The Complete Horse Tamer
by John Solomon Rarey
INTRODUCTION
SINCE issuing our former editions of Mr. Rarey’s book on Horse Taming, some new facts have been published by him, which are embodied in these pages, and make the work still more complete. A careful perusal of the instructions here given, will show how any cool and determined person may break or tame a colt in a manner that will make him docile, stand at the word of command, and obey the voice with as much certainty as ordinarily trained horses will answer the reins. In contrast with the usual mode of training by harsh words, a sharp whip, and cruel worrying, Mr. Rarey demonstrates how easily, quietly and safely horses may be tamed by kindness. For training colts, breaking horses into harness, curing vicious horses, such as kickers and baulkers, this system is invaluable. Indeed, it will give to every courageous, calm-tempered horseman not only the power to conquer any horse, however refractory, but to make the animal affectionate in disposition and ready at all times to he mounted and put in harness, without trouble or waste of time. One great value of Mr. Rarey's system consists in the fact that it may be taught to, and successfully practiced by, persons of little strength - even by boys of fourteen - except where the horse is extremely vicious and powerful. It requires patience, and the habit of dealing with horses, as well as coolness; but the real work is rather a matter of skill than muscle. Not only have boys of eighty pounds weight become successful horse-tamers in England, but even English ladies have perfectly subdued and reduced to calmness fiery blood-horses. Therefore, in dealing with Mr. Rarey's plan we are not wasting our time about a trick for conquering incurably savage horses, but are elucidating the principles of a universally applicable system for taming and training horses for man's use, with a perfection of docility rarely found except in aged pet horses, and with a rapidity heretofore quite unknown.John S. Rarey is about thirty years of age, of middle height, and well-proportioned figure, wiry and active rather than muscular - his complexion is almost effeminately fair, with more color than is usually found in those of his countrymen who live in cities. He was a citizen of Groveport, Ohio, when he began his successful mode of horse-taming. His walk is remarkably light and springy, yet regular, as he turns round his horse; something between the set-up of a soldier and the light step of a sportsman. Altogether his appearance and manners are eminently gentlemanly. Although a self-educated and not a book-educated man, his conversation, when he cares to talk (for he is rather reserved), always displays a good deal of thoughtful originality, relieved by flashes of playful humor.
Mr. Rarey's system of horse-taming will infallibly supersede all others for both civil and military purposes, and his name will take rank among the great social reformers of the nineteenth century.
THE HORSE is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends. He has no consciousness of his strength beyond his own experience, and can be handled by man without force, after a little study of his habits and disposition. Being deficient in reasoning powers, he has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government, and knows not of any imposition practiced upon him, however unreasonable it may be. Consequently, he cannot easily decide what he should or should not do. But being naturally of willing and gentle disposition, it remains for man to instruct him in a manner suited to his nature.The horse is a timid animal; but easily becomes familiar with objects and sounds that are at first disagreeable or frightful. We must therefore accustom him to such as he will be apt to meet with in his daily service. To do this effectually, he should be allowed to examine closely and leisurely such objects as would inspire terror, and to smell them and touch them. 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. HORSE TAMING, &c
I thus establish three principles on which my system of taming the horse is founded, viz.:
First. That any horse may be taught to do any thing that a horse can do if taught in a systematic and proper manner.
Second. That a horse is not conscious of his own strength until he has resisted and conquered a man, and even in cases where he has temporarily triumphed he may yet be subdued ; - that by taking advantage of man's reasoning powers a horse can be handled in such a manner that he shall not find out his strength.
With this introduction to first principles, I will endeavor to teach you how to put them into practice, and whatever instructions may follow, you can rely on as having been proven practical by my own experiments. Knowing from experience just what obstacles I have met with in handling bad horses, I shall try and anticipate them for you, and assist you in surmounting them, by commencing with the first steps to be taken with the colt, and accompanying you through the whole task of breaking.Third. That by enabling a horse to examine every object with which we desire to make him familiar, with the organs naturally used for that purpose, viz., seeing, smelling and feeling, you may place or display the object around, over, and on him, provided that it does not actually hurt him or make him feel disagreeable.
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, hold on till 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 want them to take. Thus taking the advantage of their ignorance, you will be able to get them in 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 GET THE COLT FROM PASTURE.
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 broken horse into the stable first and hitch him, then quietly walk around the colt and let him go in of his own accord. Be extremely deliberate and slow in your movements, for 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, nor will he 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, just 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 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 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, arid let him remain alone fifteen or twenty minutes, until he has examined his apartment, and has become reconciled to his confinement. And now, while your horse is eating those few ears of corn, see that your halter is ready and all right, and reflect upon the best mode of operations; for, in horse-breaking, it is highly important that YOU should be governed by some system. HOW TO STABLE A COLT.
Never use a rope halter. The cords of the rope are hard, and appear to aggravate and excite distrust rather than confidence; but by all means procure a leather halter made of bridle leather, so it will feel soft and pliable to the touch, and to fit tolerably tight on the head, so as not to feel uncomfortable. Before putting a halter upon the colt, he must be rendered familiar with it by caressing him and permitting him to examine the article with his nose. Then place a portion of it over his head, occasionally giving it a slight pull, and in a few minutes he will be accustomed to these liberties, and then the halter may be fastened on properly. To teach him to lead is another difficulty. Stand a little on one side, rub his nose and forehead, take hold of the strap and pull gently, and at the same time touch him very lightly with the end of a long whip across his hind legs. This will make him start and advance a few steps. Repeat the operation several times, and he will soon learn to follow you by simply pulling the halter. The mouth of the colt should be frequently handled, after which introduce a plain snaffle between his teeth and hold it there with one hand and caress him with the other. After a time he will allow the bridle to be placed upon him. The saddle can now be brought in and rubbed against his nose, his neck and his legs; next hang the stirrup strap across his back, and gradually insinuate the saddle into its place. The girth should not be fastened until he becomes thoroughly acquainted with the saddle. The first time the girth is buckled it should be done so loosely as not to attract his attention; subsequently it can be tightened without inspiring him with fear, which if fastened immediately it would most certainly do. In this manner the wildest colt can be effectually subjugated by such imperceptible degrees that he gives tacit obedience before he is aware of his altered condition.
THE KIND OF HALTER, AND HOW TO PUT IT ON.
The first time you halter a colt you should stand on the left side, pretty well back to his shoulder, only taking hold of that part of the halter that goes around his neck, then with your two hands about his neck, you can hold his head to you, and raise the halter on it without making him dodge, by putting your hands about his nose. You should have a long rope or strap ready, and as soon as you have the halter on, attach this to it, so that you can let him walk the length of the stable without letting go the strap, or without making him pull on the halter for if you only let him feel the weight of your hand on the halter, and give him more rope when he runs from you, he will never rear, pull or throw himself, yet you will be holding him all the time, and doing more towards gentling him than if you had the power to snub him right up, and hold him to one spot; because he knows nothing about his strength, and if you don’t do anything to make him pull, he will never know what he can do in that way. In a few minutes you can begin to control him with the halter, then shorten the distance between yourself and the horse by taking up the strap in your hand. As soon as he will allow you to hold him by a tolerably short strap, and to step up to him without flying back, you can begin to give him some idea about leading. But to do this, do not go before and attempt to pull him after you, but commence by pulling him very quietly to one side. He has nothing to brace either side of his neck, and will soon yield to a steady, gradual pull of the halter and as soon as you have pulled him a step or two to one side, step to him and caress him, and then pull him again, repeating this operation until you can pull him in every direction, and walk about the stable with him; which you can do in a few minutes, for he will soon think when you have made him step to the right or left a few times, that he is compelled to follow the pull of the halter, not knowing that he has the power to resist your pulling; besides, you have handled him so gently that he is not afraid of you, but rather likes you. After you have given him a few lessons of this kind, at proper intervals, he will be so tame that if you turn him out to pasture he will come up to you to be caressed every opportunity he gets.While training him in the stable, you should lead him about some time before you take him out, opening the door, so that he can see out, leading him up to it and back again, and then past it. See that there is nothing on the outside to make him jump when you take him out, and as you go out with him, try to make him go very slowly, catching hold of the halter close to the jaw with your left hand, while the right is resting on the top of his neck, holding to his mane. Do not allow anyone to be present or in sight, during your operations, either in or outside the stable. If you are entirely alone, and manage your colt rightly, you will soon be able to lead and hold him as easily as you could a horse already broken. HOW TO PROCEED AFTER HALTERING.
If the animal you are operating upon seems to be a stubborn or mulish disposition rather than wild; if he lay back his ears as you approach him, or turns his heel 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 do well to give him a few sharp cuts with the whip about the legs, pretty close to the body . It will crack keen as it plies about the legs, and the crack of the whip will affect him as much as the stroke; besides, one sharp cut about the legs will affect him more than two or three over the back, the skin in the inner part of the legs or about his flanks being thinner, and more tender than on his back. But do not whip him much, just enough to scare him; it is not because we want to hurt the horse that we whip him; we only do it to scare that bad disposition out of him. But whatever you do, do quickly, sharply and with a good deal of fire, but always without anger. If you go to scare him at all, you must do it at once. Never go into a pitched battle with your horse, and whip him until he is mad, and will fight you: you had better not touch him at all, for you will establish, instead of fear and regard, feelings of resentment, hatred, and ill will. It will do him no good, but harm, to strike him, unless you can frighten him; but if you can succeed in frightening him, you can whip him without making him mad; for fear and anger never exist together in the horse, and as soon as one is visible, you will find that the other has disappeared. As soon as you have frightened him, so that he will stand up straight and pay some attention to you, approach him again and caress him a good deal more than you whipped him; thus you will excite the two controlling passions of his nature, love and fear; he will love, and fear you too; and, as soon as he learns what you require, will obey quickly.If the colt is of too mulish a disposition to yield to careful and gentle treatment, as here given, you must resort to the several measures recommended for taming vicious horses, as explained elsewhere in these pages. HOW TO PROCEED IF THE COLT IS STUBBORN.
If you should want to lead your colt by the side of another horse, you must first put the horse into a stable with the colt. You now attach a second strap to the colt's halter, and lead your horse up alongside of him. Then get on the broke horse and take one strap around his breast under the martingale, (if he has any on,) holding it in your left hand. This will prevent the colt from getting back too far; besides, you have more power to hold him, with the strap pulling against the horse's breast. The other strap take up in your right hand to prevent him from running ahead; then turn him about in the stable, and if the door is wide enough, ride out with him in that position; if not, take the broke horse out first, and stand his breast up against the door, then lead the colt to the same spot and take the straps as before directed, one on each side of his neck, and then let someone start the colt out, and as the colt comes out, turn your horse to the left, and you will have them all right. You can manage any kind of a colt in this way, without trouble; for, if he tries to run ahead, or pull back, the two straps will bring the two horses facing each other, so that you can very easily follow up his movements without doing much holding, and as soon as he stops running backward, you are right with him, and all ready to go ahead. If he gets stubborn and does not want to go, you can remove all his stubbornness by riding your horse against his neck, thus compelling him to turn to the right; and as soon as you have turned him about a few times, he will be willing to go along. The next thing, after you are through leading him, will be to take him into a stable and hitch him in such a way as not to have him pull on the halter, and as they are often troublesome to get into a stable the first few times, I will give you some instructions about getting him in. HOW TO LEAD A COLT WITH A BROKE HORSE.
