken for a long time. Never fail to give your horse a very small quantity of salt, after having exercised him to go in a cart or gig. Do not give him more than a thimble-full at a time. He will generally go well the first day; but he ought to have a few hours exercise each day, for a few days.
A HORSE THAT STOPS, AND REFUSES TO GO, WHEN IN A CARRIAGE.
If a horse stops, and refuses to go, or runs back, go up before him, handle him in the forehead and coax him. If he is not an old offender, he will go off in about fifteen minutes. If he has been spoiled for a long time, it requires more patience to correct him.
A MODE OF BREAKING WILD HORSES, VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT DISCOVERED BY ME.
I have seen a wild horse taken and shut up in a stable. The man who was to gentle or tame him, took a whip, such as a coachman uses, and went in to him; and, as the horse was frightened, and ran away from him, he fell to whipping him most unmercifully. At the end of half an hour, the horse, seeing it impossible to escape the whip by running away, advanced towards the man who had been his persecutor. The man threw down his whip, and began to handle him; but the horse, at the end of a few minutes, began to be refractory, when he took it up again, and repeated the lesson with so much severity, that the horse soon came back to him. This he continued for some time; when, at the end of about two hours, he saddled the horse and drove him about with his whip, making him come up to him every now and then, till at last he mounted him and rode off very well. I observed, that the horse frequently trembled, when he went to get on him, notwithstanding he rode him off pretty well; he appeared to be afraid of many objects he met with, and was far, very far from being that gentle, docile animal, tamed by the simple, natural means made use of in my method of breaking horses. Besides this, those horses do not remain gentle. I speak from experience.
ANOTHER MODE OF BREAKING A HORSE FOR A FEW HOURS.
Stop up the horse’s ears, so that he cannot hear at all, and you can very soon handle him as if he were a gentle horse; but, when you unstop his ears, he will become as wild as ever. If you perform this two or three times upon the same horse, it will have no effect upon him at last.
ADVICE TO FARMERS, CONCERNING THE GENTLING OF YOUNG COWS.
Though I did not intend to say any thing about horned cattle, it may not, perhaps, be amiss to relate what I have experienced and been eye-witness to, in the state of Louisiana, concerning the gentling of young cows, since I discovered the secret of breaking horses in a few hours. Whenever I have had a heifer or young cow to gentle, (it must be observed, that they are much wilder here than in the northern states,) I have made it a practice to have them tied by the horns to a post, and have made a servant begin to handle them well all over, speaking to them uninterruptedly; and this he did for two or three mornings, before milking them, always finishing by giving them a little salt. At the end of three or four days, they never failed of becoming gentle, and could be milked without being tied. Though I have seen by experience, that horned cattle, especially bulls, are much less sensible to the touch than horses, a part of which may possibly be owing to the thickness of their skin, yet even with them I have done much. Let any one who will, do more.
THE ASTONISHING MANNER IN WHICH I TAMED OR GENTLED A WILD DEER.
The second day after my arrival in the town of Tantoyuca, I presented myself to the first Alcade, or chief magistrate of the town. I showed him the documents I had brought with me from the President and other authorities, and expressed a desire of putting in practice, in that town the ability I possessed of taming, in a few hours, wild horses. The Alcade seemed to be of a morose, surly temper, and answered me, saying, he did not believe in witches, nor miracles, and though he said he respected the President’s document, yet he believed he had been imposed upon, &c. He appeared not even disposed to give me a trial. He had a brother-in-law, a Spaniard, a genteel, wealthy gentleman: this man was very much disposed to favor my undertaking. He possessed numerous herds of wild horses. He gave me one of his houses to live in, whilst I staid in the town, for I had my wife and family with me. About six o’clock, (this was in February, 1826,) whilst we were all sitting at the door, taking the air, a wild deer came bouncing by us. It had been chased out of the woods by a leopard or a tiger. The large spotted tiger and leopard are both natives of this country, and are often seen within half a mile of the towns in the Guanteca. The deer ran down opposite the Alcade’s house: there, a man threw a rope upon it, and caught it. I immediately went to the man, bought the deer, and told him to tie it and bring it up to my house. He accordingly did so. I untied it, and shut it up in a room, where it remained all night. The next morning, before sun-rise, I went to it, and began the operation of gentling; and, at nine o’clock, I made it follow me to the Alcade’s, accompanied by his brother-in-law. The Alcade was so delighted at seeing the deer follow me into his house, that he gave me every facility to perform in that town, which I did, and brought away a fine purse of doubloons, which he and his friends gave me, as a gratification for having broken a wild horse in their presence.
