T353
WILLIAM S. TEVIS, Jr.
GIFT OF
Author
THE HORSE
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THE HORSE
WILLIAM S. TEVIS, Jr.
Privately Printed
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
December, 1922
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Copyright 1922
By William S. Tevis, Jr.
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To
MY FRIEND
Whose interest and help made
possible this little book
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CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 9
J CHAPTER I.
-*-* IV -J
How to approach a horse — Bridling — Saddling — Mounting
— Dismounting — An episode near Lake Tahoe 11
V CHAPTER II.
X*
Balance — How to keep it — Experience with bucking horses
— Correct length of stirrup — Grip — How it counteracts
inertia — European cavalry 'man's experiment — Seat —
What it means in the saddle — "The End ofx the Trail." 19
CHAPTER III.
How the rider controls his horse — Bits, and how they work
— The Martingale — Spurs — Whips — Balance — How to
start and stop a horse — How to make a horse slide —
Backing a horse — Changing direction — Changing leads
at a gallop — Teaching the horse to trot and to walk
— Riding without reins 26
CHAPTER IV.
Reining a horse — Use of different bits — How his mouth is
made — The natural gaits — The walk, the trot and the
canter — Natural gaits more useful than acquired gaits
— Popularity of five-gaited horses for show purposes —
Jumping and swimming 34
CHAPTER V.
Riding up and down hill or on a pavement — The right and
wrong ways of doing so — Xenophon's comments about
ancient hill riders — Opening a gate when on horseback
-Talking to horses — Efficacy of a well-spoken word—
The art of falling off — How best to escape injury — A
midnight runaway and a drop in the darkness 42
CHAPTER VI.
Racing and race horses — Early training — Reasons for the
light bit and the short stirrup — Use and misuse of the
whip in racing — Horse show ethics — Looks are every-
thing— Satisfy the judge — Importance of etiquette —
Polo ponies — They just happen and are not bred —
Difficulty of finding them — Amenities of the polo pony
trade — What constitutes a perfect polo pony 50
CHAPTER VII.
Page
Habits of the horse, natural and acquired — Getting up and
Lying down — Balking — A useful method of treating it
— Rolling — How to prevent it — Pawing — Rearing —
Striking — Kicking — Biting — Cinch Binding — Shying —
How to make a shying horse go past the object of his
terror — Stumbling — Falling — Prancing — Plunging —
Crow-hopping — Bucking, buck jumpers and how to
ride them — Some general remarks about equine idio-
syncrasies 56
CHAPTER VIII.
Running away — A dangerous habit and difficult to cure —
Story of an incorrigible runaway and his fate 69
CHAPTER IX.
Breaking a colt to the saddle — A short method of taming
and training — How the colt is taught to tolerate hand-
ling— How he is saddled and cinched the first time —
How he is ridden 75
CHAPTER X.
Buying a saddle horse — Age shown by the teeth — How to
detect poor vision and other defects — Splints, ringbone,
spavin — Sore backs, what they indicate — Shoulder
lameness and navicular disease — Laminitis or founder
— Testing a horse for wind — How to recognize a wind-
sucker or crib-biter 86
CHAPTER XI.
Teaching children to ride — Cannot begin too young — An
old plug better than a pony — Experience the best
riding master — Psychology of the horse — He has not
the power of deduction — Trick horses — How they are
made to appear to have reasoning faculties — They
only obey commands 92
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INTRODUCTION
The horse in its prehistoric species was indigenous
to the five great continents. In America the rock
formations, antedating the glacial period, give us an
approximate idea of the animal in its early stages
of development. With the glacial period, the species
became extinct in America. Not until the sixteenth
century did the horse again make its appearance on
the Western Continent, and then only in its domes-
ticated form, with the advent of the Conquistadors
and gold-seekers from the Old World.
Indian massacres and other disasters to various
mounted expeditions sent out by the invaders re-
sulted in many of the horses brought across the
seas by the Europeans coming into the possession
of the Indians. Others, escaping the pursuit of the
sometimes victorious aborigine, ran wild and mul-
tiplied in the fertile valleys of Mexico and in that
portion of America which is now the southwestern
part of the United States.
At the present time, several States in the western
part of America gave forage to the untamed horses
that have flourished in those localities since their
ancestors sought refuge there in the turbulent pio-
neer days.
Science encroaching upon nature has reduced to
a mechanical basis nearly all lines of human en-
deavor, but the horse can never be entirely replaced
by a machine. The horse can carry a man over
many places where it would be impossible for a
machine to go, and in many places where machines
can be operated the horse is used for economy.
The horse, being a living thing, embodies a kind
of perpetual motion, of which no mechanical pro-
duction is susceptible.
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') T<aiige 'riding*, mbimtam trails, cavalry, horse ar-
tillery, hunting to hounds, and polo belong to the
horse alone, and it is reasonable to suppose that in
the future, as in the past, the horse will hold his
place as the animal most useful to man.
In the following pages it is sought to give the
reader some practical information and advice about
the saddle horse, where he comes from, how to ride
him, his habits and idiosyncrasies, how to handle
him for such various purposes as racing, polo, and
the horse show, how to break him in for use as a
saddle horse, and many other matters of analogous
import.
The chapters devoted to the actual technique of
riding are intended, principally and necessarily, for
the instruction of persons not already proficient in
horsemanship. They point out the right way of
doing most things that are customarily associated
with equitation, from first approaching a horse to
falling off its back.
Therefore it is hoped that, as well as being of
some interest to the seasoned horseman, the book
may prove of some primary and instructive value to
the amateur.
10
THE HORSE
sf CHAPTER I.
How to approach a horse — Bridling — Saddling — Mounting —
Dismounting — An episode near Lake Tahoe.
Approaching. --The safest way to approach
any horse is to do so from a point off his near
shoulder, with the hand extending toward the
animal's neck. It is advisable always to make
a horse aware of one's presence before he is
touched. The near side of the horse has been
used since the time of Simo, said to be the
earliest writer upon horsemanship, for nearly
all purposes such as approaching, mounting
and dismounting. The physical character of
horse and man make easier a friendship that
is begun on this side. To handle a horse on
the off side would be as unsatisfactory to the
average horseman as trying to eat with the
left hand would be to most people.
When a vicious horse is approached, it is
possible for him to cow-kick, strike or bite,
and the part of the shoulder one should ap-
proach is that point which is most difficult for
the animal to reach with fore feet and hind
feet, so that there will be some uncertainty in
the horse's mind which weapon he may best
use. While he is reflecting in this manner,
the shoulder can, perhaps, be stroked.
11
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E -:- HO R S
E
Xenophon's "Treatise on Horsemanship/'
written in the fourth century, B. C., empha-
sizes this essential in approaching a horse:
"But whoever is employed about a horse,
ought to know that to do these things, and
everything else that he has to do, he must
come as little as possible near the face and the
tail ; for if a horse is inclined to be vicious, he
has in both these parts the advantage of the
man. But a person who approaches him at
the side can manage the horse with least dan-
ger to himself, and with the most power over
the beast."
Bridling. — Hold the whole bit with the left
hand directly under and within a foot of the
horse's lower jaw. Take the reins in the right
hand, slip them over the head, letting the
buckle joining the reins together rest on the
neck immediately behind the ears, then pull
the reins with the right hand tight around the
neck, and hold them together with the right
hand resting directly under the horse's jaw.
The purpose of doing this is to facilitate brid-
ling, in as much as the horse's head may be
pulled toward the one who bridles by the reins.
Move the bit upward toward the right hand,
so that the fingers of the right hand may sup-
port it for a moment, while the left hand re-
leases the bit and grasps the headstall at its
uppermost point, which is the middle of the
band behind the ears. Then, releasing the bit
12
THE-:- HORSE
/
with the fingers of the right hand, let it hang
suspended from the headpiece, while the left
hand carries the whole bridle forward to a
point directly in front of the horse's head.
Now bring the left hand toward the horse's
head until it touches the upper part of the
nose in such a way that either side of the
cheekpieces hang on their respective sides of
the horse's face. Now the right hand may be
released from the reins and it should be
brought quickly to change places with the
left hand holding the headpiece. The left hand
simultaneously is dropped so that it grasps the
left side of the bit above the mouth-bar, with
the forefinger protruding in such a way as to
hold the curb chain extended.
The horse's head is now halfway into the
bridle, and the movement of the head may be
more or less directed by the pressure of the
cheek straps. When the horse's head is sta-
tionary, the bridler quickly raises the bit for-
ward and directs the middle of the mouth-bar
toward the center point between the animal's
teeth; meanwhile, with the fingers of the left
hand, he pries open the jaws of the animal.
This is done by exerting pressure upward and
downward at a point on the near side of the
animal's mouth to the right of his incisor teeth.
The pressure of the left hand on the side of
the bit is now directed in such a way as to
bring the bit into the horse's mouth; mean-
is
THE-:- HORSE
while the right hand takes up the slack of the
cheekstraps, and at the same time pulls the
headpiece over the ears of the horse. The left
hand may then release the bit, and pull the
browband to its proper position directly in
front and below the ears of the now nearly
bridled horse.
To complete the operation, reach under the
neck with the left hand and take the buckle of
the neckstrap, which should be hanging on
the right side of the horse's head ; pull it under
the animal's neck and, with the right hand,
pull the near side of the neckstrap through
the buckle and its proper keeper.
Saddling. — Place the saddle blanket well
forward on the animal's withers, and then pull
it a few inches back. This insures the hair lying
smooth underneath and helps to prevent sore
backs. Take the pommel of the saddle with
the right hand, holding the left stirrup and
the cinchstrap in the left hand, and swing the
saddle upward toward the withers of the
horse with sufficient force to make the right
stirrup and the complete cinch swing clear
over the horse's back. Then, releasing the
saddle with the left hand, put this hand under
the saddle blanket immediately above the
horse's withers, and pull the blanket upward
toward the fork, so that the part of the saddle
blanket immediately under the fork will not
touch the horse.
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THE-:- HORSE
Continuing to hold the saddle and saddle
blanket in this way, move them forward to-
ward the horse's neck, and then with the
right hand taking the cantle-flap and saddle
blanket immediately under it, pull the blanket
and saddle toward the tail of the horse until
the proper place is reached on the horse's back.
This leaves the saddle sitting with its fore-
part over the animal's withers.
Cinch the horse carefully, being sure that
the cinch and strap are not turned, and pull
the cinch tight enough so that the saddle can-
not be moved easily to either side. A very
loose cinch is likely to chafe the horse's girth,
and a very tight cinch may cause a swelling
and probably impede his action.
Mounting. — To mount, stand facing the
horse at a point about a foot away and oppo-
site his near shoulder. Take the reins in the
left hand so that the length of the right and
left reins, respectively, are the same from the
bit to the hand. Place the hand, holding the
reins, on the neck of the horse, immediately
above the withers, and draw the lines through
the fingers so that a slight feel of the horse's
mouth may be maintained. Take the left
stirrup in the right hand and pull it forward
until it almost touches the horse's foreleg. The
rider should partially turn his left shoulder
toward the horse and place the toe of his left
boot into the stirrup, then releasing the stirrup
15
THE-:- HORSE
with his right hand he should move this hand
over the middle of the saddle and take a firm
grasp of any protruding leather on the saddle's
right side, or the pommel itself if the saddle is
Mexican. Now put the weight of the body
into the left stirrup, keep the toe of the right
boot on the ground until a balance is arrived
at, then springing from the ground with the
right foot, swing it clear of the back and cantle,
straightening the left leg until the rider's
weight is placed evenly in the middle of the
saddle ; put the right foot through its stirrup,
release the right hand, and the horse is
mounted.
Dismount ing. --To dismount, lean forward
in the saddle and place the palm of the left
hand on the animal's neck above the withers,
at the same time holding the reins with this
hand so that a slight feel of the horse's mouth
is maintained.
In this position the thumb of the left hand
should be pointed toward the saddle and the
fingers pressing the reins against the animal's
neck. The rider should now take a firm grasp
of any protruding leather on the right side of
the saddle near its center, or the pommel itself
if the saddle is Mexican, and loosening the
right foot in the stirrup, swing the right leg
backward and over the cantle to the near side,
meanwhile allowing the toe of the left foot to
pivot so that it points toward the horse's
16
THE-:- HORSE
girth. Then place the right foot on the ground
about one foot from the horse's near shoulder,
release the left foot from its stirrup and bring
it also to the ground, so that a standing posi-
tion is assumed facing the animal's near shoul-
der, as in mounting.