You should lead the broken horse into the stable first, and get the colt, if you can, to follow in after him. If he refuses to go, step up to him, taking a little stick or switch in your right hand; then take hold of the halter close to his head with your left hand, at the same time reaching over his back with your right hand so that you can tap him on the opposite side with your switch; bring him up facing the door, tap him slightly with your switch, reaching as far back with it as you can. This tapping, by being pretty well back, and on the opposite side, will drive him ahead, and keep him close to you; then by giving him the right direction with your left hand you can walk into the stable with him. I have walked colts into the stable this way in less than a minute, after men had worked at them half an hour, trying to pull them in. If you cannot walk him in at once in this way, turn him about and walk him around a while until you can get him up to the door without pulling at him. Then let him stand a few minutes, keeping his head in the right direction with the halter, and he will soon walk in of his own accord. Never attempt to pull the colt into the stable; that would make him think at once that it was a dangerous place, and if he was not afraid of it before he would be then. Besides, we do not want him to know anything about pulling on the halter. If you want to tie up your colt, put him in a tolerably wide stall, which should not be too long, and should be connected by a bar or something of that kind to the partition behind it; so that, after the colt is in he cannot go far enough back to take a straight, backward pull on the halter; then by tying him in the center of the stall, it would be impossible for him to pull on the halter, the partition behind preventing him from going back, and the halter in the center checking him every time he turns to the right or left. In a stall of this kind you can break any horse to stand tied with a light strap, anywhere, without his ever knowing anything about pulling. For if you have broken your horse to lead, and have taught him the use of the halter (which you should always do before you hitch him to anything), you can hitch him in any kind of a stall, and if you give him something to eat to keep him up to his place for a few minutes at first, there is not one colt in fifty that will pull on his halter, or ever attempt to do so. This is an important feature in breaking the colt, for if he is allowed to pull on the halter at all, and particularly if he finds out that he can break the halter, he will never be safe. HOW TO LEAD THE COLT INTO A STABLE.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 2
by John Solomon Rarey
POWELL'S MANAGEMENT OF WILD HORSES.
Cause your horse or colt to be put in a small yard, stable, or room. If in a stable or room, it ought to be large in order to give him some exercise with the halter before you lead him out. If the horse belongs to that class which only appears to fear man, you must introduce yourself gently into the stable, room, or yard where the horse is. He will naturally run from you, and frequently turn his head towards you; but you must walk about extremely slow and softly so that he can see you whenever he turns his head towards you, which he never fails to do in a short time - in a quarter or half an hour. I never knew one to be much longer without turning his head towards me. At the very moment he turns his head, hold out your left hand towards him, and stand perfectly still, keeping your eyes upon the horse, watching his motions, if he make any. If the horse does not stir for ten or fifteen minutes, advance as slowly as possible, and without making the least noise, always holding out your left hand. If the horse makes the least motion when you advance towards him, stop and remain perfectly still until he is quiet. Remain a few moments in this condition, and then advance again in the same slow and almost imperceptible manner. If the horse then stirs again, stop without changing your position. It is very uncommon for the horse to stir more than once after you begin to advance; yet there are some exceptions. He generally keeps his eyes steadfast upon you, until you get near enough to touch him on the forehead. When you are thus near to him, raise slowly and by degrees your hand, and let it come in contact with that part just above the nostrils, as lightly as possible. If the horse flinches (as many will), repeat with great rapidity these light strokes upon the forehead, going a little further up towards his ears by degrees, and descending with the same rapidity until he will let you handle his forehead all over. Now let the strokes be repeated with more force over all his forehead, descending by lighter strokes to each side of his head, until you can handle that part with equal facility. Then touch in the same light manner, making your hands and fingers play around the lower part of the horse's ears, coming down now and then to his forehead, which may be looked upon as the helm that governs all the rest. Having succeeded in handling his ears, advance towards the neck, with the same precautions, and in the same manner; observing always to augment the force of the strokes whenever the horse will permit it. Perform the same on both sides of the neck, until he lets you take it in your arms without flinching.
Proceed in the same progressive manner to the sides, and then to the back of the horse. Every time the horse shows any nervousness, return immediately to the forehead, as the true standard, patting him with your hands, and thence rapidly to where you had already arrived, always gaining ground a considerable distance further on every time this happens. The head, ears, neck, and body being thus gentled, proceed from the back to the root of the tail. This must be managed with dexterity, as a horse is never to be depended on that is skittish about the tail. Let your hand fall lightly and rapidly on that part next to the body a minute or two, and then you will begin to give it a slight pull upwards every quarter of a minute. At the same time you continue this handling of him, augment the force of the strokes as well as the raising of the tail, until you can raise it and handle it with the greatest ease, which commonly happens in a quarter of an hour in most horses, in others almost immediately, and in some much longer. It now remains to handle all his legs; from the tail come back again to the head - handle it well, as likewise the ears, breast, neck, &c., speaking now and then to the horse. Begin by degrees to descend to the legs, always ascending and descending, gaining ground every time you descend, until you get to his feet.
Talk to the horse while you are thus taming him; let him hear the sound of your voice, which at the beginning of the operation is not quite so necessary, but which I have always done in making him lift up his feet. "Hold up your foot," you will say, at the same time lifting up his foot with your hand. He soon becomes familiar with the sounds, and will hold up his foot at command. Then, proceed to the hind feet, and go on in the same manner; and in a short time the horse will let you lift them, and even take them up in your arms.
All this operation is no magnetism, no galvanism; it is merely taking away the fear the horse generally has of man, and familiarizing the animal with his master. As the horse doubtless experiences a certain pleasure from this handling, he will soon become gentle under it, and show very marked attachment to his keeper.
THE KIND OF BIT TO BE USED, AND HOW TO USE IT.
In first accustoming a colt to the bit, you should use a large, smooth snaffle, so as not to hurt his mouth, with a bar at each side to prevent it from pulling through either way. This should be attached to the head-stall of your bridle, and put it on your colt without any reins to it, and let him run loose in a large stable or shed, some time, until he becomes a little used to the bit, and will bear it without trying to get it out of his mouth. Repeat this several times, before you do anything more with the colt; and as soon as he will bear the bit, attach a single rein to it, without any martingale. You should also have a halter on your colt, or a bridle made after the fashion of a halter, with a strap to it, so that you can hold or lead him about without pulling much on the bit. Farmers often put bitting harness on a colt the first thing they do to him, buckling it on as tight as they can draw it, to make him carry his head high, and then turn him out in a lot, to run half a day at a time. This is one of the very worst punishments they can inflict on a colt and is very injurious to a young horse that has been used to running in pasture with his head down. I have seen colts so injured in this way that they never got over it.
A horse should be well accustomed to the bit before you put on the bitting harness, and when you first bit him you should only rein his head up to the point where he naturally holds it, let that point be high or low; he will soon learn that he cannot lower his head, and that raising it a little will loosen the bit in his mouth. This will give him an idea of raising his head to loosen the bit; and then you can draw the bitting a little tighter every time you put it on, and he will still raise his head to loosen it. By this means you will gradually get his head and neck in the position you want him to carry it, and give him a nice and graceful carriage without hurting him, making him mad, or causing his mouth to get sore. Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly, should not have the bitting on more than fifteen minutes at a time.
HOW TO SADDLE A COLT.
Any one man who has this theory, can put a saddle on the wildest horse that ever grew, without any help and without scaring him. The first thing will be to tie each stirrup strap into a loose knot, to make them short and prevent the stirrups from flying about and hitting him. Then double up the skirts and take the saddle under your right arm, so as not to frighten him with it when you approach. When you get to him, rub him gently a few times with your hand, then raise the saddle very slowly, until he can see it, and smell, and feel it with his nose. Then let the skirts loose, and rub it very gently against his neck the way the hair lays, letting him hear the rattle of the skirts as he feels them against him; each time a little further backward, and finally slip it over on his back. Shake it little with your hand, and in less than five minutes you can rattle it about over his back as you please, and pull it off and throw it on again, without his paying much attention to it.
As soon as you have accustomed him to the saddle, fasten the girth. Be careful how you do this. It often frightens the colt when he feels the girth binding him, and making the saddle fit tight on his back. You should bring up the girth very gently, and not draw it too tight at first, just enough to hold the saddle on. Move him a little, and then girth it as tight as you choose, and he will not mind it.
You should see that the pad of your saddle is all right before you put it on, and that there is nothing to make it hurt him, or feel unpleasant to his back. It should not have any loose straps on the back part of it, to flap about and scare him. After you have saddled him in this way, take a switch in your right hand to tap him up with, and walk about in the stable a few times with your right arm over your saddle, taking hold of the reins on each side of his neck with your right and left hands, thus marching him about in the stable until you teach him the use of the bridle and can turn him about in any direction, and stop him by a gentle pull of the rein. Always caress him, and loose the reins a little every time you stop him.
You should always be alone, and have your colt in some light stable or shed the first time you ride him; the loft should he high, so that you can sit on his back without endangering your head. You can teach him more in two hours' time in a stable of this kind, than you could in two weeks in the common way of breaking colts, out in an open place. If you follow my course of treatment, you need not run any risk, or have any trouble in riding the worst kind of horse. You take him a step at a time, until you get up a mutual confidence and trust between yourself and horse. First teach him to lead and stand hitched; next acquaint him with the saddle, and the use of the bit; and then all that remains is to get on him without scaring him, and you can ride him as well as any horse.
HOW TO MOUNT THE COLT.
First gentle him well on both sides, about the saddle and all over, until he will stand still without holding, and is not afraid to see you anywhere about him. As soon as you have him well gentled, get a small block about one foot or eighteen inches in height, and set it down by the side of him, about where you want to stand to mount him; step up on this, raising yourself very gently. Horses notice every change of position very closely, and if you were to step up suddenly on the block, it would be very apt to scare him; but by raising yourself gradually on it, he will see you, without being frightened, in a position very near the same as when you are on his back. As soon as he will bear this without alarm, untie the stirrup strap next to you, and put your left foot in the stirrup, and stand square over it, holding your knee against the horse, and your toe out, so as to touch him under the fore-shoulder with the toe of your boot. Place your right hand on the front of the saddle, and on the opposite side of you, taking hold of a portion of the mane and reins (they hang loosely over his neck), with your left hand, then gradually bear your weight on the stirrup, and on your right hand, until the horse feels your whole weight on the stirrup; repeat this several times, each time raising yourself a little higher from the block, until he will allow you to raise your leg over his croup, and place yourself in the saddle. Another, and in some cases a better way of mounting, is to press the palm of your right hand on the off-side of the saddle, and as you rise lean your weight on it. By this means you can mount with the girth loose, or without any girths at all.
