Magner's story of twenty years a horse tamer

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Price 50 Cents. _

TWENTY YEARS
A HORSE TAMER.

Thrilling Incidents.

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an

O ILLUSTRATIONS.

WORKS PUBLISHED BY THE MAGNER PUBLISHING COMPANY, —

Facts for Horse-Owners:

1200 ROYAL OCTAVO PAGES, WITH 1450 ILLUSTRATIONS, 80 SPE-
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This great work comprises three divisions :—

First SrectrioNn—Comprises the secrets or art of taming and controlling vicious
horses, with all correlative features regarding training, cruelty, trotting, etc., ete., com-
prising 27 chapters, 607 pages, with over 600 wood engravings. The only work in the
world in which the true seerets or principles of subduing or controlling vicious and.-
unmanageable horses are given.

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with Important Chapters on CRUELTY.

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i

eae

MAGNER’S

Story of Twenty Years

ATAU DARE

HUNDREDS OF THRILLING INCIDENTS :

HOW THE MOST

VICIOUS HORSES WERE SUBDUED.

By D. MAGNER,

AUTHOR OF ae ART OF TAMING HORSES,” ‘* FACTS noe HORSE OWNERS,”
“THE STANDARD HORSE AND STOCK BOOK.’

WITH IMPORTANT

CHAPTERS ON CRUELTY.

With 250 WMlustrations, (~ | 4 B08 J

BATTLE CREEK, MICH.: 1L99
PUBLISHED By MAGNER BOOK CO. / |
1895.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1805,
By D. MAGNER,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

=

CHAP.

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eel

IV

V

VI

WI

Vill

XI

CONTENTS.

Memoirs—Special Explanations—What
was Known Before My Time——Dick
Christian—- Jumper—- Bull—Irish Whis-
perer— Fancher—Offutt— Rarey,

How I Came to Engage in the Business—
result of an Accident—Jnteresting Inci-
dent, 3 3 5 4 e

Driying Stallions Without Reins—Import-
ant Discovery—Noted Roberts Horse—
Special Feats, : : ;

My Trained Ponies—Campaign in the South
—Test Experiments— Buffalo Man-eat-
er, etc3,

Panic—Interesting Trials— Noted Cases—
A Conspiracy,

Visit to New York—Experiments Before
Mr. Bonner and Committees—Remark-
able Case,

Teaching Classes —Undérstanding Char-
acter—Desirable Subjects,

Art of Taming Horses— How Far Possible
to Change Character, ; ;

Secrets—Interesting Explanations—Cases
in Point,

An Interesting Experiment—A Peculiar
Case,

Efforts to Defeat Me—Dangerous Case—
Noted Vicious Horses,

Startling Results—A Desperate Case—
Interesting Incidents,

Lv]

PAGE.

20-40

41-53

54-63

64-80
81-92
93-107
108-116
I17-123
124-135

136-143

vl

DIU

XIII

XIV
XV
XVI
XVII

XVIII
XIX
XX

XXI
XXII
XXIII

XXIV
XXKV
OCVA

CONTENTS.

Results of Slight Incidents—Trials in
New York—Visit to Mr. Bonner—Ober-
lin Incident,

Managing Disorderly Crowds—Leaving
the Road—Publishing My System,

My Trained Horses and Ponies,
Teaching Tricks,

#
Rarey—Inside Facts in Relation to Him

Art of Taming Horses—Importance. of
the Subject—Interesting Facts,

Temperaments and Intelligence,
Strong Likes and Dislikes of Horses,

Special Cases,

PART II—CRUELTY.

Checking,
Blinders,

Docking and Nicking—Pest of Flies and
Parasites, j

Shoeing—How the Foot is Ruined”
Cruelty in Training and Breaking,

Facts about the New Book,

144-153

155-163
165-182
183-288
188-208

209-218
219-226
226-230

231-241

245-261

263-276

277-289
291-305
306-310

311-320

INTRODUCTION.

There are some interesting facts leading to the prepara-
tion of this little work which will, I think, be of sufficient
interest to the general reader to make them worthy of being
given a place here, as a proper introduction to what follows.

Being requested to write a paper on cruelty, to be read
before the American Humane Society, on its being read, there

was a unanimous resolution that it be given them for publica-
tion. This led me, in rewriting and enlarging my regular
work, to include in it such suggestions, with illustrations on
cruelty, as I felt to be most called for.

After this work was published, it occurred to me, in
order to make this part more generally accessible, and there-

by extend its usefulness, to publish it with additions in a sep-
arate form, for the special use of humane societies and others
interested in the subject. Before doing this, to have the high-
est assurance of its being in every respect what it should be,
the matter as prepared was submitted to a number of leading

[7]

8 INTRODUCTION.

humanitarians for suggestion orcriticism. After examination,
it was suggested, as a necessary and important feature, that
I should embody with it the story of my experience, in con-
nection with the subject of equine subjection. Quoting the
language used:—

‘‘Two essential features need to be added. This is im-
perative. First your picture; then a sketch of your life of
twenty years a teacher of men how to teach horses. Imagine
this work sent out: without such a chapter. .... But em-
phatically, it is necessary that you give a narrative of your
work, when it began, duration, difficulties, failure in health,
etc. Don’t you see, your incidents would be as interesting as
any fiction? If you will do so, I will promise that it will not
fail of being read as one of the most interesting and valuable
chapters, and reach the circulation of millions.’’

Led finally to act upon the suggestion, and submitting
‘what I had prepared, it was next insisted that the subject
was so important that it should be published as a special
work. ‘The question then came up to me, What should be

done with the feature on cruelty? I concluded, finally, that
in consequence of the autobiography being a natural out-
growth of the preparation of this part, their being so depend-
ent upon each other would justify putting them together.

Being the author, and having made and introduced the
most important discoveries in the art of taming and control-
ling vicious horses, and demonstrating results in their con-
trol that were undoubtedly far beyond what had ever been
accomplished before my time, or since relinquishing such
efforts, in connection with my long experience of over twenty
years in lecturing on the subject and experimenting upon
horses, will, I trust, be sufficient reason for acceptance with
more than ordinary interest and confidence what is said in
these pages.

Many statements and incidents given in the following pages
may be regarded as overdrawn, or so improbable as to be be-
yond behet; but the utmost assurance may be felt that they
are but the mere outline of facts drawn from the almost un-
limited array of narrative, anecdote and adventure incident to
my experience, and only another illustration of the saying
that ‘‘Truth is often stranger than fiction.”’

MEMOIRS.

INTRODUCTORY EXPLANATIONS.

WHAT WAS KNOWN BEFORE MY TIME—DICK CHRISTIAN—JUMPER—
BULL—IRISH WHISPERER—FANCHER—OFFUTT—RAREY—
THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS SYSTEM.

N giving the story of my expe-
rience, it will be interesting, by
way of introduction, to ex-
plain what was known before
my time about the art of tam-
ing horses. At various times
during the last hundred years,

there have been different men in this country and Europe

who. attracted some local attention by their pretensions of
extraordinary powers to subdue and master vicious horses ;

but when carefully investigated, their treatment was found
to be but little more than the merest empiricism. ©The
first among these, of whom I have any account, was Dick
Christian, in England. His control was based upon the
simple expedient of tying up the fore-leg, then mounting and
riding the horse until he became submissive and gentle.

An improvement upon this, and the first of which I find
a published account, was by a man named Bull, who lived in
Stanton-le-Vale, England, who had also a considerable local
reputation for his exhibitions of power over horses. <A corre-
spondent of ‘‘Bell’s Life,” published in London, who paid
Bull a guinea ($5.50) for the secret, described his method of
treatment as follows: ‘First, buckle a surcingle around the
body. Second, tie up the fore-leg by buckling a strap tightly

[9]

10 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

around the foot and fore-arm. Next, attach a strap to the
off fore-foot, bring it over the horse’s back, and grasp it
firmly with the right hand; with the left, catch the near rein
of the bridle and pull his head around toward you, when the
horse is made to step; then pull
the foot around from under him,
bringing him upon his knees,
when in a short time he will
le down.” The writer makes
special reference, in this ac-
count, to. Bull’s control of sev-
eral horses, in making them le
down, get up, etc., at com-
mand. This Bull made the most preposterous pretensions
of power to subdue the most vicious horses. A little later a
man named Jumper, of Yorkshire, England, claimed similar
power. Like the others, he tried to keep his treatment a
secret, but it was the same as Bull’s. A correspondent of
the Veterinarian, in referring to a certain horse given this
man to states that ‘‘in ten days he returned him
perfectly subdued, for he would
rise up and lie down at command.”’

About 1825 a man named
Sullivan, better known as ‘‘The
Irish Whisperer,’ who lived in
Mallow, County of Cork, Ireland,
was regarded as a phenomenon in
this respect. It was Sullivan’s
custom to shut himself up in a
building with the horse to be sub-
dued, until he had him under control, when he would
open the doors and exhibit the effects of his treatment
upon him. The better to divert attention from the real
secret of his control, while the horse was standing quietly,
he would occasionally put his mouth to his ear as if whisper-
ing something to him; hence the term, ‘‘ Whispering Sulli-

INTRODUCTORY EXPLANATIONS. 11

”

van.” Many really believed Sullivan’s control was super-
natural. Though an ignorant man of the peasant class, and
greatly addicted to drinking, he was smart enough to play
upon the superstitions of the people to the utmost; for we are
told that even the parish priest, whom we would suppose to
be a man of considerable intelli-
gence, whenever he saw Sullivan
coming toward him in the street,
believing he was in league with
the devil, would cross himself and
take the opposite side as a safe-
guard against his supposed Satanic

influence. Whispering in_ the Fig. 5.

horse’s ear; with the use of other pretended power, was
merely a blind; his method of control was the same as that
practiced by Bull and others. Sullivan obtained the secret
of a British soldier, who had been in service in America,
where he obtained it. It seems that Sullivan treated him
to a mug of porter, in gratitude for which the soldier im-
parted to him the secret.

The man in this country, first brought to my notice,
claiming to possess exceptional
secrets for controlling vicious
horses, -was.©: HH. P. Fancher,
who claimed to have traveled in
Mexico and among the Comanche
Indians, and to have obtained his
secrets from them; but this
method was the same as_ that
practiced by Bull, with the addi-
tion of what he called his Arabian scent or secret. Mr.
Fancher traveled as long ago as 1844, making the greatest
pretensions of power he possessed over horses, and sold the
pretended secret for extravagant sums. Many individuals,

in different parts of the country, who were members of my
classes, have informed me that they paid Mr. Fancher as

12 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

high as from ten to fifty dollars for the secret, and in some
cases, from two to three times the highest sum named. This
method, however, was understood and taught long before
Fancher’s time, by Denton Offutt, a resident of George-
town, Ky., and to him, undoubtedly, belongs the honor of
having published the first explanation of this method of treat-
ment, and of him it was obtained by John S. Rarey. It is
well known, however, that it was known and practiced by
circus men long before even Offutt’s time.

But the man above all others, who, by the boldness of
his pretensions and apparent success, attracted the widest
attention, was John S. Rarey, whose name and career is yet
familiar to every one. Mr. Rarey set up the most positive
pretensions of having himself discovered a secret by which he
could subdue not only any horse, but even any animal in the
world. He even went so far as to claim to understand a
horse’s every thought; that he had practiced upon horses from
his early youth; that his discoveries were the result entirely
of his own inherent genius; that in making such experiments
he had had nearly every bone in his body broken, etc. But
one of the most misleading as well as astonishing parts of his
claims was what seemed to be incontrovertible proof by his
being permitted to appear before the Queen and Court of
England, and subduing a horse (Cruiser), claimed to have
been so hopelessly vicious that to prevent his killing any one
a brick building was constructed around him, in addition to
which, there was an iron muzzle on him. These statements
were accepted with such confidence that two thousand sub-
scribers from among the nobility of England paid him $50.00
each to have taught them the assumed secret.

There was nothing which misled and puzzled me so
much as these facts (as indeed they did everybody else), and
to sift the matter to the bottom, cost me a good many years
of the most patient, persistent effort.

If such claims were true, they might well be regarded as
most startling; but they were not, as will be seen in the fact

INTRODUCTORY EXPLANATIONS. 13

that his pretended secret was the same as that known and
practiced long before him by Fancher, Offutt, and others, and
was obtained by him of Offutt. In point of fact, he was sim-
ply a bolder and more successful pretender. His success was
entirely owing to the unparalleled sharp management of per-
haps one of the ablest men in some respects this country ever
produced (R. A. Goodenough), who from the background
“manipulated the scheme with such consummate shrewdness as
to baffle the world to penetrate the secret, until by persistent
effort, and then only by the merest chance, I was able to un-
ravel and authenticate the facts as given by me.

A startling point which may also be mentioned here, is
that Cruiser and the other horses referred to, upon the control
of which he based his reputation, were not controlled by the
treatment he claimed to have practiced upon them. He tried
it and failed. They were controlled, and that only tempo-
rarily, by a treatment which, had it been known at the time,
would have at once destroyed his success and reputation. A
still more surprising fact is that it is not true that Cruiser was
so vicious that he had been shut up in a building to prevent
his killing any one. He had, when necessary, been taken
out of his stable daily without serious difficulty, and the iron
muzzle which Rarey exhibited in this country, and which he
claimed Cruiser had worn, was simply the baldest deception,
the horse never having had an iron muzzle or anything of
the kind on him.

All the facts in relation to this subject I have thought
of sufficient interest to include in another chapter, such
explanations being necessary to clear away the great mis-
conception in regard to his efforts.

CHAPTER I.

HOW I CAME TO ENGAGE IN THE BUSINESS—FIRST EFFORTS A FAIL-
URE—MY FIRST CLASS THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT—SOURCES
OF INSTRUCTION—AN INTERESTING INCIDENT. ~—

N trying to give the story of my

somewhat varied and checkered

experience, I imagine myself sur-

rounded by my half million of

scholars, by whom I am sure it

: will be received with more than or-
Fig. 7. dinary interest.

It may be well, also, to remark that I am particularly
sensitive about referring to myself to an extent that might
seem offensive in relating these incidents, but as the ob
ject of this story is to give the facts as simply and plainly
as I can, such repeated references to my personal efforts will,
I trust, be pardoned. Please remember that I wish to tell
the story as nearly as I can as it comes to me, and trust,
therefore, it will be accepted in the spirit in which it is offered.

I may explain, also, by way of introduction, that I never
felt that I had any special predilection or gift for the study
of the horse; indeed, it always seemed to me that somehow I
was out of my sphere; even at my periods of greatest success,
I was often embarrassed for explanations to put myself right
with the public. That people should attach such great
importance to what seemed to me so simple, was one of the
unexplainable enigmas to me. It would seem as if it must
be somebody else all the time, for in comparison with
the great average of men I felt myself to be a very humble
instrument. But, on the other hand, there were the undeni-
able resu'ts that, when fairly considered, were often certainly

[14]

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TIRSE ERFORDS: 15

surprising; and I may say they were really as much a surprise
to myself as they could be to others. I felt, in a word, as if
I were only groping, asit were, to catch the secrets of a very
broad and interesting subject, and the results I was able to
accomplish seemed to me to be often more a matter of mere
good luck than of skill; but there they were, and I had to
accept them for what they were worth. It was the knowl-
edge of these results that gave me confidence to persevere
and win success.

At the age of fourteen 1 was brought from Ireland.
Thrown entirely upon my
own resources, I engaged in
learning the carriage-making
business, becoming so suc-
cessful that before I became
of age I was conducting
business for myself, and took
the first premiums at the
fairs in my vicinity, Bradford
County, Pennsylvania.

During this period, an
incident led to my becom- \
ing owner of a horse of pe- Fig. 8—The author at twenty-five years of

: age, when he took up this work.
culiar character, the man-
agement of which so interested me that I was led to give
special attention to the subject. As this incident had finally
so important a bearing upon my after life, it will be of in-
terest to give the facts.

One morning I was unexpectedly called upon by a
stranger, a prominent physician from Towanda. He stated
that he had a nice, small mare, which he offered me, without
conditions, for anything I had to trade for her. I had never
owned a horse, had no use for one, and so stated, but

being urged to make an offer, I secured her at a merely nom-
inal price. I was aware that there must be something seri-
ous the matter with her, but just what he would not inform

16 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

me, and I could not tell, and concluded to try her first for
balking.

Supposing she must at any rate go if the wagon did not
pull upon her, I first hitched her to a buggy on sharply
descending ground. After going a short distance, though
the wagon was really pushing her, she suddenly stopped, and

in spite of all I could do, stubbornly refused to move. This
of course at once revealed to me what she was. After trying
patiently for some time to start her, and failing, as an experi-
ment I struck her lightly over the hip with the whip to see if
I could startle her into moving, when she instantly threw
herself down, proving herself to be one of the very worst
balkers imaginable, and showing also that in the effort to
break her she had been the subject of great abuse.

AN EXPERIMENT. 17

Not knowing anything about the management of the
habit, it became a serious puzzle to me to ascertain how I
should control her. But to prevent my being made a sub-
ject of ridicule by failure, I felt bound, if within the range of
possibility, to drive her.

I may mention here in parenthesis that I learned after-
ward that this mare had been for years traded around among
the jockeys of that (Bradford) and neighboring counties, and
was regarded by them so incorrigibly stubborn in the habit as
to be worthless. The man who sold her to me, finding what
he had, and that it was impossible to get rid of her where she
was known, came to me with the determination to dispose of
her for what he could get.

This thought came to me: ‘I don’t know any patent
way, but by taking time enough I am confident of being able
to manage you.” I accordingly unhitched her from the
shafts, got her up, tied up the harness, pulled the buggy to
the foot of the hill, and led her there. I next went into an
orchard and filled my pockets with the best apples I could
find, then pulled the wagon to a back road, leading the mare.
Standing near her head, I touched her lightly over the hips
with a switch, saying, ‘‘Get up.” This of course caused her
to start. After going afew steps, I called ‘‘ Whoa!” at the
same time pulling upon the reins, when she stopped, for
which I gave her a piece of apple and stroked her nose and
head. This I repeated until she learned to start and stop at
command.

This point gained, I then untied the reins, and while
standing at the shoulder and holding the reins slack in my
hands, repeated the command for starting, at the same time
touching her lightly over the hips. At each repetition I
stood a little farther and farther back until able to get
directly behind her, and make her go or stop at command.
This point accomplished, I next took her to a point of
slightly descending grade for some distance on the road and

2
4

18 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

hitched her to the wagon. This was, of course the critical
point of the experiment that I was working for, and it was
important that I should take no chances of failure; so I com-—
menced again in the same cautious manner at the head, start-
ing, stopping and rewarding, at the same time letting her go
a little farther and farther, until I was able to get on the step
and finally into the wagon, at each repetition being careful to
reward her, even getting out of the wagon to do so. It was

Ss. Willard

Fig. 10.—The noted vicious horse in one of his acts.

soon amusing to see how eagerly she would reach around
her head in anticipation of her reward. Then I gradually
required her to go a little farther at each time of starting,
until finally able to drive fifteen or twenty rods, being of course
careful to stop her inside the limit of what I felt she would
bear.

This point well accomplished, I took her out of harness,
put her into the stable and had her treated with the best of
care. The next day I hitched her up again, when I com-
menced as before, but now spending only a few minutes,
requiring her to go farther and faster until up to the point of

SORPRISING SOCCESS. 19

a sharp trot or run. Again the next morning, before hitching
her up, as a matter of precaution, I repeated this lesson
slightly, just enough to start and stop her a few times, when
I was soon able to drive her as I pleased. The secret
of success was, that I made the lesson short, and was
careful not to do more than she would bear at a time. I
could make her stop and start when going up or down hill,
or even in a mudhole, and she would stand as long as I
wished, and then at command pull out gently. The result
was that in a short time she developed into one of the pleas-
antest and gentlest of driving mares in that section of the coun-
try. Those who knew her were surprised-to see me drive
her, and regarded it as a great feat.*

Becoming in this way interested in the subject, I soon ~
became the owner of horses of various kinds and habits, and
found myself forced to the task of trying to break them.
Learning thus incidentally that by certain methods of treat-
ment I could really, to a certain extent, change the charac-
ter, I became interested to see how far I could win success
in this direction. And so, without premeditation I was led
to direct my special attention to the subject.

A startling fact was soon revealed to me, which was that
there was really nothing known upon the art of subjection,
beyond the practice of a few tricks; that there were no text
books or anything of the kind to guide in this new and unique
field of effort. So I was obliged, as it were, to grope in the
dark in breaking for myself a fresh pathway from the results
of my own observation and experience. Certainly there was
nothing at all approaching anything like well-defined princi-
ples or conditions. Surely nothing was more foreign to my
mind than the thought of engaging in such a business or to

*On page 306, are given some interesting facts reported to me of
the remarkable results that may be accomplished in the control of balk-
ers by this simple method of good management. By my regular sys-
tem even the worst of balkers can be managed with great ease and suc-
cess,

20 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

make it a special study. I was betrayed into doing so by the
following chance circumstance:—

Yielding to the impulse of desiring to see something of
the outside world, I closed out my business and made a tour
through the Southern States. Upon returning North, while
staying over night with a farmer named A. L. Burns, who
lived in Dunning, Lackawanna Co., Pa., he incidentally told
me that he had a fine young stallion, which was of so vicious a
character that he was unable to do anything with him. While
the gentleman was milking, the next morning, the impulse
took me to go to the barn and look at the horse, when, upon
seeing him, it occurred to me, as a good joke upon the
owner, to give him a few minutes’ training and thereby, when
the opportunity presented, surprise him with the change in
his character. After breakfast, as I expected, I was invited
out to the barn to see the colt. Looking at him with apparent
unconcern, I opened the door and walked into his stall, when
to the astonishment of Mr. Burns, the horse not only per-
mitted me to handle him as I pleased, but followed me
around as gentle as an ordinary pet.* ;

The change in the horse’s character seemed so great that
the owner in wonder asked me if I had not been doing some-
thing with him. Replying that I had a little conference with
him before breakfast, he at once offered me fifty dollars if I
would show him what I didwith him. Feeling that so large an
amount of money for so little knowledge was entirely too
much, and that I could not reasonably take it, and yet, wish-
ing the money, on the impulse of the moment it occurred to
me to say, that if he would get ten of his neighbors together,
I would teach them all for that amount. I did not, how-
ever, have the least idea that he would make an effort to do
so, or that, even if he should try he would succeed; but
shortly afterward I was surprised—and really frightened—
to see him coming toward me, followed by a number of

* This was the same horse that nearly eighteen years afterward was,
on account of his extreme viciousness, shot in Middletown, N. Y.

AN EXCITING INCIDENT. 21

his neighbors, holding a lot of bills in his hand which he
offered me.* Realizing that I was ina bad corner, I never
felt more embarrassed in my life. I quickly recovered myself,
however, and putting on as bold a front as I could, I
announced myself as at their service.

There happened to be in the neighborhood one of the
most exceptionally vicious mares I ever saw before or since.
When turned loose she would run at a man with the ferocity
of a bull-dog. This mare was quietly secured, and when
ready to commence my instructions, with my would-be pupils
overhead and out of the way, according to a concerted plan,
she was without warning turned in upon me. With eyes
fairly flashing with fire, open mouth, and ears laid back, she
ran for me with such a vicious expression that I instantly
saw my only safety was to get out of the way, so turned and
sprang head foremost over a girt and partition, to the ground
beyond, which was covered with stones and lhmbs—~a fall of
about eight feet. The incident had such an important bear-
ing upon my after efforts that I thought it advisable to make
an illustration of it. See figure 11.

Upon coming to myself (for I was considerably stunned),
I saw the mare looking down upon me with a most vicious
expression, and the class was convulsed with laughter at my
defeat.

I feltso indignant that, without warning, they should sub-

* It occurred to me, while preparing this article, that it would be of
sufficient interest to write to Mr. Burns for the names of those compris-
ing this class. After much trouble in obtaining his address (having
heard nothing from him for over twenty years), I wrote him and
received the following statement :—

“ So far as I can remember, the names of the men in the class at my
house were J. D. Burns, Prompton, Pa.; J. E. Meyers, Canaan, Wayne
Co., Pa.; J. S. Collins, Keyser, Lackawanna Co., Pa.; Andrew Coss,
Canaan, Lackawanna Co., Pa.; Alva C. Bemeer, Canaan, Lackawanna
Co., Pa.; L. C. Darte, Ariel, Wayne Co., Pa.; Jason Meyers, and myself.

“Your friend,
“A. L. BURNS,

“Dunning, Lackawanna Co., Pa.”

shi

i air
Pll

Wy

GZ \\|

“yf

Wy) oe
h “ 4 Ni

ia iil
a
in

DIRS
~ SAS

Nt vf
NTC
li mn
eh
hin

Aires
HLS
NTT

[ 22 ]

Fig. 11.—With ears laid back and mottth open, she ran for me with savage ferocity.

AL EUCKY HIT 23

ject me to such danger, that I was bound at all hazards to
succeed; but, How ? was the question, for there certainly
seemed no possible way of doing it, and I was apparently
checkmated. I had a common slip-noose halter in my hand,
which I had fortunately retained when I jumped over the girt.
This gave me an important clue, and I looked around for
some means of making use of it. I found a piece of a tree
limb, and hanging the head piece of the halter upon its end, I
carefully lifted it up and succeeded in dropping it upon her
head. With the halter on, I next put the end of the stick
against her jaw to keep her from me, and at the same time
cautiously climbed upon the girt. Getting as short a hold of
the halter as I could, I took the chances of jumping to the floor
toward her tail, which I was fortunately ableto catch. The mo-
mentum of my jumping pulled her head after and threw her
hind parts from me. This I improved upon by running and
pulling her head around after me ina circle afew times. Dis-
abling and over-matching her in this way so confused and
disconcerted her that fora moment she was really helpless to
do me any harm.

With this advantage, I was able to make the next point
with safety—_tying up her leg and throwing her several times
rapidly (a method of treatment explained on page 107, well
known to me at the time), after which I put on the simplest
form of what I term in my book the War Bridle. The crud-
est form of its use I had just caught at the time, with the ad-
vantage of which I soon succeeded, not only in making her
submissive, but in having her follow me around, the entire
experiment not occupying more than from five to seven min-
utes. The result was, that an incident which a few minutes
before seemed certain defeat was made a great success. The
emergency forced me to take my chances, as the only way
out of a bad corner.

During my long and varied experience afterward, I had
many severe trials with vicious horses, but under the circum-
stances—taken suddenly as I was, without any practical

24 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

knowledge of the subject—I regard this little incident as
one of the most interesting of my whole life. The novelty
and excitement of it made a remarkable impression upon me.
It seemed as if there had been a new side of my nature sud-
denly stirred into life, which, to a singular degree, made me
feel like repeating the experiment, and in this way I was led
into making the subject a special study. Thus, it will be
seen, I was without premeditation carried into a current of
thought and effort lasting for many years, which for varied
and severe trials, but few perhaps of any age or profession
have ever approached or experienced.

Thrown entirely upon my own resources, and feeling that
it was one of the most interesting as well as promising fields
of investigation to which attention could be directed, I was
encouraged to persevere. My efforts at first, however,
resulted in a signal failure, for notwithstanding all that I
could do, for nearly two weeks I was unable to accomplish
anything. But the seeming seriousness of the difficulties
only served to nerve me to greater effort.

I may explain, in this connection, that I suffered here
from a natural disability, which was always a source of em-
barrassment to me, that of being very much undersized; be-
sides being more than ordinarily diffdent, with but poor ad-
dress, in every way, in fact, seemingly unfitted to make
anything like a favorable impression upon the critical class of
people I was compelled to deal with. I finally succeeded,
however, in making a small class, and with the ice once broken,
I was soon able to make a number of classes in succession.

At this point, an incident, though trifling in itself, be-
came the turning point in starting the tide of my success.
At a small place across the river from Amsterdam, (Hunters-
ville), when about organizing a class there, three men came
to me, requesting a private interview. This having been
granted, they stated that they had been members of my class
the week before at Minaville, a neighboring borough, and
that they were not satisfied, and came to get their money

A SCHEME THWARTED. 25

back; at the same time they assured me that if I would give
it to them they would do nothing to interfere with my efforts
there, but would do all they could to aid me; on the contrary

if I did not do so, they would not only denounce me, and

thereby destroy the success of my efforts in that place, but
would compel me to pay it.