On a vicious horse that is likely to kick, the
rider can, by giving a jump from his left foot,
just before the right foot reaches the ground,
throw himself several feet from the horse, and,
incidentally, out of reach of his legs.
Near Lake Tahoe, California, I saw one day
a cowboy mounted upon a notoriously vicious
horse. An Indian was standing by who wore
very long spurs. The cowboy dismounted and
requested that he be allowed to borrow these
enormous rowels. He then remounted his
animal, and, in order to see how these spurs
worked, he tickled his mount in the ribs with
them. Thereupon the animal, with a wild
scream, leapt into the air and did some sky-
scraping bucks.
The cowboy, being ill-advised, was taken by
surprise, and havirtg slightly lost his seat from
the first leap into the air, seemed unable to
regain it. With his, right hand he seized the
lariat rope, which was firmly attached to the
off side of the saddle, and was suddenly
thrown toward the ground off the near side of
the now thoroughly enraged animal. His right
spur caught the back of the cantle, and by
17
THE-:- HORSE
still grasping the lariat rope he succeeded in
keeping his head a foot or two off the ground.
His head by this time was at the point
which, in another chapter, we have discussed as
being the most efficacious place to approach a
horse. The animal, surprised a£ being grap-
pled in this manner, suddenly ceased his gyra-
tions and stood for a moment perfectly still.
The rider hung motionless. Any effort he
might make to regain the saddle would cer-
tainly fail and mean certain injury, because at
the man's first movement, the horse, whose
eyes were now red, would give him a terrible
fall with bucks and kicks, which from his posi-
tion he would be powerless to avoid. There-
fore, as he explained to me afterwards, the
rider decided to dismount. So, suddenly, he
let himself drop and rolled out of the line of
danger a mere fraction of a second before the
horse struck out wildly with his legs and, kick-
ing and bucking, disappeared into the neigh-
boring pine trees.
Some argument then arose between the in-
terested spectators as to whether the episode
they had just been regarding should be de-
scribed as a man dismounting from or a man
falling off his horse. The cowboy sought to
dispel all doubt on this issue by maintaining,
with typical profanity, that he merely figured
it desirable to dismount. Personally, I think
the cowboy was right, only I would call it dis-
mounting under pressure.
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H E -:- H O R
CHAPTER II.
Balance— How to keep it — Experience with backing horses —
Correct length of stirrup — Grip — How it counteracts inertia —
European cavalry man's experiment — Seat — 'What it means in
the saddle— "The End of the Trail."
Balance depends upon the proper adjust-
ment of weight, and is arrived at by the em-
ployment of stirrups, seat and hands. The
reins should never be used as an aid to balance.
If they are used for this purpose it is an evi-
dence of very bad horsemanship. Unfortu-
nately, this evidence is not rare.
The reins being attached to the bit, if pres-
sure is brought upon them, for any purpose
other than guiding or steadying one's mount,
it naturally has a disorganizing and confusing
effect upon the horse; also, frequent pressure
in this way has a tendency to make the ani-
mars mouth less sensitive, and upsets the gen-
eral well-being of the horse when in use.
From a standing position, if the horse jumps
forward, balance is best achieved by leaning
the weight forward at the moment of move-
ment, with the legs forcing the stirrups in the
general direction of the horse's tail, and at
this moment by pressure in the stirrups the
rider's body is held forward on the horse's
back. This counteracts the tendency of the
r'der to become unseated by the horse jumping
forward from under him.
19
THE-:- HORSE
If a fast-moving horse stops suddenly, bal-
ance is best maintained by either a knee grip,
with the stirrups held slightly backward by the
legs and the weight thrown forward, or by the
rider's body being held well backward on the
back of the horse and the stirrups held forward
by the legs, at the same time receiving the
pressure of the rider's weight which would
necessarily prevent his body coming forward
when the horse stops.
In lateral balance, if the rider's weight is
overbalanced to the near side of the horse, pres-
sure is put against the left stirrup, which has
a tendency to push the rider's body toward the
point of balance, and the pressure of the right
leg, which is in a forked position with the knee
as apex, is brought to bear upon the off side of
the horse's body, which has the tendency to
pull the rider back in place, in which way his
balance is maintained. Losing his balance to-
ward the right side,' it would naturally follow
that the above principles would apply, merely
substituting right for left.
In difficult or unexpected moments, an aid
to balance may be had by placing pressure
against the horse's neck with the hand or
hands.
Rough riding on a ranch is one of the quick-
est ways of learning balance. The discomfort
occasioned by falling from a half-broken mus-
tang is a big incentive to the rider to let his
20
THE -AHORSE
thoughts dwell on the best way of maintaining
equilibrium. In this case proper length of
stirrups plays an important part. The practice
of using very short stirrups is indicative of
the rider depending more upon balance than
upon grip, or, in other words, allowing a
greater scope for the employment of balance,
since, by the judicious use of short stirrups
the rider may lean farther from the horse and
maintain his balance.
It is true, however, that most expert horse-
men ride more by grip than balance.
At the beginning of my riding experience
on a ranch I started to use very long stirrups,
so that when seated in the saddle my legs were
nearly straight, with but the toes of my boots
touching the stirrups. The first bucking horse
I mounted threw me with great rapidity over
his head. I realized, when thinking over the
matter, that I had lost my stirrups first and
my balance shortly' afterwards, so I took up
the stirrups of the saddle one hole before rid-
ing the next bucking horse. I was once more,
without delay, precipitated over the animal's
head. Again I noticed that I had lost my stir-
rups immediately.
After about eight of these unpleasant experi-
ences my stirrups were considerably shorter
than at the outset. Subsequently, though I was
sometimes bucked over the head of a particu-
larly rough-going horse, I invariably lost my
21
THE-:- HORSE
seat before my stirrups, which proved that I
had finally succeeded in bringing the stirrups
to the proper length, at least for my individual
requirements. This is not a pleasant method
to be followed in order to determine what the
length of one's stirrups should be, since most
persons of less optimism would become dis-
couraged before they found the proper length.
The correct length of the stirrups for any
rider, in real action, is that length which would
permit his boots to rest in the stirrups with
average pressure if his legs were bent to the
natural position that would be assumed by
that rider in clinging to a fast-turning horse
bareback.
When at rest or at the steady paces of a
horse, a longer stirrup is usually found more
comfortable, and with a longer stirrup the
rider unquestionably makes a better appear-
ance.
Grip. — Broadly speaking, grip is a pulling
force which, when applied by a rider, assists
in keeping him and the saddle together. Tak-
ing hurdles or riding a fractious horse requires
particularly the application of grip. The chief
factors in its application are the heel, leg, knee
and thigh. If the horse catapults from the
ground, whether to clear some obstacle or
owing to the exuberance of spirits, it is neces-
sary for the rider to cease the upward move-
ment simultaneously with the horse and to
22
THE-:- HORSE
descend firmly seated upon his back in order
to avoid receiving a very unpleasant jolt in a
sitting position.
When the horse has reached in the air that
theoretically stationary moment before his re-
turn to earth, grip is most necessary to the
rider. The force that has carried the rider
upward, suddenly is taken away, and the ten-
dency of the rider would be to continue up-
ward until gravity counteracts inertia. Grip
applied at this moment, with sufficient force,
has the desired result and makes possible a
uniform return with the horse to the ground.
The kind of grip most effective, needless to
say, depends entirely upon the physical attrib-
utes of the rider.
A foreign cavalry man paid me a visit once
at Stockdale Ranch. He examined the Mexi-
can saddles with interest, having never pre-
viously seen equipment of this kind, and was
particularly pleased with the horn. He ven-
tured the opinion that by the judicious use of
this instrument for a handhold he could not be
thrown off.
A horse was led out, which was able, with
provocation, to buck. I made a noose with my
riata around the animal's flanks, and the
officer, having seated himself upon the animal,
firmly grasped the horn with both hands, with-
out troubling himself about the reins. On be-
ing informed all was in order, I pulled the rope
23
THE-:- HORSE
and the horse leapt into the air with one
terrific buck. The soldier held firmly to the
horn of the saddle, but the rest of his body
continued upward until he had assumed the
position of standing on his head above the
horn of the saddle. As the horse rose from
the ground a second time the officer's body
toppled and meeting the neck of the horse
with his own back, his hands were pried loose
and he was left in a heap on the ground ; which
helps to prove that grip, no matter how firmly
taken, can be an entirely minus quantity un-
less it is had in conjunction with a proper
balance
Seat. — A seat, when spoken of in regard to
a mounted person, is an expression of a rather
intangible character. A good seat, however,
is a matter of fundamental importance in
horsemanship. To a rider, a seat kept or lost
is as important as a battle won or lost to
a general.
Innumerable positions can be assumed upon
the back of a horse, but these positions all de-
pend upon the correct appliance of the prin-
ciples of balance and grip, founded upon an in-
telligent knowledge and anticipation of the
movements of a horse.
A seat when partially lost is difficult to re-
gain. It is easier to keep a perfect seat all the
time than to lose one's balance and regain it
later. The personal equation enters largely
24
THE-:- HORSE
into the correct seat of an individual, and the
rider's individuality is more strongly demon-
strated by the seat than in any other way.
The average natural seat is depicted in a
marvelous manner by the silhouettes of the
famous warriors of the Horse Indians, such as
Sioux and Comanche, which have been given
to us by observation or by the paintings of
Remington and his contemporaries.
A statue by James Earle Eraser, "The End
of the Trail," depicts an Amerind, the last of
his tribe, exhausted at the completion of a
terrible ride, still seated upon his jaded horse,
with nothing further to look forward to, and
with weary miles of trial and hardship behind,
the lines of his natural grace giving evidence
of a perfect seat, which alone made it possible
for horse and man to have in reality reached
"The End of the Trail."
25
H E -:- H O R S E
CHAPTER III.
How the rider controls his horse — Bits, and how they work —
The Martingale— Spurs — Whips — Balance— How to start and
stop a horse — How to make a horse slide — Backing a horse—-
Changing direction — Changing leads at a gallop — Teaching
the horse to trot and to walk — Riding without reins.
Control. — The four principal factors
through which the rider maintains control
over his mount are the reins, whip, spurs and
balance.
Bits. — The two basic principles of practi-
cally all bits are snaffle pull and shank
leverage. A snaffle is a bar bit broken in
tV
the middle, held up in the mouth by the
headpiece and prevented from being pulled
from the side of the mouth by the chinstrap.
The force of the bit applied in this way,
for the purpose of control, is the pressure
of the broken bar on the tongue and the
lower jaw. The leverage bit — for example,
the Pelham — controls the horse by the up-
ward pressure of the chinstrap and the
downward pull of the straight mouthpiece,
which, when force is exerted, has the tend-
ency to hold the lower jaw in a kind of
vise, and the back pressure of the reins has a
deterrent effect and a tendency to hold the
horse back. The severity of this kind of a bit
depends especially upon the ratio between the
length of that part of the shank extending
26
THE-:- HORSE
from the mouthpiece to the rein inception ring
and the length of the part from the mouth-
piece to the curbstrap ring.
The first part of this ratio we shall call "A"
and the second part "B." It will easily be
understood that the difference between the
length of "A" and "B," if "A" is the greater,
will determine the severity of the bit. In
other words, the greater the length of "A" as
compared to "B," the greater the severity of
the bit.
These principles we have just considered are
the most important in regard to all bits.
Port, Spade and Ring bits are primarily de-
pendent upon the above principles, and added
to them have their specific values, such as, in
the case of a Spade, prying the horse's mouth
open as well as exerting the forces already dis-
cussed.
The bit I like best for general use is the
double-reined Pelham. It is not as cumber-
some as the bit and bridoon, but it practically
combines the forces of the snafHe and leverage
bits.
Some horses with sensitive mouths need
only the pressure of the snaffle on ordinary
occasions. If, however, it is desired to secure
instant control of a horse that is in an excited
condition, the leverage bit may be used to ad-
vantage, either alone or in conjunction with
the snaffle. For a hard-mouthed horse, a suit-
27
THE-:- HORSE
able bit should have "A," the length of the
shank from the mouthpiece to the rein incep-
tion ring, at least twice that of "B," the length
from the mouthpiece to the curbstrap ring.