This deer having been shut up all night, as I have observed, I got up early in the morning, and went to the room in which it was confined. As I opened the door, it appeared almost frightened to death. I shut the door, however, and remained perfectly still for some time. The deer had retired to the further corner of the room, which was very small: it had turned round, and was looking at me. I kept my position, with my left hand stretched out, for half an hour before I began to move, as slow as possible, towards the deer, which kept its eyes fixed steadfast upon me, and never stirred, till I got nigh enough to touch it. I moved my hand for some time, before I dared to let it fall upon its head: at last, I ventured to let the end of my fingers fall, as lightly as possible, upon its head; it trembled and flinched a little; I repeated, with the greatest rapidity, those very light touches, and in less than five minutes, as I suppose, (for it was impossible for me to look at my watch without frightening the deer,) I began to rub it upon the head; and, in less than half an hour, I took its head under my arm, and handled it all over in two hours from the time I went in to it. I made my servant and several others go to it, and stroke and rub it. It was a full-grown deer, and not less than two or three years old. The mode of taming it consisted in stroking it gently, and taking its head in my arms, &c. I relate this circumstance more to prove the astonishing effect the tact has upon some animals, and to point out the different ways of applying it, than from any benefit resulting from taming this latter kind of animals.
A REMEDY FOR AN OX THAT LIES DOWN, AND WONT GET UP.
I have seen some oxen lie down, when put before the plough, and show so much obstinacy, that they suffered themselves to be whipped most unmercifully, and even burnt, without showing signs of obedience. If an ox lies down and will not get up, either by gentle or rough means, tie him in such a manner that it will be impossible for him to get up. Let him remain in this situation, without eating or drinking, for ten hours: then untie him, and he will not fail to go off. Let him go two or three rounds, and then feed him well. It is not common for him to return to his former offence, unless he has been an old offender; in which case, let him remain tied two or three hours longer, and he will not fail of leaving off his old tricks.
A CURIOUS METHOD OF TEACHING TURKIES TO DANCE AT THE SOUND OF THE TRIANGLE OR ANY OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.
It is a well known fact, that in the East Indies, camels are often taught to dance at the sound of music. I knew that this was done by putting them upon hot floors, &c. They are afterwards exhibited at public spectacles. I never had learned the precise course pursued; yet notwithstanding, I undertook to teach a dog to dance. I heated large pieces of tin plate, put the dog upon them, and at the same time struck upon a triangle, that being the easiest instrument I knew of. I tried this several times, without any other success than having most miserably burnt two or three dogs’ feet in the experiments. At last, in one of my chemical operations, (for I was then teaching chemistry to a few young gentleman,) I made use of the sand-bath. It immediately occurred to me, that in teaching an animal to dance by means of heat, the heat ought to be tempered by something similar to the sand-bath. I therefore determined to make a new trial; and, having no dog at hand, I made choice of four good-looking turkies, two males and two females. I made two cages; the bottom of one was made of tin plates, upon which I strewed a certain portion of fine sand. Then I put fire under the cage. The turkies were in the other cage, which had a door of communication with the one having a tin bottom. When I thought the bottom of the cage sufficiently hot, I drove the turkies from the one to the other, shut the door, and began to strike rapidly and loudly upon the triangle, which I held in my hand. The sensation of heat which the turkies experienced, caused them to skip about as if they had been possessed with some evil spirit. After letting them continue their exercise for a quarter of an hour or so, I opened the door and drove them back into the first cage, and at the same time stopped playing. Then I fed them well, and lastly turned them loose in the yard. The next day, I made them go through the same ceremony, before I gave them any thing to eat, and so on, for a quarter of an hour or more every day, for ten days; at the end of which, I struck upon the triangle before I turned them into the hot cage. Only one of them, more docile than the other three, began to jump about a little. The others, it is true, looked up, and seemed, as it were, astonished. I was then fully convinced that they would all shortly learn to dance, if I continued the same method of giving them lessons. I accordingly continued on, in the same manner, for twenty days more; at the end of which, I let them loose one day in a room, and began to strike violently upon the triangle. All four of the turkies began to skip and run about, keeping pretty close to one another, and changing every minute their position. It was the most ludicrous, and, at the same time, entertaining sight imaginable. The impression which the sound of the triangle had made upon them, on account of their having felt the heat at the bottom of the cage, every time they had heard that music, became a lasting one; and they would begin to dance, ever after, though in the yard amidst the other turkies, whenever they heard the sound of that instrument. They generally separated themselves from the others, and run together. They may be taught with any other instrument, as well as with the triangle. It will take much longer to teach a dog, than a turkey. The reason is, as I suppose, that the dog is not so easily deceived. The only difficulty attending this mode of teaching turkies to dance is, to keep your tin plates neither too hot nor too cold; for, if too hot, they will get their feet burnt; and, if too cold, they won’t dance. I sold the four above-mentioned turkies, for four doubloons, to a man who went about exhibiting various curiosities.