Indignant at the way the demand was made, I at once
called the people around me, and stated the facts to them.
Then confronting the men, I told them I could not give back
the money, unless | gave it to every other member of the
class; and on the impulse of the moment I gave notice that I
would go back to Minaville, where they and all the rest of the
class could have their money back, if they wanted it; but that
on no condition would I pay money to anyone following me
up in any such way.*

Anticipating that there would be a determined effort to
break me down, if possible, and bound to succeed, after ful-
filling my engagements there, the day before my appointment
I went back and scoured the neighborhood for suitable sub-
jects to experiment upon. Succeeding finally im finding a
runaway kicker that had not been in harness for a year, by
paying a liberal price and giving the owner a ticket to the
class. I secured him.

At the time of appointment there was a large assem-
blage, when, after a careful review of instructions, I experi-
mented upon.this horse and was entirely successful in his
control. I now explained the facts, and holding in my hands
the money formerly paid me there, I invited all who were in
the least dissatisfied, to come forward and get their money.
No one responded, however, or expressed dissatisfaction.

* It was one of my strict rules then, as well as one that | maintained
during my entire career, to keep nothing back from the public; to make
no underhanded bargains, nor do anything that would not bear the full-
est investigation. I made one rule in particular, that anyone not feel-
ing himself entirely satisfied could, by so expressing himself to me pri-
vately or publicly, have his money back.

26 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

There was, on the contrary, a general expression of the most
hearty satisfaction, even those who had demanded their money
expressing regret, and acknowledging themselves more than
satisfied, one of them saying that he had experimented upona
‘horse of his with such success that he would not take $50 for
what he had learned. This of course turned the tide of senti-
ment so entirely in my favor as to immediately result in their
passing resolutions of heartiest endorsement of my efforts,
which were published in the county papers. For some time
afterward it was not uncommon for citizens in different neigh-
borhoods to club together to form classes for me, and in this
way I was often invited back to the same places several times
in succession.
SOURCES OF INSTRUCTION.

Compelled to experiment almost constantly upon all
classes of vicious horses, I had the best possible opportunities
for studying not only their temperaments and habits, but also
the conditions and principles of most successfully meeting
the difficulties presented. -

During’ these first years, my treatment was necessarily
very imperfect and experimental. Then it seemed a great
feat, many times, to make a wild or unbroken colt of ordinary
good character sufficiently gentle to submit to be handled, or
ridden, to follow, etc. There was not, of course, any such
thing thought of or attempted by me, as driving a vicious or
kicking runaway horse before a class, or any other feat of con-
trol, showing the closely defined, effective treatment of my
later years.

The trials, too, by which I was almost constantly hamp-
ered and embarrassed, were, without my knowing it, of the
greatest benefit to me, because by my being in this way
driven constantly to the utmost limit of what I could do, they
were the best possible means of forcing me to such effort as
to bring into activity all the resources of my nature, in order
to hold my own, and thus they became the real key and
secret of my ultimate success. At first, I necessarily made

AN INCIDENT IN POINT. 27

failures; but when I did, I felt unwilling to let them rest so,
and often at great inconvenience and expense, I went back
and repeated the experiment privately until successful. At
one time, in order to do so, I actually made a drive of nearly
one hundred miles with a loss of nearly a week’s time and at
much expense.

AN INCIDENT IN POINT.

At Vienna, N. Y., I failed: upon a horse brought in by
Dr. Carpenter, at the time a leading physician there, which
caused me the loss of a large class. Before leaving I told the
doctor that I was unwilling to let the experiment rest so, and
that after filling my appointments I would come back and treat
the case privately. I accordingly drove straight back and ex-
perimented uponthecase, when I was successful. The gener-
ous-minded doctor, not anticipating that I would come back,
met me upon my return with the most puzzled expres-
sion, as if to say, ‘‘ Well, I never expected to see you again.”’
But after I had made a success in the treatment of the case,
he was so enthusiastic that he insisted upon my repeating the
lesson, when by his personal efforts, all the old scholars came
back, with quite an accession of new ones, and the result was
adecided success. Uponcoming together, in fact, they were
so enthusiastic, as to unanimously vote that they would be
satisfied.

It was one of my strict rules, when I heard of a peculiar
case, to secure an opportunity at any cost or effort for ex-
perimenting uponit. Farther on, an instance is related, how,
at considerable expense, I changed my entire route for weeks
so as to secure an opportunity of experimenting upon a spe-
cially difficult case. My idea was this: Here is a case from
which I can learn something; and no surgeon or chemist
could have been more interested in the results of such experi-
ments. Not only at much loss of time and at great expense,
but without compensation, I in this way made many of the
most interesting and important experiments in my Career,
some of which are referred to farther on.

CHAPTER II.

DRIVING A STALLION WITHOUT REINS—IMPORTANT DISCOVERY—
THE NOTED ROBERTS HORSE—SPECIAL FEATS
—AMUSING INCIDENT. ;-

oe in my experience [| felt
the necessity of having some

means by which I could more
easily. attract and hold public at-
tention. My first effort in this di-
rection was in securing a pair of

ety pee: elks and trying to train them to
drive; but finding them too old and wild to make their con-
trol reliable, I was compelled to give them up. At this point
I chanced to see a horse driven in the street without the con-
trol of bridle or reins, merely, by motions of a whip, and I de-
cided that that was just the thing.*

I immediately secured the first young stallion I could find
suitable for the purpose. I purchased him of Squire Cole, of
Smithville, Jefferson Co., N. Y. Though entirely unbroken
and of an exceptionally vicious character,——in fact one of the
most unsuitable horses for such a purpose I could well have

* Tt will be interesting to note that the originator of this unique fea-
ture of training, afterward made so prominent and popular through the
country by myself and others, was a woman,—Mrs. Fred Bunnell, a res-
ident of Wellsboro, Tioga county, Pa. She owned an exceptionally in-
telligent and fine-tempered stallion,—just the kind of a horse to train
easily, and not resist control. Among other things, she trained him to
be guided and controlled in driving by the motions of a whip. This
horse was exhibited by her at Chemung, and other county fairs in that
part of the State of New York. Passing out of her hands, he was pur-
chased by Mr. A. H. Rockwell, or rather by a member of the family,
who exchanged a pair of mules for him. Mr. Rockwell tried to give ex-
hibitions with him in halls, but failed to make it remunerative. He

[ 28 |

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. 29

found,—after much trouble, I was finally so successful in
training him that I was enabled in two weeks, with
entire safety, to give an exhibition with him. This horse
afterwards developed into one of the most sagacious and reli-
able horses ever exhibited in this way.*

With this advantage I now struck out with renewed suc-
cess. Soon after, | made the first really important discovery
in the art of subjection, given in my regular work as the
Second Method of Subjection. This was really a great stride,
from which dated my pronounced success in the control
of wild or vicious colts.

This discovery was of so much importance and interest
that I may refer to an interesting circumstance in connection
with it. A young horse had been brought in for experiment
that had kicked and run away, and was so wild and danger-
ous that he could not with safety be brought near or hitched
to shafts. After working upon him two hours, aided by mem-
bers of the class, resulting not only ina complete failure, but
in completely exhausting me, when all seemed lost, on
the impulse of the moment, like an inspiration, the secret
came to me how to meet the emergency, and I was instantly
enabled to see that I had made the greatest and most impor-
tant discovery that had ever been made upon the subject up to
that time, which was demonstrated by my now being able to
make the horse entirely gentle, and this without the least ex-
ertion or excitement, within ten minutes.

next drove him in the streets with a whip, and without reins, and en-
gaged in teaching the Rarey System, which at this time had been
taught quite extensively throughout the country.

These facts were given me by Mr. Bunnell, the husband of the lady
who trained the stallion, who was afterward a member of my class in
Wellsboro. At the time of my visit there, my canvas was pitched upon
his ground. The statements were also corroborated by various other
parties, including Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Rockwell’s brother-in-law, who trav-
eled with him.

* This was my old horse Turco, referred to in another part of this
work.

30 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

In the fall of the same year I subdued tthe first really
dangerous horse of my experience. This horse I had heard
about for weeksas an extraordinary case; one supposed to be so
dangerously vicious as to make it practically impossible to do
anything with him. For weeks I thought about the case, and

Fig. 13,—Roberts horse in one of his vicious acts.

though from all I could learn, it seemed a desperate risk,
which I had been repeatedly cautioned to have nothing to do
with, I finally concluded that, whatever the risk, it was indis-
pensable to my success to go there and take himinhand. As
it was my first really serious case, in connection with the pecu-
liar circumstances under which he was treated, with the fact
of my limited experience at the time, and being also a good
illustration as showing the ease with which a naturally gentle

TLE IN OLED ACO BERLES LLORSE: bl

horse may be spoiled by bad treatment, it will be of interest
to give the particulars in relation to it. This was the noted
Roberts horse, in Utica, N. Y. He was a fine young stallion,
owned by a gentleman named Roberts, at the time one of the
prominent members of the city government.

‘This horse had previously been of such exceptionally
good character that he was used as a family driver. A
groom, in the habit of drinking occasionally, was employed to
take charge of him, and to make the horse show up, was in
the habit of whipping him until he grew vicious and got to
fighting. The owner, hearing of this, discharged the man,
and took charge of the horse himself; when, the first he knew,
the horse pitched suddenly at him, biting him, and undoubt-
edly would have killed him had not two men who happened
near driven the horse off with rails.

When I went there, the horse had been confined to his
stall for seven months, and fed througha hole or window in the
wall, it not being considered safe for anyone to go near him.
In consequence of his serious injuries, Mr. Roberts was yet
confined to his room, a helpless invalid. Upon the object of
my visit to Utica becoming known, the citizens united in
insisting that I should first subdue this horse. Consenting
to make the experiment, I was accompanied to Mr. Roberts’
residence in the upper part of the city by the Butterfield
brothers, one of them proprietor of a large livery stable, and
the other better known since as Major General Butterfield;
also by Mr. Golden, a well known merchant and horseman,
and the reporters of the Zelegraph and Utica Herald.

When these gentlemen saw the really dangerous charac-
ter of the horse, fearing I would get injured and they cen-
sured for it, they unanimously requested that I would have
nothing to do with him, saying that if I would not, they
would do all they could to help me form aclass. I replied
that they need not borrow any trouble about me; that I would
take all the chances; that the experiment must be made, and
I only wished them to keep out of my way.

32 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

I was fortunately able to get the horse out of his stall
without serious difficulty, and into a small yard or open wagon
house, on one side of which was a loft or haymow, where the
gentlemen referred to seated themselves beyond the reach of
possible harm. Having the horse out in the yard, controlled
by two long ropes fastened to his bridle and held by myself
and assistant, I may say I never felt more anxious or appre-
hensive for my safety in my life. I had made no preparation
whatever, and really I did
not know what to do. I had
no settled plan of manage-
ment, but something had to
be done, and trusting en-
tirely to the inspiration of the
moment, I was finally so suc-
cessful that within ten min-
utes I had him under my com-
plete control.

But my friends little knew
the desperate risk I had
really run; for at one point
the turning of a finger in the
way of a mistake would have
certainly cost me my life; but An ideal head.
succeeding, the result was regarded as briliant. I ordered
the horse to be put to work at once, and treated with great

kindness, and he continued so gentle afterwards that he was
again used as a family driving horse by the owner.

After this experiment, and teaching a number of classes,
I wrote the first edition of the little work entitled ‘«‘ The New
System of Training Horses,’’ which was published by the
Utica Herald Company.

PRESS NOTICES.

I continued my efforts in this part of the State of New
York, until the fall of the next year (1863), when I went to
Maine, where my work first attracted real attention. To

PRESS NOTMGES: 33

show something of the importance attached to my efforts
there, I quote a few paragraphs from the press of the State
at the time:—

‘Mr. Magner, the horse-tamer, has been in Portland
during the past week, and has created a great stir among our
horsemen. . . . . Such success, in so brief a period, is un-
usual. His exhibitions have been very interesting, and have
satisfactorily demonstrated his ability to bring the most un-
manageable horses entirely under his control.

‘«‘An innocent colt, fresh from the country, was intro-
duced, and in a few minutes acted the part of a well-trained
horse; then came a spirited mare, whose stubbornness was not
so. readily, though no less surely, overcome; an old stager,
which had for years defied every farrier in the county, but
after a five minutes’ training stood quiet as a lamb while his
feet were handled and hammered in true blacksmith style.
A splendid animal whose principal fault seemed to be an un-
usual fright at the sight of an umbrella, ina very short space of
time stood unmoved as one of these articles was placed before
and moved about his body, and when at last it was held
above and dropped upon his head, he appeared to regard it
with far more of complacency than of fear. A puller on a bit
was also beaten at his own game, and yielded handsomely.

‘« Whatever the tricks and eccentricities of which the
animals brought forward were guilty, they found more than
their match in the horse-tamer, who did not in a single
instance let a horse pass out of his hands till he could truth-
fully say, ‘I have you, sir.” He was asked to test his skill
still further on a vicious mule which was brought in and turned
loose in the ring. He was indeed a villainous fellow, and not
at all agreeable in his manners, refusing to be bridled or han-
dled, and meeting every one who approached him with an un-
desirable display of his heels; but in less than fifteen minutes
his whole demeanor was changed, and he remained perfectly
quiet while he was again and _ again haltered, mounted on all
sides, and handled from head to foot, and finally led out per-
fectly submissive. The change was wonderful, and called
forth great applause.” —Portland Transcript.

‘¢Mr. Magner, whose equestrian feats have excited the
wonder of our citizens, has left the city in order to fulfil numer-
ous engagements in thecountry. It is very fortunate for him
that this is not an age when men are executed for witchcraft.

3

34 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Had he lived in Salem in 1692, and exhibited as he has here
his power over refractory horses, as sure as fate he would
have been hanged for a wizard. Indeed, we are not certain
that he does not practice some sort of witchery in his manage-
ment of horses. No one can form an idea of his wonderful
power over them, until he witnesses proof of it. To seea
horse furious, stubborn, defiant, with a very devil in his eye,
in a few moments, by some mysterious power, calmed down,
rendered docile, patiently submissive, and allowing every lib-
erty to be taken with him—in a word, the evil spirit which
had possessed the animal completely exorcised—you can
hardly credit it, although the marvelous transformation takes
place under your naked eye. A knowledge of Mr. Magner’s
theory of subduing the horse must be invaluable to all own-
ers of the animal.’”—Portland Advertiser, 1864.

After my campaign in Maine I traveled through Ver-
mont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Western New York and
Ohio.

In the meantime I trained several other horses to drive
without reins, until in 1867 I had six stallions trained to
drive in this manner, double or single.

SPECIAL FEATS. .

Learning the importance of startling the people all I
could, I was led to add other features to my advertisements.
For example, when in Maine, I advertised that, daily, before
the regular exhibition in the street, I would take any wild,
unbroken colt that could be produced, and within twenty
minutes make him so gentle as to take him into the street,
there being upon him no bridle or halter, and by control of
the whip only, make him follow and submit to be ridden
or handled in any manner. The point of interest, of
course, was the perfect docility and obedience of the colt
when exhibited, and the shortness of the time in which so
great a change would be accomphshed.

This I afterward changed to driving within twenty min-
utes, any kicking, runaway colt, without breeching. The
only condition being, that the people should remain in’ the

SVPIR OMA I aA IES. 30

town or the place where I started from, when I would drive
outside the town, leading the colt, and, within the time
named, drive him back to my buggy, entirely gentle. To
make the feat as startling as I could, upon hitching up the
colt I turned loose my trained horse (Turco) in advance of
me, drove in on a rapid trot or run, and upon reaching the
crowd would throw the reins from me over the horse’s head at
the same time calling, ‘‘Whoa,” when he would instantly
stop, and this with the breeching strap loose, letting the
cross-piece of the shafts come against the quarters. Sucha
change, in so short a time, in connection with being pro-
duced so quickly and under such
unfavorable circumstances,
would of course be considered ‘
startling.

Whatever I did with my
own horses would be regarded =

= —<— — =

as a matter of COUTSE; but the fig. 15.—A pair of stallions as driven
wish would be, to see one of by the author.

their horses, that I never saw before, controlled in like man-
ner; and to combat this feeling I was forced to perform these
little feats.

To obtain a horse that was known to have been very vic-
ious, and especially one that had caused a serious accident,
was always a great advantage to me; for this reason I made it
a point, if possibe, to secure suchcases. In performing these
feats I was often compelled to take very narrow chances.
There being such a desire to see what I did, many people
would, in consequence, follow me so closely that it was fre-
quently with extreme difficulty that I could secure the few
moments privacy necessary to subject the horse to treatment;
but as it was in the apparent narrowness of the chances I
took where the real greatness and interest of the feat seemed
to lie, I aimed, and was often compelled, to go as near to
the line of danger and what appeared to be impossible, as
I dared, and yet succeed.

36 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

AMUSING INCIDENT.

I also made it a point to take advantage of chance inci-
dents, as far as I could. For instance, once, while in a small
country town where I was unknown, a jockey, because I
would not give him a free ticket to my lecture, ‘made the
boast that I should not form a class there. He boldly stated
in the presence of a large crowd of people, that he could do
anything with a horse that I could, etc., and offering to bet a

Laie a large sum of money that he could
a] produce a horse that I could not
ride. He knew that I heard his
bragging, and as I made no reply,
EE a he, as well as the people, supposed
Fig. 16.—An ordinary case. that I was afraid to take exception
to the statement, or defend myself.

Waiting my opportunity, | stepped forward, saying that
though I made it a rule to have no controversy with any one,
under the circumstances I felt called upon to notice the state-
ment made, and if the gentleman would produce his horse,
we would soon settle the matter. He rephed that I could
not do it and carry a pail on my arm, which gave me just the
clue I wished. I replied with apparent indifference, ‘‘That

y is nothing; after a few minutes’
y ;

private conference with your horse -
he will permit me to ride him and
carry a pail or anything else with-
‘ out trouble.”” He objected to this,
4 EA saying, | must do it right in the
Ze Fig.17.— Ordinary results. open street. I replied, that my
work was a secret, and this was a part of it that I did not
propose making public.

Knowing that simply to prevent the horse from hearing
would enable me to ride him without trouble, I provided my-
self with some cotton batting, and the moment the stable
doors were closed upon me and the horse, I stuffed both his

RE SOLT OLA TIAPLING INCIDENT. 37

ears with it. Not able now to hear the rattle of the pail, he,
of course, submitted to be mounted and ridden upon the street
at once, apparently indifferent to it.*

My jockey friend now claimed that he could do as much.
This was my opportunity, and, I telt bound to make the most
of it; so to make it the more startling, I said, ‘‘I will make
him so that you can or cannot ride him. Which way will
youshave ite re said, -“ Wil bet I can ride him.;> 1 replied
“Very well; I want an opportunity to privately talk to the
horse, and tell him what to do, and then we will see.’’
Gaining this point, the doors were shut upon me, which was
what I wished. I now took the cotton out of his ears, and to
make sure of my point, rattled the pail around him so as to
frighten and excite him all I could. The consequence was
what I anticipated; when the door was opened, and the man
tried to ride him, carrying the pail, the horse was so fright-
ened and excited by it, that he became unmanageable and
got away, the fellow being thrown off. This excited the
greatest curiosity, many believing the horse really understood
me, and only did what I told him,—all resulting, as I antici-
pated, in my making a large class. When I explained to
them that this was a mere trick—not by any means part of
my treatment—it was accepted as a good joke, and created
great amusement.

RESULT OF A TRIFLING INCIDENT.

My success at Augusta, the capital of Maine, was en-
tirely the result of an incident of the most trifling character.
There being no apparent interest in my efforts there, I was
about leaving the city, when a leading member of the Legis-
lature wished me to look at a horse he had purchased the day
before. Upon the horse being brought forward, I noticed

* The famous trainer, John Splan, in his work recently published,
“Life with the Trotters,” has struck upon this plan in the management
of certain conditions of sensibility and resistance. He refers particu-
larly to his success with it in the management of a nervous horse.

38 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

that he was a fine, intelligent fellow; and seeing a little
switch on the ground near me, it occurred to me to take it up
quietly, and without attracting attention, to train the horse to
follow me. I passed the switch over his shoulder gently,
bringing the end of it against the opposite side of his head,
and while talking to the man, tapped the head lightly with it
a few times, to teach the horse to step around a little. All
the while unobserved, I turned it back, touched him sharply

Fig. 18.—A feat performed by the author in a few minutes before his classes
upon any unbroken colt.

upon the hip, let it drop on the ground on the opposite side
and walked forward, when he followed me around freely. The
owner, not seeing me do anything with him, was so astonished
to see the horse follow me in this way that he told the circum-
stance to his friends, of course greatly magnifying it. Ac-
cording to his report, I had simply looked at the horse, and
the horse at me, and after walking around a little with him,
he would follow me anywhere,—a magical result. This be-
coming known, the curiosity of the people was so great that I
was requested to give an exhibition, which was attended by
the leading citizens and members of the Legislature.

RESULT OF A TRIFLING [NCIDENT. 39

To explain something of this interest, I include some of
the press notices regarding them.

‘««Mr. Magner, the author of this philosophy, has aston-
ished the good people of Augusta and vicinity by the admira-
ble and perfectly successful demonstration of his system, in
subduing and controlling some of the most vicious and un-
governable specimens of the horse fraternity that could be
found among us. The manifest and acknowledged impor-
tance of this art, and the desire of the public to understand
and witness the results of its application, induced a crowded
attendance of allclasses on Mr. Magner’s practical illustrations
of his theory. All who attended came away fully convinced
of, and perfectly satisfied with, the correctness of the princi-
ples and workings of this new system.

‘‘ Rven the members of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives, and the members of the Executive Council, took
a leisure hour, laid by the affairs of the State, forgot their
parliamentary squabbles, and found both amusement and
instruction in witnessing the skill and consummate tact with
which Mr. Magner handled the hitherto incorrigible subjects
brought forward to test his new doctrine. Crowds of our
most intelligent citizens were in attendance, and became de-
cidedly and thoroughly satisfied that Mr. Magner’s system is
all that he claims for it, and that when applied, it will be
effectual in bringing the wildest and most stubborn horse into
complete subjection and docility.

‘‘A large class of pupils united to profit by Mr. Magner’s
instruction and to learn the best modes of applying his theory
to practice; and as a matter of course, the hardest and most
vicious horses that could be found in the neighborhood were
brought in for him to subdue, all of which were completely
tamed, and brought into such a state of docility as to astonish
those whosawit. Sosatisfactory and perfectly successful were
his instructions and experiments to every one who attended,
and so efficient and useful did his principles and modes of pro-
cedure prove themselves to be in training and subduing horses,
that the officers of the Second Maine Cavalry were influenced
to invite him to give a course of instruction to those of the
regiment who could be spared from duty to attend. In this,
too, he was perfectly successful, as in all other instances.

«<The most dangerous of vicious horses are those frisky,
nervous, touchy kickers, whose heels are always ready to

40 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

greet you whenever you approach or attempt to harness them.
One of this class was brought forward, of so desperate a
character that the owner cautioned Mr. Magner that he
would expose himself to danger and probable injury if he was
too familiar with her. Ina short time he had her so effectu-
ally subdued and conquered that he could do anything he
pleased with her—jump upon her back, slide off behind her
heels, handle her feet, and place himself in any position he
pleased around her, without the least opposition, or showing
the least disposition to bite or practice her old tricks.

‘¢We look uponthis mode of horse-training as an art,
wonderful for the sure and infallible results which follow its
appliance.” —Kennebec Journal (Augusta), February, 1864.

‘«It is all quietly done; no whipping nor thrashing ; no
mauling, brawling, nor swearing, as has oiten heretofore been
the custom in such cases. Herein is one of the great and in-
valuable improvements which Mr. Magner introduces in the
art of bringing the horse under the complete control of man.
We make these remarks for the purpose of calling the atten- ~
tion of our farmers and owners of horses in Maine to the new
improvements of such vital importance to theirinterests. We
have taken great pains to give them a personal investigation.
You will find Mr. Magner a modest, unassuming young man,
and no humbug, and we cordially advise every one who can,
to obtain the benefit of his lectures.’——/aine Farmer, Feb.
24, 1864.

Many amusing incidents could, if desired, be referred to,
but would be but lttle more than a repetition of what has
been said on this subject.

CHAPTER III.

TRAINED PONIES—CAMPAIGN IN THE SOUTH—INTERESTING TEST
EXPERIMENTS— BUFFALO MAN-EATER, ETC.

HE novelty of driving stallions
without reins soon became so
lessened by others training ordinary

“") horses in this way,—the real feat

being in driving spirited stallions,

recognized as hard to control, even

with Tone nae I found it necessary to substitute other fea-
tures. With this object, I secured at great trouble and ex-
pense a number of the finest ponies I could find, and trained
them to do such tricks as would excite the most interest.
In 1868 my health became seriously impaired, and having
too many trained horses on my hands, I sold six of them.
As there will be references farther on to an incident in con-
nection with the sale of these horses, it will be of interest to
give the facts here.

Two of these horses, one of them being a very finely
trained pony, I sold to a man named O. S. Pratt, of Batavia,
N. Y., whom I instructed and started in the business.
Another very superior pony I sold to a man named Graves, of
Lockport, N. Y., who also engaged in the business. This
pony was afterwards secured by Mr. Pratt.

Retaining two of my best horses, I made arrangements
with a man who traveled in the South, to make a campaign
there, which continued for nearly a year, traveling through
western Tennessee and northern and central Mississipp1.
After a successful tour there, my health being improved, I
returned to the North, and re-organized carefully for work in
the larger cities. This required the erection of a special struc-

[41]

42 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

ture for my use, in each place visited. This campaign I com-
menced at Buffalo, N. Y., which extended west to Cleveland,
Sandusky, Toledo, and other cities in Ohio and Michigan,
and with it began the era of my really strong, effective work.
There were many incidents of unusual interest in connection
with my efforts at this time. I can give the particulars of but
one or two, which will be of special interest, as showing
something of the seriousness of the trials to which I was at
times subjected.
TEST EXPERIMENT.

When I visited Cleveland, notwithstanding the large at-
tendance of leading citizens and horsemen at the pony exhi-
bition, I was unable to obtain a single name for a class. This
was, of course, equivalent to failure. Having incurred a large
expense in building a place to exhibit in, and in advertising the
city, this was a serious matter to me. I was consequently in
a quandary how to overcome the difficulty. A chance circum-
stance, in itself trifling, finally gave me a clue for a footing, and
{ at once made the most of it. Soon after the exhibition
there was controversy, as toa certain colored boy (a very
superior rider) being able to ride one of my ponies. (Tommy
was, at this time, undoubtedly one of the most famous horses
of this character ever known.) One of the parties being anx-
ious to bet, and learning that the one defending the pony did
not have the money, ! quietly stepped up to him and placed
the amount (a hundred dollars) in his hands, saying, ‘‘ Put it
up, I will take all the chances.” So large a wager pending on
the result became naturally a matter of gossip, which was
reported in the papers. This was, of course, greatly in my
favor.

Next, by the advice of a friend, I was induced to send
complimentary tickets to twelve leading gentlemen—a thing I
had in no case done before—-and awaited the result with
much anxiety.

As I had anticipated, at the time advertised for trial there
was a large attendance and much interest manifested as to

APPARENTLY BAFFLED. 43

the result; and though the boy was really a superior rider,
one of the best I had found up to that time, the pony won the
complete victory by throwing him fairly three times in suc-
cession.

I now, at once, repeated my efforts to-form a class, but
notwithstanding all I could do, I was unable to obtain a sin-
gle name. I was so nettled at such a result, that I was fairly
roused to make not only an extreme, but a single-handed
effort.

In this spirit I first made inquiry how many of those to
whom tickets were given the day before were present, and
was informed there were eight. This proved to me that if I
would succeed it must be the result of a really heroic effort,
and I felt determined to makeit. I then explained the efforts
I had made, including that of sending out the complimentary
tickets, and for which I felt like apologizing, and under the
circumstances I had changed my mind, and that such tickets
would on no condition now be honored; that I would suc-
ceed, if at all, entirely unaided, and under the impulse of the
moment was led to make some pretty strong statements,
among others, that I would forfeit five hundred dollars for the
production of a horse that I could not control and drive,
without breeching, gently, within forty minutes, and this
without making any exception as to age, habit, or character
of viciousness.