Martingale. — A martingale consists of a
nose band, a breast band and a strap from
the nosepiece to the cinch. This is for the
purpose of keeping the horse from throwing
his head, and, if properly adjusted, has the
tendency to keep the horse's head in the best
position for control. The reins should be at-
tached at the ends and be of such a length
that when the ends are permitted to rest on
the horse's withers, there will be enough slack
between the ends and the bit to allow the
horse perfect freedom of head.
Spurs. — I believe it is unnecessary to have
spurs with sharp points. I think the most
useful English spur is the kind that has a
rather long shank and no rowel, while the best
Mexican spur should have a long hook and
blunt rowels.
Whip. — As to the whip, a stiff crop, or a
rawhide quirt, seems each to be the best in its
respective line.
Balance. — A perfect balance tends to keep
the stride of the horse in better rhythm, also to
.
keep his pace uniform, and assists him to
change leads when desired. If the weight of
the rider is thrown to one side of the horse it
necessarily follows that the animal's inclina-
28
THE-:- HORSE
tion will be to give to that side, in order to
bring into balance the weight of the rider.
Starting. — From a standing position, to
start a horse forward lean slightly forward in
the saddle, loosen the reins and bring the heels
in under the horse's flanks, letting him feel
the spur if necessary.
Stopping.- -To stop a horse progressing at
an easy pace, give a gentle pressure on his
mouth, leaning a little back in the saddle, and
increasing the pressure so that the desired re-
sult is obtained. If the horse is difficult to
stop, instead of a steady pressure, catch him
in short jerks, so that pressure on his mouth
is brought when he is off balance, and in this
way he is more apt to decrease his pace in
order to regain his balance.
Sliding. — Sliding is a big asset in horses
that are required to stop and turn at excessive
speed, such as cow horses and polo ponies.
All well-broken cow horses slide. This is the
quickest way of coming to a standstill from
a fast gallop. The hind legs are the chief fac-
tors used in sliding. When done properly, the
horse's position in sliding is one where the
forelegs are extended forward and are used
chiefly for balance, while the hind legs are
brought well up under the body, supporting
practically all his weight. A good sliding
horse, when stopped suddenly from a fast gal-
lop on a slippery or fairly hard piece of ground,
29
THE-:- HORSE
can be made to slide fifteen or twenty feet be-
fore his forward motion ceases.
To slide a well-broken horse from a gallop
he must be caught on his stride at the moment
his forehand leaves the ground, because at
this time his hind legs are well under him, and
will have the tendency to continue there if con-
comitantly a firm pull on the animal's mouth
is taken and held.
A horse extended at top speed can never be
made to slide until he is pulled down to a
slower pace. Before the final pull is given, the
horse's mouth should receive several checks
from the rein in order to prepare him for the
final stiff pull.
Backing. — In order to back a horse, from a
standing position the rider brings pressure on
the bit, keeping the reins tight along the neck,
and the animal, if taught properly, will begin
to back. When it is desired to cease backing,
it is often a good plan to jump the horse for-
ward before he realizes he has actually ceased
his backward motion; because the horse that
is accustomed to jump forward immediately
after a backward motion is not so apt to want
to stop backing, on account of the subsequent
greater exertion of having to jump forward
with which it is associated in his mind.
To teach a horse to back, when the horse is
standing and the rider dismounted, the rider
should tap the horse on the front part of his
so
THE-:- HORSE
more advanced foreleg with the riding crop,
and at the same time taking the reins with one
hand the rider should give a pressure back-
ward, preferably with little jerks, so that he
will not try to pull against the bit, which he
might do if an even pressure were applied.
Changing Direction. — To change direction
to the right, a little extra pressure should be
brought to bear upon the right rein, with one
or two almost imperceptible jerks to bring
the horse's head in the direction in which it is
desired to go, and a firm pressure should be
maintained on the right rein, which has the
tendency to pull the horse's head to the right,
and the right rein should be a little shorter
than the left. The left rein is brought to bear
its pressure on the near side of the horse's
neck. In this way the average saddle horse
can be made to turn to the right.
To go in the opposite direction, the same
system of control applies, but inversely.
Changing Leads at a Gallop. — In changing
leads at a gallop, to turn to the right, the
horse, if not leading to the right, should be
made to do so, because only in this way will
he be able to make a perfect turn. In leading
to the right at a gallop the horse's right leg
makes a longer stride, and when the two fore-
legs strike, or nearly strike the ground, the
leg on which he leads is always in front. The
horse in leading right, since he keeps his left
31
THE-:- HORSE
foreleg more under him, shoves away toward
the right with greater ease. On the other
hand, if he tries to turn left when leading
right, it will easily be seen that with his right
foreleg advanced his scope for side pressure
would not be so great, since his foreleg, al-
ready extended to the extreme front, would
necessarily find difficulty in extending itself
also to the side.
A horse suddenly thrown off balance, from
the left toward the right, will generally re-
gain his balance with a right-foot lead, because
a right lead in this case will have the tendency
to keep the horse in better balance by allow-
ing him to continue right with greater ease.
For a left turn, it would follow that the horse
would only make a correct turn in this direc-
tion when leading on the left leg. The horse's
hind legs, to make a perfect turn, should lead
right or left, following the example of the fore-
legs.
When going at a gallop, to change to a trot
with a horse properly broken, it may be neces-
sary to pull him to a very slow gallop, so that
the horse is practically forced to change to a
slower gait. Then it will not be difficult to
gain a faster trot by allowing him to accelerate
speed in this gait. A kind of inertia will make
the horse more inclined to continue in the trot
once he has begun.
To make a horse walk from a slow trot, if
32
THE-:- HORSE
he shows a disinclination to walk, he must be
held at an extremely slow pace, so that he is
hardly able to move forward, and if patience
and perseverance are maintained and this very
slow pace continued long enough he will
eventually walk. When walking he can be
allowed to accelerate the walking gait, taking
advantage of the same inertia mentioned in
regard to trotting.
Riding Without Reins. — Many well-broken
horses can be ridden without reins and be
controlled to a certain extent. Balance to
the respective sides will of itself make such
a horse turn right or left. Suddenly leaning
forward, throwing the weight to the fore
part of the horse, will give him the tendency
to stop. Some horses will make a beautiful
performance if for control nothing but a rope
is placed around their neck, and the horse
will answer the pull of this rope very
much in the same manner as he would the
pull of the bit. To make a horse stop and
turn with a rope around his neck, jerk him
until he responds, being careful to take no
steady pull. To use this method effectively,
slip the rope up the horse's neck toward his
head. Since the throat is the most sensitive
part of the neck, he will respond more
quickly to pressure applied at this point.
High-school horses are often controlled by
the whip and made to stop and turn in this
manner.
33
H E -:- H O R S E
CHAPTER IV.
Reining a horse — Use of different bits — How his mouth is
made — The natural gaits — The walk, the trot and the can-
ter— Natural gaits more useful than acquired gaits — Popularity
of five-gaited horses for show purposes — Jumping and swim-
ming.
Reining a Horse. — There are many effect-
ive methods of reining a horse. I shall try
to describe one of these, which I consider
involves the principles pertaining to all. In-
cidentally, for general purposes, I consider it
the best.
A horse should first be properly halter-
broken. Halter breaking is easily accom-
plished, and is largely done by merely tying
the horse by the halter to some stationary
object, so that no matter how much he strug-
gles he cannot break loose. After a time
the horse learns to keep his head toward this
object or to the manger of the stall, as the
case may be. When the first attempt to
lead a horse is made he will probably try to
run away. A man can usually maneuver so
that the animal will be running at right
angles to him, from which position a strong
pull on the part of the man will usually jerk
the horse's head around and end in pulling
him to a standstill. When the horse finally
gives up his idea of trying to break away,
and allows himself to be led around, he is
halter-broken.
34
THE-:- HORSE
A person standing in front of a horse and
trying to pull him forward, against his will,
will be quite unsuccessful. A horse standing
still, not wishing to move, should be pulled
from the side so that his neck will be bent
around by the pull and he will have the tend-
ency to move his legs in order to straighten
his body in a line with his neck to keep his
balance. This procedure will make the horse
move a step or two in the direction desired.
A helper with a whip, to urge the horse for-
ward when he is pulled on the halter, facili-
tates matters a great deal.
The horse, having been halter-broken, has
some idea of being pulled around, and for
the first ride or two on a raw colt a snaffle
bit should be used. He should then be ridden
in some kind of an inclosed place, so that
he may have the minimum opportunity for
running away. He can then be pulled a little
on one rein until his head comes around and
his body will be inclined to follow. This
pulling should be done a little, alternately,
on both reins. Pulling in this way and the
use of the snaffle bit will probably make the
animal's mouth sore.
After one or two lessons of this sort,
which should not last more than ten or
fifteen minutes, a hackamore, instead of a
bridle, should be placed on the horse.
A hackamore is a kind of rawhide halter,
35
THE-:- HORSE
with the nosepiece very low and taut around
the animal's nose. The horse should now be
one-reined. If, for example, he is to be
turned right, a firm pull should be taken on
the right rein and the left rein rubbed
against the near side of his neck. After a
period that naturally varies with the apti-
tude of the horse, the animal when turning
to the right will respond to the feel of the
left rein on his neck, and a much greater
pull on the right rein will not be necessary
in order to make him turn in this direction.
To rein to the left, the same principles are
applied inversely.
A horse is generally used in a hackamore
for about a year, and then he is double-
reined for another year. Double-reining
consists in putting a Spanish bit bridle over
the hackamore and allowing the animal to
carry the spade bit in his mouth for this
length of time. During this period, how-
ever, he is controlled almost entirely by the
hackamore, and merely allowed to carry the
bit in his mouth in order to become used
to it and play with the wheel at the fore
part of the spade, which has the tendency to
keep his mouth wet.*
The horse by this time should be com-
pletely bridlewise to the hackamore and by
Note. — See page S3 on the subject "Polo."
36
THE -:- HORSE
degrees this knowledge can be transferred
to the spade bit, so that he will stop and turn
by a pull on this bit and the feel of the
reins on his neck. To teach a horse to stop
properly is discussed in "Sliding."
A quick way to rein a horse is to reverse
this process, using the hackamore for the first
few rides and then a snaffle bit for about a
year, and when the horse is bridlewise to the
snaffle a light Pelham may be used, and by that
time the horse's mouth will be practically
made.
To use a hackamore successfully, never
keep a steady pressure on the horse's nose;
while, on the other hand, a slight feel of the
bit at times may be maintained.
Gaits. — The ordinary horse has three gaits :
the walk, the trot and the canter. Such a
horse is called three-gaited or square-gaited,
and these are the natural gaits of a horse. A
running walk, single-foot, rack, which approx-
imates a fast single-foot, foxtrot, and pace
are so-called artificial gaits. In some in-
stances they are natural to the horse, espe-
cially the pace.
A square-gaited horse is generally better
for mountain use or when working over
rough country, because he carries his legs
higher from the ground than the animal that
single-foots or paces. Also a square-gaited
horse is apt to be more agile on its legs than
37
THE-:- HORSE
the artificially gaited animal, because the
three natural gaits are more readily adjusted
to quick turning and starting than are the
artificial ones.
There are contrivances, such as lateral
biped straps, for the pacer, and also methods
of training by which almost any horse can be
made to perform one of these artificial gaits.
Urging a horse faster than a walk and the
constant restraint from a trot, if persisted
in, will probably make the horse so shuffle
up his legs that he will find himself perform-
ing the shuffle or single-foot.
Five-gaited horses are used to a great ex-
tent for park hacks and always find a popu-
lar place in the Horse Show. The five-gaited
horse generally walks, foxtrots, trots, racks
and canters.
Jumping. — A jumper taking an obstacle
leaves the ground with his forefeet first and
returns to the ground in the same order.
There are three kinds of jumping horses:
the horse that takes the jumps from a very
slow speed, walking or trotting; the horse
that takes the jumps at an average speed;
and the horse that rushes the jumps. The
slow-speed jumper rears on his hind legs
and catapults into the air. This is usually the
type of jumper that can clear the greatest
height. The rusher is the type that can
make the greatest broad jump. The type
38
T'HE-:- HORSE
that takes a jump from a moderate gallop is
the most common and the most generally
useful.
A good jumper must be a good judge of
distance, since the take-off is of vital im-
portance. If a four-foot hurdle is to be
cleared, a jumper of the common type should
take-off at about three feet from the obstacle.
The rider in taking a jump, riding a horse
of the kind we are discussing, should, as he
approaches the obstacle at a moderate pace,
accelerate his speed, gather the reins under
him, lean slightly forward, and a moment
before the take-off urge the horse with extra
pressure of the knees or heels, being careful
to avoid taking any stiff pressure on the ani-
mal's mouth.