There are three great advantages in having a block to mount from. First, a sudden change of position is very apt to frighten a young horse that has never been handled; he will allow you to walk to him, and stand by his side without scaring at you, because you have gentled him to that position; but if you get down on your hands and knees and crawl towards him, he will be very much frightened: and upon the same principle, he would frighten at your new position if you had the power to hold yourself over his back without touching him. Then the first great advantage of the block is to gradually gentle him to that new position in which he will see you when you ride him. Secondly, by the process of holding your weight in the stirrups, and on your hand, you can gradually accustom him to your weight, so as not to frighten him by having him feel it all at once. And, in the third place, the block elevates you so that you will not have to make a spring in order to get on the horse’s back, but from it you can gradually raise yourself into the saddle. When you take these precautions, there is no horse so wild but what you can mount him without making him jump. I have tried it on the worst horses that could be found, and have never failed in any case. When mounting, your horse should always stand without being held. A horse is never well broke when he has to be held with a tight rein when mounting; and a colt is never so safe to mount as when you see that assurance of confidence, and absence of fear, which cause him to stand without holding.
HOW TO RIDE THE COLT.
When you want him to start, do not touch him on the side with your heel, or do anything to frighten him and make him jump. But speak to him kindly, and if he does not start, pull him a little to the left until he starts, then let him walk off slowly with the reins loose. Walk him around in the stable a few times until he gets used to the bit, and you can turn him about in every direction and stop him as you please. It will be well to get on and off a good many times until he gets perfectly used to it before you take him out of the stable. After you have trained him in this way, which should not take more than two or three hours, you can ride him anywhere you choose without ever having him jump or make an effort to throw you.
When you first take him out of the stable, be very gentle with him, as he will feel a little more at liberty to jump or run, and be easier frightened than he was while in the stable; but you will nevertheless find him pretty well broke, and will be able to manage him without trouble or danger.
When you first mount a colt, take a little the shortest hold on the left rein, so that if anything frightens him, you can prevent him from jumping by pulling his head around to you. This operation of pulling a horse's head around against his side will prevent him from jumping ahead, rearing up, or running away. If he is stubborn and will not go, you can make him move by pulling his head around to one side, when whipping him would have no effect. And turning him around a few times will make him dizzy, and then by letting him have his head straight, and giving him a little touch with the whip he will go along without any trouble.
Never use martingales on a colt when you first ride him; every movement of the hand should go right to the bit in the direction in which it is applied to the reins, without a martingale to change the direction of the force applied. You can guide the colt much better without it, and teach him the use of the bit in much less time. Besides, martingales would prevent you from pulling his head round if he should try to jump.
After your colt has been ridden until he is gentle and well accustomed to the bit, you may find it an advantage, if he carries his head too high or his nose too far out, to put martingales on him.
You should be careful not to ride your colt so far at first as to heat, worry, or tire him. Get off as soon as you see he is a little fatigued; gentle him and let him rest; this will make him kind to you, and prevent him from getting stubborn or mad.
TO BREAK A HORSE TO HARNESS.
Take him in a tight stable, as you did to ride him; take the harness and go through the same process that you did with the saddle, until you get him familiar with them, so you can put them on his back and rattle them about without his caring for them. As soon as he will bear them, put on the lines, caress him as you draw them over him, and drive him about in the stable till he will bear them over his hips. The lines are a great aggravation to some colts, and often frighten them as much as if you were to raise a whip over them. As soon as he is familiar with the harness and lines, take him out and put him by the side of a gentle horse, and go through the same process that you did with the balking horse. Always use a bridle without blinds when you are breaking a horse to harness.
HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY.
Lead him to and around it; let him look at it, touch it with his nose, and stand by it until he does not care for it; then pull the shafts a little to the left, and stand your. horse in front of the off wheel. Let some one stand on the right side of the horse and hold him by the bit, while you stand on the left side, facing the sulky. This will keep him straight. Run your left hand back and let it rest on his hip, and lay hold of the shafts with your right, bringing them up very gently to the left hand, which still remains stationary. Do not let anything but your arm touch his back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him, let the person on the opposite side take hold of one of them, and lower then very gently to the shaft bearers. Be very slow and deliberate about hitching; the longer time you take the better, as a general thing. When you have the shafts placed, shake them slightly, so that he will feel them against each side. As soon as he will hear them without scaring, fasten your braces, &C, and start him along very slowly. Let one man lead the horse to keep him gentle, while the other gradually works back with the lines till he can get behind and drive him. After you have driven him in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all will go right. It is very important to have your horse go gently when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, there is not half so much danger of him scaring. Men do very wrong to jump up behind a horse to drive him as soon as they have him hitched. There are too many things for him to comprehend all at once. The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the rattling of the sulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made familiar with them by degrees. If your horse is very wild, I would advise you to put up one foot the first time you drive him.
HOW TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN.
Everything that we want to teach the horse must be
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 3
by John Solomon Rarey
TAMING A HORSE WITH VICIOUS HABITS.
Having given full instructions relative to my system of dealing with young colts, I will now proceed to detail the plan of operations for taming or subduing wild or vicious horses. The principles of the method are the same as those in managing colts - kindness and gentleness - but the practice differs. When you desire to subdue a horse that is very wild, or has a vicious disposition, take up one fore-foot and bend his knee till his hoof is bottom upwards, and nearly touching his body; then slip a loop over his knee, and shove it up until it comes above the pastern-joint, to keep it up, being careful to draw the loop together between the hoof and pastern-joint with a second strap of some kind to prevent the loop from slipping down and coming off This will leave the horse standing on three legs; you can now handle him as you wish, for it is utterly impossible for him to kick in this position. There is something in this operation of taking up one foot, that conquers a horse quicker and better than any. thing else you can do to him; and there is no process in the world equal to it to break a kicking horse, for by conquering one member, you conquer, to great extent, the whole horse.
You can do anything you wish with the horse in this condition, as when he becomes convinced of his incapacity to cope with man, he will abandon all antagonistic demonstrations, and become willing to obey, and generally docile. Operate on your horse in this manner as often as the occasion requires, and you will soon find him as gentle as his nature will permit him to be. By these means the most vicious, uneasy, unruly or fretful horse may be cured, though it depends upon the age and disposition of the animal how long it will take to make him amiable. When you first fasten up a horse's foot, he will sometimes get very mad, and strike with his knee, and try every possible way to get it down; but as he cannot do that, he will soon give up.
commenced in such a way as to give him an idea of what we want him to do, and then be repeated till he learns it perfectly. To make a horse lie down, bend his left fore-leg and slip a loop over it, so that he cannot get it down. Then put a surcingle around his body, and fasten one end of a long strap around the other fore-leg, just above the hoof. Place the other end under the before-described surcingle, so as to keep the strap in the right direction take a short hold of it with your right hand; stand on the left side of the horse; grasp the bit in your left hand, pull steadily on the strap with your right; bear against his shoulder till you cause him to move As soon as he lifts his weight, your pulling will raise the other foot, and he will have to come on his knees. Keep the strap tight in your hand, so that he cannot straighten his leg if he rises up. Hold him in this position, and turn his head towards you; bear against his side with your shoulder, not hard, but with a steady, equal pressure, and in about ten minutes he will lie down. As soon as he lies down, he will be completely conquered, and you can handle him as you please. Take off the straps, and straighten out his legs; rub him lightly about the face and neck with your hand the way the hair goes; handle all his legs, and after he has lain ten or twenty minutes, let him get up again. After resting him a short time, make him lie down as before. Repeat the operation three or four times, which will be sufficient for one lesson. Give him two lessons a day, and when you have given him four lessons, he will lie down by taking hold of one foot. As soon as he is well broken to lie down in this way, tap him on the opposite leg with a stick when you take hold of his foot, and in a few days he will lie down from the mere motion of the stick.
RECAPITULATION, AND MINUTE DIRECTIONS.
In practicing the foregoing method upon a colt, he should be first accustomed to be handled, and taught to lead easily. In approaching a spiteful or vicious horse, you had better make your advances with a half-opened door between you and him; gradually make his acquaintance, and teach him that you do not care for his open mouth; but a regular biter must be gagged with a wooden bit made for the purpose, so large that he cannot close his mouth.
Here is the kind of bit to be used.
Of course there is no difficulty in handling the leg of a quiet horse or colt, and by constantly working from the neck down to the fetlock, you may do what you please. But many horses, and even colts, have a most dangerous trick of striking out with their fore-legs. There is no better protection against this than a cart-wheel. The wheel may either be used loose, or the animal may be led up to a cart loaded with hay, when the horse-tamer can work under the cart through one of the wheels, while the colt is nibbling the load.
Having, then, so far soothed a colt that he will permit you to take up his legs without resistance, take the strap No. 1, pass the tongue through the loop under the buckle so as to form a noose, slip it over the near fore-leg and draw it close up to the pastern-joint, and fasten it as represented in the engraving. But you must not be rash in lifting the leg, and employ but little force in doing so. It is better to wait until he lifts it willingly by the use of gentle means. Do not get out of temper if you have to make a dozen ineffectual attempts to raise it. The near fore-leg being securely strapped, and the horse secured from biting, if necessary, with the wooden bit, (described elsewhere,) you will then make him hop about as before stated. This he will learn to do easily. The trainer must, however, take care to keep behind his horse's shoulder and walk in a circle, or he will be likely to be struck by the animal’s head or strapped up leg.
A horse can hop on three legs for two or three miles, if you give him his own time, and no plan that has ever been tried is equal to this for curing a kicking or balky horse. After you have tired him out pretty well in this manner, you proceed to make him lie down, which process requires considerable patience and skill. For this purpose take strap No. 2, and making a loop with it put it round the off fore-leg. With a very quiet horse this can easily be done; with a wild or vicious horse you may have to make him step into it; at any rate, when once the off fore-leg is caught in the noose it must be drawn tight round the pastern-joint. Then put a stout glove on your right hand, pass the strap through the belly part of the surcingle, take a firm short hold of it with your gloved right hand, standing close to the horse behind his shoulders, and with your left hand take hold of the near rein; by pulling the horse gently to the near side he will be almost sure to hop; if he will not, he must be led.
The moment he lifts up his off fore-foot, you must draw up strap No. 2 tightly and steadily. The horse will then go down on his knees, for if you hold the strap tight he will not be able to stretch out his foot again. As soon as a horse recovers from his astonishment at being brought to his knees, he begins to resist; that is, he rears up on his hind legs, and springs about in a manner that will sometimes alarm the trainer.
During these struggles you must not try your strength against the horse's strength, but merely follow him about, holding the strap just tight enough to prevent him from putting out his off foreleg.. As long as you keep close to him and behind his shoulder, you are in very little danger. The bridle in the left hand must be used like steering lines, by pulling to the right or left as occasion requires: the horse turning on his hind legs, may be fatigued by being forced to walk backwards. The strap passing through the surcingle keeps, or ought to keep, the trainer in his right place - he is not to pull or in any way fatigue himself more than he can help, but, standing upright, simply follow the horse about, guiding him with the bridle so he will not precipitate himself against the side of the stable or room in which you are exercising him. When held and guided properly, he will soon sink down. Corn-fed horses will hold out longer than grass-fed ones, and the most energetic horse will scarcely struggle more than ten or fifteen minutes.
Usually, at the end of eight minutes' violent struggles, the animal sinks forward on his knees, sweating profusely, with heaving flanks and shaking tail. If he still resists he may be forced by the bit to walk backwards and forwards, but this is generally unnecessary, as by pushing gently at his shoulder, or pulling steadily the off-rein, you can get him to fall, in the one case on the near side, in the other on the off side; but this assistance should be so slight that the horse will not attempt to resist it. The horse will often make a final spring when you think he is quite beaten; but at length he slides over, and lies down, panting and exhausted, on his side. If he is a pretty spirited animal, take advantage of the moment to tie up the off foreleg to the surcingle, as securely as the other, in a slip-loop knot.