But notwithstanding even this, there was not the slight-
est indication of interest manifested, not aname ora word be-
ing offered. When all seemed lost, and I had concluded that
it was entirely useless to make any further effort, a pleasant
looking gentleman* approached me, and with great courtesy
of manner said:——

* This was Mr. William Edwards, a prominent business man of the city,
since then president of the Trotting Association there. And now (more
than twenty years afterward) Mr. Edwards being yet living, it occurred
to me that it would be accepted as a feature of more than ordinary inter-
est to have this gentleman’s portrait inserted in connection with the
statement of the incident. I accordingly made the request, which was
kindly granted.

44 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

‘«We have no doubt at all, sir, that you are a good fellow,
and can doa great deal with horses, but the fact is, there
have been a number of parties here in this business (referring
particularly to Rarey, Fancher, and Rockwell), and we have
paid a good deal of money for such instruction; and to be
frank, we do not think you have anything new to show
us.” He, at the same time looked at me as if to say, ‘‘You
certainly do not look to be nearly as smart as the other fel-
lows,” adding,

‘“«But we have
a horse here, and if
you can control and
drive him as you say
you can, we will
‘take off our hats
to you,’ and admit
that you can beat
any man in the busi-
ness, and that you
are the best in the
world.”

Irepled) That
is just what I have
been calling for;
get your horse and
I will soon settle the matter.”

Upon the horse being led in, the owner who accompa-
nied the groom being unwilling to submit him to me for trial,
and at once perceiving that the horse, though a really serious
case, would not be much trouble for me to control, I at once
bought him at an exorbitant price. This was the famous
Malone horse, recognized at the time as the most exception-
ally vicious, kicking, runaway horse ever known in that city
or State. This horse had been worked upon for years, with-
out success, by the best expert trainers, and had finally been
given up as so incorrigibly unmanageable that nothing could

fig. 20.—Hon. William Edwards.

THE NOTED MALONE HORSE. 45

be done with him. With this horse available, I felt confident
of success. ;

I now succeeded in making a small class, every man,
however, as he came forward for his ticket, looking at me as
if tosay, ‘‘If you do not do just what you promise | will skin
you alive or have my money back.” This did not trouble
me, however, and | met it by saying that when their money
went into my pocket it was sure to stay there.

: i] \
“aly,

|
SZ

Day
Hl)

i)

W744 Ze i Fig. 21.—The noted Malone horse in one of his acts.
ZEA eh

As I anticipated, upon trial I experienced no serious dif-
ficulty in bringing the horse under control, with about five
minutes to play on, within the limits of the time promised.
Determined to make the most of the opportunity, and to
push the fight to the utmost lmit, I immediately advertised
to drive this horse next day on the public square, without
bridle, reins or breeching. Upon this being announced to the
class, they in the most earnest manner united in the request
that I would not hazard my already assured success by taking
such a risk, promising at the sametime that if I would not do

46 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

so, they would help me to the utmost limit of their power. In
reply I told them that while grateful for their interest I was
not that sort of fellow; that I had started in to fight the battle
through entirely unaided by any one, and that I must do it in
my ownway. Not only this, but if I failed to drive the horse
as promised, I should insist on giving each member of the
class his money back.

It was, of course, regarded as such foolhardiness as to be
little less than a miracle if I succeeded. The promised _ per-
formance of sucha
feat created the
ereatest, sexe 1 be.
ment, as I intended
it should. During
the morning the

anticipation of dan-
ger from such a

venture became so
great that a short
J\"\ time before the
Z Yi Fig. 22.—The Malone horse. time advertised for
the trial I was waited upon by an officer from the city hall,
with the announcement that the mayor could not permit such
a dangerous performance; and to meet this emergency I at
once gave bonds for one thousand dollars that no harm

SS
SSE
a
ss

should result.

At the hour appointed, there was the greatest excite-
ment. It was estimated that there were fully thirty thousand
people assembled around the square and on house- tops to wit-
ness the test, but everything being done to the letter, exactly
as promised, there was such pronounced revulsion of feeling
that all went afterwards in my favor. The consequence was,
that my first class there’was by far the largest I ever had before
or afterwards, every man seeming to feel it his duty to make a
personal effort to aid me, so that my success there for a month
afterwards was certainly all that I could have wished. It

THE MALONE HORSE. 47

will be interesting to quote a few representative press refer-

ences :—

‘‘But the greatest sensation of the evening was yet to
come ; for all were anxious, as many present knew the vicious
nature of the beast to be subdued—in fact, there were one or
two present who had had good cause to ever remember the
great runaway and kicker known as the ‘ Malone horse.’ He
is a gray gelding, perhaps sixteen hands high, of great beauty

Fig. 23.—The Malone horse as driven after treatment next day, on the square, without
bridle, reins, or brecching.

and strength, and a will and determination rarely found in the
purely American breed of horses. The horse was brought
into the enclosure, and caused general comment by his mag-
nificent style and grace of movement. His owner was pres-
ent ,and after looking at the animal a few minutes, and dread-
ing to see him pass into other hands to manage, hesitated at
the last moment to give his consent to the application of the
system.

‘¢Mr. Magner, determined to have a subject, asked the
price of the horse, which was announced to be $500. ‘I'll
take him,’ said Mr. M., and at once handed over the amount.
This movement on the part of Mr. Magner was unexpected,

48 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

as most horsemen who have visited us generally prefer to
‘work up’ other people’s horses rather than their own.

‘«‘At this stage of the proceedings the excitement was
intense, and many speculations were indulged in as to who
would prove victor, the man or the horse. In less than
twenty minutes from the time Mr. Magner laid, his hands
upon his subject, the horse was as gentle as a lamb, and as
easily controlled as the most reliable family horse. Among
the efforts to prove that the gray gelding was completely

; broken, Mr. M., without reins in
hand, mounted the wagon, and,
catching the animal by the tail,
drove him around the ring at a fear-
ful pace, drawing the wagon upon the
SS) | heels of the horse in such a way as
to strike them with a force that
EE A ; could be heard at the farthest end of.

One of the tests of the Malone the room.”— Cleveland Leader.

‘¢Yesterday morning the famous ‘Malone horse’ was
hitched to an open wagon, with no hold-back straps, and
driven up and down the street, at times at a 2:40 pace, and
when suddenly brought up with the lines, would stop the
whole weight of the vehicle with his heels—but no kicking
now.’ ’-—Cleveland Herald,

\

“A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

‘¢While Mr. Magner was driving along the street, follow-
ing after the Arlington band wagon, people would call out to
him, ‘I say, mister, yer hold-back straps are gone! Yer’ll
have a runaway if yer don’t look out;’ and while crossing the
railroad track on Ontario street, to avoid the jam of teams,
etc., the rear wheels of his buggy were struck by a passing
street-car, the axletree so bent that one of the wheels would
not revolve, and the driver, buggy, and all, precipitated for-
ward on the horse, which, three days ago, one-half dozen
men could not have held under such circumstances, but with
no bad results further than stated. The horse did not seem
alarmed, and bravely stood while the wreck was cleared away
from the track, without so much as an effort to kick, fully
proving the thoroughness of Magner’s system.

‘<The people who thronged the street were attracted by
that natural morbidity of the human mind which expects to be

THE BUFFALO MAN-EATER. 49

gratified by seeing some appalling disaster; but in this case
they were most grievously disappointed, for instead of seeing
the gray gelding ‘mash things,’ as was his wont, they only
saw a splendid, docile animal driven by a gentleman who
neither appeared alarmed, nor expectant of any serious results
from driving so gentle and speedy a buggy horse.

‘« At the close of the last lecture of his course in Cleve-
land, the following resolution was moved by Hon. Silas Mer-
chant (President of the City Council), which was carried by
acclamation of the entire class, comprising ove thousand lead-
ing citizens -—

<< ¢ Resolved, That we, as members of Prof. Magner’s
class in this city, deem it but a just recognition of his skill
and success in teaching us his system of educating horses,
which is above all praise, hereby indorse him and his system
to our friends and the public.’

GEN) Weekinen, Kennand iouse:

‘¢Hon. Wn. Epwarpbs, Wholesale Grocer, Water St.

‘¢Gen. D. T. Casement, Painesville.”’

THE BUFFALO MAN-EATER.
A horse that killed one man and injured several others.

At the inception of the campaign in Buffalo I made one of
the most interesting and pronounced experiments of subjec-
tion, in all my experience. This was a horse that had been
shut up for months, no one daring to go near him, and it was
the intention to have him shot. The subjection of this case
being made a challenge, the experiment was unavoidable.
Upon trial, however, the result was most pronounced, it requir-
ing but twelve minutes, not only to bring him under complete
control, but turning him loose entirely gentle, and by the
effect of the treatment he remained so.*

In referring to this interesting case, the Commercial
Advertiser, of that city, said:——

‘ Yesterday afternoon we visited the amphitheater of
Prof. Magner, the noted horse-tamer. We found there a

* The full particulars of this, with a few other representative cases,
I thought of sufficient interest to include in a special chapter in another
part, which, if desired, can be referred to.

4

50 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

large number of our most prominent citizens, and all mani-
fested the greatest interest in the doings of the Professor. <A
horse belonging to the omnibus company,—a most vicious
brute, with the habit of biting, and striking with his forefeet,
—was brought for treatment. We understand, by the way,
that this horse (a large and powerful bay) once killed a man by
biting and trampling him under foot, and recently bit the hand
almost off the person having him in charge. In about twenty
minutes [the time was actually within twelve minutes], in
the presence of between two and three hundred persons, Mr.
; Magner reduced
this brute to per-
fect subjection, so
that the groom and
himself harnessed
and unharnesed
hims = putt breatr
bands inhis mouth,
and handled him in
every shape with
perfect impunity,
the former furious
beast being as do-
cile as a kitten. It
was a wonderful ex-
hibition, as we can
bear testimony.”

Fig. 25.—The Buffalo ntan-eater.

In a letter afterward received from Mr. Ford, the super-
intendent, in relation to this case, he made the following state-
ment:—

‘« Respecting our once vicious horse,‘ Man-eater,’ as we
call him,—-I have often said, What a good thing it was that we
did not shoot him! He was taken out of the stable twice for
that purpose, when, on both occasions, I interceded in his
behalf. He is now one of our best horses, as docile as a lamb,
and all the drivers like him. We work him double or single,
as required. All this was the result from your few minutes’
tuition.”

While in that city there also occurred an incident of so
judicrous a character that I think it worthy of referring to.
This was the noted Press horse. When this case was brought

Mg IS IT HIRSS, Sel OVGSI SE, 51

in for experiment, the owner got up in great excitement, say-
ing he wished to make a statement—-that he owned that
horse, knew all about him, and that he would be sure to in-
jure or kill somebody, at the same time warning them to look.
out for their lives, and giving emphasis to his statement by
at once rushing for the highest seat out of danger. There
was such an inclination to a stampede among the people that
it became necessary to state in positive terms that there would
be no danger whatever; that the case was only on a line with
subjects I had to deal with almost daily, and would be no
more than an ordinary subject to me, in the management of
which there would be no danger what-
ever. This, of course, was an addi-
tional incentive to my making an extra
effort to see how quickly and with what
success I could subdue the case. Upon
trial I was so fortunate as to be able to
do so in twelve minutes, in that time
hitching him up and driving him, with- g
out breeching, gentle and submissive as = The Buffalo man-cater.
any family horse, all resulting in getting the laugh on the
owner. It will be of interest to give the particulars in rela-
tion to this case.

He was an eight-year-old sorrel horse, of medium size.
When a colt he was of ordinary good character, and worked
in gently until, when six years old, the whiffletree came acci-
dentally against his quarters, when plowing corn, and so
startled and frightened him that he kicked and ran away, tear-
ing the cultivator to pieces. Every effort to work afterward
only intensified his fear. Four or five times in succession he
kicked loose and ran away, becoming finally so dangerous as
to be wholly unmanageable.

Mr. Press, the owner, was a leading horseman in the
town. He had recently taken lessons of a so-called traveling
horse-tamer, with a number of others, and they concluded to
try their skill on the horse. Five of them assembled on the

52 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

following Sunday, and worked half a day on the horse, using,
as he declared, nearly thirty dollars’ worth of rigging. The
consequence was, that after doing all they could, when they
tried to hitch and drive the horse, he kicked himself loose,
and ran furiously over a mile into the
village, with his straps and rigging
hanging to him. Sucha result, after
% so much labor, convinced them that
the horse could not be broken, and
The Press horse. that he was practically worthless.

Sometime afterwards, Mr. Press brought the horse to
Buffalo, and offered to sell him to me. I told him, if he
would join my class, I would break the horse for him. I
wanted just such a one upon which to illustrate the effect of

my treatment.

‘«¢] do not care to join any horse-taming class,” replied
he. ‘«I have been in anumber of them, and can do as much
with a horse as any man. I do
not want any more such instruc-
tions, but I will sell you the
horses:

‘¢T do not want your horse;”
said I, ‘‘but if you will join my
class and bring him for me to
experiment upon, I will guaran-
tee not to injure him, and prom-
ise 1f Ido not hitch him up and
drive him perfectly gentle in
twenty minutes, to charge you
Fig. 28.—Press horse after subjection. nothing for instructions,’ and
to give additional emphasis to the statement, I promised to
give him in addition the best suit of clothes he could buy in
the city.

On these conditions he finally yielded the point, and
promised to bring in the horse for trial, at the same time
warning me that he knew no living man could drive or control

IGE, IAI ISS) SOMONE SIE 53

him in harness. He and his friends laughed in anticipation
of the sport they would have in seeing me defeated. They
knew, as they supposed, all about horse-taming, and felt sure
the subject would cause me humiliating failure. When he
was brought in, Mr. Press got up, and laboring under much
excitement, said to those present that he felt it his duty to
tell them that he owned that horse; knew all about him; that
ten men could not hold him in harness, and if there was an
attempt to drive him, he would be sure to kill somebody,
warning them to look out for themselves, at the same time
himself taking a top seat out of danger. This, of course,
caused alarm among the large concourse of people, which it
was imperative to abate at once. I therefore, in emphatic
terms, assured the people there would be no danger at all.
Upon trial, as stated, the experiment proved a most pro-
nounced success. Next day, upon trying him in the street,
though showing him to be perfectly gentle under the most
severe trials, driving him without breeching, etc., Mr. Press
shook his head and said: ‘‘I have no confidence in him. My
wife said, ‘William, don’t you ever bring that horse back.’ ”
Upon his offering him to me at my own price, I bought
him and sold him soon afterwards to a hackman of the city,
and he proved a perfectly safe, reliable worker.

CHAPTER IV.

INCREASE OF INTEREST—PANIC—INTERESTING TRIALS—NOTED
CASES—A CONSPIRACY.

S I progressed west from Cleveland
‘the interest naturally increased. To
explain something of this I include
some specimen notices:——

‘“‘The citizens of Sandusky are
greatly excited over the perform-
ances of a horse-tamer who has
= been giving exhibitions of his skill
in that line. The Register devotes over a column to the
‘charmer.’ Citizens are out in certificates expressing their
admiration of the man and his system of horse-taming. His
tent is daily crowded with gaping and excited multitudes of
both sexes, and the children can scarcely be kept in school,
sO anxious are they to see this wonderful man and his more
wonderful ponies.”— Joledo Times.

— Nae

‘‘His success here has been unprecedented, and _ his
teachings unparalleled in their line.” — Zoledo Commercial.

‘‘AS a practitioner and teacher of the art of tam-
ing horses, Mr. Magner is certainly without a rival. No
one can understand the apparently magical power which this
man seems to possess over the horse kingdom, until he wit-
nesses one of his exhibitions.”— 7oledo Blade.

‘“«Mr. Magner has created a genuine furor among all in-
terested in horses in this city, and his reputation has ex-
tended to a large circuit of country, and persons have attended
his classes from over twenty miles distant. He has succeeded
in subduing and rendering perfectly tractable, horses which
have resisted all previous efforts of horse-breakers and others to
reduce them to submission; and his wonderful power over
horses excites the most astonishment in those the best posted
in equine care and treatment. The exhibitions of the trained

[54 |

STRONG ENDORSEMENTS. 5)

troupe of horses which he owns and exhibits are superior in
interest to the choicest features of the best circus traveling.”’
—Adrian, Mich., Weekly Times.

The Jackson, Mich., Patriot had the following notice:—

‘« Prof. Magner gave his jast exhibition and lecture in
this city on Saturday afternoon last, and, as usual, a large
number were in attendance. There were at least two hun-
dred members of his class present to listen to the closing lec-
ture, and witness some of his wonderful feats of subduing
and managing horses. At the close of the lecture, one of the
class offered the following resolution, which was received
with applause, and adopted without a dissenting voice:—

‘<« Resolved, That we, the members of Mr. Magner’s class,
hereby express to him our high appreciation of his instruc-
tions in his system for the reform and elevation of the horse,
which, in our estimation, is incomparably superior to any
system ever brought before the public. By this system the
management of the horse is reduced to a definite and exact
science, and we desire most heartily to recommend Mr. Mag-
ner to the confidence of the public, to express to him person-
ally our thanks for his patience, his thoroughness, and his
gentlemanly bearing, while engaged in his profession in this
City

‘¢ The following were a few of the representative citizens
who were present: J. H. Noyes, mayor; W. L. Seaton, post-
master and member of the city council; D. B. Hibbard; S. S.
Vaughn, president Horse Breeders’ Association.”

The Buffalo, N. Y., class, comprising over two thousand
members, unanimously passed the following resolution: —

‘¢ Resolved, That we commend Prof. Magner to our friends
as a reformer of more than ordinary usefulness; that his
theory of governing and educating horses is the most practical,
humane, and valuable we have ever witnessed; that we desire
to be represented through the following well-known, prom-
inent citizens, who can be referred to: Geo. W. Tifft, Esq.,
Judge Maston, Mayor Dickey, C. J. Hamlin, Esq., F. W.
Tracy, Esq., Richard Bullymore, Esq., C. L. Whiting, Esq.”

During the panic of 1873-'74 the people of the larger cen-
ters were so embarrassed financially that I found it again
necessary to change my methods of doing business. | there-

56 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

fore cut down my expenses to the closest possible hmit,* and
directed my efforts almost wholly to the country towns where
the stringency was less seriously felt. For several reasons
my work became extremely exacting and trying. The coun-
try had been overrun by so many small parties who had,
in a cheap way, engaged in the business, that the people had
become either indifferent or suspicious and critical of any-
thing of the kind, which in connection with the financial de-
pression, required the greatest care and effort to accomplish
anything. In addition, my health had by this time become
so much impaired as to greatly interfere with the success of
my work. At no time up to this period did the outlook seem
so unpromising; but it was one of my maxims that the greater
the necessity for effort the greater the merit of winning suc-
cess; so I accordingly prepared, as far as I could, for every
possible emergency.

With other changes, I prepared a special paper, which
gave very full particulars of my work. Another innovation
was driving into each place of engagement, in the evening,
stallions, without reins, with another (Blind Billy) following
with the freedom and fidelity of a dog, and which, when cir-
cumstances permitted, was put through some of his perform-
ances in the open street. But all this was only a prelude of
what was to follow. This comprised a public lecture in the
evening, and next morning, before the time of regular work,
and exhibition with the ponies, which was such a feature that
large crowds gathered daily to witness them. All resulting in
exciting a degree of interest in my efforts, the extent of which
was really surprising.

This campaign I commenced in Central New York, ex-
tending it northeast to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and
other States of New England, continuing, in fact, until I left
the road.

* Before the panic my daily expenses averaged about $60.00 a day,
requiring a large canvas, and force of horses and men. During this pe-
riod | gave daily evening exhibitions with the ponies. Interesting facts
in relation to my experience at this time will be given farther on.

DIFFICULTIES PNCOUNTERED. 57

My success in New England, especially, considering the
facts, was really remarkable. I may explain here, that my
visit there was the result of a chance incident. At the con-
clusion of the campaign of 1875-’76, which ended at Sackett’s
Harbor, in northern New York, my working ground for the
next season became a matter of serious question tome. My
expenses, when moving, though cut down to the lowest limit,
were still so large (about $40 a day) that to work advanta-
geously required visiting points large enough to warrant suc-
cess, and so near each other as to enable making a new en-
gagement daily. It was essential, also, that the people should
be reasonably prosperous, in addition to not having been
bothered much by others in the business. I preferred New
England, and made a trip over the ground to examine it, but
found that it had been run over so much by others as to make
it a very unpromising field. In Cleveland, Buffalo, and
other cities visited by certain parties who had _ been over this
ground, I found it exceedingly difficult to do any business, be-
ing constantly subjected to the severest trials by their scholars.
- Something of this can be understood by the difficulties I ex-
perienced in Cleveland, which have been related. It was not
uncommon in such places to send long distances for horses
that such parties had failed upon; in one instance over twenty
miles; in which case, I may state, I turned the tables on my
over-critical friends, by driving the mare gently within ten
minutes.

For these reasons I had concluded not to go into New
England; but while in Portland, Me., chancing to meet a
leading citizen, then president of the Trotting Association
there (Dr. Tewksbury), he called my attention to a young
stallion owned in the city, which he stated to be one of the
most vicious brutes that was ever known; that as a matter of
safety it was the intention to kill him, and that if I would
come there and show that I could subdue such a horse, I
would prove myself the most skillful and successful man in
the world. Upon inquiry in relation to the case I became

58 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

satisfied that the difficulties of his management were not by
any means insurmountable, and so expressed myself; in any
event, I felt almost certain that with the superior advantages
of my treatment it would be scarcely possible to produce a
horse of his age that I could not make submissive and gentle
to my control.

The matter being brought to the notice of the owner,
Mr. A. P. Hillman, he wrote me, urgently requesting that, if
possible, I would come there and make the trial, saying that
unless I would do so he had decided to shoot him. Conclud-

NF gee.

aN ae

S WWE
Ane

CSN

vi ‘ i( :
UL eh

Fig. 30.—The Hillman horse ‘‘Jet.”

ing that the control of such a case would attract sufficient
attention to more than counteract the disadvantages named, |
decided to go there and take the horse in hand, and wrote
him accordingly. It then being August, I promised the
owner I would come to Portland the following spring and
take the horse in hand, which I did; and upon trial, as I antic-
ipated, the experiment proved an entire success. In relation
to this case, I may state, that in no instance through all my
experience, were such precautions taken to guard against
any supposed trickery, as in this.*

* As explained farther on, it will be noticed that the most exagger-
ated notions, as to the secrets of my success prevailed among the peo-
ple, so that everything I did and said was accepted with the strongest
covering of doubt and suspicion.

Fig. 31.—“ Jet” biting and striking Eben Howe. Referred to in chapter on Special Cases.

[59]

60 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

From the time I got up in the morning, until I took the
horse in hand, I was, without my knowledge, kept under the
most rigid surveillance by a citizens’ committee; the horse
was also kept under guard, as assurance that he should not
be given medicine or anything of the kind, before being ex-
perimented upon. *

During this campaign several very interesting incidents
occurred, and as they are good examples of the difficulties I
had to almost constantly contend with, I will give the partic-
ulars of representative ones. ©

THE HERMON STALLION.

When I visited Hermon, a village in Lawrence County, in
northern New York, although there was a large crowd, and
the performance of the ponies was a source of the greatest
amusement, I was surprised to be unable to accomplish any-
thing, no one coming forward to form aclass. This was the
more surprising to me, since up to that time my success in that
part of the country had been really extraordinary, the people
coming out almost ez masse, and giving me exceptionally
large classes. The difficulty was soon explained, however,
by my superintendent, Mr: Williams, who came to me pri-
vately, saying:—

‘“«We might just as well hitch up and get out of here, as
we cannot do anything. There is a stallion in that barn yon-
der that killed a man in Canada. He has been shut up there
for seven months, and is so dangerously vicious that no one
can go near him. He is a worse horse than ever Cruiser was,
and they want, as the first condition of making a class, that
you willsubdue him. They want too much and are entirely too
smart. Of course you don’t want anything to do with such a
horse, and the sooner we get out of here the better.”’

I replied that I was not so sure about that; at any rate it
would not do to give up so easily. I accordingly told him to

*In another chapter the particulars of this interesting case, with
others, are given.

TAKING RISKS. 61

obtain for me such particulars in relation to the horse as he
could. He said he had already tried to do so; but all he could
learn was that the horse was seven years old, and well bred.

«« Well,’’ said I, ‘‘a well bred horse of that age must be
an extraordinary case if he will give us much trouble to man
ales

When I found a case to be well bred, no matter how
vicious, I rarely had much trouble in controlling it, as nearly
all such cases proved exceptionally good subjects.*

TAKING RISKS.

When compelled to make a fight, it was one of my rules
to make it as strong and startling as I could. Of course, I
was not insensible to the fact that there was a large element
of risk, but one of the imperative conditions of my success
was that it should be met. Accordingly I told my manager
to wait a little, and I would see what could be done.

I called the people around me, telling them briefly what
I had heard, and that the horse was just what I wanted; that
he was, in fact, one of the most interesting and important
subjects that could be found, and that if I did not make him
entirely gentle, even to driving to a carriage without breech-
ing (he never having been in harness) and this within the
limit of forty minutes, every man should have his money
back. Emphasizing this point, I even stipulated that whatever
the success, if it took a fraction of a minute over that time, it
would be sufficient reason for their getting their money; but
that if I did this, they must agree to be satisfied. I called
their attention to the fact that they knew it to be entirely
impossible to control such a case by any method of horse-tam-
ing they had learned, or in fact by any treatment known be-
fore my time.

All feeling confident that it would be impossible to con-

*TIt was the cold-blooded, sullen characters, that when seriously
vicious, made anything like a hard “tug of war.” It was rare, however,
that we had any serious trouble to manage them.

62 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

trol such a horse, and especially in so short a time, they
would.be sure of getting their money back, and so every man
present, over a hundred in number, who could raise or bor-
row the money, gave his name.

The real difficulty, as I anticipated, was to get the horse
out of his stable and before the class with safety; but
with great care I succeeded in doing so without accident.
Upon subjecting him to treatment, there was of course great
interest to see if he could be really brought under control
within the time promised. This horse was an exceptionally
intelligent fellow, his viciousness being the result entirely of
bad treatment, and though at first resisting quite hard, he
soon submitted to treatment so completely that not only
could he be handled with entire safety, but hitched to a wagon
and driven entirely gentle and without breeching, as promised. -
the actual time of his treatment not exceeding thirty minutes,
thereby not only succeeding according to my promise but
making the experiment a brilliant success.

A CONSPIRACY.

What was my surprise then, after getting through with
the class, to be privately told that there were a few jockeys
who were trying to create a feeling of dissatisfaction. Their
argument was that I had taken over $500 for what I had done
in less than a couple of hours, and that it was too much money
for so little work. What guarantee had they that the horse
would stay broken? And by such reasoning they tried to
start the feeling that unless I would give guarantee that the
effect produced would be permanent, they would insist upon
having their money back, and in support of such argument
they offered to bet $100 that I could not handle or drive the
horse next day. .

Upon learning this I felt so indignant that I at once
called the people around me, and repeated to them in detail
what I had learned. I called their attention to the fact that
I had done even more than I had promised, and then turn-
ing to the ring-leader, said: —

JAE (COUN MEIGS ENG. 63

‘‘ Knowing the temper of you fellows, for I have this sort
of a feeling to contend with almost daily, I put in that stipu-
lation. Now in this case, have I not done more than I prom-—
ised? As to the horse not staying broken, I understand you
offer to bet $100 that I cannot do the same with him tomor-
row. This is amatter of mere talk by you. You know you
dare not doit. As proof, I will put up $500 against your $100
that I can do with him a week from now, what I have done
today. I doubt if you have the money. At any rate, you
dare not risk it.” Taking them in-hand so positively shut off
at once all question or argument.

Two days afterward, upon reaching the second town from
there (Russell), I found, to my surprise, that the people were
extremely reserved and suspicious. I soon learned that those
parties had sent a special messenger there to warn them that
they must not come near me; that if they did I would be sure
to ‘‘get” them, etc., and that their only safe course was to
keep away from me.