REMEDY FOR THE GRIPES, OR COLIC.
Give to the horse a pint of port or claret wine, with a small nutmeg grated fine, and half a spoonful of powdered ginger, all well mixed, and given rather hotter than lukewarm. The best method is to get ready some boiling hot water, then put the nutmeg and ginger, together with a little loaf sugar, into a vessel, and pour the hot water upon them, and cover it for three minutes; then add the wine, and give this dose to the horse pretty warm. It generally gives relief in a short time. My intention is not to say any thing upon farriery, except two or three of the most common diseases to which horses are subject. Much has already been written by able professors.
CONCERNING THE BOTS.
In twenty-seven years time, I never had a horse die of the bots. I believe that almost every body is convinced that the bots come from the eggs or knits, which are deposited upon the horse’s hair, by that troublesome fly, resembling a bee in color. This has always been my opinion. Now, as it is generally known, that a horse that has the bots, does not appear to suffer, till he is too far gone to be cured, to prevent the fatal effects of this disease, I have made it a practice to give my horses, in the month of September, the following remedy: Of olive oil, honey and lemon-juice, each, two ounces and a half: mix and give these to the horse; the next day purge well. Whether a horse be inclined or not to have the bots, this remedy will do him no hurt.
THE BLIND STAGGERS.
It is believed, that the disease called STAGGERS, is generally occasioned by a diseased state of the stomach. Copious and timely bleeding is the sheet-anchor on which we must depend. I shall, however, give the following recipe, which has often proved serviceable: Take of oil of peppermint, one scruple; tincture of valerian, one ounce; assafœtida, five drachms: mix for a dose.
TAMING OF WILD HORSES.
By J. S. RAREY,
THE AMERICAN HORSE TAMER.
THE THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF MY THEORY;
Founded on the Leading Characteristics of the Horse.
First.—That he is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends, if made in a way consistent with the laws of his nature.
Second.—That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience, and can be handled according to our will without force.
Third.—That we can, in compliance with the laws of his nature by which he examines all things new to him, take any object, however frightful around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain, without causing him to fear.
To take these assertions in order, I will first give you some of the reasons why I think he is naturally obedient, and will not offer resistance to anything fully comprehended. The horse, though possessed of some faculties superior to man’s, being deficient in reasoning powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government, and knows not of any imposition practised upon him, however unreasonable these impositions may be. Consequently, he cannot come to any decision as to what he should or should not do, because he has not the reasoning faculties of man to argue the justice of the thing demanded of him. If he had, taking into consideration his superior strength, he would be useless to man as a servant. Give him mind in proportion to his strength, and he will demand of us the green fields for his inheritance, where he will roam at leisure, denying the right of servitude at all. God has wisely formed his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man according to the dictates of his will; and he might well be termed an unconscious, submissive servant. This truth we can see verified in every day’s experience by the abuses practised upon him. Any one who chooses to be so cruel, can mount the noble steed and run him till he drops with fatigue, or, as is often the case with the more spirited, falls dead beneath his rider. If he had the power to reason, would he not rear and pitch his rider, rather than suffer him to run him to death? Or would he condescend to carry at all the vain impostor, who, with but equal intellect, was trying to impose on his equal rights and equally independent spirit. But happily for us, he has no consciousness of imposition, no thought of disobedience except by impulse caused by the violation of the law of his nature. Consequently, when disobedient, it is the fault of man.
Then, we can but come to the conclusion that, if a horse is not taken in a way at variance with the laws of his nature, he will do anything that he fully comprehends, without making any offer of resistance.