Now let your horse recover his wind, and then encourage him to make a second fight. It will often be more stubborn and more fierce than the first. The object of this tying-up operation is that he shall thoroughly exhaust without hurting himself, and that he shall come to the conclusion that it is you who by your 'superior strength have conquered him', and that you are always able to conquer him.
Under the old rough-riding system, the most vicious horses were occasionally conquered by daring men with firm seats and strong arms, who rode and flogged them into subjection; but these conquests were temporary, and usually personal; with every stranger, the animal would begin his game again.
One advantage of this system is that the horse is allowed to exhaust himself under circumstances that render it impossible for him to struggle long enough to do himself any harm. It has been suggested that a blood-vessel would be likely to be broken, or apoplexy produced by the exertion of leaping from the hind legs; but, up the present time, no accident of any kind has been reported.
TREATMENT OF THE HORSE AFTER HE IS DOWN.
If the horse has fought hard in going down, he will then usually lie perfectly still, and you can gentle him, scrape the sweat off, and rub him down, smoothing the hair of his legs, and drawing the fore one straight out. In this position you have the opportunity of making him perfectly familiar with you, and the more you fondle him and reconcile him to you the better. If you are treating an unbroken colt in this way, you may now mount his back, and thus, by finding out that you mean him no harm, he will learn to submit to being mounted when he stands up. You can also lay a saddle or harness on him and familiarize him with those articles. His head, tail and legs should now be handled with freedom, caressing and talking to him all the while. If he has hitherto resisted shoeing, handle all his legs with a view to accomplish it, and if he attempts to resist, continue until you subdue him, speaking to him with a voice of authority. If he is a bad kicker you may be obliged to confine his forelegs; and with those tied, you may spend an hour in handling his legs, tapping the hoofs with your hand or a hammer - all this to be done in a firm, measured, soothing manner; only now and then, if he resist, crying, as you paralyze him with the ropes, "Wo!" in a determined manner. It is by this continual soothing and handling that you establish confidence between the horse and yourself. After patting him as much as you deem needful, say for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, you may encourage him to rise. Some horses will require a good deal of helping, and it may be necessary to draw out their fore-legs before them. The handling of the limbs of colts in this condition particularly requires caution. A colt tormented by flies will kick forward nearly up to the fore-legs. If a horse, unstrapped, attempts to rise, you may easily stop him by taking hold of a fore-leg and doubling it back to the strapped position. If by chance he should be too quick, don't resist, for it is an essential principle of this system never to enter into a contest with a horse unless you are certain to be victorious. In all these operations you must be calm, and never be in a hurry, or in a passion.
The principle established by this mode of treatment is that you show no violence to frighten the horse, and yet you force him to submit to your will, caressing him when he assents and gently forcing him when he does not. Repeated lessons will convince the most vicious horse that you are his master, and your gentle caresses consequent on his submission will at the same time give him confidence in you. It has been suggested that a novice should begin his practice on a gentle horse that he can handle at pleasure, and the plan is a good one. He may thus become familiar with the process before trying it in earnest on a vicious or unbroken animal.
A singular fact in illustration of the beauty of this treatment of refractory horses is mentioned in an English periodical. A beautiful gray mare, which had been fourteen years in the band of one of the Life Guards regiments, and consequently at least seventeen years old, would never submit quietly to have her hind-legs shod; the farriers had to put a twitch on her nose and ears, and tie her tail down: even then she resisted violently. After three days' treatment similar to that above described, she was easily shod with her head loose. And this was not done by a trick, but by proving to her that she could not resist even to the extent of an inch, and that no harm was intended her.
HOW TO MANAGE BALKY HORSES.
Horses know nothing about balking until they are forced into it by bad management. When a horse balks in harness, it is generally from some mismanagement, excitement, confusion, or from not knowing how to pull, but seldom from any unwillingness to perform all that he understands. High-spirited freegoing horses are the most subject to balking, and only so because drivers do not properly understand how to manage this kind. A free horse in a team may be so anxious to go that when he hears the word he will start with a jump, which will not move the load, but give him so severe a jerk on the shoulders that he will fly back and stop the other horse. The teamster will continue his driving without any cessation, and by the time he has the slow horse started again, he will find that the free horse has made another jump, and again flown back. And now he has them both badly balked, and so confused that neither of them knows what is the matter, or how to start the load. Next will come the slashing and cracking of the whip, and hallooing of the driver, till something is broken, or he is through with his course of treatment. But what a mistake the driver commits by whipping his horse for this act! Reason and common sense should teach him that. the horse was willing and anxious to go, but did not know how to start the load. And should he whip him for that? If so, he should whip him again for not knowing how to talk. A man that wants to act with reason should not fly into a passion, but should always think before he strikes. It takes a steady pressure against the collar to move a load, and you cannot expect him to act with a steady, determined purpose while you are whipping him. There is hardly one balking horse in five hundred that will pull truly from whipping: it is only adding fuel to fire, and will make him more liable to balk another time. You always see horses that have been balked a few times turn their heads and look back as soon as they are a little frustrated. This is because they have been whipped and are afraid of what is behind them. This is an invariable rule with balky horses, just as much as it is for them to look around at their sides when they have the bots; in either case they are deserving of the same sympathy, and the same kind of rational treatment.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 4
by John Solomon Rarey
When your horse balks, or is a little excited, or if he wants to start quickly, or looks around and don't want to go, there is something wrong, and he needs kind treatment immediately. Caress him kindly, and if he don't understand at once what you want him to do, he will not be so much excited as to jump and break things, and do everything wrong through fear. As long as you are calm, and can keep down excitement of the horse, there are ten chances to have him understand you, where there would not be one under harsh treatment; and then the little flare up would not carry with it any unfavorable recollections, and he would soon forget all about it, and learn to pull true. Almost every wrong act the horse commits is from mismanagement, fear or excitement; one harsh word will so excite a nervous horse as to increase his pulse ten beats in a minute. When we remember that we are dealing with dumb brutes, and reflect how difficult it must be for them to understand our motions, signs and language we should never get out of patience with them because they don't understand us, or wonder at their doing things wrong. With all our intellect, if we were placed in the horse's situation, it would be difficult for us to understand the driving of some foreigner, of foreign ways and foreign language. We should always recollect that our ways and language are just as foreign and unknown to the horse as any language in the world is to us; and should try to practice what we could understand were we the horse, endeavoring by some simple means to work on his understanding rather than on the different parts of his body. All balked horses can be started true and steady in a few minutes' time; they are willing to pull as soon as they know how; and I never yet found a balked horse that I could not teach to start his load in fifteen, and often in less than three minutes' time.
Almost any team, when first balked, will start kindly if you let them stand five or ten minutes, as though there was nothing wrong, and then speak to them with a steady voice, and turn them a little to the right or left so as to get them both in motion before they feel the pinch or the load. But if you want to start along a team that you are not driving yourself, that has been balked, fooled, and whipped for some time, go to them and hang the lines on their hames, or fasten them to the wagon, so that they will be perfectly loose; make the driver and spectators, if there are any, stand off some distance to one side, so as not to attract the attention of the horses; unloose their check reins, so that they can get their heads down, if they choose; let them stand a few minutes in this condition, until you can see that they are a little composed. While they are standing you should be about their heads gentling them; it will make them a little more kind, and the spectators will think you are doing something that they do not understand, and will not learn the secret. When you have them ready to start, stand before them, and as you seldom have but one balky horse in a team, get as near in front of him as you can, and if he is too fast for the other horse, let his nose come against your breast; this will keep him steady for he will go slow rather than run on you; turn them gently to the right, with the wagon; have it stand in a favorable position for starting out, letting them pull on the traces as far as the tongue will let them go; stop them with a kind word, gentle them a little, and turn them back to the left, by the same process. You will have them under your control by this time, and as you turn them again to the right steady them in the collar, and you can take them where you please.
There is a quicker process that will generally start a balky horse, but not so sure. Stand him a little ahead, so that his shoulder will be against the collar, and then take up one of his fore feet in your hand, and let the driver start them; and when the weight comes against his shoulders, he will try to stop - then let him have his foot, and he will go right along. If you want to break a horse from balking that has long been in that habit, you ought to set a day apart for that purpose. Put him by the side of some steady horse; have check lines on them; tie up all the traces and straps; so that there will be nothing to excite them; do not rein them up, but let them have their heads loose. Walk them about together for some time as slowly and lazily as possible; stop often and go up to the balky horse and gentle him, but keep him just as quiet as you can. He will soon learn to start off at the word, and stop whenever you tell him.
As soon as he performs right, hitch him to an empty wagon. It would be well to shorten the stay chain behind the steady horse, so that if it is necessary he can take the weight of the wagon the first time you start them. Do not drive but a few rods at first; watch your balky horse closely, and if you see that he is getting excited, stop him before he stops of his own accord, caress him a little, and start again. As soon as they go well, drive them over a small hill a few times, and then over a large one, occasionally adding a little load. This process will make any horse true to pull.
CHOKING, A MEANS OF SUBDUING THE HORSE.
This is another method of conquering a skittish, stubborn or refractory horse. It is resorted to in cases where the measures before described fail to produce the desired effect. The principles on which the plan of choking are based are that you must make a powerful appeal to the intelligence of the animal by physical means before you can subdue him. Now we know that most animals, in fighting, seize each other by the throat, and that a dog thus held by his antagonist for a few minutes, on being released, is often so thoroughly cowed that no human artifice can induce him to again resume the unequal contest. It is, then, reasonable to suppose that choking will have a similar effect on the horse. When it can be done without injuring the animal, it is an easy mode of subduing him, for by its operation he becomes docile, and will thereafter receive any instruction which he can be made to understand. Teaching the horse, by this means, to he down at our bidding tends to keep him permanently gentle towards man, for it is a perpetual reminder of his subdued condition.
It requires a good deal of practice to tame a horse successfully by choking; also a nice judgment to know when he is choked sufficiently, as there is a bare possibility that he might get more than would be good for him. We advise persons not perfectly familiar with a horse to resort rather to the strapping and throwing-down process, unless the animal to be operated upon is so vicious and intractable that he cannot be cured by it. It is the fault of most people who have owned a horse to imagine that they are experts in his management; while, on the contrary, many professional horsemen are the very worst parties to attempt his subjugation.
In practicing the choking process, retire with the animal to be operated upon into a close stable, with plenty of litter upon the floor (tanbark or sawdust is preferable). In the first place fasten up the left fore-leg with strap No.1 (mentioned above) in such a manner that it will be permanently secured. Then take a broad strap with a buckle or buckle-frame at the end, and pass it around the neck just back of the jaw-bone, in the position given in the engraving. Draw the strap as tight as possible, so tight as to almost arrest the horse's breathing. The strap must not be buckled, but held in this position to prevent slipping back. The animal will struggle for a few minutes, when he will become perfectly quiet, overpowered by a sense of suffocation; the veins in his head will swell; his eyes lose their fire; his knees totter and become weak; a slight vertigo will ensue, and he will grow gradually exhausted. By now backing him around the stable, he will come down on his knees, in which position it is an easy matter to push him on his side, when his throat should be released. You must now operate with the horse in the same manner as described after getting him down by straps. Speak kindly to him, rub him gently the way the hair lies, fondle him in various ways, and he will be completely subdued. You should not attempt to fondle him, however, until you are satisfied that he has got over the excitement which the choking caused in him. It is only necessary in extreme cases to repeat the operation of choking, as no horse can effectually resist its terrible effects.