Upon learning this, I determined at once to give such
proof as to leave no chance for argument; so I at once sent a
special message to the owner of the horse—Mr. Boyd Dice
—to bring him there the next day without fail, at my risk
and expense. In due time the horse was led in behind the
buggy, followed by a large number of the Hermon class, in
wagons, every man exhibiting the greatest enthusiasm in my
work. Finding the horse, as I anticipated, entirely submis-
sive and gentle, I at once hitched him to one of my best bug-
gies, without breeching, and drove him down the steepest
hill there, he holding it back with his quarters; thus proving
him not only gentle, but exceptionally so. The result was
that I made a large class there, followed by enthusiasm.

Two days afterward the members of this class, with those
of the neighboring towns, met me at Canton (the county seat),
all exhibiting so much interest in my efforts, as to inspire a
degree of enthusiasm that had not been shown before at any
point during the year.

CHAPTER V.

MY VISIT TO NEW YORK CITY—REMARKABLE CASE—INTERESTING
TEST EXPERIMENTS BEFORE MR. BONNER AND SPECIAL
COMMITTEES—DIFFICULTIES OF MANAGING CLASSES.

T will be interesting to note here
some of the feats I made as
conditions of my success when

suitable subjects were available

to perform before each class:

AN ya § S
| i!" ZN
N) ] Ay y.

- ———— Ale === handled or follow me in a few
minutes. To hitch up and drive any kicking, runaway colt
in from fifteen to twenty-five minutes. To drive any kicking,
runaway horse, no matter how vicious or unmanageable, even
without breeching, within forty minutes. To make any halter-
puller within two minutes so that no matter how frightened
or excited, he would stand the most severe test of abuse or ex-
citement, even to severe whipping, without being made to pull
back. To make a headstrong stallion, which the united
strength of two or three strong men could not hold when in
the presence of other horses, within ten minutes so sub-
missive and manageable that he could be placed near enough
to a mare or horse to be touched, without the restraint of
bridle or halter, and while distant from eight to ten feet, by
word of command only, to make him come to me promptly.
Incident to these there were many other little feats performed
before my classes.

Such feats seemed so extraordinary, as they really were,
that it was not unusual to have the greatest effort made to
break me down, it being not uncommon to send long dis-
tances, at considerable expense, for specially difficult cases,

[ 64]

NARROW CHANCES. 65

with the hope of defeating me if possible. Many of the most
interesting cases referred to in other pages were feats of this
character. Then a cause of great embarrassment to me was
the fact that very often the points of my treatment would be
caught by others and exhibited as their own, and to succeed
under such circumstances required
frequently the exercise of the great-
est care. An interesting case of this
kind is referred on page 125, where
the method of hitching the horse
had been given by others, which of
itself, in the great majority of cases, As vicious horses asp act
would be sufficient to overcome the before treatment.
habit. There was a secret, however, which was the real
point of success, which had not been caught, that in critical
cases was indispensable to its success, and hence their failure.
The belief was also general among the people, that back of
my open efforts there was a considerable degree of humbug, and,
if they joined the class, they felt bound to find it out and ex-
pose it if possible. Again, no matter how thorough the
instructions, the measure of their
satisfaction would be determined
only by the control and driving
before them of the most vicious
horses that could be produced; so
I was frequently subjected to the

most severe tests, which were the After treatment.

more trying on account of being perhaps compelled to not

only make my experiments in unsuitable places, but sur-

rounded by a crowd of people, consequently involving great

risk and responsibility; but as my real success depended upon
such experiments, they had to be taken.
NARROW CHANCES.

Contrary to what was generally supposed, it was one of

my strict rules to advertise only what I could do, if any-

thing a little less; so that in exceptional cases I should, if

5

66 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

necessary, have sufficient leeway to give me a reasonable
chance for success. While in most cases it would be entirely
easy to perform the feats referred to, it was of course possi-
ble at almost any time to have presented cases of such
exceptional viciousness, that the difficulties under which I
was compelled to treat them made the line between success
and failure.often so narrow as to carry me up to the very limit
of safety. In illus-
trating this I will re-
fer to an instance out
of an almost countless
number that could be
given.
EXTREME CASE.

For weeks pre-
ceding my visit to
Hermon, N. Y. (Gust
referred to), I had the
most remarkable suc-
cess; not only having
large classes daily,
aN Fig. 35.—The mustang, from life. but a great variety of

the most interesting subjects to experiment upon, among
them a horse that had kicked a man to death, and afterward
stood in his stall for six months without anyone daring to
approach or touch him, which I brought under control within
fifteen minutes: © Finally, one morning, though I had a large
class, I was offered for experiment but two subjects, a very
unusual thing, and a cause of serious embarrassment; for
when I had a good variety of subjects, contrary to what may
be supposed, the easier was my work in giving satisfaction.
One of these subjects was a kicking runaway colt, that had
not been in harness for a year, and though regarded a very
difficult case, having proved up to that time entirely unman-
ageable, I gave assurance that he would be an easy subject,
promising to drive him gentle in from twelve to fifteen min-

EXTREME, CASE: 67

utes; but on the other, a mustang, I would not promise
anything.

Upon trial, the colt submitted to treatment easily,
driving gently in twelve minutes; but the mustang, as I antic-
ipated, proved one of the most exceptional cases I ever found.
He was simply a wild animal in the form of a horse, and hav-
ing resisted treatment beyond the time advertised, according

\ : N - RSS

Fig. 36.—The mustang turning a somersault.

to the letter of my promise, I immediately returned their
money, a large number of them, however, refusing to take it.
This case was in some respects so exceptional in its way that
at considerable trouble and expense I had a sketch made of
his head, a very good illustration of him; also a representa-
tion of one of his performances during the experiment which
are here included,—one that I never knew or heard ofa horse
doing before or afterward. During the treatment it being
necessary to disable him by tying up one of his fore legs, he
dropped suddenly forward upon his head, turning clear over

68 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

like a wheel, coming forward upon his feet, and all done so
easily as to seem without effort.*

A SEVERE TRIAL.

To fail in the control of even such a case was a very
serious matter to me, because it was breaking down the pres-
tige of my success. This made it an imperative necessity, as
the first step, that it should, if pos-
sible, be overcome. So on the fol-
lowing morning, at the next place
~ of engagement (Hopkinton), I di-
rected my manager (Dr. Will-
‘,lams), to secure a hall and gather
2 ” the people into it, so that I could
Fig. 37. — Cruel abuse of the bee address them before the hour for

or the American imitating oF 0 0 .

English style. the exhibition. There being much
curiosity excited throughout the country in relation to my
efforts, there was a large crowd, in which was manifested a

strong under-current of expectation. Upon coming before
them I explained that I had called them together for the
purpose of making explanations, which under ordinary cir-
cumstances seemed unnecessary or
out of place, and practically out of
my power to do, either publicly or
before my classes, and for want of
which opportunity I was frequently
subjected to much embarrassment
s== by being misjudged. In discuss-
A test usually given after treatment. ing the subject, I explained that
whatever my success, the mere I had learned about horses,
the more I felt myself to be simply a student,—that success

* This pony was one out of seven carloads of mustangs brought into
that country; but proving so vicious that nothing could be done with him,
he was finally sold for $10 toa man named Taggett, who brought him in.
He was afterward broken by one of my scholars, and proved a good
worker. These facts were given me by a member of the class during
the preparation of this work.

ASSEVIGIEE “PRIAL. 69

depended frequently upon conditions that could not in the
nature of things be always plain to others.

To make these conditions plain, I first called attention
to the wonderful adaptation of the lower animals in general,

iis

Ih

Fig. 39.—The vicious, headstrong stallion before treatment.

SINE
WS i i Wid

x AY
=
VS

STAR OV NN
in the different parts of the world, to the wants and re-
quirements of the people among whom found; examples of
which could be seen in the Esquimaux’s dog, at the extreme
north, where no other domestic animal could live; a little far-
ther south was found the reindeer; while for carrying burdens

70 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

over the Andes, there was the llama or alpaca; the camel was
the best fitted for traveling over the arid, sandy plains of
the desert; and I referred especially to the wonderful con-
formation of this animal, by which he was able to carry
within his body a sufficient amount of water to last him for
several days. In accordance with the same principle of fit-
ness and economy in nature, horses vary in size, strength,
and intelligence, the better to adapt
them for the various uses of man.

I then called attention to the
fact that there were liable to be as
clearly marked strains of insanity
in horses as in the human family;
that while we recognized man as

the most intelligent being, suscep-

The same stallion after treatment. tible of the highest culture and use-
fulness, it was not uncommon for him to develop such condi-
tions of insanity or low, perverse character, that no matter
how successful or intelligent ina general sense the treatment,
it was clear that 1t would be impossible to do in such cases
what could be done with one of even average temperament, and
that the law was the same in relation to the successful control
and management of vicious horses. It was possible to find
just such abnormal conditions among them, and though with
reasonable time it was not by any means impossible to make
them safe and manageable, inability to control them in the
time promised could not in reason be accepted as an invalida-
tion of the claim of my treatment. It had been conclusively
demonstrated that there was no other treatment known by
which such striking results had been or could be accom-
plished, and that my system gave the only defined practical
basis of treatment.

The argument occupied nearly an hour; and though un-
studied, with the circumstances that called for the effort
fresh in their mind, it created an enthusiasm and interest
even far beyond what I had reason to expect. Those who the

-

TE ST EXPERIMEN: 71

day before had taken back their money came forward and
stated that they were entirely satisfied, and insisted that I
must take it back. Thus it all resulted in bringing the tide
of interest and enthusiasm even above what it had been, and
securing me a large class.

This was, I think, the first and only real general lecture
I ever gave on the horse.

TEST EXPERIMENTS.

The following trifling incident led to these experiments.
When at Kalamazoo, Mich., a gentleman came to me witha
newspaper notice of a man then’giving exhibitions in New York
city, who, it appeared, had been making the most extrava-
gant pretensions there, particularly as being the only authority
on the subject. Upon explaining to him that he was a man
whom I had started in the business a few years before, and that
he had nothing new to teach, he joined with other scholars
of mine there in insisting that as a duty to myself as well as
them, I should at once go tothat city and make myself known
there.

I did not at the time deem the matter of sufficient con-
sideration to be worthy of serious notice; but business soon
after demanded my presence there, and I embraced the oppor-
tunity to call upon him at his place of exhibition, with the
purpose of making a friendly visit. But to my surprise, he
not only received me as an ordinary casual acquaintance, but
in an arrogant manner assumed that he had the finest trained
horses and the best system in the world, etc. The boldness
with which he claimed the credit of my work I saw at once
left me no alternative but to show him up, if possible.

After leaving him, he sent a special friend to palliate and
excuse his treatment, offering any conditions I would ask, if
I would desist from my purpose of exposing him; in fact, try-
ing to buy me off. To this I replied that the time had come
when justice to the public as well as myself demanded that I
should defend myself. Then there was another reason why I
should make an effort to defend myself.

92 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

At the same time I found that Mr. A. H. Rockwell, a man
long and favorably known on the road in the business, was
located in Brooklyn and giving exhibitions there, making
equally emphatic claims of being the only authority upon the
subject. Thus it seemed imperative that I should give such
test exhibitions as would prove that I was the only one who
had introduced new and original principles of treatment, and
showing myself capable of demonstrating results entirely
impossible to any othersin the business. It occurred to me, as
the first necessary step in this direction, to make myself
known, if possible, to some leading gentleman in the city;
and Mr. Robert Bonner being conceded to be the right man,
I did so.* This man Pratt had worked upon one horse for a
week without being able to do anything with him, excusing his
failure by theexplanation that such a horsecould not be broken.
This case was selected to test me upon, and, as I promised, I
was entirely successful in bringing the horse under complete
control within forty minutes. Farther on, I give some very
interesting particulars in relation to this remarkable case.

The result was regarded as so remarkable that it enabled
me to at once command the attention of the leading experts
of that city. Deeming it also necessary to show that I had
the finest troupe of trained horses, I ordered them forwarded
from Michigan, when I called together the most prominent
gentlemen interested in horses, including the best trainers,
and authorities upon the subject, and after explaining my
position to. them, I gave such test experiments before them
as would sustain my claims, which were conceded.

Mr. Pratt, knowing that he had no chance for defense,
immediately left the city. Mr. Rockwell, whom I had known
for many years, and for whom I entertained the kindliest feel-
ings, called upon me, on the day before this exhibition, and
on the score of friendship made a special plea that I would
make no reference to him, as it would seriously injure him.

* On page 149, I give some very interesting particulars regarding
my difficulties in reaching this gentleman.

A NEW EhA TNE EDUCATION Oh HORSES. %3

But I reminded him that he had been advertising things that
did me serious injustice, and that the time had come when
justice to myself, as well as to the public, made it necessary
that it should be definitely and conclusively known who could
be accepted as authority on the subject; that I claimed to be
such and could prove it; and if necessary I would take any
horse that he might fail upon and control him, and if he felt
there was any injustice done him, he would have the fullest
liberty for defense. Knowing that he had no chance for suc-
cessful defense, he also left the city.

I include a few representative notices of these test exhibi-
tions.

From 4. Y. Sunday Democrat.
A NEW ERA IN THE EDUCATION OF HORSES.
A WONDERFUL EXHIBITION.
D. Magner the greatest horse-tamer in the world.

On Friday evening Mr. D. Magner gave an exhibition, to
which none but invited guests were admitted. Among the
horse fanciers present were Robert Bonner, Dan Mace, Ed.
Wilkins, J. D. Walton, George Lewis, Jacob Creveling, Amos
Kittle Dave Bonner, (Wes: Inidabock, KJ Anderson,
Arthur Gillender, Walter Briggs, W. Jackson, Jo. Bennet,
N. H. Leadbetter, Jacob Baulch, James Moffatt, William
Rutzens Dre Ocle Drebrehton, of “Boston, Dr. wee; Henry
Casey, J. C. Durant, Isaac Sonburg, Dr. O’Shea,, Hamilton
Busbey, Wiliam Watson, of Westchester, with his two sons,
William Apgar, C. Moran, Jr., Dr. Beadle, James Morris, E.
H. Freeman, and M. Bain.

After exhibiting some extraordinary tricks by his trained
horses, Mr. Magner requested them to choose from those
present a committee to report on his system. The commit-
tee selected consisted of Messrs. Robert Bonner, Chairman;
Charles Swift, Jr., Secretary; Dan Mace, Amos Little, Arthur
Gillender, Geo. Lewis, J. D. Walton, James Moffatt, W. W.
Briggs, N. H. Leadbetter, and others.

The committee having taken their seats, Mr. Magner, in
a brief address, explained the main points of his treatment.

In the course of his remarks he very justly stated that
more men than horses require training. A notoriously vicious

74 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

horse was then brought into the ring, and in less than thirty
minutes he was trotting in harness as gentle as though he
had always been a family horse, and this, too, without throw-
ing or harsh treatment. Mr. Bonner, turning to the commit-
tee, said, ‘‘ Rarey taught us our A B C’s, but Magner teaches us
how to put the letters together.”

At the close of the exhibition the following
¥
AUTOGRAPH LETTER FROM MR. BONNER
was handed to a representative of this paper:—

OFFICE OF THE ‘‘ LEDGER,”
New York, Jan 25, 1872.
Mr. D. Magner :—

Dear Sir: From the conversations I have had with you,
and from the satisfactory manner in which you handled Mr.
Wilkins’ horse to-day in my stable, I have no hesitation in
saying that I consider you THE MOST SCIENTIFIC AND SUCCESS-
FUL EDUCATOR, OR TAMER, OF VICIOUS HORSES, I HAVE EVER MET.
Mr. Wilkins’ horse was a most vicious brute; he would kick
with more spite and determination than any horse I ever saw,
and at the same time he would strike with his forward feet;
indeed, Mr. Wilkins himself told me that he was, to use his
exact expression, ‘‘the worst horse in New York.’ In less
than an hour* you succeeded in handling him as freely, and
with as much apparent safety as you would an ordinary family
horse.

I have myself handled Princess, the famous old competi-
tor of Flora Temple, on your new system; and, although she
was at onetime so vicious as to-be almost unmanageable, my
youngest boy, a lad of fifteen, has during the past week been
driving her daily in Central Park. A// things considered, your
treatmemt is, in my opinion, entirely new and reliable, as well as
humane and practical.

Yours truly,
ROBERT BONNER.

In a conversation subsequent to the exhibition, Mr. Bon-
ner stated, that if he could have made his letter any stronger, .
he would have done so.

*In point of fact, the horse named was brought under complete
control within forty minutes.

COMMITTEE REPORT 75

COMMITTEE REPORT.
April g, 1872.

We, the committee appointed by the prominent horse-
men of New York, to investigate and report upon the merits
of Mr. Magner’s system of training and educating wild and
vicious horses, respectfully report, that we exerted every
effort in our power to obtain horses of such a bad character
as would test the practicability of his treatment, and secured
a thoroughbred mare, em
owned by L. C. Pop-
ham, of No. 945
Broadway. This
mare was fourteen
years old, and had re-
sisted all efforts to
control her in single
harness: would kick
herself free from the
shafts, and run away
at.all hazards. Also, “¥ Fig. 41.—The Wilkins horse.
a thoroughbred gelding, sixteen years old, owned by H. L.
Herbert, of Red Bank, N. J. He would balk while riding,

kicking and running away while in harness, and was so vic-

ious that he could not be driven or controlled in harness; was
purchased by Mr. Herbert for $2,500; proved so worthless that
he sold him for $150, and afterward repurchased him for $25.
Also, a fine Star mare, owned by .R. L. Pell, Esq:, of Fifth
Avenue and Twenty-sixth street, would kick herself free in
single harness, and would runaway. This mare could not be
driven single. These, with others, were handled in our pres-
ence, including a large number of prominent citizens and
members of the press, all of whom were invited to witness
the experiments proposed to be made before this committee.
In eighteen minutes (without throwing or any cruelty)
Mr. Magner made the Herbert horse so docile that he could
be driven with the greatest freedom withcut breeching, dem-

su)

mT

aN
SS
1 | We

“aaa
_ Fig. g2.—The Herbert horse reterved_ta ja vo based on clesins 1

= LP Lg, lie

[76]

COMMITTEE, KEPORT. Ut

onstrating the most wonderful change in character. The
owner publicly stated the fact of his former vicious
reputation and unmanageable habits. The Popham mare
was driven with equal success in twenty-seven minutes, sub-
mitting to all kinds of handling, even from strangers. The
Pell mare was next handled, and driven gently in ten min-
utes, and the other horses with the same marked success.

We have carefully studied the merits of this treatment,
and have no hesitation in saying that Mr. Magner ts the most
skillful and successful horse tamer and educator who has ever vis-
ited this city. His method of treatment reduces the subjection
and education of horses to a definite and fixed science, and is
in principles and effect entirely superior to any other ever
brought to our notice, and inaugurates a new era in the sub-
jection of horses. The great ease and certainty with which
horses of extreme viciousness can be controlled by this treat-
ment make the knowledge of it indispensable to all interested
in horses——particularly to farmers and those who raise colts.
These facts induce this committee to recommend all who can
to attend Mr. Magner’s lectures.

Gero. Lewis, Proprietor Sale and Boarding Stables, 50th
street.

J. D. Dunwatrton, Proprietor Boarding and Sale Stables,
39th street.

Dan Mace, Proprietor Sale Stable, 4gth street.

W. W. Briccs, Proprietor Tattersall Stable, 7th Avenue
and 42d street.

ARTHUR GILLENDER.

N. H. LEapsBetrer, Proprietor Livery and Sale Stables,
7th Avenue and 45th street.

James Morratt.

RoBERT BONNER, Chairman.
CHARLES Swit, JR., Secretary.

The following well known gentlemen, with one hundred
others, by unanimous resolution desired their names to be
used as fully endorsing report of committee.

78 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Frank D. Curtis, Esq., Vice-president State Agricul-
tural Society, Charlton, Saratoga County,-N. Y.

Davip Bonner, Esq., Brother of Robert Bonner.

G. CuapMAN, Esq., Inventor of Chapman’s Patent Safety
Reins.

Raueu Octet, V. S., 330 W. 25th street, N. Y.

Ee He BRAILY, (VigSs, Chief Veterinary Surveon, Uso:
Cavalry.

D. CosTELLo, Eso.,; Circus Proprietor, with P. 1. Bar-
num’s Show.

J. E. WiLkins, Owner of vicious horse mentioned in Mr.
Bonner’s letter.

Frank Les ik, Esq., Publisher of Frank Leslie’s Week-
lies, etc. s

James Harper, Esq., of Harper Bros., Publishers.

_ Rev. Dr. Fietp (brother of Cyrus and Supreme Justice

Field), Editor Vew York Evangelist.

SipNEy E. Morse, Esq., Publisher Vew York Observer.

Rev. E. P. Ror, Chaplain in Harris’ Light Cavalry, of
Highland Falls, New York, the late distinguished novelist.

REPORT OF COOPER’S INSTITUTE FARMER’S CLUB
COMMITTEE.

As requested, we attended Prof. Magner’s exhibition on
Tuesday, April 9, in connection with a large number of gen-
tlemen, including a committee appointed by the horsemen of
this city. Several horses of the most vicious character were
subjected to treatment in our presence, with most remarkably
successful results. Mr. Magner’s system is in principle en-
tirely different from that of Rarey, or any other system of tam-
ing horses we have ever witnessed. It is remarkably simple.
A noticeable feature was, that none of the horses experi-
mented upon were in the least excited or heated.

While this treatment reduces to the lowest degree cruelty
and abuse, it secures the most positive docility of even the
most vicious horse in a remarkably short time; the most vi-

STRONG ENDORSEMENTS. 79

cious horse subjected to treatment before us not requiring
more than fifteen minutes’ time to make entirely gentle.

We have no hesitation in saying that Prof. Magner has
even more than sustained the high position he has assumed
before this Club, and that he is a reformer of great merit,
deserving of the encouragement and assistance of all who
desire the interests of society in the humane and skillful
treatment of horses.

SERENO Epwarpbs Topp, Chairman.
Joun W. CHAMBERS, Ca
D. S. Mouton, ;

Ata subsequent meeting of the Club, Mr. Todd, chair-
man of the committee, in welcoming the guest and comment-
ing upon the treatment, said:—

«<The cruel club law, which maintained a reign of terror
throughout the peaceful domain of our dumb animals, has
been doomed to the charnel-house by the philanthropic efforts
of President Henry Bergh [enthusiastic cheers], whose illus-
trious name will descend to posterity: with other worthies
crowned with diadems-of terrestrial glory. Over and above
all these our session is honored with the presence of Profes-
sor D. Magner, who has come freighted with messages of mercy
and affection to the whole equine race—the noble horse—one
of the noblest servants’ of the human family. He is a worthy
missionary, proclaiming the glorious reign of peace to the
long-abused horses of our land. The magnificent exhibitions
of his competency to teach our dumb animals to render cheer-
ful service, furnish the most satisfactory evidence that his
credentials are almost supernal.”’

Turf, Field, and Farm published the following, under
the head of ‘‘ Taming Horses: ”’—

‘“At least we have one man who professes horse-taming,
and at the same time rises above the vulgar tricks of the char-
latan. His name is Magner. He seems to have given hon-
est study to his art, and to have brought a high degree of
intelligence to the study. His system is his secret, so we can-

80 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

not go into an elaborate explanation. We have seen him
operate, and we confess that we admire his skill. His best
subjects are those which charlatans pronounce the worst.
His system is based upon logic, such a system as is worthy of
a controlling power. We honestly believe that there is not a
horse in the world which he cannot make gentle and obe-
dients2

Frank Leslie’s Weekly, in referring to the subject, said:—

‘A notoriously vicious horse was brought into the ring,
and in less than thirty minutes was trotting in harness, as
gentle as though he had always been an old family horse, and
this, too, without harsh treatment. Mr. Magner, standing
on the axle of a pair of wheels, drove the horse about the ring
by the tail, no sign of ill-temper being manifested.

CHAPTER VI.

TEACHING CLASSES—UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER—DESIRABLE
SUBJECTS.

HEN teaching classes, my every
movement was watched with ex-

) treme suspicion, and when it is con.
si Z| a> sidered that my scholars were really
\ among the most critical class of peo-
=f . ple in the country, something of my
Will not kick. difficulties can be understood. But
when I had a good variety of subjects, my work would
usually be most simple and easy, because no matter how
apparently vicious and difficult the subjects were, they would

in most cases prove easy to manage. The results, in fact,
would seem so startling as to leave little chance for doubt or
dissatisfaction.

When I found a particularly vicious horse, and especially
if a young, well-bred one, it was a ‘‘bonanza” to me; and
for the reason that, when I learned of such a case, no matter
how distant, I always directed my efforts to visit such a place
as a central point. While average cases were very common,
really exceptional ones were somewhat rare, in a whole sea-
son perhaps not having more than three or four. Wild Pete,
page 111; the Malone horse, the Hettrick horse, and others
are good examples. It will be noted that the Hillman horse,
referred to for the advantage his subjection would give me
in New England, led me to change the entire route for the
season in order to secure him, and that in an experience of
twenty years we had but really very few of these excep-
tional cases. The Wilkins horse was a good illustration in
point; in fact the few cases referred to are but fair represen-

6 | [81]

82 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

tatives of an almost countless number treated by me during
my long public life. While we were constantly overrun with
subjects of average character, we would sometimes go for
months without getting a really exceptional one, or one hav-
ing an exceptional reputation; and then we were liable to
have a number in succession within a few days.

Another point worthy of mention is that cases having
really the worst reputation would frequently prove the easi-
est to manage; while some of the most difficult we would find
would be cases not known perhaps outside their own neigh-
borhood, and apparently were not of a very vicious character;
this being dependent upon the temperament and the degree
to which the nervous system had been shaken, which, of
course was not understood, but which I was able to detect
instantly, and the explanation of such conditions before teach-
ing the class would necessarily give me success.

While without suitable subjects, I would frequently be very
greatly embarrassed, because of my inability to demonstrate
the truth of mystatements. It was under such circumstances
that I felt called upon to exercise the utmost care and skill,
because compelled to depend entirely upon explanations of
conditions and principles which really called for a far higher
order of ability than was necessary in making the most exact-
ing experiments. These cursory explanations developed finally
into little preparatory lectures, in which, with the aid of one
of my ponies, I could illustrate every point very clearly. I
believe these lectures were a feature peculiar to myself, and
one of the really strong points of my success.

A serious difficulty I frequently had to contend with,
more particularly in the smaller country towns, was in conse-
quence of parties of jockeys agreeing among themselves that
no matter what I did, they would claim not to be satisfied.

If there was to be found any exceptionally difficult case,
it would be secured and sprung upon me with the hope of
breaking me down. Such incidents were of almost constant
occurrence. When such a purpose was made known to me,

DETERMINING CHARACTER. 83

I made it a point to meet it squarely, telling them it was a
matter I had to deal with almost daily, and cared nothing
about; that I did not care how many horse-taming schools
they had attended, referring more particularly to those
whom I knew had been over the ground before me, but
always, so far as I could, in liberal terms; that I made no
exception whatever in favor of persons giving attention to
such parties, or to subjects they might have failed upon. On
these points I was particularly explicit and emphatic; and
such statements were startling in consequence, because if I
were to fail to come to the exact line of my promise in any
respect, it would of course result disastrously to me.

As an illustration of the value of being able to determine
character accurately, I include instances in point.

Once when making experiments before a large class in
Michigan, a five-year-old colt was brought in as an ordinary
case forexperiment. At once observing it to be a really dan-
serous subject, and exhibiting caution in approaching him,
the owner brusquely took me to task for it, implying that he
could do better than that himself. Annoyed by the boldness
of the assertion, which implied ridicule, I turned upon him,
saying, ‘‘Do you know what you have here?” He replied,
‘¢Yes, sir; I have raised him and know all about him, and I
am not afraid to go right up and handle him.” I said, ‘‘ You
don’t know anything about him. This is one of the most
really dangerous cases I have found for months, and to treat
him, especially in the midst of such a crowd as I have here,
without accident, is very difficult and calls for the greatest
care. I will show you what he is, and then you can go near
him if you wish.”

Finding a rakestale and reaching it out quietly to the
horse’s nose, on the instant of its being brought within his
reach, he sprang into the air and struck at it with both feet
in the most violent manner, thereby, as I anticipated, show-
ing one of the most dangerous types of character imaginable.
I said, ‘* Now, sir, I will give you a hundred dollars if you will

AIUUDUL SHOLILA D UL GUIYIAIS PUD SULYIIY ‘PIYIDOAGGD UIYM Papsisar OY SY ‘aj0g VD 0] Pat, ‘aSAOY YIIAJJAFT IY [.— VE G27 L?g]

aa

LEAT MCLG AHO TSE. 85

go near enough to him to touch him with the tip of your finger.”
The man turned pale and said, ‘‘ I would not go near him for
a thousand dollars.”’