The horse rises in front and finally leaves
the ground with his hind legs, gains the
maximum height, is carried by the force of
the impetus over the obstacle, and descends
with his fore hand first.
The rider's body should be thrown back
and a firm pressure on the reins taken in
order that the horse may be steadied when
alighting. Upon the consummation of the
jump, however, the reins should be loosened
at once, in order that the horse will not ac-
quire the idea of being pulled up immedi-
ately he has taken the hurdle.
39
THE-:- HORSE
Swimming. — All horses are able to swim
after a fashion. A horse that swims badly
will probably only succeed in keeping his
head above the water for a few minutes, pro-
vided there is no weight on his back; while a
horse that is a really good swimmer can nego-
tiate a current in which no man could live.
Such a horse can swim several miles with ease
and keep his head above water as long as his
strength lasts.
In crossing a river of considerable volume
and swift current, in circumstances that jus-
tify a reasonable doubt that the horse will
be the victor, unless every assistance is given
him by the rider, the best way when starting
to swim is for the rider to dismount on the
near side, holding the reins, and guiding the
direction of the horse with his left hand,
while holding on to the pommel of the saddle
with his right. The weight of the rider will
be carried by the water, and in this way will
not act as an extra burden to the horse and
impede his action. Care must be taken, if
the current is strong and the river has to be
crossed, to keep the horse's head upstream
at an angle of approximately forty-five de-
grees, because a horse carried head-first
downstream by a swift current will have
great difficulty in ever fronting the current
from that position.
When a dangerous crossing is to be made,
40
THE-:- HORSE
try and conserve the animal's strength as
much as possible, so that at a crucial moment,
such as when trying to make a projection on
the opposite bank before being carried past
it, whipping, shouting and pulling on the
reins will produce the maximum effort of
which the animal is capable.
It is a common idea that the proper way
to swim a horse, in any body of water, is with
the rider holding on by the animal's tail.
While in this position, however, the rider
has the minimum control of direction. Off-
setting this disadvantage is the fact that the
horse thus maneuvered cannot kick the person
holding his tail until he reaches shallow
water.
41
H E -:- H O R S E
CHAPTER V.
Riding up and down hill or on a pavement — The right and
wrong ways of doing so — Xenophon's comments about ancient
hill riders — Opening a gate when on horseback — Talking to
horses — Efficacy of a well-spoken word — The art of falling
off— How best to escape injury — A midnight runaway and a
drop in the darkness.
Riding a Horse Up and Down Hill and in
Other Difficult Places. — Consensus of opin-
ion tells us that it is always detrimental to
the constitution of a horse to ride him rapid-
ly up or down hill, on a pavement, or, in fact,
any place where the ground is hard.
This is true for the general run of riders,
and indulgence in such riding would un-
doubtedly work a hardship on the horse so
ridden. But let us now. examine in exactly
what way the hardship is wrought.
The ordinary unskilled and ignorant horse-
man, who delights in running his horse up
hill, will probably not realize when the horse
is winded, and will continue the exercise
until the horse's wind is permanently af-
fected. The same person riding a horse
rapidly down hill, will probably not keep the
animal under him collected, and some time on
the downward slope he will be the cause of
over-balancing the horse, making him lose
a step, or strike the ground with an excep-
tionally hard blow with his hoof in an effort
to regain the balance lost.
42
THE -:- HORSE
Riding a horse in this way has undoubtedly
a detrimental effect upon the soundness of
the animal's legs and is likely to cause al-
most any kind of localized hurt. In the
same way, riding a horse rapidly on a very
hard or slippery piece of ground will usually
cause harm. The hurt does not take place
merely as the normal consequence of riding
him on this kind of ground, but because the
horse has momentarily lost his balance, and
in an effort to regain it has strained him-
self; it follows that the average rider would
do well to refrain from this kind of equita-
tion.
An expert horseman, however, may do all
of these things without injuring his mount.
He instinctively feels the position of the
horse's legs under him, and, with his aids
to control, he keeps the animal at all times
collected. He also maintains a more or less
uniform gait, which has the tendency to keep
the horse balanced and in his proper stride.
Hard work on very hard ground will often
make the horse's legs "stock up," but will
rarely do any real injury. The tendons
merely fill a little. If the horse is very old, it
is true that this would be a reason for him to
"go sore." The problem of riding down hill
was not overlooked by Xenophon, whose
views on this subject, written twenty-three
hundred years ago, are still worth quoting:
43
T H E -:- H O R S E
"To make him (the horse) go down steep
places, we must begin to train him on soft
ground; and at length, when he is accus-
tomed to this, he will run much more readily
down a slope than up it. As to what some
people fear, that horses will dislocate their
shoulders in being ridden down steep places,
let them be under no apprehension, when
they are told that the Persians and the Odry-
sae all ride as fast as they can down steep
hills, and yet have horses not less sound than
those of the Greeks."
In the ascent, the mane, or some part of
the horse's equipment that is attached to the
neck or shoulder, can be taken hold of with
advantage, and the stirrups pressed back to-
ward the tail so as to prevent the body of the
rider from slipping backward. The reins
also should be left loose, in order to allow
the horse to have free use of his head and to
be able to rush a piece of ground so steep
that the forward momentum lost for a mo-
ment would cause the horse to slip back-
ward. In descending a steep incline, how-
ever, the reins should be held taut, the body
of the rider thrown well back in the saddle,
and his weight put as much as possible into
the stirrups. In this way the horse can be
steadied, and it will give him more confi-
dence in keeping his balance.
44
THE-:- HORSE
Opening and Closing Gates- -To open a
gate from the back of a horse that is not
broken to this maneuver may often require
a great deal of patience on the part of the
rider.
Bring the horse up to the gate and urge
him with the heel or whip until he is stand-
ing1 sideways and next to the bolt. When he
is standing in this way care should be taken
to make no sudden movement on his back.
The rider should then lean slowly toward the
gate, keeping at least one rein taut. When
the lock is open, with the proper aids, move
the horse toward or away from the gate, as
the case may be, before he, of his own ac-
cord, moves.
To close a gate, riding the horse to the
new position of the gate upon its hinge,
swing it to, and follow quickly with him to
the closed position of the gate. If the gate
swings back toward the horse, and the horse
shies back from the gate, this procedure will
have to be continued until the animal will
advance quickly toward the closed position
of the gate and stand without moving, even
though the gate may swing back against him.
In this way the gate can be closed.
Talking to a Horse. — Some horses are
peculiarly susceptible to sound, and at a crisis,
or at a time when it is desired that every fac-
ulty and every muscle of the horse should
45
T H E -:- H O R S E
strain to do its utmost, a word in a firm reas-
suring tone will often elicit a response that in
no other way could be obtained. A word at
the wrong time will often have the opposite
effect and be disconcerting.
A horse going to a high jump about to take
off, if spoken to at the wrong moment, is likely
to become confused, and make a worse per-
formance than if no word had been spoken.
Many horses are made to obey words. If,
for example, "Get up" is said, accompanied
with a loose rein, the pressure of the heel, or
a rap of the whip, and this is done often
enough, the horse will learn to move forward
to avoid the rap which he expects to receive,
and in the same manner if "Whoa" is said
invariably before pulling on the reins, to stop,
the horse, at the time associating "Whoa" with
the pull of the reins, will stop before he feels
the pull which he expects, and thus seek to
avoid the pressure on his mouth.
Falling Off. — There are times when it is
wise to fall from the back of a horse, but
more frequently a fall is forced upon a rider
by the mistake of his horse. The use of short
stirrups is of great assistance in enabling a
rider to throw himself, without injury, from
a falling horse, because the rider, if adept, can
jump from such stirrups and fling himself out
of reach of the horse's falling body. Since the
knees have to be bent to jump, it can easily be
46
THE-:- HORSE
seen that long stirrups would be disadvanta-
geous to a rider in such circumstances.
Most persons, who give the matter consid-
eration at all, prefer to fall from the left side
of a horse, since it gives greater scope for
agility.
The most important principle to be observed
in falling from a horse with the minimum risk
of injury to the rider, is that of allowing one's
muscles to relax, and rolling as far as possible,
either as a result of the impetus given to the
rider by the animal, or by the use of the rider's
own energy. If possible, the rider should let
himself slip down slowly at first, until his
body is near the ground, and then throw him-
self with all his force for the purpose of rolling.
In this way injury from the horse's hoofs or
falling body can best be avoided.
If the horse falls over backward, the rider
should jump forward on the left side from his
near stirrup at the moment of the horse irrevo-
cably losing its balance. If the horse falls on
his head, the rider, without resistance, should
allow himself to be projected forward out of
the saddle, and add in any way possible to the
natural impetus the horse has given him
towards rolling.
If the horse falls on his right side, the right
leg from the knee to the heel should be thrown
upward and toward the back of the horse. The
47
T H E -:- H O R S E
rider's leg will not be injured unless the horse
turns a complete somersault, which is very
improbable. A fall of the horse on his left
side is probably least dangerous to the rider,
as the left leg from heel to knee can be raised
more quickly than in the case of the right leg,
while the right leg makes its normal swing as
in dismounting.
The rider, freeing himself from a falling
horse, should do so on the side toward which
the horse is falling, thus avoiding being kicked
by the legs of the probably struggling animal.
One night, while riding home from Bakers-
field to a neighboring ranch, at a walking gait,
I fell asleep on my horse. My mount was a
notorious runaway, and my dreams were dis-
turbed in the following manner: The horse,
frightened, I believe, by a chained dog, jumped
forward and in a moment was away at the top
of his stride. His first jump threw me back-
ward over the cantle of the saddle between
which and the horse's tail I hung suspended.
The reins had been jerked out of my hands.
Instinctively I grasped the cantle at the mo-
ment of awakening. My situation was not
enviable. Pitch blackness all around. The
racing hoofbeats in my ears. What to do
now was the vital question. To continue in
the position I held was but to postpone the
inevitable. Barbed wire fences and trees
loomed ominously ahead. To crawl forward
48
THE-:- HORSE
over the cantle would mean certain death
should, at that moment, a collision occur.
This is what I did: I jumped a few inches
upward from the horse's back, allowing the
animal to pass out from under me. Although
I received a very hard fall, it was the only way
I could have escaped a greater injury.
49
H E -:- H O R S E
CHAPTER VI.
Racing and race horses — Early training — Reasons tor the
light bit and the short stirrup — Use and misuse of the whip
in racing — Horse show ethics — Looks are everything — Satisfy
the judge — Importance of etiquette — Polo ponies — They just
happen and are not bred — Difficulty of finding them — Ameni-
ties of the polo pony trade — What constitutes a perfect polo
pony.
Racing. — The race horse is usually halter-
broken when it is a few months old. From the
time of its birth it is constantly handled by
man, so that even from colthood it is a very
domestic kind of animal. Its training begins
when it is a yearling. The lightest possible
rider is found in order that the minimum risk
may be taken of injuring the animal's legs,
which are naturally very subject to injury at
this time.
Many of the most important races in the
history of a horse are run when he is but two
years old. Horses of this age, and under,
generally are "breezed" (exercised) about an
eighth of a mile once or twice a week.
To determine the possibility a horse has of
winning a given race, the weight carried and
the length of the race must be known, the
horse's staying qualities, its breeding and past
performance borne in mind, and its probable
behavior at the line-up taken into considera-
tion, so that some idea may be had of what
kind of a start is to be expected.
The method adopted in racing a horse and
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T H E -:- H O R S E
getting the greatest speed out of him consists,
first, in the proper use of a very light bit, and
taking a steady pressure on the horse's mouth,
so that the horse in turn will take a steady
pressure on the bit and will pull against the
hold of his rider. This kind of treatment will
obtain from a horse far more consistent speed
than a loose rein will produce, since the horse,
once taking hold of the racing snaffle, will tend
to keep the same pressure against the bit, no
matter how exhausted he may feel.
Very short stirrups and the rider's weight
placed above the shoulders of a horse allow
him the maximum employment of his hind
legs and muscles which are the chief factors
in propulsion.
A whip, when applied at the right moment,
has a stimulating effect, and will give a horse
the desire to run with the greatest possible
speed. If applied at the wrong moment, it
has the opposite effect, and will often make
the horse "dog it." Experience and knowledge
of the individual horse alone can indicate the
proper moment for the use of the whip. A
horse that is doing its utmost, if whipped
beyond a certain point, will react with resent-
ment or give up. A whip can be used advan-
tageously for a quick break away. A sting of
the whip at the right moment will sometimes
make the co-ordination between the mind and
muscles of a lagging horse more taut.