It should be constantly borne in mind that the operator must not be boisterous or violent, and that the greatest possible degree of kindness is absolutely essential. When the horse is prostrate he should be soothed until his eyes show that he has become perfectly tranquil.
Another process of choking is described by the above engraving. After tying up your horse to the manger, make friends with him by some one of the coaxing processes heretofore given, and when you get him in thorough good humor with you, begin the choking by seizing him on the throat near the jaw, at the same time holding on to his mane with your left hand. When you have exhausted him sufficiently, let go the mane and rap him gently on the fore-legs until he lies down; or you may touch him with your foot instead. After he is down, rub him gently, speak kindly to him, and as soon as he is properly composed, fondle and caress him.
GENERAL RULES, AND REMARKS.
In taming the horse either by choking or any of the other processes here given, the following rules should be observed: First - When forcing down the horse in either of the ways described, be careful of his neck. Do not let him fall upon that, or he may break it, as the spine of the horse is easily broken. Second - Do not force him down violently under any circumstances. The way to get him down is by patiently choking him and waiting until he goes down easily and from sheer exhaustion. Thirdly - Keep him very quiet by stroking or patting him with your hand in a gentle and delicate manner, until he is entirely over the excitement which your operations have caused in him. You can generally tell when he is appeased by the expression of his eyes. Fourthly - In backing the horse, never use violence. Hold the halter and off rein in your left hand, while managing him to bring him down.
In teaching a horse to follow you, and in curing him of kicking or biting or balking, or indeed any bad habit, the choking operation is resorted to with equal success as in the case of taming or breaking. If he continues stubborn, you have only to repeat the operation, giving him one or two lessons a day and in a short time he will be perfectly subdued. A young horse learns to obey quicker than an older one. When you get a horse down by any of the processes we have mentioned, a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes is ample time to keep him prostrate for the purpose of subjugation. Breathing into a horse's nostrils when he is down is practiced by some horse-tamers, and this is undoubtedly a soothing operation, as it brings you into close contact with the animal, thus giving him an opportunity of examining you with his nose - a process peculiar to horses. You should always litter your stable well when you perform these operations of flooring the horse. Clean straw or tanbark, or anything to make a soft stable bottom will answer.
HOW TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU.
Turn him out into a large stable or shed, where there is no chance to get out, with a halter or bridle on. Go to him and gentle him a little; take hold of the halter and turn him towards you, at the same time touching him lightly over the hips with a long whip. Lead him the length of the stable, rubbing him on the neck, saying, in a steady tone of voice, as you lead him, "Come along, my boy!" or use his name instead of my boy, if you choose. Every time you turn, touch him slightly with the whip, to make him step close up to you, and then caress him with your hand. He will soon learn to hurry up to escape the whip, and be caressed, and you can make him follow you around without taking hold of the halter. If he should stop and turn from you, give him a few sharp cuts about the hind legs, and he will soon turn his head towards you, when you must always caress him. A few lessons of this kind will make him run after you, when he sees the motion of the whip - in twenty or thirty minutes he will follow you around the stable. After you have given him two or three lessons in the stable, take him in a small lot and train him; and from thence you can take him into the road, and make him follow you anywhere, and run after you.
MAKE A HORSE STAND WITHOUT HOLDING.
After you have well broken him to follow you, stand him in the center of the stable - begin at the head to caress him, and gradually work backwards. If he moves, give him a cut with the whip, and put him back to the same spot from where he started. If he stands, caress him as before, and continue gentling him in this way until you can get around him without making him move. Keep walking round him, increasing your pace, and only touch him occasionally. Enlarge your circle as you walk around, and if he then moves, give him another cut with the whip, and put him back to his place. If he stands, go to him frequently and caress him, and then walk round him again. Do not keep him in one position too long at a time, but make him come to you occasionally, and follow you around the stable. Then stand him in another place, and proceed as before. You should not train him more than half an hour at a time.
TO PREVENT A HORSE FROM SCARING.
This process is very simple. Whenever a horse scares at objects on going along the road, always stop him, and let him face the object. Lead him slowly towards it, and let him touch it with his nose. Take the pains to do this on every occasion, and it will soon break him entirely. If your horse is frightened at an umbrella, you can soon learn him to be used to that. Go into the stable with him, and first let him look at the umbrella before it is opened - let him touch it with his nose. Open it a little way, and then let him see it, and finally open it wide. By ordinary patience you can soon learn the horse to have the umbrella opened suddenly in his face, without his being afraid. By a similar treatment you can break any horse from scaring at almost anything that may look frightful to him. If you wish to make a trial of this theory, just take a horse into the stable, and let him examine the frightful object a few minutes, after his mode of examining things, and you will be perfectly satisfied. There is a singular fact connected with taming the horse and I would have never believed if I had not tried it. If you accustom him to any particular object by showing it to him on one side only he will not be afraid when he sees it with the eye on that side, but he will be afraid if you approach him with it on the other side. It is therefore necessary to pacify him on both sides in all cases. After you have accustomed him to the umbrella, or whatever you may wish to make him familiar with, on his right side, repeat the operation on the left side in the same manner as if you had not approached him at all.
BLINDS, OR BLINKERS.
All my experience with and observation of horses, proves clearly to me that blinkers should never be used, and that the sight of the horse, for any reasons, should not be interfered with in any way. Horses are only fearful of objects which they do not understand, or are not familiar with, and the eye is one of the principal mediums by which this understanding and this familiarity are brought about. The horse, on account of his very amiable nature, can be made in the course of time to bear almost anything in any shape; but there is a quicker process of reaching his intelligence than that of wearing it into him through his skin and bones. However wild or nervous a horse may be, he can be taught in a very short time to understand and not to fear any object however frightful in appearance. Horses can be broken in less time, and better, without blinkers but horses that have always worn them will notice the sudden change, and must be treated carefully the first drive. After that they will drive better without the blinkers than with. I have proved by my own experiments that a horse broken without blinkers can be driven past any omnibus, cab, or carriage, on a parallel line as close as it is possible for him to go, without ever wavering or showing any disposition to dodge. I have not in the last eight or ten years, constantly handling horses, both wild and nervous, ever put blinkers on any of them, and in no case have they ever shied at passing objects.
The horse's eye is the life and beauty of the animal, as well as the index of all his emotions. It tells the driver, in the most impressive characters, what the horse's feelings are. By it he can tell the first approach of fear in time to meet any difficulty; he can tell if he is happy or sad, hungry or weary. The horse, too, when permitted to see, uses his eyes with great judgment. He sees better than we do. He can measure distances with his eyes better than we can, and, if allowed free use of them, would often save himself, by the quickness of his sight, from collisions when the driver would fail to do so by a timely pull of the reins. It would also save many accidents to pedestrians in the streets, as no horse will run on to any person that he can see. Blinkers are rapidly going out of use in the United States, and I have yet to find the man who, having once left them off, could ever be persuaded to put them on again. They are an unnecessary and injurious encumbrance to the horse, and in years hence will be a thing to be read of as one of the follies happily reformed in the nineteenth century.
RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN FEEDING.
Never give a horse whole grain. By bruising it, and wetting it with soft water, you save thirty per cent. of its nutritious effects. Steam it in preference to wetting, if you have facilities for doing so. Feed your horse two hours before he begins his day’s work. Give him the largest feed at night. Never tie him up to a rack; it is cruel to thus prevent a horse from lying down when he is tired. The best way is to take away your rack altogether, and arrange your stable so as to make it unnecessary to tie up the horse. The stable should always be dry and well littered. Never give your horse hard water to drink if soft water is to be had. If you cannot get soft water, draw the hard water out of the well two hours before you let him drink it. Beans should be full a year old before they’re fit to feed to horses; they should be bruised, the same as grain, not ground. Youatt recommends for horse feed the following, mixture: Cut hay, two parts; cut straw, three parts - add to this a quantity of bruised beans, oats, or other grain - wet the whole with soft water, and mix it well. Do not feel your horse too much hay, as it is not only a waste of provender, but when he is put to work with an overloaded stomach it endangers his wind. If left to pull hay out of the rack at pleasure, a horse will eat and waste some thirty pounds a day, whereas, by cutting up his hay and mixing it with other feed, as above described, ten pounds is an ample abundance for twenty-four hours. Horses, when worked, should be fed three or four times a day with a mixture of hay, straw and grain, as above described. Give them their food in the manger, and be careful that it is sweet and clean. By following these rules, your horses will always be in good condition - will not have that swelled belly so peculiar to animals who are allowed to fill their stomachs with hay - and will usually enjoy good health.
RULES FOR PURCHASING A HORSE.
When you are looking to purchase a horse, first examine the eyes well. The best judges are sometimes deceived in the eyes, therefore you cannot be too careful. Clearness of the eyes is a sure indication of their goodness; but this is not all that should be attended to: the eyelids, eyebrows, and all the other parts, must also be considered; for many horses whose eyes appear clear and brilliant go blind at seven or eight years old. Therefore be careful to observe whether the parts between the eyelids and the eyebrows are free from bunches, and whether the parts round the under eyelids be full, or swelled; for these are indications that the eyes will not last. When the eyes are remarkably flat, or sunk within their orbits, it is a bad sign; also when they look dead and lifeless. The iris, or circle that surrounds the sight of the eye, should be distinct, and of a pale, variegated, cinnamon color, for this is always a sure sign of a good eye, and it adds beauty to the appearance of the animal.
In the next place, examine the teeth, as you would not wish to purchase an old horse, nor a very young one for service.
The feet should next be regarded; for a horse with bad feet is like a house with a weak foundation, and will do little service. The feet should be smooth and tough, of a middle size, without wrinkles, and neither too hard and brittle, nor too soft; the heels should be firm, and not spongy and rotten; the frogs horny and dry; the soles somewhat hollow, like the inside of a dish or bowl. Such feet will never disappoint your expectations, and such only should be chosen.
Particular regard should be had to the shoulders; they should not be too much loaded, for a horse with heavy shoulders can never move well; and on the other hand, one that has very thin shoulders, and a narrow chest, though he may move briskly so long as he is sound, yet he is generally weak, and easily lamed in the shoulders; a medium should therefore be chosen.
The body, or carcass, should neither be too small nor too large. The back should be straight, or have only a moderate sinking below the withers: for when the back of a horse is low, or higher behind than before, it is both very ugly and a sign of weakness. The back should also be a proper length. The ribs should be large, the flanks smooth and full, and the hind-parts, or uppermost hackles, not higher than the shoulders. When the horse trots before you, observe if his haunches cover big fore-knees. A horse with a short hind-quarter does not look well.