Cautioning those present now to keep out of my way, I
carefully went on with the experiment, and was so fortunate
as to make the case entirely submissive and gentle in about
twenty minutes, in that time hitching him up and driving him
without breeching.

HETTRICK HORSE.

In New York City, a very peculiar case, the particulars
of which are given elsewhere, was purchased expressly for the
purpose of breaking me down. Happening to see this sub-
ject across the barn, I said to the gentlemen, ‘‘ This case I
cannot safely treat before a class. The risk is too great, and
’ Ican only consent to experiment upon him privately.” Upon
trial I found that I was not mistaken, for it was only by the great-
est care that I could with any degree of safety get my hands
upon him and subject him to treatment. He once broke
away so fiercely that had I been compelled to treat him in the
open ring, with people around me, there would have been a
serious accident.

But once able to get my hands upon him with safety, he
proved one of the most interesting subjects I ever treated,
and one I would have liked very much to experiment upon in
public. I did not dare stop, however, as to do so and carry
out the treatment another time, as I had at first intended,
would be equivalent to failure. Once undertaken, I instinct-
ively knew it would be necessary to carry it through, and this
was in fact one of the important conditions of making the
experiment upon this case a success, and rendered it one of
the most pronounced and interesting experiments of my ex-
perience up to that time.

The Mt. Vernon case referred to in the same chapter, and
the Malone horse, were interesting casesin point. My ability
to read the character of these cases was in fact the secret of

86 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

my success. These were only fair representations of the
importance, in my daily efforts, of this knowledge to me; in
fact, during my later years, when the people had become
very exacting and critical, without it I could not have traveled
a single day with safety or success.

NARROW CHANCES.

The question may naturally be asked, how it was that I
could safely take such narrow chances, and particularly with
people who would openly express themselves as determined
not to be satisfied. I may explain, first, that no matter how
great the danger or opposition, oneof the vital points of my suc-
cess was in not making any exceptions, because the attempt
to make any conditions would naturally be construed as
proofs of weakness, which would be almost fatal to my suc-
cess. Thus I was compelled at times to take the most des-
perate chances, the alternative being to make them elements
of success.

Of course under such circumstances I prepared, so far as
I could, for every emergency. But at the same time, though
it was of the greatest importance to me, I did not dare ask in
relation to the character or number of subjects for experiment,
though well knowing that there were liable to be a number of
the most difficult cases that could be found kept secretly waiting
to be sprung upon me; so that it was to me, as it were, a con-
stant state of friendly or passive war. In addition, I felt a
peculiar zest in taking suchrisks. Sothat no matter how great
my apprehensions, I frequently laughed at them, and would
repeat over and over that I did not care what they had in the
way of subjects, or what was their belief in relation to me;
consequently, when the class was formed, there would often
naturally be the greatest curiosity to know how I would get
out of such a corner.

The better to explain this, let me here confide to my
readers a few points I never mentioned to any one: First,
knowing that mystatements would be regarded outside the line

UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER. 87

of belief, I made it a particular point to state only what I could
actually do. This point I watched with special care. Any-
thing like the loose expressions or pretensions of charlatan-
ism, such as assuming to be able to subdue any horse or
animal in the world, etc., I was particularly careful to refrain
from. At the same time I made the performance of my
ponies as strong. and interesting a feature as I could; and
when opportunity presented itself, I performed in the open
street some feat with one of their own horses, which I always
made the most of, such as the feats referred to in previous
pages, of taking daily in the street, without bridle, halter, or
other means of restraint, a wild, unbroken colt, and that in
the midst of a crowd; or, in a certain number of minutes,
driving to my buggy some well-known kicking runaway horse.
In a word, I added as I could such proofs of my success as
would inspire the most confidence. It was for this reason,
also, that I carried so many fine horses, though apparently
for show. This I found to be the simplest and easiest
method of proving my responsibility.

I had also a great disadvantage to contend with in my
personality.. In appearance and address it would certainly
seem as if there could scarcely be one less fitted for such try-
ing and exacting work. And for this reason, I had con-
stantly to contend with the feeling that there certainly must
be some mistake about it. Being below the average in size,
and not by any means an easy or impressive speaker, it seemed
to imply that I could not be the man to contend with such
exacting difficulties. It was for this reason that I made my
trained horses such an interesting feature; but once entering
upon my practical work, these difficulties disappeared.

UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER.

One great source of my strength was the facility and
almost absolute certainty with which I was able to discern
the types of character I had to deal with, being able to do
this from the slightest clues. If, for example, a man were to

88 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

tell me what his horse
would do, if a marked
case, it would give me a
sufficient clue to enable me
to tell him at once the
type of character, even to
particulars of color, kind
of head, ears, eyes, bodily
/ structure, etc., at the same
time giving me the key of
treatment necessary. Once Jwyy
able to see a horse, 1)
even at a distance, the a
points of character
were revealed to me.

I include here a
few contrasting feat- (i \ \

=

aS RI

ures aS mere sugges-
tions. In another
chapter farther on, under
the head of ‘‘Tempera-
ments,” will be found
some interesting facts re-
garding this subject.

It was very important
for me to know what I
had to experiment upon,
so as to determine upon a suit-
able line of argument. For
this reason, contrary to what
was supposed, I made a great
effort to know what I was go-
“ing to experiment upon. If
unable to obtain a clue my- é
self, I had persons obtain it

ea" ; Types of the worst
and good character. for me, if possible. When I character.

Types of intelligent

DE SURA BIG E SS Bf Lie IS.

89

learned of a particularly difficult case, though apparently re-
maining in ignorance of it, I made it a strong point in my pub-
licaddress to specify, in the most explicit terms, just what
I could do with such a subject. The Hillman horse, al-

ready referred to, and
_ the Lancaster horse,
_ mentioned farther on,
: are good examples.

: great chances I was
- often compelled to

Ffonest, intelligent eye. in this connection,
that during the later years of my experience
on the road, I did not in this respect make a

single mistake or failure. Of course success

might in a great measure have been the re- —
sult of chance, and although aware that such ©

- representations of the .

* take, and I may state,
as an interesting fact

: They are, also, fair «=

a statement may seem so extravagant as to | WNW ge”
be received with con- iN

siderable doubt, it is

fact.

DESIRABLESUBJECTS.

\ To insure making
Ja good impression,
é WW) subjects espevially de.

teye. sirable to me were

nevertheless a simple _

kicking, runaway colts or horses, halter pullers, and vicious
stallions. With a variety of four such subjects, I felt my
position to be almost impregnable; but when I did not have
a suitable variety for experiment, which was often the case,
my position would be extremely trying and hazardous.

90 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Wien I got the class together ready for instructions, with

™ the doors closed, I reminded them, first, that if I
did not have suitable subjects, of course I could not
demonstrate the results I desired, and though care-
fully disguised, made an effort to learn what I had to
deal with. If a man would say he had a horse of
special character, a kicker perhaps, I would casually
ask him a few questions as to how he would act in
the kicking, and so in relation to other subjects
accessible. I may mention that it was rarely that
Y | had an opportunity of seeing them. If appre-

Well a, hending that my subjects were not such as I could
wish, then, as a measure of safety, I sought, without being
suspected, to strengthen my position by explaining condi-
f tions and principles sufficiently to carry me
through. In doing this I would call attention to -
the fact that in its true sense the subject was
really a broad and very interesting one; that asa
necessary condition of making my instructions
entirely simple and plain to them, there were cer-

tain points that were secrets, that I could only
give them as such. That an imperative condition

Coarse. of my instructions was the pledge under oath that
they would not reveal such secrets without my permission.
This pledge given, I reminded them that I was aware that
most persons believed I controlled horses by giving
them medicines, or by the use of some secret means,
many even believing that I could soinfluence people
who came near me, by looking at them, that if I so
willed I could make them hand out their money to
me, etc., and as an illustration of such incredulity
would put it to vote. Every hand would usually go
up in acknowledgment of this when I explained that

ef no mistake could be greater; that I was just like
Low bred. them—one of the plainest and simplest of men; that
no one could feel his ignorance more than I did; that I really

DESIRABLE SOBJECTS.

had no more power over horses than they or
anybody else, aside from the advantage of
studying the horse’s nature with more success
with the conditions of acting upon and influ-
encing it; that this was all I could teach them,
and that whatever my success, I felt as if I were
only at the commencement of one of the most
interesting and important studies to which the
intelligent mind could be directed, which I
would prove to them.

Or I would say: ‘‘I had of course to say a
great deal outside that was unpleasant for me
to say, in order to get you, but now that I have
you in here, with the doors closed, I wish to be
entirely frank with you. First, I wish to give
you a very great secret—one which for your
own sake and I may add, mine, as well, you
must on no condition reveal to anyone. This
is our unpardonable ignorance of a subject that
we think we know so much about; that this is
all I will really prove to you, for I can do no
more with horses, however remarkable the re-
sults I am able to perform may seem, than any
common man with the knowledge of the same
treatment and care in applying it should be able
todo. I will put myself inthe same line. The
only advantage I have is, that I have studied
the subject somewhat in advance of you. I! will
show you first that the horse, when treated
properly, is the easiest of all domestic animals
to manage, and in every case of his being made
vicious or unmanageable it is the result of a de-
gree of ignorance for which we have good reason
to blush, and for which there should be no ex
cuse. This, of course, neither you nor I want
people to know, and in addition I think we can

91

Expressions of
VICLOUSNESS.

92 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

both do better hereafter. The feats I perform seem great
and remarkable because the secrets of doing them are not un-
derstood or studied. If I don’t prove this to you, your in-
structions shall cost you nothing.”

Or I would say to them; ‘‘It would be easy enough for
me to control horses and do it in such a way that when I got
through you would know but little about. it, and yet you
would be satisfied; and I am aware, also, that the more
abstruse and difficult I would make the explanations to you,
the more importance you would attach to them and the greater
your respect and esteem for me. But really, to benefit you
as I wish, it is necessary that I should make my explanations
as simple as possible. Now which would you prefer: that I
should perform feats and make my instructions complicated
and difficult, or simple, and such as I know you can under-
stand best and would do you the most good ?”’ It would, of
course, be voted, ‘‘ We want you to make it as simple as you
can to us,” etc:

CHAPTER VII.

EXPLANATIONS OF PRINCIPLES—HOW FAR POSSIBLE TO CHANGE
CHARACTER.

NOW took up details, giving a
careful explanation of the princi-
ples, and demonstrating them with
the aid of one of my trained po-
= nies, which made the instructions
very plain and simple as well as

Common occurrence. interesting. If at any point dur-
ing these instructions I noticed a group together whittling or
whispering to each other, which was not uncommon, indicat-
ing a preconcerted plan to defeat me, I gave them careful
attention. When I discovered such a purpose, I made it a
point to switch them off something hke this: When far
enough along to secure their close attention, and make them
forget themselves, I would casually make reference to the
fact that if such a thing could be really done—referring to
some specially interesting feat, for example, of making a
dangerous or vicious colt gentle to follow ina certain num-
ber of minutes—and I could teach others to do it, it was,
indeed, remarkable; and if it could be done, it was worth,
not only the price of the entire instruction, but many times
that. This conceded, I would jokingly say, ‘‘ Every one who
thinks that itis worth $5, raise his right hand,” when without
a thought every hand would naturally go up.

Then I would refer to something else, perhaps taking a
wild, kicking horse and making him gentle, even to driving
him without breeching. That if this could be really done,
that knowledge alone must be accepted as worth not only $5
to any man, but several times that; when every hand would

[93]

94 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

goup. After thus referring to a number of things, and their
value being conceded, I would figure it all up, and show
them that if really true that I could do these things, and
' teach them how to do the same, they would be largely in
debt to me, arfd then laughingly tell them that was the way I
did business, placing it in the light of a good joke upon
myself.

My foundation being thus carefully laid and fortified, I
rapidly made the practical demonstrations as short, sharp
and decisive as possible, showing that I could really do all
and even more than I had promised, the success with which
I could do it depending, of course, greatly upon the character
of my subjects; but I always made it a point, when possible,
to come well within the time I had advertised, when, with
their tacit acknowledgment of having no reasonable ground
of complaint to stand upon, no one could well go back on me.

After getting through with the instruction, it was not
unusual for persons to come forward and tell me of the plans
that had been made by them to defeat me, and regard it a
good joke upon themselves to be really satisfied. Such par-
ties would often become so interested in my efforts that it
was not uncommon for them to not only follow me to other
places, but to make a great effort to help me. Much of my
success was, in fact, really dependent upon such aid.

LITTLE FEATS.

I also made it a point, when I could with safety, to per-
form little feats before the class in such a way as to arrest
their attention most strongly; but this I did mainly as a
means of giving novelty to the general routine of my instruc-
tions. For example, if there were brought in a horse afraid
of an umbrella or robe, finding him to be a good subject to
make the test upon, I would say, ‘‘ This horse is all right.
You have made a mistake about it.’’ The owner perhaps
would strongly protest that the horse was really what was rep-
resented, and as proof some one would be requested to ap-

LV IOWANS SBN IGS 95

proach him from a distance of ten, fifteen or twenty feet,
with an open umbrella over him, when the horse would really
exhibit such fear of it that the only alternative would be for
the man to at once step back and close it. This would at
once put everybody on the alert. ‘‘ Nevertheless, I will show
you this horse is all right;’’ when I would, with apparent in-
difference, walk up to him and pretend to whisper something
to him quietly, then step back hurriedly, take the umbrella
and walk forward, taking him by the halter, and while walk-
ing along with him, without any apparent effort, put it over
his head. He might make some littie resistance, but directly
walking along quietly by my side, apparently paying no atten-
tion to it, as the subject would most always do, it would of
course cause great surprise. I would then remark: ‘Now,
there is a very important secret about doing this, and I will
go over it again and wish you to watch me carefully to see if
you will catch the point of it.”

Then I would go over the same routine again, taking the
umbrella, and with my back to the horse, open and shut it,
then while walking forward to him, hold it closed in my
hand, behind me out of view, and upon reaching him, take
him by the halter and while walking along as before, my
head near his, talking to him in a low tone of voice, I
would suddenly open the umbrella, and with the same move-
ment, quickly swing it upward over his head, bringing it
down so closely upon it as to cover it. He might, perhaps,
stop, drop his head, acting a little dazed, but really showing
no resistance, the only means of restraint used being that of
lightly holding him by the halter strap, when I would gradu-
ally raise it, swing it backward and forward, gradually in-
creasing the movement, at the same time elevating it above
him, when he would directly submit, entirely indifferent to
having it swung over or around him in any manner.

Then again I would surprise them in the opposite direc-
tion, by assuming to show him to be really as much afraid of
it as ever, which I would demonstrate by going back some

96 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

distance from him and approaching him with the umbrella
over my head, when he would show the indications of fear
exhibited in the first place; then again rapidly putting it
over his head, thereby showing him again to be entirely in-
different to it, which of course would naturally excite the
greatest astonishment; the class believing that I had some
sort of secret power which they could not understand.

I would say, ‘‘ Now I did this the better to explain to
you a very interesting principle, which, while known to most
every one, is not understood. It is that motion is quicker
than sight, and if I can get the umbrella upon him before he
can really see it, and show him by contact that it is really
harmless, he will at once care nothing about it, and the effect
is not only really as good, but if anything better, than if I
were to subject him to the most severe treatment. In doing
this, you will notice that I first put the umbrella in a position
where he could not see it. The object of whispering to him
and keeping my head near his was to keep him from seeing
it, and to mislead you as to my real purpose. Consequently
when I stooped over to open the umbrella, it was not only
done as quick as a flash, but swung over his head so quickly
that he could not see it before it was upon him. The rest
was simple. So far as frightening him, as in the first place, it
was by putting it in the position suddenly, as when he was
first frightened by it. This I quickly overcome, as you see,
by gradually widening the circle;”” which I would do by letting
him stand on the floor and go round him, all perhaps not re-
quiring more than a minute or two, thereby proving him to
be really indifferent to it.*

* In my regular instructions, in the chapter on “Fear,” I give some
very interesting particulars; among others, that horses, especially highly
organized ones, can be frightened to death, and also the ease with which
excessive fear can be prevented, and (if the integrity of the nervous sys-
tem is not seriously impaired) overcome. This was very noticeable in
preventing fear of contact of whiffletree or shafts, or when frightened
and excited, in overcoming it. This was the secret of my driving gently

ANALYZING CHARACTER. 97

It will be interesting to include here a brief explanation
of some of the inner lines of my thoughts which gradually led
up to the final discoveries made by me in the art of subjec-
tion; also the severe trials that were often sprung upon me
from which I was able to catch some of my best lessons. As
explained in the introductory pages, the study of the subject
being incidentally forced upon me, knowing nothing about it,
I instinctively went back to the study of natural conditions.
In doing this, I noticed, first, that in a state of nature the horse
was on the same plane with man, being simply astep below him,
the essential difference being that he practically reasoned
from the limits of his direct observation and experience;
next, that man had combined within himself all the peculiar-
ities of the different families of the lower animals—his higher
nature representing the more intelligent domestic animals,
and the lower those of the more untamable or vicious charac-
ters. Consequently in treating the horse, when in doubt about
the character I had to deal with, I went back, as it were, and
studied the corresponding part of my own nature, and from
this was enabled to determine the best principle or line of
treatment to pursue.

While groping my way, as it were, along on these lines,
one of the most impressive and interesting facts revealed to
me was the wonderful intelligence of many animals, even of
those so low as to be supposed not worthy of consideration,
and from which I was able to observe more clearly some of
the inherent traits of the horse, which, when close analyzed,
we find to be really remarkable. Let us briefly consider these
facts:—

WONDERFUL INTELLIGENCE OF THE LOWER ANIMALS.
We naturally feel like paying special deference to any

one who exhibits anything like exceptional abilities, such as
excelling as an orator, mathematician, or other specialty; and

so quickly and easily horses that had been frightened by contact of
wagon.

98 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

the greater such exceptional power, the greater the respect
and deference.*

Now in following up these points,
the really significant fact to which I
wish to call your attention more es-
pecially is, that many of the lower
animals, even those supposed to be
so low in the scale of intelligence as
not to be worthy of consideration,
have powers that are really so far be-
yond what it is possible for any
man or woman to do, as to be
nothing short of startling. For
example, the commonest cur of
a dog, which most people feel
like kicking out of the way, has
powers of scent, and intelligence
so keen, that he can unerringly
follow the footsteps of his master, though hours behind him;
that by the mere smell of a bit of <a
clothing the bloodhound can fol-
low the track of the criminal and
pick him out from hundreds of
.others, who may have passed
over the same way. Now we see
here is an ability that when we
come to study it carefully is really
so remarkable as to be nothing
short of marvelous. But look at
those considered of a far lower
character. For instance, the com-

ZS.

: Lin

aX a)

Nature and beauty.

*It is a fact, as we see, that a high order of the horse is not only act-
ually worth, but sells for a great deal more than a low order of the
human family. Horses referred to here have been sold as high as $125,-
ooo, and one was actually valued and could not have been bought for a
quarter of a million; while it is well known that a few yards of calico,
costing only a few shillings, would be sufficient to purchase a poor Afri-
can bushman. The accompanying illustrations tell their own story.

NATURAL SAGACITY. 99

mon beaver exhibits a degree of intelligence in the construc-
tion of his dam, that,
when the limited re-
sources at his disposal
are considered, is an
exhibition of such won-
derful skill as to be un-
surpassed by the best
engineers in the world.
The common vulture
has powers of scent so
keen as to be able to
scent and find a decom-

posing carcass at a dis-

tance of fifty miles. ; JB, ss ot Weare:

On the plains of Arizona and Northern Mexico is a
bird called the chaparral-cock, or road-runner, which ex-
hibits a sagacity that might well
be regarded wonderful. When
this bird finds a rattlesnake asleep,
of which it is a mortal enemy, it
immediately proceeds in the most
intelligent manner, to build around
it a wall of cactus burs, and then
pecks it on the tail to excite it to
anger, knowing that the contact
with the cactus will so irritate the
snake that it will turn and bite
itself, and thus be destroyed by its
own venom.*

* This kindness is reciprocated by
man in this spirit: “It is a fine day, let
us, for the pleasure of it, go out and kill
something;’ and make up parties to
chase and kill this valuable friend of

Intelligent features. man for the mere fun of seeing it run, for
which it is famous and consequently given the name of “ road-runner.”

100 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

To those who study this subject at all carefully, there is
a wonderfully interesting field of instruction in it. For
example, to escape the rigors of winter, birds go South toa
milder climate, and again return when the season is favorable;
2 : also, they discern
== = =; and avoid the com-
=) ine » storm—man
even largely rely-
ing upon their in-
tellis entice tox
guidance.

These are but
a few illustrations

of the wonderful
intelligence — dis-
played by a great
many of the lower
animals.

Now when we
study the _ horse
Canerulhy and
closely, we find
that he possesses
a relatively high
degree of instinct
and intelligence.

few <S\ For example, man
Ly 7 \~NV'(- cannot approach

ie) SR me c
~ Un 6 the wild horse of
Fig. 73.—South American Indian. the plains on the

windward side, even while far distant, without detection. A
horse will discover the presence of a dangerous or noxious
animal long before it is possible for man to do so; and when
the rider becomes bewildered and lost, if given the reins, it
is rare that the animal will not take him home.

Now it is seen that these remarkable powers of intelli-

UNDER LE STNG POUNDS HORNS 1 OD. 101

gence in the horse, as well as in the lower animals, generally
are the wise provisions of nature for his sustenance, protec-
tion or defense; and that when we know how to adapt the
efforts to the plane of such instincts, which is the nice point,
his management and control become at once simple and easy.
Consequently when he resists us or becomes vicious or unman-
ageable it is because that, through ignorance or abuse, these
laws of his nature are so
grossly violated that he can-
not do otherwise. For this
reason, his kicking, biting,
striking, etc., are only the
expressions or promptings
of this natural law of defense,
on the same principle that
the bull uses his horns, the
bee its sting, the viper its
fangs, etc.

Here are opened to us
some very interesting points
for study, which will render
simple and easy what has ap-
parently been very obscure
and difficult. Some inter-
esting facts in relation to this are given in the part on

Palo Alto, valued at $250,000.

cruelty, page 245, which it will be interesting to refer to
in connection with what is given here. In demonstrating
these facts before my classes I was often able to show some
very startling results.*

It will be interesting for me to explain here, also, that I
was for years in various ways greatly misled, and lost much

* To explain something of the character of these experiments, I
may state that | had a standing public challenge to have produced for
experiment a variety of the most exceptionally unmanageable or vicious
colts or horses that could be found; so that there were usually accessible
the most notable cases within a radius of ten to fifteen miles, and often
some would be brought from thirty to sixty miles.

102 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

valuable time in consequence of the extravagant pretensions
of persons who claimed to be able to subdue or control
horses by the use of certain scents or medicines; claims that
had just enough truth in them to be well calculated to mislead.

=
CHUBB. Nv,

Fig.75.—Nancy Hanks (2.04 to ball-bearing sulky), the latest wonder of the turf.

To make these points entirely intelligible, I cannot do
better than quote a few paragraphs from the chapter on
‘¢«Scents and Medicines,” in my regular work:—

Many of the lower animals can be strongly affected by
certain scents or medicines. For example, by putting asa-

* The portraits of the horses here shown with many other noted ones
were engraved from photographs from life for the chapter on Trotting
in the Author’s work, ‘“ Facts for Horse Owners.”

EPREGCTS “OF SGENTS.- 1038

fetida on the soles of the boots or shoes, it will cause wolves
to eagerly follow the wearer. The body of the beaver con-
tains a peculiar odorous substance, usually called ‘‘bark-
stone,’’ but more scientifically termed castor or castoreum.
It is claimed by trappers that the beaver is so greatly attracted

Fig. 76.—Sunol (2.08% to old-style sulky). From a photograph taken from life.

by this substance that when he scents this odor, although from
a long distance, he will invariably make his way to it.

Reference might also be made to other substances which
have a like effect upon others of the lower animals; as, for
example, the musk-bag of the musk-ox, etc., etc.

Advantage has been taken of these facts, and with a
show of plausibility, by persons claiming to be in possession
of certain secrets or scents by which vicious horses could be
controlled or made to follow as desired.

104 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Before and during the time of Rarey, parties who had
learned the secret of disabling the fore-legs and laying the
horse down (explained in other pages), the better to mislead,
and give importance to the treatment, usually managed as
follows:—

After treatment of the horse in some private place until

Fig.77.—Arion (2.10%). $125,000 the sum paid for him when three years old.

submissive, while the horse was lying or standing quietly,
they would open the door and allow the people to come in.
There would, of course, be great curiosity to see if anything
could be discovered as to what had been done. The oper-
ator, knowing this, and pretending to think himself unob-
served, would slip a piece of apple or something else into the
horse’s mouth, rub his hand over the nose, blow into the nos-
trils, whisper into the ear, or something of the kind. This
would of course be observed, and when curiosity had been
sufficiently excited, the pretended horse-tamer would say,

VAFIO OSS STEGRIETS & 105

«Yes, I have a secret, as you can see for yourselves by the
effect produced,” implying that the effect was produced by
this special secret; and then offer to sell it, naming a large
price, but taking what he could get. During my early trav-
els on the road, I found many who had paid from ten to fifty,

Fig. 78.—Allerton (2.09%). Valued when photographed at over $100,000.

and even as high as one hundred dollars for some of these
pretended great secrets.

The so-called ‘‘ Arabian secret’’* was claimed to be the
greatest secret of this kind.

The oil of parsley was sometimes used for the same pur-

* The one making the most pretensions with this, claimed it to have
been used by the Comanche Indians, among whom he traveled and
from whom he obtained it. But this was mere pretension.

106 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

pose. A few drops are put on the hand or handkerchief, and
the horse is allowed to smell of it, when it was claimed he
would follow.

The perspiration from under the arms, rubbed on the
horse’s nose, or breathed into the nostrils from the hand, was
held also as a great secret.

Also, that breathing into the horse’s nostrils would make
him gentle. Catlin, the Indian traveler, refers to this as be-
ing practiced by the Indians with great success, assuming for
it in fact the most remarkable results. *

The warts or osselets which grow on the inside of a
_ horse’s leg, when dried and pulverized, and about a thimbleful
blown into the nostrils would, it was also claimed, make any
horse gencle. The osselets, if taken from a vigorous horse
and properly prepared and used, will frequently produce very
satisfactory results so far as quieting an irritable horse, par-
ticularly in the management of balkers.t

In this chapter (Scents and Medicines), are given other
very interesting facts in relation to these pretended secrets,
more particularly those given by Offutt, Rarey’s teacher, for
which he claimed a great deal, and which were obtained by
me from his original work.

CONTROL BY THE EYE, OR WILL-CHARMING.

It is very generally supposed that certain persons pos-
sess a power by which they can approach and control vicious
horses as by magic, and, though for certain reasons not with-
‘out some show of success, are a cause of greatly misleading
the popular mind.

That it is possible to control the volition of some ani-
mals is a well known fact. Ifa bird be taken and laid on its

* Led by his strong statements, I have made the most careful and
exhaustive experiments with this and other great secrets upon all sorts
of horses, without satisfactory results.

+ Some interesting facts in relation to this are given in chapter on
Balking, in work referred to.

WILL CHARMING. 107

back, and the finger pointed at its eyes, its whole body will
begin to stiffen, the legs will be drawn up, and if the hand
be gently removed, the bird will Jie motionless upon its back
for any length of time; or, if a white chalk-line be drawn on a
dark board, and a bird set longitudinally upon the line, with
the beak on the mark, it will remain there for hours asif held
by some subtle and mysterious influence which is not explain-
able. Should there, however, be any unusual noise to excite
or startle, such as a sudden stamping on the ground, the
effect will at once pass away, and the spell be broken.*

It is well known that certain classes of snakes have the
power of fascinating birds or other animals. An intelligent
lady once told me that in two instances she had seen small
birds charmed by snakes. In one instance, while stepping
over a log, she saw a bird in the act of flying into the mouth
of a black snake, which lay coiled on the ground on the oppo-
site side.