51
THE-:- HORSE
At the Horse Show. — Appearance is the
most important factor at a horse show, and a
well-groomed horse will have a great advant-
age in the ring over another animal whose
intrinsic worth may be the same, but who has
not had the same care.
Since the winning of prizes depends entirely
upon the decision of the judge, the personal
equation is most important. To satisfy the
judge should be the primary object of each
contestant. No two judges have quite the
same thought about a horse, and if the identity
of the presiding judge is known before the
show, it will facilitate a contestant, who has a
number of horses from which to select, to
choose the ones that would have the greatest
chance of winning.
Some horses, especially those of the phleg-
matic type, show to a better advantage in the
ring, than at any other time. The music, and
commotion incident to a large number of per-
sons assembled together, stimulate the animal.
On the other hand, a horse inclined to be ex-
citable, although for general use he may fulfill
the work required of him in an efficient way,
in the ring will become nervous and give a
poor performance.
Etiquette is an important thing. It is cus-
tomary for those winning premiums to place
the ribbon in the mouth, and ride once around
the ring. The exit from the ring, through
52
THE-:- HORSE
which horses are led out, sometimes of itself
gives rise to the horse acting badly. Care
should be taken when the animal is passing
such a place instantly to counteract any in-
clination he might have to leave the ring.
Polo. — Polo ponies happen — they are not
bred, at least to no greater extent than apti-
tude can be inherited. The chief factors per-
taining to a polo pony are speed, staying qual-
ity, and a good mouth, which will continue
sensitive no matter how winded the animal
may become. (A mouth that becomes dry,
and loses its saliva, will invariably lose its
sensitiveness. Therefore some idea can be
had, by looking at a horse's mouth after he
has been through violent exercise, whether his
mouth is sensitive or not.)
A well-reined horse, without any habits of
shying off a mallet, or off other horses, is
necessary. The horse should be able to jump
forward quickly, and accelerate his speed so
that in a few lengths he has his full stride.
A horse that is about fifteen hands in height
and runs low to the ground is perhaps the best
for this purpose, when the length and weight
of the average polo mallet are considered.
Fine polo ponies are often found on the big
cow ranches in the western part of North
America. I have had ten years' experience
buying and selling these animals. It is dim-
cult to tell, with any certainty, whether a horse
53
THE-:- HORSE
will make a fine polo pony or not, unless he
has actually been taken and played on the
polo field.
To go polo pony hunting through the cattle
ranches is very interesting. The polo pony
buyer is confronted with a number of animals ;
anything from a Shetland pony to a shire
horse. If he is not personally acquainted with
the owners, he will do well to be ready for
any kind of a ride, since a bucking horse or
two may be among those shown. This is a
kind of Western humor that is irrepressible.
A horse that shows breeding, has saddle
marks, a hackamore nose, and a sleepy look
in its eye, is likely to prove interesting to the
polo man. Such a horse having been saddled,
the buyer mounts and works him in circles,
figure eights, and races him up and down,
taking note of the horse's staying qualities,
the resiliency of mouth, and how he handles
his hind legs when suddenly brought to a stop
from a fast gallop. The buyer watches the
faces of the horse owners and continues this
exercise as long as they seem willing to have
it progress, because to get any idea of the
value a horse may have for polo, he must be
worked fast up and down for quite a long time.
Such a horse, that will continue to respond
quickly to every demand of his rider will prob-
ably make a good polo pony.
A good polo pony will always stake race
54
THE-:- HORSE
well, but a good stake horse will not neces-
sarily play polo well. The reason for this is
that a stake race only involves one turn, and
a period of polo involves many turns and the
continual pulling and mauling of the animal's
mouth. Some horses will make one or two
quick turns and then lose sensitiveness in the
mouth. Such horses will be useless for polo.
Sometimes a polo horse buyer is able to pur-
chase an animal for around a hundred dollars,
and after keeping him for a few months may
sell him for two or three thousand dollars. On
first thought this would seem to include a
profit beyond all reason, which would involve
"stealing" him in the first place and his sale at
an exorbitant figure a few months later. An
opportunity of this sort, however, occurs very
rarely.
If we take into consideration the fact that
such a horse, for the purposes of his original
owner, could probably be duplicated for less
than a hundred dollars, and that the polo man
has bought from fifty to one hundred head of
horses that he has had to sell at a loss in
order to obtain a single really good one, the
profit will not seem so excessive. Also it must
be remembered that the polo buyer can never
be sure that he has secured a very fine polo
pony until it has actually played a month or
two.
55
H E -:- H O R S E
X CHAPTER VII.
Habits of the horse, natural and acquired — Getting up and
lying down — Balking — A useful method of treating it — Roll-
ing— How to prevent it — Pawing — Rearing — Striking — Kicking
— Biting— Cinch Binding— Shying — How to make a shying
horse go past the object of his terroi — Stumbling — Falling —
Prancing — Plunging — Crow-hopping — Bucking, buck jumpers
and how to ride them — Some general remarks about equine
idiosyncrasies.
Getting Up and Lying Down. — A horse
rising from a lying position on the ground
will straighten out his forelegs first, raising
the forepart of his body until he is almost
in a sitting position, and then, by a contrac-
tion of the muscles, bring his hind legs under
his body, and raise his hindquarters from
the ground. When preparing to lie down, a
horse will often first go to his knees, and
will always nearly touch the ground with
his nose, letting the forepart of his body
rest on the ground first.
Balking. — Balking, ordinarily, is the pre-
rogative of the mule. It is an unfortunate
inhibition on the part of an animal and dis-
turbs the less philosophical rider. The ani-
mal in this case stands perfectly still and
refuses to move in any direction.
Some well-meaning persons advise as a cure
the building of a fire under the balking ani-
mal, or some other measure equally drastic.
Such treatment, however, is not be be en-
couraged, because although it will undoubt-
56
THE-:- HORSE
edly eliminate from the animal's mind the
desire to balk, it will anger or pain him to
such a degree that he will probably run
madly away and cause the ill-advised person
injury of some sort.
Balking is a habit that is usually produced
by bad management, and is more prevalent
in old and long-suffering animals than in
others. If a horse, who is predisposed in
this way, sees in front of him a steep hill,
and is allowed to stand for a few moments
contemplating it, he will probably become
discouraged and balk. A deep river or heavy
sand will often produce the same effect. To
prevent a horse from balking, the rider
should hurry him up or through these places,
so that but a moment of time is allowed the
animal for meditation.
In the middle of Taylor Creek it was my
misfortune at one time to find myself seated
upon an animal which assumed a balking
position. The art to be employed in dis-
couraging a horse from balking depends upon
some method of annoying the beast, by de-
grees, so that he becomes disgusted with
himself and is willing to cease. Finding my-
self in this position in midstream, I took off
my hat and filled it with water, which I slowly
poured into the animal's ears, taking care to
allow only a very fine stream to enter. The
animal gave evidence of being displeased,
57
THE-:- HORSE
and, being unable to make me aware of his
displeasure by continuing in a stationary
attitude, he, after the first application of
water, shook his head violently and rushed
from the stream.
Where there is no water, the best way to
get a balking horse in motion is to take a
whip and hit him gently and frequently upon
one front leg until it moves, and then upon
the other. I say front leg, because a horse
associates a front leg almost entirely with
forward movement but is apt to think of
kicking when having his attention called
forcibly to a hind leg. I have never seen the
above treatment fail, if continued a reason-
able length of time.
Rolling. — A horse usually rolls for the
purpose of rubbing his back. Horses have
been known to roll in order to rid them-
selves of their riders, but this is very rare.
Some horses have an unfortunate inclination
to roll when crossing a shallow stream or a
very muddy place. The rider will do well,
the moment the animal has assumed a stand-
ing position in a place of this sort, with head
down and knees slightly bent, to urge him
vigorously ahead with whip or spur, since
it often takes drastic measures to overcome
this desire of the horse.
A horse before rolling will nearly always
try and stand still for a few moments, and
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THE-:- HORSE
will shift his weight from one front leg to
the other, with lowered head. A rider ob-
serving these symptoms should act at once.
Pawing. — Pawing is a nervous movement
made by the horse, particularly when being
restrained in his desire to move forward. In
the act of pawing, the horse stretches one
front leg forward, strikes the ground with its
hoof, toe pointed downward, and carries the
hoof back and up toward the girth. Most
horses at some time paw. The habit is not
serious.
Rearing. — In rearing, the horse has the
tendency to stand straight up on his hind
legs. Bad handling will often cause a horse to
do this. Cinch-binding is also a cause. It is
said that a bottle of charged water broken
upon the horse's head, between his ears, in
such a way that its contents will run down
the face of the animal, will eradicate the
horse's desire to rear. This may, in part, be
true, as a blow of sufficient force adminis-
tered to the head will act as a kind of panacea
and will eradicate the desire to rear, as well
as all other natural instincts to which the
horse is heir. However, this method is self-
evidently foolish.
The best preventive method is to avoid any
sudden pull upon the reins, especially when
the horse is standing still, because it is at
this time he will most likely rear.
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THE-:- HORSE
Striking. — When a horse kicks with his
forelegs it is called striking. To do this he
rears on his hind legs and can only be really
dangerous on the downward and outward
stroke of his forelegs. A man does not need
to stand directly in front of such a horse to
receive a blow from his forelegs, because in
rearing to strike he will often pivot on his
hind legs in order to get in line with his
target. When the horse rears to strike, real
presence of mind will usually enable a per-
son, within the radius of his forelegs, to
jump backward before the horse can com-
plete the downward stroke. A horse can
only strike from a standing position, and
having struck once, independent of hitting
his target, will hardly ever strike a second
time in rapid succession.
Kicking. — A horse can kick in almost any
direction with his hind legs. The target,
however, that appeals most to the horse is at
a point about two feet from and directly be-
hind them. This preference aside, however,
the horse with his hind legs can kick effec-
tively forward and sideways. This last is
called cow-kicking, because the cow is espe-
cially apt in this form of exercise. A person
seated on a clever kicking horse is not neces-
sarily placed beyond the animal's reach. I
remember once having the shank of my spur
kicked off when riding upon such an animal.
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THE-:- HORSE
A vicious horse will often kick at his rider's
stirrups when bucking, because when in the
air his legs are not needed to keep balance.
A person who stands right up against the
horse's hind legs will suffer far less injury
from a kick than one who stands a foot or
two away. However, neither position is to be
recommended when working near a vicious
horse.
Biting. — Untamed horses will nearly al-
ways use their teeth as a weapon of defense.
Even gentle horses will sometimes bite under
provocative circumstances. Cinch tightly an
old horse, so disposed, and leave his head
loose, and he will probably take a piece out
of the would-be rider's left arm. Fore-
thought will very easily eliminate the pos-
sibility of this. The rider need only take
the near cheekpiece, directly above the bit, in
his left hand, and, placing his knuckles
against the cheek of the horse, cinch with
his right hand. If the horse tries to turn his
head to bite, a poke with the knuckles will
discourage him. Vicious stallions and mares
show a great partiality toward biting. If
one must work within reach of the teeth of
such a horse, the judicious use of a small
club, or the butt end of a whip, will help
keep the animal's mouth where it belongs.
I once saw, between the Rattlesnake Moun-
tains and Carson Sink, on a desolate alkali
61
THE-:- HORSE
waste, a veritable battle of the stallions. One
day when we were returning to camp near the
Walker River, while hunting Fuzztail, the
wild horse of Nevada, we halted at the edge
of a rock barrier, and there, several hundred
yards before us, were two great stallions,
leaders of rival bands, engaged in a battle to
the death, as it shortly proved.
With screams of rage and ripping teeth
they fought until one, gashed in the throat,
was left convulsed in its death struggles on
the alkali waste that it long had called its
own.
The big Jacks of the mule-breeding
ranches are more terrible with their teeth
than the horse. They have the tenacity of
the bulldog in combat, and fortunate is the
fighting stallion that has steered clear from
such an issue.
Cinch-binding. — Cinch-binding is a habit
generally founded upon predisposition. It
is manifested by the horse cringing when
cinched and rearing with legs stiff. Un-
usually fine hair and delicate skin are the
commonest causes of this habit.