Second—The fact of the horse being unconscious of the amount of his strength can be proven to the satisfaction of any one. For instance, such remarks as these are common, and perhaps familiar to your recollection. One person says to another, “If that wild horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength, his owner would have no business with him in that vehicle; such light reins and harness too—if he knew he could snap them asunder in a minute and be as free as the air we breathe;” and, “That horse yonder, that is pawing and fretting to follow the company that is fast leaving him—if he knew his strength, he would not remain long fastened to that hitching post so much against his will, by a strap that would no more resist his powerful weight and strength than a cotton thread would bind a strong man.” Yet these facts, made common by every-day occurrence, are not thought of as anything wonderful. Like the ignorant man who looks at the different phases of the moon, you look at these things as he looks at her different changes without troubling your mind with the question, “Why are these things so?” What would be the condition of the world if all our minds lay dormant? If men did not think, reason, and act, our undisturbed, slumbering intellects would not excel the imbecility of the brute; we should live in chaos, hardly aware of our existence. And yet, with all our activity of mind, we daily pass by unobserved that which would be wonderful if philosophized and reasoned upon; and with the same inconsistency wonder at that which a little consideration, reason, and philosophy would make but a simple affair.
Third—He will allow any object, however frightful in appearance, to come around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain.
We know from a natural course of reasoning, that there has never been an effect without a cause, and we infer from this, that there can be no action
either in animate or inanimate matter, without there first being some cause to produce it. And from this self-evident fact we know that there is some cause for every impulse or movement of either mind or matter, and that this law governs every action or movement of the animal kingdom. Then, according to this theory, there must be some cause before fear can exist; and, if fear exists from the effect of imagination, and not from the infliction of real pain, it can be removed by complying with those laws of nature by which the horse examines an object, and determines upon its innocence or harm.
A log or stump by the road side may be, in the imagination of the horse, some great beast about to pounce upon him; but after you take him up to it and let him stand by it a little while, and touch it with his nose, and go through his process of examination, he will not care anything more about it. And the same principle and process will have the same effect with any other object, however frightful in appearance, in which there is no harm. Take a boy that has been frightened by a false face, or any other object that he could not comprehend at once; but let him take that face, or object in his hands and examine it, and he will not care anything more about it. This is a demonstration of the same principle.
With this introduction to the principles of my theory, I shall next attempt to teach you how to put it into practice; and, whatever instructions may follow you can rely on, as having been proven practically by my own experiments. And knowing from experience just what obstacles I have met with in handling bad horses, I shall try to anticipate them for you, and assist you in surmounting them, by commencing with the first steps to be taken with the colt, and accompany you through the whole task of breaking.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN GETTING THE COLT FROM PASTURE.
Go to the pasture and walk around the whole herd quietly, and at such a distance as not to cause them to scare and run. Then approach them very slowly, and if they stick up their heads and seem to be frightened, wait until they become quiet, so as not to make them run before you are close enough to drive them in the direction you want them to go. And when you begin to drive, do not flourish your arms or halloo, but gently follow them off, leaving the direction free for them that you wish them to take. Thus taking advantage of their ignorance, you will be able to get them into the pound as easily as the hunter drives the quails into his net. For, if they have always run in the pasture uncared for (as many horses do in prairie countries and on large plantations), there is no reason why they should not be as wild as the sportsman’s birds, and require the same gentle treatment, if you want to get them without trouble; for the horse in his natural state, is as wild as any of the undomesticated animals, though more easily tamed than the most of them.
HOW TO STABLE A COLT WITHOUT TROUBLE.
The next step will be, to get the horse into a stable or shed. This should be done as quietly as possible, so as not to excite any suspicion in the horse of any danger befalling him. The best way to do this, is to lead a gentle horse into the stable first, and hitch him, then quietly walk around the colt and let him go in of his own accord. It is almost impossible to get men who have never practised on this principle to go slowly and considerately enough about it. They do not know that in handling a wild horse, above all other things, is that good old adage true, that “haste makes waste;” that is, waste of time—for the gain of trouble and perplexity.