According to the statement of a well known naturalist,
there is a peculiar rattlesnake in Arizona of a dapple, bluish-
brown color, which has an eye so bright and glittering, that
once a bird catches a glance of it he is powerless to get away,
_and flies backward and forward, see-saw like, before it, until
he is caught and swallowed.

These facts imply, and apparently with much reason, that
horses may be controlled in this way. I may state, that, not-
withstanding the most careful and thorough experimenting
upon all sorts of horses, I have not been able to produce any
effect that was at all satisfactory to me by any such measures
of treatment.

* The researches of late scientific experimenting show that hypnot-
ism, or the controlling of the will of certain persons by others, is really
on this principle.

CHAPTER VIII.

CONTROL BY EXHAUSTION—SECRETS OF CHANGING CHARACTER
—INTERESTING EXPLANATIONS—CASES IN POINT.

T would be an easy matter to con-
trol horses of even the most vicious
character for a short time, but the
difficulty would be to hold them
gentle. This may be done by any
method of lowering the strength or

vitality, such as bleeding, physicking, depriving of sleep,

food, or water, subjecting to violent or prolonged exertion

(every one knows that a horse that has been worked and

re

vy

driven hard is a great deal more submissive and gentle than
after an idle spell), intense pain, etc., which it is easily seen
can be carried to any extreme, even to the point of destroy-
ing life.

It is on this principle (exhaustion) that the people of
South America and the Indians of our Western plains subdue
and control their horses. On the pampas of South America
the horse is caught with a lasso, thrown to the ground, his
head covered with a blanket, when a bridle with a powerful
bit and saddle are put on. He is then mounted, the blanket
pulled off, and he is allowed to run until exhausted and sub-
missive. With some slight variations, the Indians of our
Western plains pursue the same course in the control of their
ponies, and with the same results.*

* The first account I find of, this principle of subjection (exhaustion)
was that noted in the history of Alexander the Great, when a boy of
seventeen, controlling his afterwards famous steed, Bucephalus. It
seems a man brought a horse to the camp of his father (Phillip of Mac-
edon) for sale. The horse showing exceptional nervousness or fear was

[ 108 ]

IMPRESSIONS. 109

According to recent researches it seems that this princi-
ple of subjection was known to the ancients. In the St. Pe-
tersburg museum is a vase taken from an old Syrian ruin,
known to have belonged to a period long anterior to the time
of Christ, upon which is represented this principle of subjec-
tion, as used by the Indians and others referred to.

In subduing and controlling by this principle the dif-
ficulty is, first, that as soon as the strength and vigor are re-
gained, there will be a strong tendency to gravitate back to
the former condition of viciousness or resistance. In addi-
tion, whatever the degree of submission, it must necessarily
be at the expense of more or less serious constitutional strain
and injury, even of itself sufficient to ruin the horse.

IMPRESSIONS.

Let us now turn to the study of some effects, which though
common to the observation of every one, rarely receive seri-
ous consideration. We see that the impression of a moment
or two, if made just right, will often be sufficient not only
to change the character of a horse to a certain degree, but to
do it permanently. For instance, a horse that has been driven
and worked gently for years, by a chance accident has been
so frightened and excited that he kicks and runs away; and
though the impression had been but momentary, or not
exceeding more than two or three minutes, it will still be so
strong and deep as to make him as vicious and unmanagea-
ble afterwards as if the had always been so. Not only this,
but the most marked change in the character may frequently
be produced without the horse being even touched, or feeling
any physical pain whatever. ‘This will be shown, for exam-
ple, by the effect that may be produced upon a horse in con-

‘

ordered taken away, when, without premeditation, Alexander sprang
upon his back and rode him out of camp. This caused great alarm for
the safety of the young man, but being beyond reach, nothing could be
done for his rescue, and when in a short time he rode back into camp,
the horse entirely gentle, and himself unharmed, the joy of all was great:

110 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

sequence of his being frightened at an umbrella, buffalo robe,
or some other object with which he had no physical contact,
yet producing a change incharacter to as great a degree as if
he had: been subjected to the most violently painful treat-
ment.

Now if we reverse the principle, we will find that we can
produce the same effects, but in an inverse order, either in
creating such an order of character as we wish, or in over-
coming impressions that had been formed in consequence of
bad treatment, or that had formerly existed. So that witha

“Vig

J lett She
Vp
y,

Ley)

“Wy

LHL

KZ

BY ys

Fig. 80.—Wild Pete in the act of running away.

knowledge of proper conditions, we will at once have all the
foundation necessary for controlling or influencing the char-
acter in almost any direction, or any degree we desire. Thus
we can make a horse a kicker, or break kim of kicking; teach
him to balk, or break him of the habit; make him vicious in
one respect and gentle in another. This was finely illustrated
by the performance cf my ponies. Thus one was taught to
play different acts, such as to throw.boys or to carry boys;
play gentle or vicious, etc., etc.*

This was the secret of my being able to accomplish with
such quickness and ease the remarkable results in the control
of vicious horses demonstrated by me. |

* See an account of their remarkable performances, page 165.

Ay PE COLVATMGA SE: tit

_A point, also, that was a source of constantly increasing
interest to me, was the great possibilities in the way of chang-
ing the character almost directly. I will give the particulars
here of one of the most striking representations ever made
by me. -

At a place called Titusville, Pa., the interest in my efforts
became so great that at the earnest solicitation of friends, I
remained over there to give an extra lecture. There being a
large class organ- ti
ized, when ready
to commence the
instructions I was
surprised to receive
a telegram from my
assistant, a man of
more than ordinary
ability, who had
traveled in the busi-
ness with a good
deal of success, and
whom I had sent on Fig. 8t.—Wild Pete. ¥ Drawn from memory.
to Petroleum Center to fill my engagement at that place, mak-
ing an urgent demand for my immediate presence there.
Responding at once, upon my arrrival there he confidentially
informed me that they had there undoubtedly the worst horse

in the world—one of so wild and nervous a nature that it would
be entirely useless to try to do anything with him; and the
best thing we could do—uin fact the only thing we could safely
do—was to get out of there. I replied to him, saying that
would not do; that we could not admit-of such a thing; that
if there was any chance at all the case must be taken in hand,
when I had obtained from him all the particulars in relation
to the subject that he could give.

The horse was a pony of the ordinary domestic breed,
but so exceptionally sensitive and nervous that up to the
time he was nine years old he could be ridden, but every

112 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

effort to break him had failed. It was utterly impossible to
do anything with him in harness. He was so sensitive that it

usually required two men to hold him while he was groomed.

Once a harness was put on him and he was so frightened by

it that he got away, and when found, all the harness except

the collar had been torn or shaken off. He was in fact so

' insanely nervous that he was nothing short of being wicked

in his resistance. He was so nervous and excitable that he

was known in that country by the name of ‘*‘ Wild Pete.”’

Fig. 82.—Ap prehension of intense fear.

My assistant looked quizzical, saying: ‘‘Now they insist
that the first thing I shall do is to take the horse and subdue
him and drive him in harness, and of course it would be sim-
ple folly to undertake such-a*thing.” “Well!” said’ I,-“1
am not so sure about it,’’ and at once requested that he should
arrange to have the horse led before me. I found hima
small, closely-knit fellow, of great strength and endurance.
The forehead was broad, and the head in all respects well
formed, with a good large eye. But to be able to determine
more closely his character I put a means of control upon his
head by which any ordinary man could hold or restrain the
largest and strongest horse almost as he pleased. As an

WIG EID) EV DIMI: 113

additional means of security I tied up one foot, when holding
him by this I barely touched one of his quarters with the
lash of a straight buggy whip. He was so frightened by it
that he instantly sprang over six feet into the air, kicking
violently, pulled away from me, and, although on three legs,
continued this kicking and jumping for half a mile, as shown
by figure 80.

There being a large crowd assembled, the people laughed
as if to say, ‘‘I guess we have something that will block you
this time.” I certainly never before had found such an ex-
ceptional case, and it seemed nothing short of a miracle to
be able to drive him gently in harness. I was at once greatly
interested to see if it were possible to make such a horse
gentle, and, upon the horse being brought back, I made it
the opportunity of explaining to the people the conditions of
his control; that his extremely sensitive character would
make it impossible to control him in a building in the pres-
ence of aclass; that the presence of the people, in connection
with the excitement they would cause, would be of itself suf-
ficient to neutralize the results of any treatment I could use;
that if they would make mea class, they could as the first
condition deposit their money in the bank to be given me if
I drove the horse there next day perfectly gentle, which I
promised to do.

Upon this condition a large class was organized, they,
however, generously insisting that I should take the money.
After my instructions, I arranged with the owner, Mr.
Smalley, who was a livery keeper there, to take the horse
next morning to the Titusville trotting park, six miles distant,
where I carefully took him in hand.

I may state that I never found a horse to resist so
violently or desperately, he acting like a wild animal; but I
made every point carefully. In less than an hour’s treat-
ment, however, I succeeded in making him so gentle and
submissive that I at once hitched him to a buggy and drove
him back to Titusville, accompanied by Mr. SmalJey, down

8

114 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

quite a large hill, without breeching, proving him, in fact, so
fearless and gentle that upon arriving at the American House,
as a little feat, I left him hitched to the buggy standing in
the open street with a crowd of people around him while I
went in and ate my dinner. ;

I then went on with the instruction of the class I had
organized there, and the same evening drove back to Pe-
troleum Center, where I exhibited him next morning entirely
under control, after which, to the surprise of all, I drove him
in the street without breeching, perfectly gentle. An inter-
esting fact regarding this case is that he was used afterwards
as a family driving horse, and proved one of the safest and
gentlest horses in that country.

The case was specially interesting to me in suggestive-
ness, by revealing to me the degree to which it was possible
to change the character by careful, intelligent treatment. Of
one fact I am sure: If at any point the least mistake had
been made in the treatment of this case, the experiment
would have surely resulted in failure.

Another source of interest to me was the degree to which
I had forced upon me unexpected trials that in result often
proved to be, like that of the case just referred to, of the
most instructive and interesting character. I will refer here
to a case in point.

At a place called Greencastle, Pa. (in the Cumberland
Valley), I had a large and interesting class, comprising the
leading citizens of the place. Just as I had got through and
they had commenced paying for their tickets, one of the
scholars, a physician, casually remarked that he would like
to have me handle a horse he had, leaving me to infer that
the case was but a simple one. I consented, and there was
led in a quiet, gentle-iooking pony horse. While distant
from him fully thirty feet, I took up a buffalo robe, which
the owner had told me the horse was afraid of, when on the
instant of his seeing it he became so terror-stricken that he
rushed away, ran against double doors, fifteen to twenty feet

AN EXTREME TEST. 115

distant, broke them down, and got away. This, of course,
made a genuine stir—the interest centering upon determining
if it was possible to break such a horse.

Upon his being brought back, I took him in hand care-
fully, but he at every point revealed such insane fury that
they all united in insisting that it would be, as it certainly
seemed, the sheerest folly to try to do anything with him;
and made it the occasion for refraining from paying for their
tickets, to which, in accordance with the letter of my prom-
ise, if failing in the least degree at any point, they would be
entitled. And it certainly seemed that by ordinary treat-
ment there would be no possibility of his successful manage-
ment. The apparent difficulty of the case, in connection
with what I could not but regard the unfairness of the treat-
ment of the class, who up to this incident expressed them-
selves in the highest degree satisfied and delighted with the
instructions, determined me, at any hazard, to go to the bot-
tom of it, and if possible vindicate myself. As the first step,
I asked the owner the value of his horse, and upon his stat-
ing it, I placed double the amount on the girt before them,
and said: ‘This will be guarantee for any damage to the
horse.” I stated that I proposed going through with the
matter now in my own way, and, as my right, demanded that
they should keep entirely quiet and back out of my way;
that the matter of their payment I did not care anything
about.

I now took the case in hand, following entirely the
promptings of my instincts; and for twenty minutes such
insane fury of viciousness I never witnessed before in any
horse.

In my regular instructions I call attention to the fact
that the treatment of fear, in its true sense, will often be one
of the most interesting as well as the most difficult conditions
to manage, and to the necessity, in particular cases especially,
that the treatment should be exact. In connection with this,
I explain that horses, especially if of a highly organized nature,

116 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

could be easily frightened to death, giving a number of strik-
ing examples.

The danger in this case, of which I was most apprehen-
sive, was the strain of the excitement being so great that,
unable to bear it, the nervous system would collapse. The
sight of even the smallest part of the robe excited such in-
sane resistance as to render him simply terror stricken, he
kicking, striking, and even squealing, with the expression of
despair of a human being; so that to attempt to push it be-
yond this line would endanger killing the horse. The value
of the horse I cared nothing about. I would sacrifice this
quickly a number of times over rather than make a failure;
so that something of the strain of anxiety under which I
labored can be imagined. At this point an idea came to me
which afterwards proved to be one of the most important
suggestions of my experience. Something of the value of
this can be understood by the fact that it was the secret of
my controlling the case referred to on page 383 in my regu-
lar work, where a friend had worked upon a horse of almost
the identical character for more than six hours, resulting in
complete failure; yet within five minutes I was able to make
the horse entirely fearless and gentle, and the result was re-
garded as a wonderful achievement.

Now in the case under consideration: On the instant of
catching the idea I at once took him in hand heroically, with
the final result of making it a brilliant success. I may state,
in a few words, that the result, when it finally occurred, was
brought about within a minute, and that he was afterwards
as quiet, and indifferent to this or any other cause of excite-
ment as the gentlest family horse. ‘‘ There,’ I said to my-
self, ‘‘I have caught another valuable suggestion.’’

As specially difficult cases were thus the means of my own
advancement in knowledge, I often put myself out of the way,
and frequently at considerable expense, to have an opportu-
nity to experiment upon such. The following, which I may
refer to in this connection, is an interesting example in point.

CHAPTER IX.

A PECULIAR CASE—AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

@ VN well into the State of
TY Vermont, a gentleman intro-
duced himself to me as a former pu-
pil of mine, saying that he was
considered the best horse trainer and
breaker in that State and had come
twenty-five miles to attend my lecture. During the conver-
sation he incidentally inquired if I were going to Lancaster,
N. H., stating that there was the worst horse there ever
known in the country; that he would do everything mean a
horse could do, and was ‘‘a bad one;” that I must avoid
the place, for if I went there, I would be sure to get him,
and that he would surely make me trouble.

Upon my requesting the particulars, he stated that the
horse was a four-year-old Knox stallion (a highly valued
Maine breed of trotting blood); that the owner, an exception-
ally intelligent, prudent man, wishing to take every possible
precaution against accident, had sent the horse a distance of
sixty miles to him to be broken; but that after working upon

him for six weeks, in the meantime being arrested twice for
cruelty to him, he was compelled to send the horse home with
the statement that he was so hopelessly unmanageable and
vicious, that he could do nothing with him. In giving par:
ticulars of the case, the man said if he could do nothing else, he
would kick, lunge into the fence, or throw himself down; that
in fact he never saw such a horse, and that there was no do-
ing anything with him. Such positiveness of statement in
relation to the subject, and especially from so successful and

[117]

118 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

experienced a man, excited in me so strong a desire to exper-
iment upon him that I immediately wrote my agent to so
change his route as to take in that town (Lancaster).

At the time of the appointment there was assembled a large
crowd of people, and I secured a large class, nearly three hun-
dred. To my surprise, however, I could not find the name of
the owner of the horse referred to (Mr. Stevens, a successful
breeder and prominent citizen of the place) among them. I
made a special effort to secure his name; but to my chagrin,
he met me with the most positive refusal, arguing that he had
attended the lectures of every one of any note in the business,
and that he considered that he had nothing new to learn from
me upon the subject. Referring specially to his horse, he
asserted that it was the merest nonsense to assume to be able
to do anything with such a horse as his.

Strongly impressed, from the statement previously made
to me, that the trouble was really the result of improper
treatment, I was bound, if possible, to secure the horse to
experiment upon before the class, which wasa matter of great
importance to me, the class being a very large one, with no
other particularly good subject. Having in the meantime
arranged for an opportunity to see the horse, I explained to
the gentleman why I had come there, and my desire to exper-
iment upon him.

He still refused, in emphatic terms; but I was bound, at
all hazards, to have the subject; so to shut off all argument, I
offered, on condidion of his giving me his name, and coming
in as a member of the class, (this was an indispensable condi-
tion) first, to pledge $500 as a guarantee that the horse should
not be injured; second, $25 additional if I failed to drive him
gently, without breeching, within fifteen minutes. Such a
proposition was, as I intended it should be, of course, start-
ling to him. Looking at me now in a quizzical manner, he
said, ‘‘ 1 don’t know what to make of you. You are either the
worst humbug that ever traveled, or the most skillful man in
the world, and I don’t know which;’

)

adding, ‘‘If you really

Aas GOLETA Tins CLA STS: 119

mean what you say, youcan have my name, but I wish you to
understand, sir, that I shall hold you rigidly to the letter of
your statements.’’ On these conditions I obtained his name.

When the horse was brought in for experiment, I ex-
plained to the class the conditions upon which he was secured,
but that this did not trouble me at all, as I had difficulties of this
kind almost daily. Such a fact, of course, added greatly to
the interest of the effort. When the time came for taking him
in hand, to use the language of the old proverb, I did not let
much ‘‘grass grow under my feet, ” or indulge in much non-
sense, and was so fortunate as to bring the horse under com-
plete control within twelve minutes, in the time putting him
in the shafts, and driving him without breeching, when, I may
add, I got the laugh on the owner, who smilingly ‘‘ acknowl-
edged the corn.”

I may explain here that the moment the horse was
brought before me I at once saw the cause of the trouble, with
the conditions of his successful treatment. I was not in
error, for though upon trial he revealed himself to be one of
the most extreme cases of his class I had ever treated, com-
pelling me to use the greatest care, I did not experience
much serious difficulty in his control.

The horse was a fine, intelligent fellow, but extremely
sensitive, and all the trouble with him was the previous employ-
ment of treatment that excited and frightened him to sucha
degree as to make him crazy with fear, so that his apparent
viciousness was owing to inexcusably bad treatment.

One of the most peculiar cases of extreme sensibility was
the Oxford horse, the particulars of which are given in another
chapter. But the most remarkable of all cases in my experi-
ence was that of a subject referred to as ‘‘ Wild Pete.”” This
being the most pronounced case of this class I ever found, the
facts in relation to it, given in another chapter, will be read
with interest. I may mention that in my regular work I give
all the facts of treatment, which for want of space would not
be admissible here.

120 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

I may also state that in that work I give, in addition to
the regular instructions, the particulars of the treatment of
forty of the most noted cases, giving age, temperament and
character of resistance, including all details as to size, color,
disposition, etc.

During my later years on the road the interest attached
by my scholars to my efforts was often extremely gratifying,
a fair illustration of which is the following statement: —

‘««Mr. Magner had a large class here Saturday, to whom he
presented a very clear and interesting statement of the princi-
ples underlying his system, and also showed how absolute is
the control that may be obtained over horses the most vi-
cious and obstinate. Several of the hardest cases to be found
were used as subjects before his class, and it is no exaggera-
tion to say that horses and class seemed equally surprised,
though not equally delighted at the effectiveness of the treat-
ment. Demonstrations were in each case short, sharp and
decisive. The introductory address, though from necessity
given in a barn; was a clear explanation of the principles of
treatment, and was in language and manner entirely above
the plane of what is properly rated ‘horse talk,’ and com-
manded marked attention. We can conceive of no surer in-
dication of the estimation which Mr. Magner wins for him-
self than the fact that his most appreciative listeners were
members of his class when here fourteen years ago.”

REMARKABLE INCREDULITY.

Regarding the singular incredulity in relation to my
efforts, it will be interesting here to give some particulars.
Like most persons, I supposed, before my study of this sub-
ject, that any exhibitions of exceptional power in the control
of vicious horses must necessarily be the result of some
special gift or secret, and notwithstanding my instructions
for so many years on this subject, I find a large proportion of
even the most intelligent and cultivated people of the coun-
try seem to think so yet, and for this reason I think it
advisable to make a more definite explanation of the subject
here. To take a vicious, dangerous, unmanageable horse,
and in the short period of an hour or less, so change his char-

REMARKABLE I[NCREDULITY. 121

acter as to make him submissive and gentle to control, as I
was usually able to do, would seem so much like bordering
on the miraculous or of changing nature itself, as to be en-
tirely outside the range of natural law, and thus, in the
nature of things, impossible. During my experience on the
road it was a matter of daily, in fact I may say almost hourly,
occurrence to me, to be made aware of this; many people
being actually afraid of me, believing that I had the power,
if I wished, to so influence those coming near me as to make
them think or do almost what I pleased. As example of this,
I mention some incidents in point.

Once, after concluding my instructions and experiments,
a gentleman came to me and shook me heartily by the hand,
saying: ‘‘ Before leaving you, I want to tell you what a d—
fool I have been. I have come twenty miles to-day to join
your class here. When you were in my town, I was so con-
fident that you simply fooled the people that I could not be
persuaded to go near you. Sostrongly was I impressed with
this that, with the sole purpose of exposing you, I followed
you to the next towns, and although my neighbors who at-
tended your lectures all agreed that they were entirely satis-
fied,—that you did even more than you promised,—I could
only feel sorry for them that they should be so deceived and
imposed upon. Becoming, at length, so annoyed about the
matter, I concluded to come here to-day, and give you $5,
just for the satisfaction of seeing how you did it, and I have
only to say that I consider myself fooled in the worst way for
not joining your class in my town, so that I could have had
the benefit of one or two more lessons. If I have any criti-
cism to make, it is that ‘the half has not been*told.’”

In another instance (at Fostoria, O.), after the lesson, as
a good joke upon himself, a man came to me and made the
following statement. He said, that to make sure of keeping
beyond my supposed influence, the first day of my engagement
there, during the pony exhibition, he stood outside the door
and looked in; the next, he came inside, but ready, if he felt

122 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

the least undue influence coming upon him, to jump out.
The third day he ventured up, upon the seats, and the fourth
he was led finally to join the class, when, after the instruc-
tions, he gave me these facts, stating further that he knew
this impression to be very general among his neighbors.

After my subjection of the famous Malone horse, a gen-
tleman (an extensive breeder) from the central part of the
State, near Columbus, upon reading the account of it, had
his curiosity so excited by the event that he took the first
train, nearly a hundred and fifty miles distant, for the sole
purpose of seeing me, as he would some rare or curious ani-
mal. Arriving at the hotel in the early morning, and being
informed that I had not yet come from my room, to be sure
of seeing me at the earliest possible moment, he seated him-
self in front of the stairway and patiently waited there until
I came down. Upon my being pointed out to him, he raised
his hands with an expression of disgust (this the landlord, as
a good joke, told me after breakfast), as if to say, ‘‘Is that
the man? Why he looks just ike any common man.’’ At
the close of my instruction and experiments he came to me
saying, ‘‘ Well, I give it up. Before your instructions I cer-
tainly thought you must control horses by some secret magic
or fascination.”’

It was a matter of common occurrence for citizens to
make sure that horses they wished me to treat would be kept
away from me or be put under guard until brought before
them to be experimented upon, they really believing that if I
could get near the horse or even only see him, I had the
power to bring him under my control. A good example of
this was the incident referred to on page 60,

I was for this reason almost constantly compelled, often
at much trouble and expense, to make test experiments upon
such exceptional cases of viciousness as could be found;
good examples of which were the noted “Jet,” the Wilkins
horse, the Omnibus horse, the Malone horse, etc. Some
such remarks as these were of common occurrence: ‘‘ Do

CEEADT-LAN GRE DOLITY. 123

you really mean to say that you can take my horse, which I
know to be impossible for any man or even several men to
hitch up and drive without his kicking and running away,
and control him, right before me?” “ Yes, sir; and if I don’t
hese ply,
would be, looking at me quizzically, shaking the head and
laughing: ‘You look like a sensible man, and doubtless in-
tend to be truthful. I would take your word for most any-
thing else, but this seems so unreasonable that I would not
believe it even if I were to see it done. You do not seem to
be different from other men, and there must be some trickery
about it;’? and perhaps he would add, ‘‘ Why, you don’t
look like a man who could do much with horses, and how is
it possible that you can do so much more with horses than

do it, your instructions will cost you nothing.

other men? It does not look reasonable;”’ but being assured
that everything promised would surely be done, the question
would next arise, ‘‘Do you claim that you can teach me to
do it?’’ But when I demonstrated this and perhaps much
more, as I usually experimented upon a number of horses in
succession, such would shake their heads, laugh and say,
‘Well, I give it up.”

After some particularly striking experiment, it was not
uncommon for scholars to come forward and examine my
hands, gloves and clothing, to see if they could not discover
some secret odor or scent that would account for so great a
change ; for very frequently the most interesting and start-
ling results would not require more than from ten to fifteen
or twenty minutes to accomplish. When convinced that the
change in the character was really effected by the treatment
I had explained to them—that it was the result entirely and
wholly of conforming to the nature and conditions of the
case—they would express themselves as amazed; first, that
such valuable knowledge had not been before discovered;
second, in being made to see the amount of injury to horses,
as well as loss in consequence of the bad treatment to which
they were subjected.

CHAPTER X.

EFFORTS TO DEFEAT ME—TEST TRIALS—MOST DANGEROUS CASE
—NOTED VICIOUS HORSES.

FREQUENT source of much in-

convenience, and occasionally of
amusement, was in people trying in
various ways to overreach me. For
example: Once at a point in Central
Ohio, a farmer came to me saying
that he proposed to attend my lect-
ure, and that he had a colt he would like to bring in asa

subject for experiment, at the same time pointing the colt
out to me while being led along the street. There was some-
thing about the expression of the man that was not quite sat-
isfactory to me; and upon the impulse of the moment I
stepped into the street to look the colt over carefully. Not
seeing anything out of the way, with the purpose of making
further examination, I took him by the head and turned him
short around, when at once I discovered an organic weakness.
I called up the hotel-keeper, and said to him: ‘‘I wish you
to witness that this colt has been strained in the back, and if
experimented upon by me it must be with that understand-
ing.” When put in the harness as promised, the weakness
was revealed quite plainly, and the owner at once cried out,
‘‘You have spoilt my horse, and you must pay for him.’’ I
called his attention to my statement, which was endorsed by
the hotel-keeper; and with a hearty laugh they said, ‘‘ Old
fellow, you didn’t succeed this time.”

At one time, while exhibiting my ponies in New York
(Scriba Corners), my manager came to me and whispered,
‘¢There is a man out there in a buggy who claims to be from

[ 124 |

TVAL TER POLEER CORED: 125

the last town (Fulton), and to keep his mouth shut he wants
$25. He says that if he does not get it, he will frighten the
people so that we can do nothing here.’’ I told him to keep
the man quiet until I got through with the exhibition, when |
would attend to him. I may explain here that in making
engagements, I aimed to have them come so near together
that the pupils from one place could meet me at the next;
but in this instance the drive was so long that none from the
previous towns had followed, and all present being strangers
to me, to have the least hint made of there being anything
wrong about my efforts would so frighten the people that I
could not do anything.

Among other feats of a positive character that I adver-
tised to perform was the taking of any halter puller, no matter
what age or character, even one that when hitched by the
halter would repeatedly try to pull loose or break his neck,
and within two minutes make him so submissive that, though
whipped over the head or frightened in the most severe
manner, could not be made to pull; and that I would really
do this with any number of horses of this character in succes-
sion that could be produced.

The day before, at Fulton, I had one of the most
remarkable cases of this character I had ever found or read
of in the country; and when there, this man, with a few
others, though they knew nothing at all about me, had, as I
afterwards learned, done all they could to prevent my accom-
plishing anything. Upon becoming aware of the feeling
toward me, I determined to make the fight as strong and hot
as I could, and therefore stipulated, in the most positive
terms, that no matter how satisfactory my instructions, or
what my success in other respects, if I failed to control this
case by even the fraction of a minute, which I knew they con-
sidered impossible to do, every man should certainly have his
money back.. This point I made as emphatic as I could, and
it being regarded an utter impossibility to do this, they felt
so sure of getting their money back that I ‘‘swept the

126 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

board,” and got them all. Every one joined the class, but
after getting them together for instruction, I found them as
appreciative and as much interested as any class in that sec-
tion of the country. Regarding this case, after one of the
most interesting exhibitions of determined resistance of the
character I had ever found, I succeeded in controlling her
fairly as promised, after which there was really great enthusi-

/,

cg

i a
1

Fig. 85.—As the halter-puller referred to was made to stand after
two minutes’ treatment.

asm in my efforts. This was the history of my visit to that
place, so I had nothing unpleasant to fear from there.