If a horse is inclined this way he should
be cinched carefully, the cinch being tight-
ened by degrees, and then the animal should
be led around several steps before being
mounted. Many cinch-binders have fallen
over backward with a too-impatient rider.
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THE-:- HORSE
Bad cinch-binders will always fall over
backward if mounted and started off too
quickly.
Shying. — Shying is a common habit of the
horse and is often caused by defective eye-
sight. It usually manifests itself by his
dancing away from an object, or suddenly
stopping dead in his tracks. Often, too, a
horse in shying spins away from the source
of fright. Fluttering paper, or almost any
other unusual object, will cause him to shy.
Understanding well the nature of a horse,
and being able to anticipate what will
frighten him, will enable the rider to throw
his balance so that it will be more in har-
mony with the shying horse. If it is de-
sired to take him up to the object at which
he shies, infinite patience should be used, so
that, by degrees, the horse will accustom
himself to the object and see for himself
that it should give him no occasion for alarm.
Urge him forward at the object, then, if he
shies away, ride him a little further away
from it than shying would naturally take
him, and start him back again toward the
point of fear. The fact that he finds himself
actually going forward toward something of
which he is inclined to be afraid helps give
the animal confidence. Xenophon's observa-
tions in this matter are undoubtedly true :
"As to those who force horses forward with
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THE-:- HORSE
blows, in such a case, they only inspire them
with greater terror; for they imagine, when
they suffer any pain at such a time, that what
they look upon with alarm is in some way the
cause of it."
Some years ago, near Lake Tahoe, I rode a
horse toward Taylor Creek. My objective
was on the other side of the stream. About
two or three hundred feet from the bridge
my horse began to shy and at first refused to
go closer. The melting snow of spring was
no great inducement to me to try and swim
the river, although it was necessary for me to
get to the other side. The horse I rode was an
inveterate shyer. I was in a hurry so I used
the following expedient. Quite a distance
from the bridge I started the horse toward
it, hoping that the force of his momentum
would carry him well into the shying zone
before he could succeed in stopping his for-
ward movement. If a horse can be induced,
by subterfuge or otherwise, to arrive in the
middle of a place of which he is afraid, he
will undoubtedly shy, but he will be willing
to shy in almost any direction so that only a
little persuasion from the rider will deter-
mine the direction. In this instance my
horse so handled his legs that he stopped on
the outskirts of his shying zone in such an
able manner that he nearly precipitated me
over his head. I resorted then to the next
64
THE-:- HORSE
trick in my repertory. Facing the unwilling
beast around so that he presented his tail to
the bridge, I succeeded in backing him up
until he was upon the bridge before he
realized it. Thus I was able to persuade him
to shy off the bridge's other end, which
brought me in good time to my destination.
Stumbling. — Stumbling is a kind of habit
with many horses. Horses that keep their
hoofs close to the ground are predisposed to
stumble. Phlegmatic and careless horses are
apt to stumble. Faulty conformation is often
a cause. If such a horse is to be taken over an
uneven piece of ground, it is well, with the
use of a whip or other aid, to keep him in an
excited condition. When excited, he will be
more on the alert and more apt to lift his
feet high from the ground than he would be
in ordinary circumstances.
Falling. — Some horses throw themselves
purposely, but this is very rare. A bad rider,
in saving his own balance, often pulls over
backward a horse that is inclined to rear.
The usual cause of falling, however, is a per-
fectly normal one, and is merely produced by
the horse slipping, or crossing his legs, which
is the result of slipping. To turn when gal-
loping in excess of a certain rate of speed on
a slippery place or an uneven piece of ground
is a very common cause of a horse's falling.
A stumbling horse will often fall, but usually
65
THE-:- HORSE
only to his knees, which is hard on the knees,
but not so serious to the rider.
Prancing. — Prancing is a harmless form of
activity often indulged in by a high-strung
horse. It consists merely in a kind of hop-
ping up and down, and occasions a rider with
a poor seat discomfiture, since he finds it dif-
ficult in keeping in rhythm with the action of1
the horse. Hard and long rides have a seda-
tive effect in this regard upon the horse and
lessen his desire to jump up and down.
Plunging. — Plunging is a kind of exagger-
ated prancing. A plunging horse will easily
turn into a runaway.
Crow-hopping. — Crow-hopping is a mild
form of bucking, in which the fore feet and
the hind feet of a horse leave and return to
the ground alternately. This motion of a
horse should not occasion a good rider any
discomfort. An old horse that has passed its
bucking sage will often crow-hop as a result
of a tight cinch and a cold back.
Bucking. — Of the many annoyances that a
horse can occasion his rider, bucking is by
far the worst. The best rider in the world
will some time find a horse that will buck him
off, and the most terrific bucking horse will
some time find a rider that he cannot throw.
Most horses on the American and Aus-
tralian continents have been allowed to run
wild from colthood. These will instinctively
buck the first time they are ridden, unless
66
THE-:- HORSE
great care is taken in getting them gradually
accustomed to the feel of the saddle and the
ways of man.
Bucking with all really wild horses is con-
genital, being part of the strongest instinct,
self-preservation. The horse in its evolution
was ever subject to attacks by beasts of prey,
and the great cats of prehistoric times were
probably the first living creatures to try
riding upon the back of a horse in order to
kill from this point of vantage. Thus it
has become instinctive with the horse to try
and throw the thing that may have obtained
a lodging upon its back. Experience taught
him that bucking was most effective, and
sometimes it does not take so very much
provocation to make the present-day horse
revert to the defensive measures used by its
ancestors.
If a rider can stay on the back of a horse
for the first ten bucks he is not likely to be
dislodged, since most horses perceptibly tire
from that time on. The ordinary horse will
rarely make more than twenty or thirty bucks
at one time. Bucking is performed by the
horse placing its head between its front legs
and catapulting itself into the air, leaving
the ground usually with its front feet first.
To prevent a horse from bucking, the rider
should, by a succession of jerks on one rein,
try to keep him from putting down his head.
By pulling on one side in this manner, the
67
THE-:- HORSE
rider makes it less easy for the horse to give
free play to his muscles, also a semblance of
control is maintained, which psychologically
helps to discourage the animal from its at-
tempts to throw its rider.
To stay on the back of a bucking horse
large and dull Mexican spurs may be used to
advantage. The rider can either hook the
cinch with the spurs, or the horse's flanks.
It is not well, however, to hook the horse's
flanks until, in the vernacular, "he is going
high and crooked," because it would be like
touching a match to a keg of dynamite when
an explosion might have been averted. The
explosion, however, having once taken place,
it is safe to suppose that the horse is exert-
ing himself to his utmost, and that no form
of grip the rider may take will cause a greater
exertion on the part of the animal. At this
time the reins, gripped firmly in the left
hand, will assist greatly in keeping the rider
in the saddle, and his right hand swinging
free will assist in maintaining his balance.
General Remarks. — Bad habits in a horse
and innate viciousness, in a general way, are
best overcome by gradually making the
animal realize that opposition is futile.
Make him understand that no harm, un-
reasonable annoyance or hardship is in-
tended. His resentment and desire to
forcibly rid himself of the discomfort and
fright occasioned by man will then cease.
68
H E -:- H O R S E
CHAPTER VIII.
Running Away — A dangerous habit and difficult to cure —
Story of an incorrigible runaway and his fate.
Running A way .--This is usually the mani-
festation of panic in a horse. He is con-
fronted suddenly with an unreasoning fear
and runs wildly, expending energy so power-
fully generated that it requires an outlet of
this kind. Blind fear will usually make a
horse run wildly. When he is madly running
away, it is far more difficult to stop him than
it would have been to prevent him from start-
ing in the beginning. A horse running away
becomes entirely obsessed with the idea of
running. It is a kind of inertia that carries
him along and usually ends only with ex-
haustion. Even though a horse has a good
mouth, fear and the terrific strain of the
muscles of his body will make that mouth
rapidly lose sensitiveness until it becomes
entirely impervious to even the action of a
very severe bit.
An excitable horse will more readily run
away, since its excitability will quickly turn
to fear. Also a hard mouth shows a pre-
disposition to running away, because a horse
being so equipped will not readily feel the
restraining influence of the bit, and, perhaps,
will get his full stride before he can be made
to feel any attempt at control.
69
T H E -;.- H O R S E
In riding a horse that is predisposed
toward running away the rider should always
keep a firm hold of the reins in order to be
able, at any moment, to counteract his first
forward jump. The safest way to impede a
horse when he is actually running away is to
seize one rein with two hands, and with a
succession of yanks, with short intervals be-
tween, bring his head around to one side. In
this position it is physically impossible for
the horse to run so fast, and the position of
his head will give him the tendency to circle
in the direction toward which his head is
pointed. In this way some sort of control is
obtained, and any control, no matter how
slight, is advantageous, because the psychol-
ogy of the horse is such that, as soon as any
sense of restraint is recognized, the animal is
inclined to resume making concessions to the
will of his rider.
In the spring of 1912 or thereabouts, the
Rancho Del Paso, which for a long time had
belonged to the Haggin Estate, was sold, and
the remnants of the thoroughbred horses
there were shipped to the Stockdale Ranch
at Bakersfield.
In their veins ran the blood of Salvator
and of many other famous race horses that
for long years on the American turf had car-
ried the Haggin colors to victory.
The younger horses of this shipment ran
70
THE-:- HORSE
wild for a number of years at Stockdale, and
then several of them were broken by the cow-
boys on the ranch. I undertook the breaking
of one of these colts, and rode him two or
three times in a large corral. In order to
mount the horse it had to be thrown on the
ground and held. After several of these les-
sons, I decided it was time to give the animal
a saunter in one of the lanes leading through
the ranch, and asked the nearest cowboy to
herd for me with a riata. The gate of the
corral was thrown open. The horse, seeing
freedom ahead, made a wild rush for the lane.
The cowboy, instead of keeping my horse at
a few feet distance from his own, by taking
proper turns on his pommel, threw away his
slack, tying only the end of his rope to his
saddle. The horse, dashing through the gate
at a terrific pace, was thrown to the ground
with great force as soon as the rope tautened.
Having the fraction of a moment to contem-
plate the unfortunate incident that was about
to occur, I braced myself and was still on the
back of the horse when he regained his feet.
The next day I decided to start my ride
from the middle of the lane. The horse was
held down with blinds over his eyes by two
wranglers. Before I quite managed to get
my seat he reared high in the air, knocking
down one of the men. The other man let the
ropes loose and dodged. With the blinds
71
THE-;-HOR'SE
over his eyes he ran madly away, heading for
a hay wagon. Without an attempt at direc-
tion he would probably have hit the wagon
at an angle and would have broken my leg.
I knew I could not pull him clear of the
wagon, but by employing all my strength
directed him head on, and the collision
occurred in this position. The horse re-
bounded over backward. Two planks were
smashed to splinters on the floor of the
wagon, and a gash across the horse's chest
left upon him a mark that never diappeared.
On my next ride, hoping the animal had
some sense knocked into him, I managed to
start out at a moderate gait. In a few mo-
ments, however, he started bucking, rapidly
increasing his pace so that the bucks finally
flattened out into the tearing stride of a run-
away horse.
A single tree was directly in the path, and,
pull as I would, I saw that a collision could
not be averted. This supple tree, being
struck, was the cause of the animal's rebound-
ing several feet in the direction whence he
came and assuming a position upon his back
with legs extended upward. During this
occurrence I rolled off, but remounted the
animal before he had regained his wind. I
realized, however, that this was an incor-
rigible runaway.
Having a friend, one Ramon Felis, bucka-
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T H E -:- H O R S E
roo foreman of San Emidio Ranch, and
knowing he was in want of a horse, I nat-
urally had him in mind, and sent the animal
to him without delay. In order to keep the
ranch records balanced, it was his privilege
to return a horse to me for the one I had
sent, and, it is true, a great deal of disturb-
ance was caused by the hard-bucking animal
which I received from Ramon, one of the
cowboys having a leg broken as the result of
its advent at Stockdale.
Except for the courteous expression of
gratitude for the horse I sent him, I heard
nothing for many months as to how the
animal fared in San Emidio's remuda. Long
afterward I chanced to hear two men dis-
cussing the loss of a very good saddle. It
appeared that Ramon had received as a pres-
ent a fine looking horse, and that he took the
precaution, which is the usual wont of com-
petent foremen, to order one of his men to
bestride the newly arrived animal, before
mounting it himself. The animal being un-
able to buck very hard, and ridden in a corral,
did not have a fair chance to show off his real
paces, so Ramon, encouraged in this manner,
subsequently bestrode the animal and led his
cowboys to a round-up in the hills.