One wrong move may frighten your horse, and make him think it necessary to escape at all hazards for the safety of his life—and thus make two hours’ work of a ten minutes’ job; and this would be all your own fault, and entirely unnecessary—for he will not run unless you run after him, and that would not be good policy unless you knew that you could outrun him, for you will have to let him stop of his own accord after all. But he will not try to break away unless you attempt to force him into measures. If he does not see the way at once, and is a little fretful about going in, do not undertake to drive him, but give him a little less room outside, by gently closing in around him. Do not raise your arms, but let them hang at your side, for you might as well raise a club: the horse has never studied anatomy, and does not know but that they will unhinge themselves and fly at him. If he attempts to turn back, walk before him, but do not run; and if he gets past you, encircle him again in the same quiet manner, and he will soon find that you are not going to hurt him; and then you can walk so close around him that he will go into the stable for more room, and to get farther from you. As soon as he is in, remove the quiet horse and shut the door. This will be his first notion of confinement—not knowing how he got into such a place, nor how to get out of it. That he may take it as quietly as possible, see that the shed is entirely free from dogs, chickens, or anything that would annoy him. Then give him a few ears of corn, and let him remain alone fifteen or twenty minutes, until he has examined his apartment, and has become reconciled to his confinement.
TIME TO REFLECT.
And now, while your horse is eating those few ears of corn, is the proper time to see that your halter is ready and all right, and to reflect on the best mode of operations; for in horsebreaking it is highly important that you should be governed by some system. And you should know, before you attempt to do anything, just what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it. And, if you are experienced in the art of taming wild horses, you ought to be able to tell, within a few minutes, the length of time it would take you to halter the colt, and teach him to lead.
THE KIND OF HALTER.
Always use a leather halter, and be sure to have it made so that it will not draw tight around his nose if he pulls on it. It should be of the right size to fit his head easily and nicely; so that the nose-band will not be too tight or too low. Never put a rope halter on an unbroken colt, under any circumstances whatever. They have caused more horses to hurt or kill themselves than would pay for twice the cost of all the leather halters that have ever been needed for the purpose of haltering colts. It is almost impossible to break a colt that is very wild with a rope halter, without having him pull, rear, and throw himself, and thus endanger his life; and I will tell you why. It is just as natural for a horse to try to get his head out of anything that hurts it, or feels unpleasant, as it would be for you to try to get your hand out of a fire. The cords of the rope are hard and cutting; this makes him raise his head and draw on it, and as soon as he pulls, the slip noose (the way rope halters are always made) tightens, and pinches his nose, and then he will struggle for life, until, perchance, he throws himself; and who would have his horse throw himself, and run the risk of breaking his neck, rather than pay the price of a leather halter? But this is not the worst. A horse that has once pulled on his halter can never be as well broken as one that has never pulled at all.
REMARKS ON THE HORSE.
But before we attempt to do anything more with the colt, I will give you some of the characteristics of his nature, that you may better understand his motions. Every one that has ever paid any attention to the horse, has noticed his natural inclination to smell everything which to him looks new and frightful. This is their strange mode of examining everything. And, when they are frightened at anything, though they look at it sharply, they seem to have no confidence in this optical examination alone, but must touch it with the nose before they are entirely satisfied; and, as soon as this is done, all is right.
EXPERIMENT WITH THE ROBE.
If you want to satisfy yourself of this characteristic of the horse, and to learn something of importance concerning the peculiarities of his nature, &c., turn him into the barn-yard, or a large stable will do, and then gather up something that you know will frighten him—a red blanket, buffalo-robe, or something of that kind. Hold it up so that he can see it, he will stick up his head and snort. Then throw it down somewhere in the centre of the lot or barn, and walk off to one side. Watch his motions, and study his nature. If he is frightened at the object, he will not rest until he has touched it with his nose. You will see him begin to walk around the robe and snort, all the time getting a little closer, as if drawn up by some magic spell, until he finally gets within reach of it. He will then very cautiously stretch out his neck as far as he can reach, merely touching it with his nose, as though he thought it was ready to fly at him. But after he has repeated these touches a few times, for the first time (though he has been looking at it all the while,) he seems to have an idea what it is. But now he has found, by the sense of feeling, that it is nothing that will do him any harm, and he is ready to play with it. And if you watch him closely, you will see him take hold of it with his teeth, and raise it up and pull at it. And in a few minutes you can see that he has not that same wild look about his eye, but stands like a horse biting at some familiar stump.