The next thing to be regarded in a horse is his wind, which may be easily judged of by the motion of his flanks. A broken-winded horse also pinches in his flanks, with a very slow motion, and drops them suddenly, which may be easily perceived. Many horses breathe thick that are not broken-winded; indeed, any horse will in foggy weather, or if foul fed, without sufficient exercise; but if a horse has been in good keeping, and had proper exercise, and yet has these symptoms, there is some defect, either natural or accidental; such as a narrow chest, or some cold that has affected the lungs.
There are other particulars that should be observed in choosing a horse. If his head be large and fleshy, and his neck thick and gross, he will always go heavy on the hand, and therefore such should never be chosen. A horse that has his hocks very wide, seldom moves well, and one that has them too near will chafe and cut his legs by crossing them. Fleshy-legged horses are generally subject to the Grease, and other infirmities of that kind, and therefore should not be chosen.
The temper of a horse should be particularly attended to. Avoid a fearful horse, which you may know at first sight by his starting, crouching, or creeping, if you approach him. A hot and fretful horse is also to be avoided, but the buyer should be careful to distinguish between a hot, fretful horse, and one that is eager and craving. The former begins to fret the moment he is out of the stable, and continues in that humor till he has quite fatigued himself; and the latter only endeavors to be foremost in the field, and is truly valuable; he has those qualities that resemble prudence and courage; the other those of intemperate heat and rashness.
A horse that goes with his fore feet low is very apt to stumble; and there are some that go so near the ground that they stumble most on even roads; and the dealers, to remedy to this, put heavy shoes on their feet, for the heavier a horse's shoes are, the higher he will lift his feet. Care also should be taken that the horse does not cut one leg with the other. A horse that goes near the ground will cut the low side of the fetlock joint, but one that goes high cuts below the knee, which is called the speedy cut. A horse that lifts his feet high, generally trots fast, but is not the easiest for the rider. Some horses cut with the spurn of the foot, and some with the heel; but this you may soon perceive by their standing; for if a horse points the front of his foot inward, he cuts with the spurn, and if outward, with the heel.
These few instructions may be of use in your choosing horses; but I advise every one to get some experimental knowledge of them before he trusts to his own judgment, for the dealers have so many arts to hide the defects of their horses, that the best judges are often deceived.
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The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 2
by John Solomon Rarey
POWELL'S MANAGEMENT OF WILD HORSES.
THE KIND OF BIT TO BE USED, AND HOW TO USE IT.
HOW TO SADDLE A COLT.
HOW TO MOUNT THE COLT.
HOW TO RIDE THE COLT.
TO BREAK A HORSE TO HARNESS.
HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY.
HOW TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN.
Everything that we want to teach the horse must be
HOW TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 3
by John Solomon Rarey
TAMING A HORSE WITH VICIOUS HABITS.
Having given full instructions relative to my system of dealing with young colts, I will now proceed to detail the plan of operations for taming or subduing wild or vicious horses. The principles of the method are the same as those in managing colts - kindness and gentleness - but the practice differs. When you desire to subdue a horse that is very wild, or has a vicious disposition, take up one fore-foot and bend his knee till his hoof is bottom upwards, and nearly touching his body; then slip a loop over his knee, and shove it up until it comes above the pastern-joint, to keep it up, being careful to draw the loop together between the hoof and pastern-joint with a second strap of some kind to prevent the loop from slipping down and coming off This will leave the horse standing on three legs; you can now handle him as you wish, for it is utterly impossible for him to kick in this position. There is something in this operation of taking up one foot, that conquers a horse quicker and better than any. thing else you can do to him; and there is no process in the world equal to it to break a kicking horse, for by conquering one member, you conquer, to great extent, the whole horse.
You can do anything you wish with the horse in this condition, as when he becomes convinced of his incapacity to cope with man, he will abandon all antagonistic demonstrations, and become willing to obey, and generally docile. Operate on your horse in this manner as often as the occasion requires, and you will soon find him as gentle as his nature will permit him to be. By these means the most vicious, uneasy, unruly or fretful horse may be cured, though it depends upon the age and disposition of the animal how long it will take to make him amiable. When you first fasten up a horse's foot, he will sometimes get very mad, and strike with his knee, and try every possible way to get it down; but as he cannot do that, he will soon give up.
commenced in such a way as to give him an idea of what we want him to do, and then be repeated till he learns it perfectly. To make a horse lie down, bend his left fore-leg and slip a loop over it, so that he cannot get it down. Then put a surcingle around his body, and fasten one end of a long strap around the other fore-leg, just above the hoof. Place the other end under the before-described surcingle, so as to keep the strap in the right direction take a short hold of it with your right hand; stand on the left side of the horse; grasp the bit in your left hand, pull steadily on the strap with your right; bear against his shoulder till you cause him to move As soon as he lifts his weight, your pulling will raise the other foot, and he will have to come on his knees. Keep the strap tight in your hand, so that he cannot straighten his leg if he rises up. Hold him in this position, and turn his head towards you; bear against his side with your shoulder, not hard, but with a steady, equal pressure, and in about ten minutes he will lie down. As soon as he lies down, he will be completely conquered, and you can handle him as you please. Take off the straps, and straighten out his legs; rub him lightly about the face and neck with your hand the way the hair goes; handle all his legs, and after he has lain ten or twenty minutes, let him get up again. After resting him a short time, make him lie down as before. Repeat the operation three or four times, which will be sufficient for one lesson. Give him two lessons a day, and when you have given him four lessons, he will lie down by taking hold of one foot. As soon as he is well broken to lie down in this way, tap him on the opposite leg with a stick when you take hold of his foot, and in a few days he will lie down from the mere motion of the stick.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 3
by John Solomon Rarey
TAMING A HORSE WITH VICIOUS HABITS.
Having given full instructions relative to my system of dealing with young colts, I will now proceed to detail the plan of operations for taming or subduing wild or vicious horses. The principles of the method are the same as those in managing colts - kindness and gentleness - but the practice differs. When you desire to subdue a horse that is very wild, or has a vicious disposition, take up one fore-foot and bend his knee till his hoof is bottom upwards, and nearly touching his body; then slip a loop over his knee, and shove it up until it comes above the pastern-joint, to keep it up, being careful to draw the loop together between the hoof and pastern-joint with a second strap of some kind to prevent the loop from slipping down and coming off This will leave the horse standing on three legs; you can now handle him as you wish, for it is utterly impossible for him to kick in this position. There is something in this operation of taking up one foot, that conquers a horse quicker and better than any. thing else you can do to him; and there is no process in the world equal to it to break a kicking horse, for by conquering one member, you conquer, to great extent, the whole horse.
You can do anything you wish with the horse in this condition, as when he becomes convinced of his incapacity to cope with man, he will abandon all antagonistic demonstrations, and become willing to obey, and generally docile. Operate on your horse in this manner as often as the occasion requires, and you will soon find him as gentle as his nature will permit him to be. By these means the most vicious, uneasy, unruly or fretful horse may be cured, though it depends upon the age and disposition of the animal how long it will take to make him amiable. When you first fasten up a horse's foot, he will sometimes get very mad, and strike with his knee, and try every possible way to get it down; but as he cannot do that, he will soon give up.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 3
by John Solomon Rarey
TAMING A HORSE WITH VICIOUS HABITS.
RECAPITULATION, AND MINUTE DIRECTIONS.
Here is the kind of bit to be used.
Of course there is no difficulty in handling the leg of a quiet horse or colt, and by constantly working from the neck down to the fetlock, you may do what you please. But many horses, and even colts, have a most dangerous trick of striking out with their fore-legs. There is no better protection against this than a cart-wheel. The wheel may either be used loose, or the animal may be led up to a cart loaded with hay, when the horse-tamer can work under the cart through one of the wheels, while the colt is nibbling the load.
Having, then, so far soothed a colt that he will permit you to take up his legs without resistance, take the strap No. 1, pass the tongue through the loop under the buckle so as to form a noose, slip it over the near fore-leg and draw it close up to the pastern-joint, and fasten it as represented in the engraving. But you must not be rash in lifting the leg, and employ but little force in doing so. It is better to wait until he lifts it willingly by the use of gentle means. Do not get out of temper if you have to make a dozen ineffectual attempts to raise it. The near fore-leg being securely strapped, and the horse secured from biting, if necessary, with the wooden bit, (described elsewhere,) you will then make him hop about as before stated. This he will learn to do easily. The trainer must, however, take care to keep behind his horse's shoulder and walk in a circle, or he will be likely to be struck by the animal’s head or strapped up leg.
A horse can hop on three legs for two or three miles, if you give him his own time, and no plan that has ever been tried is equal to this for curing a kicking or balky horse. After you have tired him out pretty well in this manner, you proceed to make him lie down, which process requires considerable patience and skill. For this purpose take strap No. 2, and making a loop with it put it round the off fore-leg. With a very quiet horse this can easily be done; with a wild or vicious horse you may have to make him step into it; at any rate, when once the off fore-leg is caught in the noose it must be drawn tight round the pastern-joint. Then put a stout glove on your right hand, pass the strap through the belly part of the surcingle, take a firm short hold of it with your gloved right hand, standing close to the horse behind his shoulders, and with your left hand take hold of the near rein; by pulling the horse gently to the near side he will be almost sure to hop; if he will not, he must be led.
The moment he lifts up his off fore-foot, you must draw up strap No. 2 tightly and steadily. The horse will then go down on his knees, for if you hold the strap tight he will not be able to stretch out his foot again. As soon as a horse recovers from his astonishment at being brought to his knees, he begins to resist; that is, he rears up on his hind legs, and springs about in a manner that will sometimes alarm the trainer.
During these struggles you must not try your strength against the horse's strength, but merely follow him about, holding the strap just tight enough to prevent him from putting out his off foreleg.. As long as you keep close to him and behind his shoulder, you are in very little danger. The bridle in the left hand must be used like steering lines, by pulling to the right or left as occasion requires: the horse turning on his hind legs, may be fatigued by being forced to walk backwards. The strap passing through the surcingle keeps, or ought to keep, the trainer in his right place - he is not to pull or in any way fatigue himself more than he can help, but, standing upright, simply follow the horse about, guiding him with the bridle so he will not precipitate himself against the side of the stable or room in which you are exercising him. When held and guided properly, he will soon sink down. Corn-fed horses will hold out longer than grass-fed ones, and the most energetic horse will scarcely struggle more than ten or fifteen minutes.
Usually, at the end of eight minutes' violent struggles, the animal sinks forward on his knees, sweating profusely, with heaving flanks and shaking tail. If he still resists he may be forced by the bit to walk backwards and forwards, but this is generally unnecessary, as by pushing gently at his shoulder, or pulling steadily the off-rein, you can get him to fall, in the one case on the near side, in the other on the off side; but this assistance should be so slight that the horse will not attempt to resist it. The horse will often make a final spring when you think he is quite beaten; but at length he slides over, and lies down, panting and exhausted, on his side. If he is a pretty spirited animal, take advantage of the moment to tie up the off foreleg to the surcingle, as securely as the other, in a slip-loop knot.
Now let your horse recover his wind, and then encourage him to make a second fight. It will often be more stubborn and more fierce than the first. The object of this tying-up operation is that he shall thoroughly exhaust without hurting himself, and that he shall come to the conclusion that it is you who by your 'superior strength have conquered him', and that you are always able to conquer him.