Before reaching their destination, to the
marvel of the assembled men, Ramon dis-
appeared at break-neck speed over an ad-
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THE-:- HORSE
jacent bluff. The cowboys, accustomed to
feats of horsemanship, thought no more of
the matter and went about their business.
The next morning, however, when a certain
concern for Ramon's health was beginning
to be felt, his much-bedraggled figure ap-
peared at the bunk house. It was nearly a
week before the cowboys succeeded in find-
ing the horse which had last carried Ramon,
and several weeks afterward a few remnants
of the saddle were found where they had
been left by the coyotes.
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CHAPTER IX.
Breaking a colt to the saddle — A short method of taming
and training — How the colt is taught to tolerate handling-
How he is saddled and cinched the first time— How he is
ridden.
A number of horses are running wild in a
pasture, perhaps several of them are from
two to five years of age. Four years of age
is the best time at which to break a horse,
because at that age he is young enough to be
tractable, while his bone and tendon are so
adequately developed as not easily to be in-
jured. These horses may never have felt
restraint of any kind save that of the fence
that bounds the pasture, nor have known any
laws other than those that nature taught
them.
Of course, wherever there are horses now-
adays, man also is near. But the unbroken
colt's knowledge of the human being is
limited to an occasional glimpse at one and
that vague hereditary fear which most wild
things feel toward man.
One of these horses in our pasture has the
appearance of being fast and intelligent, and
of having excellent action. It is decided to
make of him a riding horse, to change this
raw material into the finished product — a
perfectly broken saddle animal.
Several men on horseback enter the pasture
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THE-:- HORSE
where the horses are and drive them some-
where to a corral. A round corral is best
when horses are to be handled because in
such a corral there are no projections that
might be the means of crippling animals that,
in the circumstances, would be restive and
trying to find a way out.
All the horses, except the good looking
animal we have spoken of, having been cor-
ralled, are allowed to pass out through the
gate. The selected horse, however, is roped,
or, preferably, is driven into an adjacent
chute and there haltered.
In the event of the horse being roped, the
halter must be put on him at the first pos-
sible moment. This must be done so as to
minimize the risk of straining or choking the
animal by the tightening noose of the rope
around his neck.
An upright pole should be planted firmly
in the ground in the center of the corral, and
the latter should be about fifty or sixty feet
in diameter.
If the horse has been driven into a chute
adjoining the corral the matter of haltering
him is simpler. It is done by standing above
the animal on the near side, the horse-
breaker holding the halter in his right hand
by the end of the long headpiece, throwing
this over the animal's head and catching the
short strap buckle in the left hand when the
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T H E -:- H O R S E
horse's struggles have ceased sufficiently to
permit of doing so. Then the horse-breaker
slowly works the opening of the halter up-
ward and forward towards the animal's nose,
pulling it over the nose, and snapping the
buckle behind the near ear.
A rope at least thirty feet long, preferably
of hemp, and an inch in diameter, should be
attached to the halter. The horse-breaker
opens the gate of the chute, lets the animal
come back into the corral, and takes his posi-
tion near the center of the ring.
If the horse has been roped, the horse-
breaker should take about a turn and a half
of the rope around the post in the center of
the corral, and let the horse tire himself
fairly well out in his struggles to get free,
the horse-breaker in the meanwhile being
careful to give the animal as few short
"check ups" as possible by keeping the rope
taut.
When the horse is sufficiently tired, the
man, after two or three attempts, if he is
without a helper, keeping several turns of the
rope around the post mentioned, goes toward
the horse along the rope, holding its loose
end in the left hand, being careful to be on
that side of the rope which will bring him
to the near side of the horse, which, if the
rope is taut, is facing him. He should ad-
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THE-:- HORSE
vance rather rapidly with the right hand ex-
tended toward the animal's nose.
As the man nears the horse he must be
careful to approach from the side as well as
the front, because there is always danger of
the horse striking and plunging forward.
The moment the horse can be touched on
the side of the neck, the halter can probably
be adjusted in more or less the same manner
described in haltering the horse in the chute.
The next step after the horse is haltered is
to take off the lariat rope and take a turn
and a half around the pole in the center of
the corral with the loose end of the halter
rope.
Flagging is next. For this purpose several
sacks, or part of a blanket, attached to a pole,
are useful. The colt, held tied to the pole
in the middle of the corral, is generally
facing the man in the center, because the
rope being attached to the under part of the
halter, has the tendency to jerk the head of
the struggling animal towards the hitching
post, leaving him with outstretched legs
pulling back on his haunches. The horse-
breaker, keeping several turns of the rope on
the hitching pole, again approaches the
horse from the front, and extending the flag
projecting on the pole toward the horse's
head and back, he allows it to pass over the
animal's ears and neck, and eventually rubs
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THE-:- HORSE
the horse all over his back. The pole should
be long enough to allow a safe distance from
the heels of the animal.
After a while, the horse, finding he is un-
able to escape from this rather novel massage,
reconciles himself to these manipulations,
and allows the flag to be passed all over his
body without protesting. Slap the horse on
the neck and back with the flag after it has
been removed from the pole, and also rub it
on his neck and withers. This will gradually
accustom the animal to being touched all
over.
Next he should put the noose of the lariat
rope around the body of the horse at withers
and girth. This is easily done by placing the
loop over the horse's back and letting him
back his hind legs through it, or letting him
pass through the loop in front; then, stand-
ing out of reach of the horse's heels, the
breaker should pull the noose tight, which
will usually cause a number of rapid gyra-
tions from the surprised animal. The pur-
pose of this last exercise is to accustom the
horse to the tightening of the cinch when
the saddle is to be placed on his back.
When only the loop of the lariat is tight-
ened around the body of the horse, in the
way we have described, he can fall forward
or backward and kick out in all directions
without doing much harm. After the animal
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THE-:- HORSE
has become accustomed to being cinched in
this manner, the blanket may be brought, and
this the horse-breaker uses as he has pre-
viously done the flag until he feels the ani-
mal is calm enough to allow the blanket to
be placed on his back.
The bridle is then brought, preferably a
strong head stall with a snaffle bit, and long,
thick reins having the ends buckled. These
reins should be slipped over the horse's head
first and then the head stall placed on the
head of the horse in very much the same
manner as described for placing the halter,
only that by putting the left hand in the
corner of the near side of the horse's mouth,
the jaws of the horse are forced open, and in
this way the bit is directed into the mouth,
while the remainder of the bridle is slipped
over the head.
The reins should now be pulled tight on
the right side, brought over the horse's head
behind his ears, carried down the left side
of his face, and then under the jaw and
looped over the right rein as it starts from
the bit. The left rein is also pulled tight
and has been made part of this loop. A knot
is then tied of a sufficient size to prevent the
ends of the reins from protruding too far
and in any way becoming tangled with the
horse.
The saddle is then brought (Mexican),
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THE-:- HORSE
which is held by the pommel in the right
hand with its right side toward the near side
of the horse. The right stirrup is fastened
over the saddle horn and the cinching para-
phernalia is brought from the right side over
the back of the saddle and allowed to hang
on its left side.
The saddle is then moved forward toward
the horse, until it touches him at a point in
the neighborhood of the shoulder, and is
moved rapidly away again before the horse
has time to resent its approach. As the horse
becomes used to the saddle touching him on
the shoulder, the horse-breaker contrives to
slip it onto his back at a point above the
withers and takes hold of the left girth strap
with the right hand. The saddle is allowed
to overbalance a little on the right side, so
that if the horse takes a sudden jump or
kicks, the equilibrium of the saddle may be
maintained by keeping a certain pull on the
left cinch strap. When it is evident that the
horse will stand still, allowing the saddle to
sit in this way upon his back, the cinch ring
can be slipped over the saddle horn, which
permits the cinch rigging to fall on the off
side.
The problem is now to bring the cinch
from the right side up under the girth of the
horse and buckle it on the near side. It is
usually risky to try and reach this cinch
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THE-:- HORSE
under the stomach of the horse with the
hand. The best way is to hold the end of
the near side cinch strap in the right hand,
letting the rest of it hang in a loop toward
the ground. Swing this loop slowly back-
ward and forward under the stomach of the
horse until the cinch strap catches the cinch
ring in its loop. The horse-breaker should
now pull this cinch, which is caught in the
loop, under the girth of the horse, slowly
toward him, and catch the cinch ring in his
right hand, directing the ring to its buckle,
then draw the cinch tight enough to make
the saddle firm on the back of the horse, and
release the right stirrup from the saddle
horn. Unwinding the rope from the pole in
the middle of the corral, the horse-breaker
holds it firmly with his hand, and lets the
horse have a little slack, at the same time
urging the animal to move. The horse will
probably make a few kicks or bucks as he
starts forward around the edge of the corral,
meanwhile the horse-breaker should pull the
animal's head toward him, quieting the
horse as soon as possible, and, holding the
rope taut, should approach the animal's neck,
always taking care to be on the near side.
Now, untying the reins from under the
animal's jaw, he should bring the right rein
over the horse's head down toward the left
side of the bit, and seize this rein at that
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THE-:- HORSE
point with his left hand. Holding, also in
his left hand, the left rein at its starting
point from the bit, and the left cheek piece
of the head stall as it starts from the bit, he
should take the left stirrup in his right hand.
Taking care not to let more than the tip of
his boot pass through, he should place his
left foot in the stirrup, and raise his weight
on to the stirrup, keeping his left arm taut,
which is holding the horse at a point near
the bit. '
If the horse tries to whirl away from the
rider in this position, the grip of the left
hand on the cheek piece may be brought to
bear with such force that it will keep the
horse's head toward the man, who at this
time is balanced standing on the left stirrup.
If, on the other hand, the horse turns to the
near side to grip the man's arm or leg with
his teeth, the knuckles of the left hand are
shoved under the cheek piece into the jaw
of the horse, which in this way can be kept
at a safe distance.
If the horse now rears, tries to fall over
backward, bucks, or looks like turning a
forward somersault, the rider should leap off
his left foot several feet back from the near
side of the horse into safety, and when the
horse has subsided he must try the same
manuevers again. Then, if the horse stands
sufficiently quiet, the rider may slowly raise
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THE-:- HORSE
his right leg over the cantle of the saddle
and find the stirrup on the right side. Now
he may release the cheek piece with his left
hand, continuing, however, to hold the reins,
and bringing that hand up toward the cantle
let the left rein slip through it until it is in
its proper place in front of the cantle. The
right rein, which will be left with too much
slack, can be taken with the right hand and
pulled even with the left rein. If there are
any fireworks left in the horse, this is the
time for the demonstration.
The one object now is for the rider to
keep the horse under him until he is ready,
of his own accord, to dismount. For twenty
minutes or half an hour, the horse may be
urged slowly around the corral, and in order
to get some sort of direction, the rein on the
side on which it is desired to progress should
be pulled, and the other rein allowed loose.
To accustom the horse to all that in after
days may be required of him, the rider at
this time should slap the horse on its back,
carry the two stirrups with his legs up
toward the cantle of the saddle and throw
his weight from side to side.
A few rides of this sort and the carrying
out of the principles noted will soon gentle
any horse. His further training is discussed
with the subject "Reining a horse," in Chap-
ter IV.
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THE-:- HORSE
The horse, handled in this manner, becomes
halter broken of his own accord, since in a
round corral the man, by suddenly taking up
the slack on a rope attached to the halter,
will accustom the animal to have his head
pulled one way or the other, and the moment
the horse's head answers to the pull of the
halter, the rope should be left slack as his
reward for obedience.
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CHAPTER X.
Buying a Saddle Horse^Age shown by the teeth — How to
detect poor vision and other defects •>— Splints, ringbone,
spavin — Sore backs, what they indicate — Shoulder lameness
and navicular disease — Laminitis or founder — Testing a horse
for wind — How to recognize a wind-sucker or crib-biter.
Examination. — Beginning at the horse's
head it is well to look in the animal's mouth
to obtain a general idea of his age. An ap-
proximation in this respect can be made from
the condition of his teeth. The ordinary horse
has two sets of incisor teeth, each set contain-
ing three sets of two teeth. The two middle
front teeth, of the respective jaws, are called
the middle incisors. The two teeth which are
on either side of these are the intermediate
incisors. The two teeth which in turn are on
either side of the two intermediate teeth are
called the corner incisors.