According to my usual custom, therefore, I met the mat-
ter squarely, frankly telling the people what the man wanted;
that I knew nothing about him, and rather than pay money
in any such way I would goa month without making a class,
at the same time challenging him, or anybody else to refute
my statements. Contrary to my usual custom, I refused to
take any money until after the instructions, and then only on
condition that the knowledge imparted should be considered
worth double the amount charged. On these conditions
nearly every man present gave his name.

AN EXAMPLE. 127

Upon entering the town where I was next to exhibit, I
soon became aware of a feeling of the greatest hostility, and
soon learned that this fellow had been there, and had so
grossly misrepresented me as to make the people really afraid
of me. He told them that if they were even to come near
me, they would surely be taken in, and that the only safe
course was to keep away. Next day, however, at the hour of
my appointment, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the .
class of the previous day drive up in big wagons, exhibiting
great enthusiasm in my efforts, which so completely turned
the tide in my favor that a large class was immediately organ-
ized. The Scriba people had anticipated just what
occurred, and concluded to go and help me out, and it is but
just to them to state that they did it in the most royal and
generous manner.

Another frequent cause of great trial and anxiety to me
was being compelled to experiment upon dangerous horses in
unsuitable places, while surrounded by a large crowd of peo-

ple.
AN EXAMPLE.

During my tour through Vermont, while in Pownal, one
of the most vicious kickers I ever saw was brought in for ex-
periment, —the only subject presented there. The only place
available for the experiment was a carriage house, and though
quite large, there was so great a crowd present as to occupy
the main portion of the room. When the horse was brought
in, I saw at once that it was only by the exercise of the great-
est care that he could with any degree of safety be taken in
hand in such a place.

Owing to serious ill health at the time, I was dependent
upon an assistant to make the necessary experiments for me.
Although he was entirely competent to manage ordinary cases,
I felt serious hesitation about trusting the subject to him,
more particularly so as he was himself partially disabled. But
knowing my condition, he insisted that I should not undertake
such work, assuring me of his ability to carry the experiment

128 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

through without accident. I reluctantly yielded, at the same
time impressing upon him the necessity for exercising the
utmost care.

As I had feared, at the first critical point, the horse suc-
ceeded in resisting him, and getting away, sprang into the
air, plunging ahead, and kicking desperately, at the first on-
set jumping fully ten feet, and almost on the instant he was
fully twenty feet away, jumping and kicking in the most vio-
lent manner. The people were almost paralyzed with fear,
screaming and crowding over one another in their efforts to
get away; but they were helpless, for the next bound would
surely bring him upon them, and should he get among them,
nothing short of a miracle would prevent his maiming or kill-
ing a number of them. There was one desperate chance
—that of catching him before he could get among them, and
fortunately I succeeded. Being on the inside of the circle
he was making around me, and distant about ten feet, just as
he was bounding into the air for the next jump, I sprang for
his head, and caught him, but with such momentum as not
only tocheck him but throw him helpless upon his side, when
I quickly secured him. It was only by analmost superhuman
effort, and by the merest good luck, that I was enabled to do
this and thereby prevent a catastrophe. I now took the
horse in hand, and soon made short work with him. The
chances were so against me that I might have tried a hundred
times to do the same thing again without succeeding.

It may be interesting to know how this accident occur-
red: The horse would not permit a harness on him; but find-
ing it necessary to demonstrate the principle of a certain
method of laying a horse down, while held securely, the rig
was carefully put onhim. When all was ready, my assistant,
who was expert in this treatment, at the first movement
brought him squarely and evenly upon his side; but the
strength and energy of the horse were so remarkable that he
had no sooner struck the ground than he made a spring and
brought himself squarely upon his feet, when instantly he

TERE OSTRATTVE \ CASES: 129

sprang into the air, kicking with such force as to break away.

There was in all my public life but one incident which
caused me more anxiety for the result, or after succeeding in
which I felt a greater sense of relief than this. This was the
incident connected with the Hillman horse, referred to on
page 133-

Another great and frequent cause of embarrassment to
me was, that after subjecting a horse to treatment before a
class, it was supposed, if the treatment was good for anything,
he must perform equally well out of doors. As explained in
my regular work, a horse’ must be subjected to treatment out
of doors in order to insure a reliable result. If subjected to
treatment in a building only, when taken into the streets
where he has been in the habit of resisting, he would often be
liable to show as much fear and resistance (this depending
very much on the character of the case,) as though not sub-
jected to treatment at all. To let the horse resist under such
circumstances would be fatal to my success. Still this proof
was in most cases demanded, and had to be given.

I will refer here to cases in point.

In my early career, and just before my experiment upon
the Roberts horse at Utica, N. Y., I visited Clinton, six miles
distant, where I had a large class. Among the subjects
brought in to be experimented upon was a large bay horse,
which had resisted every effort to ride him. I was soon able
to get upon his back and ride around the barn without
his giving any sign of fear or resistance. Understanding his
treacherous character, I knew that he could not be safely rid-
den outside. But regardless of my protests, the owner and
entire class insisted that I should ride him out of doors.

Finally yielding to their demands, the door was thrown
open, and I rode out. He would have continued gentle, but
the owner, as I was afterward informed, getting angry be-
cause the horse acted so well, as he was going by him
through the door, gave hima sharp kick. This so excited
him that he sprang forward with such fury that I could not

9

)

130 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

restrain him, and he bounded headlong over a big wagon
loaded with fodder, which stood in front of the door, and
came down near the hind wheel.

There was a high, crooked rail fence running parallel
with his course, to which he ran so close that the ends of the
rails almost touched my leg. To remain on would endanger
my being torn off, and to avoid this, I jumped off. This, of
course, got the laugh on me, but the horse, being soon se-
cured, was brought back, and I again subjected him to treat-
ment in the barn, after which I rode him outside all right.
The incident impressed me as being so ludicrous that I give
an illustration of it.

DANGEROUS CASES.

An apparently simple case, though one of the most pro-
nounced of its kind I ever found, was one I denominate as
the Ravenna colt (Ravenna, O.) Fora few moments I felt
the risk of treating this to be almost as great as if I stood
over a powder-mine with burning brush all around me; and
though fortunate in making the experiment a really pro-
nounced success, I was at the same time conscious of never
having a narrower escape from disaster.

I had but one case in all my experience that I did not
dare to experiment upon before a class, even though I had
the advantages of a place constructed especially for my pur-
pose. This was the case (Hettrick horse) referred to on page
85. This horse was so remarkable a case that I would
freely have given five hundred dollars to be able with safety
to experiment upon him before a class of a few representative
citizens, but the risk of accident seemed so great that I did
not dare to take it, and, as I apprehended, notwithstanding
the greatest care, he broke away from me, plunging over the
ropes and upon the very seats where the people would have
been; so had I treated him before a class, there would surely
have been a serious catastrophe. My intention was simply
to take him in hand sufficiently to learn what he would bear,

DANGEROUS CASES. 131

with the purpose, if I felt safe in doing so, of subjecting him
to regular treatment before a few leading gentlemen; but
once getting him in hand, I found there was no alternative
but to carry the treatment to the limit of entire submission;
as, even with all the resources of my treatment, to stop short

i)

Fig. 86.—As the horse jumped over the wagon.

of it would, with such a case, have made it practically impos-
sible to bring him under control afterward.

In the management of critical cases this was one of the
nice points of success, and one, I apprehend, that but few
will be able to understand. For example, the least mistake
or break at any point in the treatment of ‘‘ Wild Pete,’’ de-
scribed on page 111, would have rendered it absolutely
impossible to make his management a success; and this is
but a fair illustration of many others I could refer to.

132 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

If I were to be asked what cases among those mentioned
I regarded as the greatest representative feats of control, I
should answer, ‘‘ First, Wild Pete.’’ This was certainly the
most remarkable subject. ever brought to my notice, or per-

Fig. 87.—‘‘Jet,” as led into the city of Portland before treatment.

haps ever known in the country. He was a nine-year-old
horse, of so nervous and excitable a character, that from his
earliest years he had proved wholly unmanageable; yet within
an hour’s time, and without the least injury, his character
was so radically changed that he was afterward one of the
most gentle, fearless and reliable of family horses. The con-
trol of this case is, in my opinion, one of the most striking
illustrations of the value of scientific treatment that has ever
been given by me.

DLE STAT EIEL ONE LET..« 133

If I were to be asked, what case of all treated by me in-
volved the greatest danger in treating, I would answer,
«¢ All things considered, as far as I know, the stallion ‘Jet’
involved the greatest risk.’’ There were three stages in the
management of this case, when I had as close chances as I
ever experienced in my life. Upon going into his stable and
taking him out, although I never mentioned it, I felt the risk
was so great that I would not have repeated it for all the
money in the banks in that city.

This horse had really the treacherous character of the
feline nature. He would stand apparently indifferent until
he saw one was off his guard, when, if he felt there was the
least chance, he would instantly jump, strike or kick at him
with the ferocity of a wild beast. Second, when I took him
before the committee, held with ropes between two strong
men, and while standing behind him far enough away to be
beyond the reach of any ordinary horse, the moment I took
my eyes off from his and he thought I was off my guard, as
quick as a flash he sprang into the air, and kicked back at me
with such ferocity that had I not in its very incipiency caught
the movement and thrown my head back beyond his reach,
I would certainly have been killed. As it was, though I
threw my head back much beyond the line of my body, the
toe of his foot came in contact with my forehead sufficiently
to graze the skin.

The third instance was after treatment, while he was
loose, with nothing on him. I was suddenly called outside,
but was scarcely ten feet from the door when I heard a terri-
ble commotion within, and rushing back, I saw a sight that
almost paralyzed me with fear. The people, whom I had
left quietly standing around on the floor, to the number of
nearly a hundred, were running for their lives, trying to climb
out of the way; while the horse, with head up and eyes flash-
ing like balls of fire, was running back and forth, showing all
the evidences of his former ferocity. The place had been a
riding-school, and at one end there was a stable containing

WS
SWS

TW
WS \
SS WS

ig. 58.—'‘Jet”’ weeks after treatment:

a

[134 ]

Yl SA IIVI ILO, IIIS 135

about twenty horses, there being, between the two apart-
ments, a large opening. Smelling these horses, and finding
himself free, he became intensely excited, and rushed around
to get at them. It certainly seemed nothing short of certain
death to go near him, and the longer he was permitted to
run loose in this way, the greater the danger of approaching
him.

On the instant of reaching the door, I took in the situa-
tion at a glance, and without hesi- j
tation I ran for him, taking the in-
side of the circle he was making,
and caught him by the nose and
mane. ‘Twice in succession, after
a severe struggle, he pulled away
from me, but the third time I suc-
ceeded in holding him long enough 7” “ Ne Nae)
to put on him a halter which I held in my hand, when he in-
stantly submitted as before to restraint. Twice he turned,
with the apparent purpose of jumping and trampling me
under foot, but the impression of the treatment of a few
minutes before was still so strong that each time upon com-
ing near me he turned and tried to get away. The danger of
the occasion can be better understood when we recall the
fact that half an hour before this horse would certainly have
killed any one he could get to; but as no accident occurred,
the matter passed off without comment.

CHAPTER XI.

STARTLING RESULTS—A DESPERATE CASE—A SEVERE TRIAL—INTER-
ESTING INCIDENTS.

POINT of constantly increasing
interest to me was the rapidity
and ease with which so great a
change of character could be
produced by my methods of
treatment. This was mainly in- |

= teresting in demonstrating how
easy it frequently i is to manage horses supposed even to be
very vicious, when subjected to anything like skillful treat-
ment. The better to explain this I will refer to representa-
tive cases.

During my second campaign in Ohio, I advertised to
drive within twenty minutes, in the open street, any kicking,
runaway colt that could be produced,—a feat which I usually
performed without much trouble. At Ashtabula, a five-year-
old kicking, runaway colt that had not been in harness for
two years was offered for the experiment. The case was
so well known, and there was such interest to see if it could
be so driven, that I found it impossible to secure the neces-
Sary privacy to experiment upon him; the people, regardless
of all protest, following me en masse wherever I] went. In
this emergency I directed that the colt be led quietly toa
point about a mile west of town. Then I got into a buggy
with a friend and drove in the opposite direction until I reached
the outskirts, when I drove rapidly back through a side street,
and on to the point where the colt had been led. Upon the
ruse being discovered, the road was at once covered with a
rush of men and horses excitedly following, and so closely

[ 136]

ALDESPERKRALLE. GAST 137

was I pursued that I only had time, upon arriving where the
colt was held, to jump out and subject him for about half a
minute to the simplest treatment, and with a rush put on the
harness.

Submitting to this (the actual time not exceeding two or
three minutes), I put him before my buggy, and before I had
the harness really attached to it, leaving the breeching straps
unbuckled, as I always did in such cases, the advance skir-
mishers of the crowd entered the gate. I jumped in, accom-
panied by a friend, let the horse out on a fast trot, and pushed
back to town, never letting up on him until I entered the
midst of the waiting crowd, when, with a sharp call of
‘¢Whoa!” I threw the reins out over his head and jumped
out, saying, ‘‘I have no more time to lose with this sort of
nonsense;’’ but this was only a ruse, as I really did not dare
to start him up again, feeling almost sure he would kick, for
the reason that he had not been subjected to treatment
enough to give anything like the assurance of control I de-
sired. Two years afterward, upon meeting the owner, I was
agreeably surprised to be informed by him that the case con-
tinued perfectly gentle. He stated that some time afterward
he tried the colt, not of course believing that he had been
broken; but to his surprise he found him perfectly gentle,
and had used him since then as a family driving horse. The
actual time of treating this case did not exceed at farthest
more than three or four minutes.

When in Elyria, O., one evening, before commencing my
regular exhibition, aman came to me saying that he was a
professional horse-breaker, had come there from Oberlin
(about twenty miles south of there) to attend my class, and
that he had brought with him a subject he wished me to han-
_ dle for him. He represented the case as the worst he ever
saw or ever knew in that country, having the habit of throw-
ing himself over backward so badly that nothing could be
done with him. He had taken the job of breaking him for
$30, and came there with the hope that I could do it, as he

¢

138 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

knew he could not. He took me to one side, and to show
me what he would do, he asked me to pull upon the halter a
little, when instantly the horse threw himself over back, the
man at the same time laughing, as if to say, ‘‘ Did you ever
see anything like him? Isn’t he a good one?’’ His expres-

a sion was one of such con-
fidence in my failure, that
on the impulse it occurred
to me, as a good joke upon

aa

==

Fig. Tie colt referred to be oO enE. the fellow, to show him
how quickly I could break him, and I then and there took him
in hand; when within two or three minutes I had him under
such perfect control that I turned him over to the man

2)

and said, ‘‘Now try him;’’ when, regardless of any kind
of jerking or pulling, he could not be made to resist. Not
only this, but he would follow freely anywhere. The secret
of this, which was really easy for any one to do, was in know-
ing how and what to do.

I frequently had the most comical incidents in connec-
tion with such chance experiments. Once, for example, in
Southern Pennsyvania (at a place
called Downingtown), a man and
his two grown sons, three strong
men, were all one morning trying
to bring to me a colt that could
not be led, they pushing and pull-
ing him, as represented in figure —
gi, being only able to get him
there by backing at least one-third of the distance (their
own words). - As one of the feats I had advertised to per-
form was the making of any colt or horse follow me freely
in two or three minutes, and they, feeling confident that
this colt must surely defeat me, put themselves to this
trouble to bring him to me for trial. They had been brag-
ging all the morning to their neighbors of the joke they
had upon me. When the class was organized and ready to

The same colt after treatment.

“ HAVING SOME FUN.’ 139

make experiments, the colt, which was four or five years old,
was brought in by following another horse. Having an inti-
mation of what I had, I turned upon them and said, ‘‘ He
will not amount to anything. Why! he is but an ordinary
subject; the whole trouble was in bad management;” when
I took him in hand quickly, and in less than a minute I had

him running around the barn after
me, and all the class clapping their
hands and laughing at the owner.
The old gentleman at once got up
and made a bow to those present, ,
saying that he was seventy-two Before Ee rey 5
years old; had broken horses all his life, but stated that he

was willing to admit that he knew nothing about it, and
would have to commence at the bottom again.

At the same place two men, a blacksmith and neighbor,
brought a horse a distance of twelve miles to have, as they
claimed, ‘‘some fun with me.” The horse had been brought
to the blacksmith to be shod, and in the effort to shoe him,
he had kicked the blacksmith across the shop, and proved so
dangerously vicious that they could do nothing with him.
He was afraid of a leather apron, and when he saw one would
kick to kill. They had been “ laugh- = dag La

9

ing in their sleeves,’’ and making
their boasts to the people what a @

=f
sure thing they had got on me with §&

this case. To make it sure,, the -

blacksmith had brought his apron ~ ieee.

and tools along. Though taken unawares, discovering that
the case was really a simple one, I turned to the people say-
ing as a joke, ‘‘ Why, this horse is all right! These fellows
simply did not know how to treat him. If they had treated
him kindly as I do (pretending to whisper in his ear, etc.),
they would have had no trouble.” Within three or four
minutes I had made him so gentle that I invited the black-
smith to come up and test him as he pleased; when, to

140 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

his astonishment, the horse stood now entirely quiet, re-
gardless of what he could do. He threw down his hammer
and apron, and scratching his head, said, ‘‘I give it up.”

The Buffalo omnibus horse, before referred to (page
50), a case so vicious that it was the intention to have him
shot, was made entirely gentle by less than twelve minutes’
actual treatment, and with kind treatment afterward con-
tinued a perfectly safe, gentle horse.

Next to Wild Pete, the McVay and Allison mare was
perhaps one of the best illustrations of the value of correct
principles of treatment that could well be given. These are
good representations of a great many that I could give.

A SEVERE TRIAL.

The following case will explain something of the trials to
which I was at times subjected, especially during my early
experience.

As stated on previous pages, I found it necessary at one
time to change my method of doing business; and so at Bath,
N. Y., I trained several ponies, commencing my first cam-
paign on the new plan at Wellsboro, Pa., about seventy miles
southwest from there, arriving in the place the last day of
their county fair. During my first exhibition with the ponies,
a trick of one of them being to throw a rider, a young man,
after getting upon his back, before I knew what he was at, so
choked him as to completely disable him. I had advertised
to give $50 to any one who could ride him for one minute,
and this fellow demanded the money. But since he had not
fairly won it, I refused to giveit. The crowd present, com-
prising a large proportion of the rough element, insisted that
the money must be paid. The matter finally became so seri-
ous that I was only protected from violence by a number of
leading citizens jumping into the ring and surrounding me,
telling me that I was in a bad crowd, and that the matter must
be settled in some way, but they would protect meif they could.
They explained that the fellow was.one of the worst in thecoun-

Al SEVERE TRIAL. 141i

try—an ex-convict—that he had a bad gang behind him;
that they were afraid to take sides with me, because they feared
that he might burn their buildings, or otherwise vent his spite
upon them; that it was imperative to placate him, and if I did
not settle it they would.

It was, in fact, only by the greatest effort on their part
that a riot was prevented, and only by the protection of a
strong guard that I was enabled with safety to reach my
hotel.

Early the following morning I was notified by the citi-
zens that unless I would settle the matter they would not
answer for the consequences; certainly I could not with safety
attempt giving another exhibition there. I again repeated
that the money had not been fairly won, and I would not sub-
mit to being robbed in that way, and would, on no condition,
consent to pay it; but at the same time I told them to feel
no anxiety about it; that there would be no trouble.

During the afternoon I met the fellow outside of the vil-
lage, when, in emphatic language he told me, that unless the
matter was settled with him I should not give another exhi-
bition there; that at the drop of his hand he could have my
canvas and everything in it torn into pieces, etc. I replied
that having advertised to exhibit there that evening I should
certainly make the attempt, adding that I was aware of his
previous history, and that his first attempt to make me trou-
ble should be at the hazard of his life, for I would certainly
kill him if I could; and so the battle was fairly on.

Later in the afternoon a committee of citizens again came
to warn me that it was out of the question for me even to try
to give an exhibition. I repeated the statement made in the
morning, that there would be notrouble. I was, of course,
anxious as to the result, though I did not betray it; but
knowing now what was coming, and feeling that I was right, I
was bound at any hazard to go through with the matter.

In the evening there was a large crowd present and there
was manifested a strong undercurrent of suppressed excite-

142 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

“ment; but confident there would be no trouble until the
throwing trick came on, I proceeded, carefully preparing for

the emergency. When finally the time came for this trick, I
made it the opportunity to explain that this trick of throwing

boys was not only one of the most interesting, but one of the
most difficult feats the pony could perform, especially for so
small a pony when compelled to contend with a strong, active
man; the pony being only about twelve hands high and
weighing about five hundred pounds.

I gradually extended my talk into quite a little lecture, ex-
plaining howthe pony was taught to perform the feat, and the
time and care necessary to do it; after which I called attention
to the fact that the interest of the feat would be destroyed by
taking such advantage of himthat he could not use his strength
to exert himself; and that, of course, common fair play, as well
as to make the feat interesting, demanded that he should not
in any way be hampered or disabled. In illustrating this argu-
ment I cited the fact that if two men were closely matched in
a race, to handicap or hamper one of them in the least would
necessarily destroy the fairness and interest of the contest;
and that, in like manner, hampering or disabling the pony
would destroy the fairness and interest of his feat, and that
it would be particularly unfair for a man to make use of his
advantage to disable the pony who could not defend himself,
and it could not be permitted. And then, warming up to my
subject, I turned to the fellow, who was facing me surrounded
by his gang, and said:—

««Now, sir, if you think you can ride this pony, come in
and try it. If you were able to doit once, you can do it again;
and if you do it fairly, you shall have not fifty but one hun-
dred dollars (holding up the amount). But you must sit
fairly upon his back, as required in my advertisement, and
furthermore I give you fair warning that you must not try to
choke or otherwise disable him, for if you attempt to choke or
disable him it shall be at the risk of your life; for if there is
not manhood enough among the people here to protect the

7

MY ENEMIES SUBDUED. 143

pony from such abuse, I will do it regardless of consequences.
Certainly you or I will not live to see tomorrow’s sun, and I
think you will be the one;” and he knew that I meant just
what I said.

It may well be imagined that the tension at this point
was great, especially when he came in to make the effort.
But making the trial in perfect fairness, and being thrown
three times in rapid succession, and with apparent good
nature admitting his defeat, there was the greatest enthusi-
asm. The result was all I could wish, there being towards
me the best of good feeling, even my rowdy friend extending
to me his best wishes.

Nor was the lesson lost upon me; for afterward, no one
during my long experience was ever givena chance to disable
the pony in any such way.

An interesting fact, that I may state here, is that through
all the vicissitudes of my checkered career, there has been no
result in my experience in which I take more pride than in
the fact, that though almost daily, as may be imagined, I had
a large proportion of the roughest and most suspicious
classes of people to deal with, through it all, I never had a
broil or fight with any one, and never had one of my perform-
ances successfully interrupted.

CHAPTER XIII.

TOUR IN SOUTHERN STATES—RESULTS OF SLIGHT INCIDENTS—TRIALS
IN NEW YORK—MY VISIT TO MR. BONNER—PECULIAR
OBERLIN INCIDENT.

OON after the incident referred to

in the previous chapter, I was per-
suaded to make a tour of the Southern
States, where driving stallions without
reins was still a new and interesting fea-
ture; and that being by far the simplest
and easiest means of attracting attention,
I disposed of all but two of my best horses, trained to drive
without reins, including the ponies, and went directly to Mem-
phis, Tenn., from which point I extended the campaign
south through Mississippi. Returning in 1869, I re-organ-
ized again carefully, commencing at Buffalo, from which
point I went west through northern Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Michigan.

TAKING NARROW CHANCES.

The narrowness of the chances I was frequently com-
pelled to take, when I come to think of them calmly, be-
comes a matter of wonder. For instance, I hazarded my
reputation on the control, within a certain time, of the Ma-
lone horse, in Cleveland, and in order to make the experi-
ment, was compelled to buy him, at a large price. The
control of the McVay and Allison mare, which was brought
especially to defeat me, was one of the closest escapes I ever
had. I had $500 at stake upon the control of this case
within a certain number of minutes, and was barely able to

hold it.
[144]

TAKING NARROW CHANCES. 145

Before experimenting upon the Wilkins horse before his
owner and Mr. Bonner, though I had never seen the subject,
and could obtain no particulars in relation to him, beyond
knowing the character and temperament of the man who had
last treated him (O. S. Pratt), yet I pledged to Mr. Bonner
a forfeiture of $1,000 if I failed to make the horse gentle
within forty minutes, with an additional $1,000 to Mr.
Wilkins, as security that the horse should not be injured,
and an additional $100 for his time, if I failed to make the
horse gentle within the time named. ‘This was imperative to
command attention, and secure the horse for the experiment.
The great risk taken in this case can be understood by the
fact that he was recognized, as in my opinion he was at the
time, one of the worst horses known in that city.

I may mention here an interesting incident in connection
with this case, not before made known. Dr. Braily, who
had been chief veterinary surgeon of the U. S. Cavalry,—a
man of exceptional intelligence and tact,—made the state-
ment, that with reasonable time he could put his hands upon
this or any other horse’s head. I said, ‘‘I will give you $100
if you can do it with this horse within an hour.” The horse
being tied in the ordinary way to the manger, the doctor began
in the most careful, patient manner, commencing at the with-
ers, and slowly and gently scratching the mane forward, but he
could not go beyond a certain point of the neck without the
horse’s striking violently, and he finally had to give it up,
with the remark that he was the ‘‘ dirtiest brute”’ he had ever
seen, and the only one he had ever found that he could not
succeed with.

I then said that, to show him the value of scientific treat-
ment, if I could not within fifteen minutes make him entirely
submissive I would forfeit to him $100, and upon trial I suc-
ceeded without serious difficulty. This horse, before treat-
ment, was so vicious that if touched a hundred times by a
pole or anything of the kind upon the leg or quarters, he
would every time strike or kick in the most spiteful manner.

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THE HERBERT HORSE. 147

There seemed, in fact, scarcely a limit to his resistance, and
from the standpoint of ordinary experience it would certainly
seem impossible to do anything with him. Some time after
treatment, this case was exhibited as a model of docility be-
fore Mr. Bonner, Mr. Bergh, and other leading gentlemen,
as shown on opposite page

The next case was the Herbert horse, one of those
treated before the committee. Something of the exception-
ally serious character of this case can be understood by the
fact that he was eighteen years old, and had been so vicious
that he had not been in harness for twelve years, and was
certainly one of the most difficult subjects that could be pro-
duced. He had been first sold for $2,500, next for $250, and
finally was regarded so nearly worthless as to be sold for $25.
I knew by the temperament of this horse that if he became
in the least warmed up or excited, it would so counteract all
that I could do as to make it very difficult, if not impossible,
to bring him under control, especially in the short time to
which I was limited. This was in fact my real point of dif-
ficulty. Little did the gentlemen present realize the really
narrow chances I took, and the anxiety I felt in relation to
the control of this case.

Upon the first trial, notwithstanding the greatest care,
he fairly resisted, in addition to which he was warming
up so much as to greatly increase the difficulty of his con-
trol. The success of the experiment centered upon a few
minutes’ effort, and the anxiety I felt during these few
minutes can scarcely be conceived. At this point the least
mistake would have turned the result against me; but I was
so fortunate as to make the experiment a complete success,
driving him without breeching, as shown on page 76, which
was originally given in Frank Leslie's Weekly, as a represen-
tation of the result of the experiment upon this interesting

* Case.

148 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

TRIALS IN NEW YORK.

The slightness of the circumstances upon which impor-
tant events of my experience often turned, is a point of much
interest. One, especially, which caused me at the time the
greatest anxiety, | may be pardoned for referring to here.
Twenty years ago New York City was, as now, the great
metropolis of the country, and its horsemen were recognized
as the most intelligent and critical of any in America, if not
in the world. In horse-taming they had seen Rarey, Fan-
cher, Hamilton, and others,—all men who commanded con-
siderable attention. There had then been in the city, as
before stated, for over three months, Pratt in one part and
Rockwell in another, both making the most extravagant pre-
tensions of being authors of a new and improved system, etc.
The result was that the people had become indifferent or
disgusted with everything in the line of such efforts.