Under the old rough-riding system, the most vicious horses were occasionally conquered by daring men with firm seats and strong arms, who rode and flogged them into subjection; but these conquests were temporary, and usually personal; with every stranger, the animal would begin his game again.
One advantage of this system is that the horse is allowed to exhaust himself under circumstances that render it impossible for him to struggle long enough to do himself any harm. It has been suggested that a blood-vessel would be likely to be broken, or apoplexy produced by the exertion of leaping from the hind legs; but, up the present time, no accident of any kind has been reported.
TREATMENT OF THE HORSE AFTER HE IS DOWN.
If the horse has fought hard in going down, he will then usually lie perfectly still, and you can gentle him, scrape the sweat off, and rub him down, smoothing the hair of his legs, and drawing the fore one straight out. In this position you have the opportunity of making him perfectly familiar with you, and the more you fondle him and reconcile him to you the better. If you are treating an unbroken colt in this way, you may now mount his back, and thus, by finding out that you mean him no harm, he will learn to submit to being mounted when he stands up. You can also lay a saddle or harness on him and familiarize him with those articles. His head, tail and legs should now be handled with freedom, caressing and talking to him all the while. If he has hitherto resisted shoeing, handle all his legs with a view to accomplish it, and if he attempts to resist, continue until you subdue him, speaking to him with a voice of authority. If he is a bad kicker you may be obliged to confine his forelegs; and with those tied, you may spend an hour in handling his legs, tapping the hoofs with your hand or a hammer - all this to be done in a firm, measured, soothing manner; only now and then, if he resist, crying, as you paralyze him with the ropes, "Wo!" in a determined manner. It is by this continual soothing and handling that you establish confidence between the horse and yourself. After patting him as much as you deem needful, say for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, you may encourage him to rise. Some horses will require a good deal of helping, and it may be necessary to draw out their fore-legs before them. The handling of the limbs of colts in this condition particularly requires caution. A colt tormented by flies will kick forward nearly up to the fore-legs. If a horse, unstrapped, attempts to rise, you may easily stop him by taking hold of a fore-leg and doubling it back to the strapped position. If by chance he should be too quick, don't resist, for it is an essential principle of this system never to enter into a contest with a horse unless you are certain to be victorious. In all these operations you must be calm, and never be in a hurry, or in a passion.
The principle established by this mode of treatment is that you show no violence to frighten the horse, and yet you force him to submit to your will, caressing him when he assents and gently forcing him when he does not. Repeated lessons will convince the most vicious horse that you are his master, and your gentle caresses consequent on his submission will at the same time give him confidence in you. It has been suggested that a novice should begin his practice on a gentle horse that he can handle at pleasure, and the plan is a good one. He may thus become familiar with the process before trying it in earnest on a vicious or unbroken animal.
A singular fact in illustration of the beauty of this treatment of refractory horses is mentioned in an English periodical. A beautiful gray mare, which had been fourteen years in the band of one of the Life Guards regiments, and consequently at least seventeen years old, would never submit quietly to have her hind-legs shod; the farriers had to put a twitch on her nose and ears, and tie her tail down: even then she resisted violently. After three days' treatment similar to that above described, she was easily shod with her head loose. And this was not done by a trick, but by proving to her that she could not resist even to the extent of an inch, and that no harm was intended her.
HOW TO MANAGE BALKY HORSES.
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 4
by John Solomon Rarey
When your horse balks, or is a little excited, or if he wants to start quickly, or looks around and don't want to go, there is something wrong, and he needs kind treatment immediately. Caress him kindly, and if he don't understand at once what you want him to do, he will not be so much excited as to jump and break things, and do everything wrong through fear. As long as you are calm, and can keep down excitement of the horse, there are ten chances to have him understand you, where there would not be one under harsh treatment; and then the little flare up would not carry with it any unfavorable recollections, and he would soon forget all about it, and learn to pull true. Almost every wrong act the horse commits is from mismanagement, fear or excitement; one harsh word will so excite a nervous horse as to increase his pulse ten beats in a minute. When we remember that we are dealing with dumb brutes, and reflect how difficult it must be for them to understand our motions, signs and language we should never get out of patience with them because they don't understand us, or wonder at their doing things wrong. With all our intellect, if we were placed in the horse's situation, it would be difficult for us to understand the driving of some foreigner, of foreign ways and foreign language. We should always recollect that our ways and language are just as foreign and unknown to the horse as any language in the world is to us; and should try to practice what we could understand were we the horse, endeavoring by some simple means to work on his understanding rather than on the different parts of his body. All balked horses can be started true and steady in a few minutes' time; they are willing to pull as soon as they know how; and I never yet found a balked horse that I could not teach to start his load in fifteen, and often in less than three minutes' time.
Almost any team, when first balked, will start kindly if you let them stand five or ten minutes, as though there was nothing wrong, and then speak to them with a steady voice, and turn them a little to the right or left so as to get them both in motion before they feel the pinch or the load. But if you want to start along a team that you are not driving yourself, that has been balked, fooled, and whipped for some time, go to them and hang the lines on their hames, or fasten them to the wagon, so that they will be perfectly loose; make the driver and spectators, if there are any, stand off some distance to one side, so as not to attract the attention of the horses; unloose their check reins, so that they can get their heads down, if they choose; let them stand a few minutes in this condition, until you can see that they are a little composed. While they are standing you should be about their heads gentling them; it will make them a little more kind, and the spectators will think you are doing something that they do not understand, and will not learn the secret. When you have them ready to start, stand before them, and as you seldom have but one balky horse in a team, get as near in front of him as you can, and if he is too fast for the other horse, let his nose come against your breast; this will keep him steady for he will go slow rather than run on you; turn them gently to the right, with the wagon; have it stand in a favorable position for starting out, letting them pull on the traces as far as the tongue will let them go; stop them with a kind word, gentle them a little, and turn them back to the left, by the same process. You will have them under your control by this time, and as you turn them again to the right steady them in the collar, and you can take them where you please.
There is a quicker process that will generally start a balky horse, but not so sure. Stand him a little ahead, so that his shoulder will be against the collar, and then take up one of his fore feet in your hand, and let the driver start them; and when the weight comes against his shoulders, he will try to stop - then let him have his foot, and he will go right along. If you want to break a horse from balking that has long been in that habit, you ought to set a day apart for that purpose. Put him by the side of some steady horse; have check lines on them; tie up all the traces and straps; so that there will be nothing to excite them; do not rein them up, but let them have their heads loose. Walk them about together for some time as slowly and lazily as possible; stop often and go up to the balky horse and gentle him, but keep him just as quiet as you can. He will soon learn to start off at the word, and stop whenever you tell him.
As soon as he performs right, hitch him to an empty wagon. It would be well to shorten the stay chain behind the steady horse, so that if it is necessary he can take the weight of the wagon the first time you start them. Do not drive but a few rods at first; watch your balky horse closely, and if you see that he is getting excited, stop him before he stops of his own accord, caress him a little, and start again. As soon as they go well, drive them over a small hill a few times, and then over a large one, occasionally adding a little load. This process will make any horse true to pull.
CHOKING, A MEANS OF SUBDUING THE HORSE.
This is another method of conquering a skittish, stubborn or refractory horse. It is resorted to in cases where the measures before described fail to produce the desired effect. The principles on which the plan of choking are based are that you must make a powerful appeal to the intelligence of the animal by physical means before you can subdue him. Now we know that most animals, in fighting, seize each other by the throat, and that a dog thus held by his antagonist for a few minutes, on being released, is often so thoroughly cowed that no human artifice can induce him to again resume the unequal contest. It is, then, reasonable to suppose that choking will have a similar effect on the horse. When it can be done without injuring the animal, it is an easy mode of subduing him, for by its operation he becomes docile, and will thereafter receive any instruction which he can be made to understand. Teaching the horse, by this means, to he down at our bidding tends to keep him permanently gentle towards man, for it is a perpetual reminder of his subdued condition.
It requires a good deal of practice to tame a horse successfully by choking; also a nice judgment to know when he is choked sufficiently, as there is a bare possibility that he might get more than would be good for him. We advise persons not perfectly familiar with a horse to resort rather to the strapping and throwing-down process, unless the animal to be operated upon is so vicious and intractable that he cannot be cured by it. It is the fault of most people who have owned a horse to imagine that they are experts in his management; while, on the contrary, many professional horsemen are the very worst parties to attempt his subjugation.
In practicing the choking process, retire with the animal to be operated upon into a close stable, with plenty of litter upon the floor (tanbark or sawdust is preferable). In the first place fasten up the left fore-leg with strap No.1 (mentioned above) in such a manner that it will be permanently secured. Then take a broad strap with a buckle or buckle-frame at the end, and pass it around the neck just back of the jaw-bone, in the position given in the engraving. Draw the strap as tight as possible, so tight as to almost arrest the horse's breathing. The strap must not be buckled, but held in this position to prevent slipping back. The animal will struggle for a few minutes, when he will become perfectly quiet, overpowered by a sense of suffocation; the veins in his head will swell; his eyes lose their fire; his knees totter and become weak; a slight vertigo will ensue, and he will grow gradually exhausted. By now backing him around the stable, he will come down on his knees, in which position it is an easy matter to push him on his side, when his throat should be released. You must now operate with the horse in the same manner as described after getting him down by straps. Speak kindly to him, rub him gently the way the hair lies, fondle him in various ways, and he will be completely subdued. You should not attempt to fondle him, however, until you are satisfied that he has got over the excitement which the choking caused in him. It is only necessary in extreme cases to repeat the operation of choking, as no horse can effectually resist its terrible effects.
It should be constantly borne in mind that the operator must not be boisterous or violent, and that the greatest possible degree of kindness is absolutely essential. When the horse is prostrate he should be soothed until his eyes show that he has become perfectly tranquil.
Another process of choking is described by the above engraving. After tying up your horse to the manger, make friends with him by some one of the coaxing processes heretofore given, and when you get him in thorough good humor with you, begin the choking by seizing him on the throat near the jaw, at the same time holding on to his mane with your left hand. When you have exhausted him sufficiently, let go the mane and rap him gently on the fore-legs until he lies down; or you may touch him with your foot instead. After he is down, rub him gently, speak kindly to him, and as soon as he is properly composed, fondle and caress him.
GENERAL RULES, AND REMARKS.
In taming the horse either by choking or any of the other processes here given, the following rules should be observed: First - When forcing down the horse in either of the ways described, be careful of his neck. Do not let him fall upon that, or he may break it, as the spine of the horse is easily broken. Second - Do not force him down violently under any circumstances. The way to get him down is by patiently choking him and waiting until he goes down easily and from sheer exhaustion. Thirdly - Keep him very quiet by stroking or patting him with your hand in a gentle and delicate manner, until he is entirely over the excitement which your operations have caused in him. You can generally tell when he is appeased by the expression of his eyes. Fourthly - In backing the horse, never use violence. Hold the halter and off rein in your left hand, while managing him to bring him down.