Age Index. — The animal that is two years
of age has a full set of colt incisor teeth. They
are of the same number and general appear-
ance as horse teeth, only they are smaller,
whiter and shorter. At three years of age,
the two middle incisors are horse teeth, while
the intermediate and corner ones are still colt
teeth. At four, the middle and intermediate
incisors are horse teeth, while only the corner
ones are colt teeth. At five, the horse has a
full mouth of horse teeth. Each of these has
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THE-:- HORSE
at the exposed ends an indenture known as
a cup. At six, these cups disappear from the
middle incisors, the use of the teeth wearing
the ends smooth. The intermediate and corner
incisors still possess the cups at this age. At
seven, the cups disappear from the intermedi-
ate as well as the middle incisor teeth, and at
eight the cups have. also disappeared from the
corner ones, so that the animal has what is
known as a smooth mouth.
From this time on as the horse gets older,
his teeth look longer, but in reality this is not
entirely the case since wear and growth con-
tinue to counteract each other as in colthood,
but the fact that with age the gums recede
also tends to make the teeth of an old horse
look longer. The older a horse gets the more
the width of his teeth from outside to inside
diminishes. In a young horse, when his jaws
are closed, the incisor teeth of the upper jaw
and lower jaw are inclined to be in the same
perpendicular plane. When the horse gets
old, however, these teeth tend to make an
acute angle with each other; the apex of the
angle being where the upper and lower teeth
join each other. The older the horse is, the
more acute the angle. Very old horses gen-
erally have yellow teeth, triangular shaped,
while the teeth of a young horse are more
oval in appearance.
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THE-:- HORSE
Defects.- — The horse's eyes should be clear.
If it is thought the animal has defective sight,
moving the hand toward the eye quickly and
taking it away again without touching the
horse's head will aid in determining this fact.
A quick glance at the horse's neck will tell
whether it is free from defect such as fistula;
fistula being a kind of localized open sore with
a very deep root. On observing the animal's
forelegs medium large and straight bones are
desirable; however, that part from the ankle
to the hoof, which is the pastern, should be
sloping enough to minimize any danger of
knuckling over.
Ordinary splints do no real harm, only at
incipiency they usually make the animal lame.
Splints practically never come on a horse's
hind legs.
Side-bones and ring-bones which come upon
the coronet, that fore part of the horse's foot
immediately above the hoof, always end in
causing lameness, and are practically incurable.
Their presence can be detected by bony en-
largements at the side and above the horse's
hoof in the case of a side-bone, and at the side
above and in front of the horse's hoof in the
case of a ring-bone.
Bone spavin is the usual cause of lameness
on a horse's hind legs. This is a bony enlarge-
ment immediately below and on the inside of
the horse's hock, and can be seen best by
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T H E -:- H Q R S E
standing in front of the horse and looking
between its front legs. This is an unsound-
ness that can rarely be cured. The hoofs of
the hind legs are less subject to ring-bones
and side-bones than those of the forelegs.
Sore backs constitute an undesirable factor
in a horse to be used for saddle purposes,
especially if the horse is sore above the withers
or over the kidneys. An old kidney sore can
rarely be cured, and always makes the horse
weak in that part of his back. Girth sores are
not of a very serious character.
Most horses that are fat when taken out of
pasture and ridden will acquire girth sores by
the slipping forward of the saddle, but the
horse when conditioned properly and hardened
will readily overcome this soreness, if care is
taken in cinching and keeping the saddle in
its proper place directly behind the withers
on the horse's back.
Shoulder lameness and navicular disease are
the bugbears of most horsemen. They are
difficult to diagnose. If a horse is lame and
no physical malformation manifests itself, the
suspected leg can be raised and moved back
and forth, and if the horse flinches it is prob-
ably shoulder lameness. Shoulder lameness
usually lasts a long time, but generally dis-
appears with rest. If a horse is lame on both
forelegs at the same time he is said to be
"sore in front." Navicular disease, on the
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THE-:- HORSE
other hand, is a trauma of the navicular bone,
which is an ossicle, or small bone, in the center
of the foot. A horse afflicted with this disease
usually points his toe when standing at rest.
A horse having navicular, will go quite lame
when cold, but if the disease is only in its
incipiency, he will often warm out of the lame-
ness with exercise. Navicular is absolutely
incurable.
Laminitis (founder) is a very common ail-
ment of the horse. It is a kind of membrane
congestion, often due to overwork after over-
feeding, or to excessive drinking when the
animal is hot. Soreness in front and rings on
the hoofs are an indication of this disease. It
always constitutes an unsoundness.
Before purchasing a horse, he should be
made to exercise so that his wind can be
examined; a horse with defective wind being,
in almost all cases, very unsatisfactory for any
kind of work. If a horse, after violent exer-
cise, breathes hard, with an audible sound
from the lungs, it has defective wind. Also
a horse whose sides heave, relaxing and con-
tracting to an unusual degree after a certain
amount of exercise, has probably defective
wind.
I use defective to denote an impairment of
the horse for that work which may be required
of him. On the other hand, if the animal,
when exercised, merely gives a snorting sound
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T H E -:- H O R S E
from his nostrils, or a certain sound from his
larynx, which is not due to paralytic roaring,
and shows none of the other symptoms that
have been mentioned, he has probably nothing
more than a localized peculiarity which does
him no real harm in regard to work.
Wind-sucking, or crib-biting, as it is some-
times called, is more a habit of the horse than
a defect of respiration. It is a very undesir-
able habit, since the horse by indulging it
inflates his inside, and thus renders himself
less capable of performing the duties that may
be required of him. The habit is sometimes
contagious by imitation. When a horse cribs,
he usually catches on to some wooden projec-
tion with his teeth and takes in air with
a sucking sound. If the horse's teeth are
peculiarly worn down in front, or the part
of the stall where he has been standing shows
tooth wear, it is reasonable to suppose that
he is a wind-sucker.
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H E -:- H O R S E
* CHAPTER XI.
Teaching children to ride — Cannot begin too young — An
old plug better than a pony — Experience the best riding mas-
ter— Psychology of the horse — He has not the power of deduc-
tion— Trick horses — How they are made to appear to have
reasoning faculties — They only obey commands.
Teaching Children to Ride. — I started to
ride at four years old and I believe this age
not too young to commence riding with a lead
rope. For a child I consider an old, thoroughly
gentle horse better than any kind of pony,
because his movements are apt to be slower,
and he usually has more sense. A common
mistake made in regard to letting small chil-
dren ride, is the thought that merely because
a pony happens to be very tiny he can do no
serious harm to the child, and what in a big
horse would be considered viciousness in a
little pony is looked upon as a kind of cute
playfulness. It is a fact that young children
are injured far more frequently by little ponies
than by horses.
I think the ideal way for a child to begin
riding is to place him upon an old plug bare-
back. Lead the animal around slowly until
the child gets used to the motion and feel of
the back. He will get a natural seat far more
quickly bare-back than if at first he is per-
mitted to ride in a saddle. After the child
becomes thoroughly familiar with the feel of
the horse as he is led around slowly, a saddle
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THE-:- HORSE
may be used, and the child allowed to ride
holding the reins and guiding it himself. Of
course, this is presupposing that the horse in
question is such a plug that nothing can in-
duce it to run off and that its natural tendency
will be to stand still unless forcibly urged.
Variety of experience will make the child
into a good rider more rapidly than books or
constant instruction can possibly do. When
the child becomes fairly used to riding, a good
exercise is the use of the saddle without stir-
rups.
In order to make rapid progress in riding
a child should always be made to overdo a
little. For example, he should be urged to
ride a little faster without holding on to the
saddle than he feels he is able to do. He
should be encouraged to relax on the back of
a horse, and see how far he can overbalance
to the sides without falling off. He should be
made to ride the horse at a good trot, which
at first will be very uncomfortable. The next
day he should be urged to ride this way for a
little longer time, and by degrees he will gain
confidence and be aware of improvement,
which is an important factor in the mind of
a child that is learning to ride.
Psychology. — It is said of the horse that,
considering his size, he has the smallest brain
of all the animals. It is probably as well that
an animal used as a beast of burden should not
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THE-:- HORSE
be too intelligent, because if he were, it would
be difficult to make him obey the whim of his
rider. The horse has desires. If his desires
conflict with the wants of man he is useless
for the purposes of man. How to make his
desires coincide with those of his rider is the
real problem in the training of a horse.
Animals, according to some authorities,
have the power of reasoning. I think, how-
ever, and believe it is the consensus of opinion,
that, in the specific sense of the term, they
have no such power.
In the animal, keenness of sense takes the
place of strength of intellect. The horse's
mind is susceptible of a process, which in a
very broad sense might be called reasoning.
It is, in fact, an induction by analogy. His
mental force is guided by a kind of channel
pertaining to idea association, and in this
attribute his mind and that of a human being
coincide.
A horse often has a marvelous memory and
extraordinary power of observation. He has
perception without apperception, perception
being a state which has no power of thought
review, and consequently cannot create a new
psychological force. What follows is an
example of how the horse thinks. A horse
has been taken for a very long ride. Perhaps
he has been quiet and displayed little enthusi-
asm to increase his pace or to change his
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THE-:- HORSE
direction. He now is turned into a lane not
far from and leading to his stable. At that
moment he shows that he wishes to accelerate
his pace and, with ears cocked forward, and
prancing, gives evidence of a strong desire to
move ahead.
We here have the indications of a thought
on the part of the animal. What is the cause
of this thought? Analysis brings us to the
following conclusion: Through idea associa-
tion, made aware of the presence of the stable,
which is again associated with food, rest, free-
dom from equipment and so forth, the horse
is stimulated and encouraged to go ahead,
because now to his mind there is a definite
and desirable object in view.
In like manner, a very thirsty horse hurries
to water. He has not the power to draw the
conclusion from the premises — first, that he
wants water; secondly, that hurrying in the
right direction brings one to what is wanted
more quickly — that hurrying in this way will
bring him more quickly to water. The fore-
going case is clearly deductive reasoning, em-
bodying the higher intellectual force of which
the human mind alone is capable. It is true
that the horse arrives at the same result that
deductive reasoning would bring, but he does
it in this way. He is instinctively drawn to
water by physical want. He remembers that
hurrying to water has actually brought him
95
THE-;- HORSE
water sooner than on the occasions when his
thirst was not so great and he moved slowly
in the direction of the trough. He has the
psycho-physiological desire for water, and he
arrives at a kind of analogical induction, re-
membering all the times he has hurried in
order that he could drink and was able to
satisfy his thirst, that hurrying to drink means
immediate drinking. This, then, is the real
reason for his hurrying forward, and is based
upon comparison and analogy.
Horses shown at circuses, supposed to be
able to do mathematical problems and dis-
tinguish colors pertaining to persons in the
audience, are animals that have extraordi-
narily keen perception. But the counting or
distinguishing a color, or any other remark-
able feat a horse is supposed to perform by
virtue of his reasoning faculties, is accom-
plished entirely by trick methods, and a super-
finely cultivated sense. The horse will paw
a certain number of times, or pick up a color,
because his trainer has made some almost im-
perceptible movement with whip, hand or
body, and not because he has in any way
understood from the man's discourse what he
is wanted to do.
Trick animals of this sort are usually in-
structed according to system, and the animal
is made to do a number of things always in
the same order. He finally forms a habit and,
96
THE-:- HORSE
like a gramophone needle will, when started
off, continue in the same groove. His trainer
then will often take occasion to talk at the
proper intervals between the horse's perform-
ances, purporting to instruct the horse what
to do, but in reality merely anticipating his
movements by words.
Of course, the horse has an eye for color
and an ear for sound, and he can be made to
obey commands. For instance, a command
is given. The horse disobeys and punishment
ensues. In time he finds that if such a com-
mand is given and he acts a certain way
punishment will not follow, then associating
these two things in his mind, the command
having been given, he will act in that certain
way so that punishment will not ensue.
To distinguish colors, the problem is to
make the horse by some physical manifesta-
tion indicate his understanding of the differ-
ence of color. Since this cannot be done, the
next best thing, which is in fact what most
trainers do, is to make the horse give the
appearance of indicating color by an appeal
(usually imperceptible to the audience) to his
sensorium in contradistinction to his mind.
Instinct in itself is a large subject. It is
an important factor in the mind of an animal,
while intuition which involves cognizance of
a previously registered conclusion belongs to
man alone.
THE END
97
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