Yet the horse is never so well satisfied when he is about anything that has frightened him, as when he is standing with his nose to it. And, in nine cases out of ten, you will see some of that same wild look about him again, as he turns to walk from it. And you will probably see him looking back very suspiciously as he walks away, as though he thought it might come after him yet. And in all probability, he will have to go back and make another examination before he is satisfied. But he will familiarize himself with it, and, if he should run in that lot a few days, the robe that frightened him so much at first will be no more to him than a familiar stump.
SUGGESTIONS ON THE HABIT OF SMELLING.
We might very naturally suppose from the fact of the horse’s applying his nose to everything new to him, that he always does so for the purpose of smelling these objects; but I believe that it is as much or more for the purpose of feeling, and that he makes use of his nose, or muzzle, (as it is sometimes called), as we would of our hands; because it is the only organ by which he can touch or feel anything with much susceptibility.
I believe that he invariably makes use of the four senses—seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling—in all of his examinations, of which the sense of feeling is, perhaps, the most important. And I think that, in the experiment with the robe, his gradual approach and final touch with his nose was as much for the purpose of feeling as anything else, his sense of smell being so keen that it would not be necessary for him to touch his nose against anything in order to get the proper scent; for it is said that a horse can smell a man at the distance of a mile. And if the scent of the robe was all that was necessary, he could get that several rods off. But we know from experience, that if a horse sees and smells a robe a short distance from him, he is very much frightened (unless he is used to it) until he touches or feels it with his nose; which is a positive proof that feeling is the controlling sense in this case.
PREVAILING OPINION OF HORSEMEN.
It is a prevailing opinion among horsemen generally that the sense of smell is the governing sense of the horse. And Faucher, as well as others, has with that view got up receipts of strong smelling oils, &c., to tame the horse, sometimes using the chestnut of his leg, which they dry, grind into powder, and blow into his nostrils, sometimes using the oils of rhodium, origanum, &c., that are noted for their strong smell; and sometimes they scent the hand with the sweat from under the arm, or blow their breath into his nostrils, &c., &c. All of which, as far as the scent goes, have no effect whatever in gentling the horse, or conveying any idea to his mind; though the acts that accompany these efforts—handling him, touching him about the nose and head, and patting him, as they direct you should, after administering the articles, may have a very great effect, which they mistake to be the effect of the ingredients used. And Faucher, in his work, entitled “The Arabian Art of Taming Horses,” page 17, tells us how to accustom a horse to a robe, by administering certain articles to his nose; and goes on to say that these articles must first be applied to the horse’s nose before you attempt to break him, in order to operate successfully.
Now, reader, can you, or any one else, give one single reason how scent can convey any idea to the horse’s mind of what we want him to do? If not, then of course strong scents of any kind are of no avail in taming the unbroken horse. For, everything that we get him to do of his own accord, without force, must be accomplished by some means of conveying our ideas to his mind. I say to my horse, “Go-’long!” and he goes. “Ho!” and he stops; because these two words, of which he has learned the meaning by the tap of the whip and the pull of the rein that first accompanied them, convey the two ideas to his mind of go and stop.
Neither Faucher, nor any one else, can ever teach the horse a single thing by the means of scent alone.
How long do you suppose a horse would have to stand and smell a bottle of oil before he would learn to bend his knee and make a bow at your bidding, “Go yonder and bring your hat,” or “Come here and lie down”? Thus you see the absurdity of trying to break or tame the horse by the means of receipts for articles to smell at, or medicine to give him, of any kind whatever.
The only science that has ever existed in the world, relative to the breaking of horses, that has been of any value, is that true method which takes them in their native state, and improves their intelligence.
POWEL’S SYSTEM OF APPROACHING THE COLT.
But, before we go further, I will give you Willis J. Powel’s system of approaching a wild colt, as given by him in a work on the “Art of Taming Wild Horses.” He says, “A horse is gentled by my secret in from two to sixteen hours.” The time I have most commonly employed has been from four to six hours. He goes on to say, (see page 35, of this work).
REMARKS ON POWEL’S TREATMENT.—HOW TO GOVERN HORSES OF ANY KIND.
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.
HOW TO PROCEED IF YOUR HORSE BE OF A STUBBORN DISPOSITION.
If your horse, instead of being wild, seems to be of a stubborn or mulish disposition; if he lays back his ears as you approach him, or turns his heels to kick you, he has not that regard or fear of man that he should have, to enable you to handle him quickly and easily; and it might be well to give him a few sharp cuts with the whip, about the legs, pretty close to the body. It will crack keenly as