In teaching a horse to follow you, and in curing him of kicking or biting or balking, or indeed any bad habit, the choking operation is resorted to with equal success as in the case of taming or breaking. If he continues stubborn, you have only to repeat the operation, giving him one or two lessons a day and in a short time he will be perfectly subdued. A young horse learns to obey quicker than an older one. When you get a horse down by any of the processes we have mentioned, a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes is ample time to keep him prostrate for the purpose of subjugation. Breathing into a horse's nostrils when he is down is practiced by some horse-tamers, and this is undoubtedly a soothing operation, as it brings you into close contact with the animal, thus giving him an opportunity of examining you with his nose - a process peculiar to horses. You should always litter your stable well when you perform these operations of flooring the horse. Clean straw or tanbark, or anything to make a soft stable bottom will answer.
HOW TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU.
Turn him out into a large stable or shed, where there is no chance to get out, with a halter or bridle on. Go to him and gentle him a little; take hold of the halter and turn him towards you, at the same time touching him lightly over the hips with a long whip. Lead him the length of the stable, rubbing him on the neck, saying, in a steady tone of voice, as you lead him, "Come along, my boy!" or use his name instead of my boy, if you choose. Every time you turn, touch him slightly with the whip, to make him step close up to you, and then caress him with your hand. He will soon learn to hurry up to escape the whip, and be caressed, and you can make him follow you around without taking hold of the halter. If he should stop and turn from you, give him a few sharp cuts about the hind legs, and he will soon turn his head towards you, when you must always caress him. A few lessons of this kind will make him run after you, when he sees the motion of the whip - in twenty or thirty minutes he will follow you around the stable. After you have given him two or three lessons in the stable, take him in a small lot and train him; and from thence you can take him into the road, and make him follow you anywhere, and run after you.
MAKE A HORSE STAND WITHOUT HOLDING.
After you have well broken him to follow you, stand him in the center of the stable - begin at the head to caress him, and gradually work backwards. If he moves, give him a cut with the whip, and put him back to the same spot from where he started. If he stands, caress him as before, and continue gentling him in this way until you can get around him without making him move. Keep walking round him, increasing your pace, and only touch him occasionally. Enlarge your circle as you walk around, and if he then moves, give him another cut with the whip, and put him back to his place. If he stands, go to him frequently and caress him, and then walk round him again. Do not keep him in one position too long at a time, but make him come to you occasionally, and follow you around the stable. Then stand him in another place, and proceed as before. You should not train him more than half an hour at a time.
TO PREVENT A HORSE FROM SCARING.
This process is very simple. Whenever a horse scares at objects on going along the road, always stop him, and let him face the object. Lead him slowly towards it, and let him touch it with his nose. Take the pains to do this on every occasion, and it will soon break him entirely. If your horse is frightened at an umbrella, you can soon learn him to be used to that. Go into the stable with him, and first let him look at the umbrella before it is opened - let him touch it with his nose. Open it a little way, and then let him see it, and finally open it wide. By ordinary patience you can soon learn the horse to have the umbrella opened suddenly in his face, without his being afraid. By a similar treatment you can break any horse from scaring at almost anything that may look frightful to him. If you wish to make a trial of this theory, just take a horse into the stable, and let him examine the frightful object a few minutes, after his mode of examining things, and you will be perfectly satisfied. There is a singular fact connected with taming the horse and I would have never believed if I had not tried it. If you accustom him to any particular object by showing it to him on one side only he will not be afraid when he sees it with the eye on that side, but he will be afraid if you approach him with it on the other side. It is therefore necessary to pacify him on both sides in all cases. After you have accustomed him to the umbrella, or whatever you may wish to make him familiar with, on his right side, repeat the operation on the left side in the same manner as if you had not approached him at all.
BLINDS, OR BLINKERS.
All my experience with and observation of horses, proves clearly to me that blinkers should never be used, and that the sight of the horse, for any reasons, should not be interfered with in any way. Horses are only fearful of objects which they do not understand, or are not familiar with, and the eye is one of the principal mediums by which this understanding and this familiarity are brought about. The horse, on account of his very amiable nature, can be made in the course of time to bear almost anything in any shape; but there is a quicker process of reaching his intelligence than that of wearing it into him through his skin and bones. However wild or nervous a horse may be, he can be taught in a very short time to understand and not to fear any object however frightful in appearance. Horses can be broken in less time, and better, without blinkers but horses that have always worn them will notice the sudden change, and must be treated carefully the first drive. After that they will drive better without the blinkers than with. I have proved by my own experiments that a horse broken without blinkers can be driven past any omnibus, cab, or carriage, on a parallel line as close as it is possible for him to go, without ever wavering or showing any disposition to dodge. I have not in the last eight or ten years, constantly handling horses, both wild and nervous, ever put blinkers on any of them, and in no case have they ever shied at passing objects.
The horse's eye is the life and beauty of the animal, as well as the index of all his emotions. It tells the driver, in the most impressive characters, what the horse's feelings are. By it he can tell the first approach of fear in time to meet any difficulty; he can tell if he is happy or sad, hungry or weary. The horse, too, when permitted to see, uses his eyes with great judgment. He sees better than we do. He can measure distances with his eyes better than we can, and, if allowed free use of them, would often save himself, by the quickness of his sight, from collisions when the driver would fail to do so by a timely pull of the reins. It would also save many accidents to pedestrians in the streets, as no horse will run on to any person that he can see. Blinkers are rapidly going out of use in the United States, and I have yet to find the man who, having once left them off, could ever be persuaded to put them on again. They are an unnecessary and injurious encumbrance to the horse, and in years hence will be a thing to be read of as one of the follies happily reformed in the nineteenth century.
RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN FEEDING.
Never give a horse whole grain. By bruising it, and wetting it with soft water, you save thirty per cent. of its nutritious effects. Steam it in preference to wetting, if you have facilities for doing so. Feed your horse two hours before he begins his day’s work. Give him the largest feed at night. Never tie him up to a rack; it is cruel to thus prevent a horse from lying down when he is tired. The best way is to take away your rack altogether, and arrange your stable so as to make it unnecessary to tie up the horse. The stable should always be dry and well littered. Never give your horse hard water to drink if soft water is to be had. If you cannot get soft water, draw the hard water out of the well two hours before you let him drink it. Beans should be full a year old before they’re fit to feed to horses; they should be bruised, the same as grain, not ground. Youatt recommends for horse feed the following, mixture: Cut hay, two parts; cut straw, three parts - add to this a quantity of bruised beans, oats, or other grain - wet the whole with soft water, and mix it well. Do not feel your horse too much hay, as it is not only a waste of provender, but when he is put to work with an overloaded stomach it endangers his wind. If left to pull hay out of the rack at pleasure, a horse will eat and waste some thirty pounds a day, whereas, by cutting up his hay and mixing it with other feed, as above described, ten pounds is an ample abundance for twenty-four hours. Horses, when worked, should be fed three or four times a day with a mixture of hay, straw and grain, as above described. Give them their food in the manger, and be careful that it is sweet and clean. By following these rules, your horses will always be in good condition - will not have that swelled belly so peculiar to animals who are allowed to fill their stomachs with hay - and will usually enjoy good health.
RULES FOR PURCHASING A HORSE.
When you are looking to purchase a horse, first examine the eyes well. The best judges are sometimes deceived in the eyes, therefore you cannot be too careful. Clearness of the eyes is a sure indication of their goodness; but this is not all that should be attended to: the eyelids, eyebrows, and all the other parts, must also be considered; for many horses whose eyes appear clear and brilliant go blind at seven or eight years old. Therefore be careful to observe whether the parts between the eyelids and the eyebrows are free from bunches, and whether the parts round the under eyelids be full, or swelled; for these are indications that the eyes will not last. When the eyes are remarkably flat, or sunk within their orbits, it is a bad sign; also when they look dead and lifeless. The iris, or circle that surrounds the sight of the eye, should be distinct, and of a pale, variegated, cinnamon color, for this is always a sure sign of a good eye, and it adds beauty to the appearance of the animal.
In the next place, examine the teeth, as you would not wish to purchase an old horse, nor a very young one for service.
The feet should next be regarded; for a horse with bad feet is like a house with a weak foundation, and will do little service. The feet should be smooth and tough, of a middle size, without wrinkles, and neither too hard and brittle, nor too soft; the heels should be firm, and not spongy and rotten; the frogs horny and dry; the soles somewhat hollow, like the inside of a dish or bowl. Such feet will never disappoint your expectations, and such only should be chosen.
Particular regard should be had to the shoulders; they should not be too much loaded, for a horse with heavy shoulders can never move well; and on the other hand, one that has very thin shoulders, and a narrow chest, though he may move briskly so long as he is sound, yet he is generally weak, and easily lamed in the shoulders; a medium should therefore be chosen.
The body, or carcass, should neither be too small nor too large. The back should be straight, or have only a moderate sinking below the withers: for when the back of a horse is low, or higher behind than before, it is both very ugly and a sign of weakness. The back should also be a proper length. The ribs should be large, the flanks smooth and full, and the hind-parts, or uppermost hackles, not higher than the shoulders. When the horse trots before you, observe if his haunches cover big fore-knees. A horse with a short hind-quarter does not look well.
The next thing to be regarded in a horse is his wind, which may be easily judged of by the motion of his flanks. A broken-winded horse also pinches in his flanks, with a very slow motion, and drops them suddenly, which may be easily perceived. Many horses breathe thick that are not broken-winded; indeed, any horse will in foggy weather, or if foul fed, without sufficient exercise; but if a horse has been in good keeping, and had proper exercise, and yet has these symptoms, there is some defect, either natural or accidental; such as a narrow chest, or some cold that has affected the lungs.
There are other particulars that should be observed in choosing a horse. If his head be large and fleshy, and his neck thick and gross, he will always go heavy on the hand, and therefore such should never be chosen. A horse that has his hocks very wide, seldom moves well, and one that has them too near will chafe and cut his legs by crossing them. Fleshy-legged horses are generally subject to the Grease, and other infirmities of that kind, and therefore should not be chosen.
The temper of a horse should be particularly attended to. Avoid a fearful horse, which you may know at first sight by his starting, crouching, or creeping, if you approach him. A hot and fretful horse is also to be avoided, but the buyer should be careful to distinguish between a hot, fretful horse, and one that is eager and craving. The former begins to fret the moment he is out of the stable, and continues in that humor till he has quite fatigued himself; and the latter only endeavors to be foremost in the field, and is truly valuable; he has those qualities that resemble prudence and courage; the other those of intemperate heat and rashness.
A horse that goes with his fore feet low is very apt to stumble; and there are some that go so near the ground that they stumble most on even roads; and the dealers, to remedy to this, put heavy shoes on their feet, for the heavier a horse's shoes are, the higher he will lift his feet. Care also should be taken that the horse does not cut one leg with the other. A horse that goes near the ground will cut the low side of the fetlock joint, but one that goes high cuts below the knee, which is called the speedy cut. A horse that lifts his feet high, generally trots fast, but is not the easiest for the rider. Some horses cut with the spurn of the foot, and some with the heel; but this you may soon perceive by their standing; for if a horse points the front of his foot inward, he cuts with the spurn, and if outward, with the heel.
These few instructions may be of use in your choosing horses; but I advise every one to get some experimental knowledge of them before he trusts to his own judgment, for the dealers have so many arts to hide the defects of their horses, that the best judges are often deceived.
JSR Home Page
The Complete Horse Tamer, Part 4
by John Solomon Rarey
CHOKING, A MEANS OF SUBDUING THE HORSE.
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