Under these circumstances it is easy to understand some-
thing of the difficulties of a new applicant for favor, no matter
what his claims, especially an unknown man from the coun-
try, like myself. There seemed to be but one alternative,
and that I determined totake. This was, if possible, first to
enlist the attention of some persons of influence, and with this
advantage to try to reach others.

By far the most prominent patron and student of horses
then, as I believe he is conceded to be yet, was Mr. Robert
Bonner, the well-known owner of the Wew York Ledger.
It was clear to me that he was, above all others, the man
whose influence I wanted; but according to what I could
learn, it was very difficult to reach him, he being carefully
guarded by a door-keeper, who made the most rigid interro-
gations concerning the business of callers, and if not deemed
of sufficient importance, admission was denied. It may be
amusing to that gentleman now, should he happen to read
these lines, to know that perhaps no single event of my
experience up to that time caused me more anxiety than this.

TRIALS IN NEW VORK: 149

For two days I studied over the subject without the diff-
culty becoming in any way easier.

Finally, I concluded there was nothing to do but to go
straight ahead and make a trial. So I directed my steps to
the well-known Ledger building; but upon reaching the
entrance, my courage failed me, and I went by, down Nassau
street. For more than an hour I walked back and forth, pass-
ing the building four times in succession before I dared to
enter, and then I felt asif I would about as soon go intoa lion’s
den. Accircumstance that had occurred during a previous
visit to New York only added to my embarrassment and anx-
iety. In a public assembly, Mr. Bonner, being induced to
misjudge my motives, sharply called me in question, when I
was led to defend myself.

I finally waiked up the stairs, however, and made appli-
cation for aninterview. At my urgent appeal, the request to
see him was carried in, but the reply quickly came back that
he could‘not be seen. When difficulties seemed insurmount-
able, it was then that my true nature would seem to assert itself,
as it had many times before under trying circumstances. The
incentive animating me would be, that after others would nat-
urally fail, it was then there was credit in putting forth such
efforts as would win success. So the sharp Vo / that would
seem to leave no alternative, was the sting that seemed neces-
sary to stimulate me to go through at anyrisk. Thenthere was
that well-meant imputation that he had cast upon me years
before, which I was bound at all hazards to efface. Now the
time had come to make the effort, and it must be done at any
cost. It is an interesting fact for me also to state, that under
such circumstances, however desperate, though realizing the
narrowness of my chances, I did not feel the least doubt
of my success. So to meet the emergency, on the impulse of
the moment, I took from my pocket $1,000, and spreading
the bills carefully in my hand, I again cailed up the gentle-
man in the outer office, and said to him:—

‘*Will you say to Mr. Bonner that a gentleman has

150 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

come nearly a thousand miles on business of great import-
ance to Azm, and will require but one minute?”

It was only by great persuasion that he was induced to
carry this message, when the words, ‘‘Let him come in,”’
reached my ears. Never was a word more welcome. The
time I had so long waited for had come. Upon entering I
said:—

«You, sir, 1 am aware, know everything that has been
taught and practiced under the head of horse-taming.’’

COMES A

“‘ Well,” I replied, ‘‘if I cannot take the most vicious
horse that can be produced—one that any man, in New York
or outside of it, whether living or dead, has failed upon, and
within forty minutes, by entirely new and original methods
of treatment you know nothing about, make him gentle and
obedient, even within the limits of a box stall, and demon-
strate to you that I am the only man who can rightfully claim
being the author of a new and original system of equine sub-
jection, I will forfeit you a thousand dollars, which I hold in
my hand.’’

Such a proposition was, as I meant it to be, startling.
He looked me over questioningly, and finally asked:—

“« How can you do that, sir?”’

Whereupon I briefly gave him an outline of such points
of treatment as | believed would be most interesting.

Though upon my entrance I was so excited that I
scarcely realized what I said or did, before I knew it, I found
myself talking entirely at ease with a quiet, genial gentleman,
with whom I had nearly an hour of the most interesting con-
versation.

I could hardly have sought an interview at a more inop-
ortune occasion; as he was at the time reading the last proofs
of the Zedger, there being eight presses waiting for his ap-
proval. After explaining the situation, he said, ‘‘I wisha
further opportunity to talk with you,” and invited me to re-

MY PONY EXHIBITIONS. 151

new the interview the same evening, which resulted in the
experiment previously referred to.

Now, if I had failed to reach Mr. Bonner, or failed in
the experiment upon the case referred to, as promised, it
would not only have entirely changed the current of my
efforts for years, but this work would probably never have
been written.

MY PONY EXHIBITIONS.

As my ponies grew to be such an interesting feature, |
was led to give extra free exhibitions with them evenings;
and to give more zest to their performance, was finally led to
carry with us a small though superior band of musicians.
Dr. Williams, my manager, repeatedly urged me to charge
an admission fee for these exhibitions, arguing that they
really were the most interesting feature of the kind ever ex-
hibited, and that the people would gladly pay for them; but
dissenting from this flattering opinion, I refused to do so.

Finally, one evening, when in Central Ohio, he said:—

«¢ Let me make the trial to-night of charging an admis-
sion.”’

With the purpose of putting him off, I replied, ‘‘Sup-
pose you try it at ten cents?”

‘¢Oh,” he said laughing, ‘‘no ten-cent show for me! _ It
is worth twenty-five cents or nothing. You just keep away
from us to-night, and let us try it.”’

Upon my consenting, the experiment was so satisfactory
that it led afterward to our making a regular charge for such
exhibitions, thereby saving me from two to three hundred
dollars a week.

These exhibitions grew into such favor that I finally
added to them a few interesting features, making them a
specialty. Though the experiment was continued but a few
months, many incidents occurred of so unique a character as
to be worthy of mention. I will refer to a few representative
ones.

152 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

OBERLIN INCIDENT.

Among the points advertised was the famous college
town of Oberlin, O. Several days before the time of appoint-
ment I was suddenly confronted by a representative from
there, with the information that my exhibition partook so
much of the nature of a circus that it could not be permitted;
that it would be useless for me to go there; that he had been
specially appointed by the citizens to so notify me, and he
was also authorized to inform me that should I refuse to
accede to their request, they would on his return call a pub-
lic meeting and give such expression to the demand as to
show me that public opinion was so much opposed to me
that it would be useless for me to come there; that it could
not at any rate de permitted.

In reply I told him to go home and tell his people to go
on with their meeting, and I would meet them there the next
evening.

According to his statement, next evening, sure enough,
the town bell was rung as if fora general alarm, and the town
hall was soon packed with a concourse of people, led by the
professors of the college; and for nearly an hour they cer-
tainly roasted me pretty well, stating in the most positive
terms that the exhibition would not be permitted.

During this discussion, no one said a word to me person-
ally; but there being finally a pause, as if to say, ‘‘Now
show yourself, if you dare,” I went forward and presented
myself. After acknowledging my respect for the opinions of
the eminent citizens, and my unwillingness to be a cause of
the slightest arinoyance or embarrassment to them, I called
their attention to the fact that there was a side to the matter
that had been entirely overlooked by them. I then explained
the character of the entertainment, told them that the ponies
had been exhibited before the most refined and cultivated
people, not only of the large cities but in the country, and
that their performance had been accepted as one of the most

OBERLIN INCIDENT. 153

interesting and instructive illustrations of the sagacity and
intelligence of the horse that had perhaps ever been given;
that it was, in fact, an entertainment of a highly educational
character. I then touched upon the kindred conditions of
practical subjection, calling attention to the ignorance of
even the most highly educated, upon this important subject,
making no exception even of the eminent professors who had
just been so mercilessly scoring me.*

These points I drove home without mercy, and being now
fairly stirred up, I reminded them that outside of interfering
with my well-defined rights, it would be little short of pitiable
to let the idea get out that they could not stand a little exhi-
bition of this kind; could they, in fact, afford to make them-
_ selves so ridiculous ?

At any rate the argument, though necessarily simple,
and not exceeding twenty minutes, was so effective that
_although previously the sentiment had been entirely against
me, the reaction was so strongly in my favor, that upon put-
ting it to vote it was, with one dissenting voice excepted,
unanimously in favor of my exhibiting. So I not only carried
out the program of the exhibition, which I may say was a
decided success, but while there was treated with the great-
est kindness.

An incident of much interest in connection with this
event I will refer to here for the first time. After the
adjournment of the meeting, on my return to the hotel, I was
waited upon by a delegation of students to advise me that
they were appointed by their college classmates to notify me
that they in no wise sanctioned the treatment to which I had
been subjected by their professors, and that regardless of dis-
cipline they intended at all hazards to come to the exhibition.

I said to them: ‘‘ Tell your friends, for me, that while I
fully appreciate their interest, and nothing would please me

* See Chapter XVII, page 210, where some startling facts are given
regarding the ignorance on this subject. In the Introductory Explana-
tions, first chapter, page 31, of my regular work, these points are ex-
plained more fully.

154 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

more than to have them come to my exhibition, their real in-
terest demanded that they should on no consideration think
of doing so; that they were here at large expense to their par-
ents, under the special care of the professors, whose only
object was to do the best they could for their interests; that
the restraints of discipline were necessary to efficiently man-
‘age the school; and on no condition must they think of disre-
garding the authorities; finally, that if they insisted upon
doing so, rather than have them carry out such a purpose, I
should refuse to exhibit there. As I learned afterward, they
reluctantly acceded to my wishes, and gave up the project.

CHAPTER XII.

MANAGING A DISORDERLY ELEMENT—LEAVING THE ROAD.
PUBLISHING MY SYSTEM,

S an illustration of the delicacy,
yet rugged firmness, often nec-
essary in the management of well-
meaning but impulsive people, I give
he 4! an incident in point. At a point in
Eastern Michigan, before the canvas was put up, the mar-
shal of the place gave me formal notice that it would be
impossible to give an exhibition there without having a row.
In explanation he stated that the people from the next town
—about a mile distant—which was over the line in another
county, and composed mainly of lumbermen, would come
and make trouble, and then run back over the line, where.
they would be safe from arrest. It seemed to be a settled
plan with them, not to allow a canvas show to be given there,
without their making a row and breaking it up.

I, at once, felt as if in my element. The apparent diff-
culties of the case furnished just the reason why I felt like not
only making the trial, but making it a success. In conse-
quence of the emphatic warning, my men were so demoral-
ized that they at first refused to go on with the work, and it
was only with great effort that I was enabled finally to per-
suade them to put up the canvas, giving them the strongest
assurance that there should be no trouble. During the after-
noon I was again notified by a town officer that I could not be
protected, and he again stated plainly that it was nothing short
of absolute folly to attempt giving an exhibition there, as it
would be sure to result disastrously to me. But, as before, I
replied that there would be no trouble; that if he would take

[155 |

156 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

care of his own people, I would manage the others. There
was naturally much anxiety among the people as to the
result.

At the time of the exhibition there was a large crowd in
attendance, the canvas being packed. Notwithstanding my
seeming carelessness, I was not the less indifferent to the real
difficulties of the situation, and had carefully prepared my-
self for the struggle. Feeling that I would be entirely safe
in appealing to their pride, I accordingly made this the point
of my attack upon them. As the first step in accomplishing
this, before commencing, I repeated the statements made to
me, with the efforts to dissuade me from giving an exhibition
there (making these points as absurd as I could), at the same
time adding that I was so confident that they were grossly
misrepresented that I felt perfectly safe in taking the chances
with them. At any rateI would try it. Following this, I put
to vote the question of they themselves guaranteeing the pres-
ervation of order, which, as I anticipated, was carried with
great enthusiasm by a unanimous vote.

Though ordinarily the ponies were worked by an assist-
ant, as in the preceding incident, I felt the emergency to be
so serious that the least mistake would be disastrous, and so
concluded to work them myself. All proceeded smoothly until
suddenly a couple of men jumped up and commenced dancing
andsinging. This was the signal for starting the row. Without
a word I stopped, implying, ‘‘ This is entirely your business.”’
There being perfect quiet, save from their disturbance, it
made their actions seem so ridiculous that one of their lead-
ers jumped down from a seat, took one of them by the collar,
and said:—

‘None of that here to-night! You fellows sit down and
keep quiet, or I’ll knock your d heads off!”

The exhibition then went on to the close without a break
or single expression of unpleasantness, and I certainly never
had a more appreciative audience.

The many incidents out of my long experience in connec-

REAL SHCRELS OF MY TSUCCESS. 157

tion with the performance of my horses and ponies, would be
alone sufficient to make a large work.

In all my efforts I was animated by this feeling: that there
was no merit in doing what others would naturally do; that
success worthy the name consisted in doing what they would
not have the patience or persistence to do.. Impressed with
this idea, when confronted with an obstacle that seemed
insurmountable—one that would naturally discourage or de-
-feat others—it was then that I felt spurred to make such an
effort as would overcome all difficulties. Many times, when
all seemed lost, animated by this spirit, and holding on with
an unflinching purpose, I was enabled to makea decided suc-
cess, when, had I in the least yielded to discouragement, it
would not only surely have resulted in disaster and failure at
the time, but would have had great influence upon the success
of my efforts afterward. Sometimes, in fact, it seemed as
though the success of my entire life centered upon a few min-
utes’ treatment.

While there has been many an incident and circumstance
which at the time were causes of severe trial, and not infre-
quently of much anxiety to me, they were in reality only
sources of the greatest ultimate advantage, because those who
tried to push me the hardest were, though unintentionally,
the best of teachers and friends because constantly inspiring
and forcing me to the utmost limit of my efforts, and thus to
final success.

REAL SECRETS OF MY SUCCESS.

If I were to be asked, to what single condition more than
any other, outside of my understanding of the subject, did I
owe my success, I should say it was in being perfectly honest
with the public, and preserving the greatest simplicity of hab-
its. I aimed to advertise only what I could do, if anything,
inside of it, soas to give myself reasonable assurance of be-
ing able to do more than [ had promised. It was one of my
rigid rules that my word or promise given, either publicly

158 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

or privately, could not be broken. In harmory with this
purpose, I kept entirely beyond the line of anything like
trickery or jockeyism. I felt the subject to be one of the larg-
est and most interesting to which the intelligent mind could
well be directed; and inspired by this spirit, I tried to present
it for consideration in a way not only to command confidence
and respect, but to show that the knowledge of it was one of
the most important and valuable branches of a really liberal,
practical education.

When I first took the road, I made three resolutions,
and though conscious of having erred in a thousand ways, in
other respects, through all my experience and public life,
I held to them rigidly: First, that I would not indulge in
intoxicating liquors; second, not to use tobacco in any of
its forms; third, that I would not bet nor gamble. And I
can now see that there were many times when, had I not
held firmly to these conditions, wreck and failure would have
surely been the result.

An interesting fact that I may here refer to, is that in all
my experience with horses, so far as I know, I never caused
serious injury to one. When it is considered that I have un-
doubtedly experimented upon more really vicious and dan-
gerous horses (and this'too frequently under the most unfav-
orable conditions,) than has been the lot of any man of any
age or period of history, such a statement may be doubted,
but it is nevertheless strictly true.

Something of the significance of this statement can be
understood by the fact that this experience extended over a
period of twenty years of the most varied and trying experi-
menting upon all sorts of vicious horses.

In this connection I may be permitted to explain a fact
that I never before referred to either privately or publicly. |
This was that it seemed as if I had been pushed into the
work and forwarded in it by a power entirely above my own,
for a special purpose; and during my later years, especially,
it became my intention, but just how I did not know, to

SPECIAL MENTION. 159

bring the advantages of my work to attention in a way to
show the necessity and importance of having it made
a part of the practical education of young men, and
particularly for the use of agricultural colleges. If the
statements made by me are really true (and they are true
in evety particular), outside of its humanity, it is evident
that the value and importance of such knowledge to the com-
munity in general cannot well be overestimated; that it is a
work that is certainly in the highest degree worthy of being
raised above the degrading and vulgarized efforts of ignorant
pretenders. And this, so far as my health will permit, it is
my purpose to do, as far as I can, in the spirit of missionary
work. This has been the real object of my work, ‘‘ Facts
for Horse Owners.”’

SPECIAL MENTION.

During my long public life, above all others with whom
I became acquainted, there were two men to whose wisdom
and kindly counsel and interest I feel so greatly indebted as
in this connection to entitle them to special mention.

First, Dr. Thomas Burton, of Fultonville, N. Y., who
not only contributed greatly to my success in that part of the
State, but for years followed me with words of counsel and
encouragement. Over and over, this gentleman impressed °
upon me the importance of giving the people the very best
instruction I could, and especially to keep entirely above the
plane of anything like trickery. When at Huntersville, and
parties from Muinaville came to demand their money, before
referred to, it was the fear of compromising this friend—he
having made himself responsible for me in that neighborhood
—that led me to go back to that place again and repeat the
trial. Upon meeting him afterward, his benevolent smile, as
he took me by the hand, repaid mea hundred fold for the
trouble and expense involved.

The other is Mr. Robert Bonner. The kindly advice
and many sensible suggestions given me by this gentleman,

160 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

more particularly in pointing out faults, with the importance
of correcting them, have been of invaluable service to me. The
writing of my work, and whatever of merit in it, although he
has ‘not directly had anything to do with it, has really
been the result of the far-reaching influence of his counsel
and encouragement. And I may add that it affords me
great pleasure to have an opportunity, in this connection,
to express my Co acknowledgment for such kindly and
on - disinterested service.

ASSISTANTS.

It is but just that I
should mention that a
large part of my success
was due to the faithful
co-operation of my as-
sistants. First among
these was Dr. Harlow
Williams, now engaged
in the practice of the
veterinary profession in
Jamestown, N. Y., who
occupied the position of

Dr. Thomas Burton. superintendent and gen-
eral assistant. Not only was he always in the highest de-
gree trusty and faithful in the performance of his duties,
but a man of the highest integrity, whose services were
invaluable to me.

Second, Mr. E. B. Sims, now of Utica, N. Y., was with
me seven years as advertising manager, and was in his place
especially valuable to me. Mr. Sims was not only one of the
most genial and interesting men I ever knew, but a man of
the highest integrity. I could always rely upon his work
being faithfully done.

Next, Mr. Thomas Johnson, who was with me nearly ten
years. Mr. Johnson, for a number of years, had the care of

ASSISTANTS. 161

my horses, and during my later years on the road rendered
me valuable service by relieving me in the instruction of

classes, and from the
most onerous work of
making experiments, in
which he became quite
successful.

The severe strain to
which I had long been
subjected, finally so im-
paired my health that
during the last few years,
especially of active life,
it was only with the
greatest effort that I was
able to continue the

Dr. Harlow Williams.

business. Finally, in the early winter of 1878, there was
such a sudden and complete breaking down of my health
that I could do no more, and was compelled to leave the
road for good. This proved so serious that notwithstanding

Mr. E. B. Sims.

the advantages of the
best medical and sani-
tary treatment since
then, I have been un-
able to make more than
apartial recovery. After
leaving the road, I spent
the first three years at
the Mountain Park
Home, Wernersville,
Pa.; and the last thir-
teen years at the great
Sanitarium at _ Battle
Creek, Michigan, an

illustration of which is given, where I still find a pleasant

home.

A
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LOTR

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TAS SU
Abs

THE GREAT BATTLE CREEK SANITARIUM—THE HOME OF THE AUTHOR.

For interesting particulars in relation to this really great institution the reader is referred to page 319,

[ 162 ]

BOOK. 163

BOOK.

Knowing that the best features of my work would be
lost, or at best be so garbled as to be seriously defective and
misleading, I finally determined to carry out a purpose I had
for many years in mind, of writing out in book form the full
details of my system of treatment, including such other fea-
tures of interest as I believed to be most valuable for general
instruction and reference.

Though at first in putting this in book form I intended
to give but the —
merest facts of my
treatment, such as
I gave in my in-
Structiomse to
classes, after tak-
ing it up, it finally
so grew upon my
hands as to make it
the large work as
now putblished.*

The aim of the
writer has been to
have it as near the

standard of what J. W. Robinson, chairman of the committee referred
it should be as pos- to on page bo.

sible for him to make; in Beldutiont that it should be such a cul-
mination of my efforts as to be in every way worthy of them,
as well as acceptable to my many scholars and other friends. ¢

* The first edition contained a little over a thousand pages, with goo
illustrations. As re-written, it comprises 1,200 pages, containing not
only one-third more matter, but of a far better character, with over
1,450 illustrations and plates, embodying the finest series of plates on
the structure of the foot, etc., yet published in any single work. The
engravings in this little work have been taken from the larger work.

+ After writing this part, I have been impressed with the necessity
of giving a fuller and more complete explanation of the writing and
preparation, affording something of an inside view of the trouble and
expense of the preparation of this work, which will be found at the
close of this little work.

“AOYIND OY] AQ aU0p SM *K]IWP SJIILIS UIGO BY] U2 SULIL JNOY JIL SUOLPIDIS PapIaigS GULLIAC] —'OOL “FLT [For ]

a

CHAPTER XIV.

MY TRAINED HORSES AND PONIES.

HESE were so closely identified with my efforts that no~-
account of my experience, however full, would be com-
plete without making a brief reference to them, as they were
conceded to be the most interesting feature of the kind ever

Tommy.

exhibited. It would not be possible to make a plea in words,
however eloquent, that could at all approach in interest and
effectiveness the performance of these ponies, as illustrative
of the remarkable intelligence of horses, and the value of kind,
intelligent treatment in their education and management. It
would be easy to train horses to do tricks, and tricks of a

[ 165 |

166 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

very complicated and extraordinary character, this being a
matter simply of a little time and effort; but to secure horses
of the physical form and perfection desired, and teach them

GIFFORD.

TURCO.

TOMMY.
The author's old favorite group of trained horses.

BLIND BILLY.

to do something so much out of the ordinary line of what
horses are expected to do as to bring out their best powers in
obedience, and at the same time exhibit more strikingly to

DRIVING WITHOUT REINS. 167

the popular mind the importance and value of kind, intelli-
gent treatment, could only be accomplished by the efforts of
years and at a large expense of time and trouble. The
troupe of trained horses I exhibited, especially during my
later years on the road, were, for their number, admitted to _
be the finest and most valuable ever exhibited in this or in
any other country.

First came the performance of driving spirited stallions
to carriage in the open street, without bridle or reins, and

Tommy in his throwing act.

wonderful as it may seem, showing such a degree of obedi-
ence and control by the simple motions of.a whip as could
not be equaled by the handling of even the best trained
horses with reins. In this performance the horses were
driven fast or slow, turned right or left, stopped, backed,
turned in any manner, let out on a fast trot or run, yet under
such perfect control that at any point desired, could be stopped
instantly; showing them to be under the most perfect obedi-
ence to the slightest motions of the whip. It was particularly

168 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

impressive in showing the control that could be obtained
over horses considered the most difficult to manage, and that
by so simple a means of control and guidance as the whip.
The interest attaching to this performance was some-
thing wonderful. As a teaching of common experience, it
seemed, in the first place, to the public mind a thing so diffi-
cult as to be practicably impossible; because knowing a
stallion to be so headstrong and instinctively unmanageable,
especially when seeing or brought near other horses, that he

» N
NN :

Tommy chasing a boy out of the ring.

‘could not be held; and the idea of controlling two horses of
this character before a carriage in this way, with heads en-
tirely free, giving them the liberty to fight and pitch at each
other, which it would be natural to suppose they would do
under such circumstances, seemed simply so perilous as to be
beyond belief. The only explanation that seemed to them
reasonable was, that there must be some secret rigging to
restrain them.

If there was any one present who had happened to have
seen it, he would be regarded as a specially favored one, and
his statements accepted with open-mouthed wonder. The
result would be such a curiosity excited in relation to it that

BLIND BILLY, 169

people would come frequently from points twenty to fifty
miles distant, in crowds on every road, at the time advertised,
to see if it could be really done. When, however, the feat
was performed, the horses being driven with such a swing-
ing, free gait as to leave no possible suspicion of trickery, it
would be accepted as simply wonderful. It will be remem-
bered that, after a few hours’ training, I performed this inter-
esting feat upon the Malone horse at Cleveland, and which
really was a startling feat.*

This performance was, however, but as an introduction
to the wonderful character of that of the ponies, which was
admitted to be the most remarkable exhibition of equine sa-
gacity ever given.

Chief among these was a blind pony of the most beauti-
ful model, which would move and act so promptly in obeying
commands that one could scarcely believe he was blind.
This pony would, at command, do any trick or number of
tricks, rapidly in succession. For example, he would runa
circle right or left, stop, jump as if in play, kick, sit down on
his haunches on either side like a dog, squeal, laugh, walk on
his knees, on his hind feet, play ‘‘ blind-man’s buff,’”’—acting
the art of play from mere sound, by running after and catch-
ing one,—and do all this with the apparent enthusiasm and
interest of the most joyous boy or girl. Many other features
of the most interesting character that would be regarded ex-
tremely difficult for any horse to do that could see, were
promptly performed by this blind pony. To show some-
thing of his remarkable performances, I include the editorial
notices, which are but fair representations of any number of
like character that could be given.

‘«¢ Among Prof. Magner’s fine troupe of horses is one that
is blind. This beautiful pony—for he is a beauty—is a won-
der. He seems to understand every word said to him, and

* This feature of training, which was really one of the most interest-
ing ever exhibited, is of so much interest that I am led to give in another
part the facts of how to train horses to drive in this way.

170 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

will perform the most difficult feats with an ease and rapidity
that is really surprising. He will go to any part of the
ring, find and bring a handkerchief, take it from his leg or
any part of his body, go lame, goright or left, back, go ahead,
sit down like a dog on either side, squeal like a pig, roll over,
walk and kick on his knees, put his ears back and forward,
kiss, with many other tricks, showing the greatest intelli-
gence and skillful training.

Blind Billy.

‘¢He was not touched with the whip during the whole
performance. Mr. Magner simply stood at the center-pole
and talked to him as he would to a boy. He is, without a
doubt, the finest and most remarkable performing horse in
the world.”’

But in the way of real sensational performance and fine
acting, the noted pony Tommy was, if possible, more unique
and interesting, and it is certain that in his line of perform-
ance he was never, so far as known, equaled or approached.

TRICK PONY, TOMMY. 171

This little fellow was not only one of the most consummate
actors, but was without doubt one of the few really
wonderful performing horses of the world. He would on
the instant assume in the most perfect manner the
expression and actions of viciousness; with ears back
and mouth open, he would run for a man, and with
the apparent fierceness of a mad dog, drive him out
of the ring, yet at the merest intimation, instantly change
back to the appearance and actions of the most docile pet,
then again to that of viciousness, repeating this as often as
required. He would go through the forms of telling fortunes,
examine boys’ heads, tell his own age, pick out a good-looking
lady, while he would wheel and kick at a homely man. As
proof of his perfect docility, he would allow any little boy to
go under him, between his legs, mount and ride him in any
manner, carry one or more on his back at a time, yet at com-
mand, he would instantly throw any rider from his back.
Although he was so trained that at a certain signal, which
would not be noticed by the audience, he would throw the
rider as hard as he could, this demand was never made
excepting in extreme emergencies. There was also a prepar-
atory signal telling him to be on the alert, which he under-
stood perfectly. His ordinary signals were, first, to barely
make an effort without apparently being able for some time to
throw the rider; another, to get the rider off but not to throw
him severely; and another, to make no effort to do so, no
matter what the excitement or other indication.

To give an idea of the superior character of this per-
forming pony, I quote an incident which was only part of
what was common in his daily performance:—

‘“«Mr. Magner’s tent is crowded daily to witness the per-
formances of his wonderful ponies and attend his lectures.
One of the beautiful ponies, among other amusing perform-
ances, will when desired, throw any one from his back. Yes-
terday, when Tommy was introduced, a crack circus-rider
came forward to ride him for the reward of one hundred dol-
lars. He stated that he came from New York to get the

172 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

money. At this turn in affairs a general stir was manifested,
which culminated in the most intense excitement. It was
proved that no ordinary man could ride this cunning little
fellow, as shown by his performances for weeks. But here
was a trained athlete that could turn a somersault on a horse
bareback without being thrown; would it be possible to
throw him ? There were serious apprehensions that he could
not. Mr. Magner stood, with the reserve characteristic of
him, contemplating the intruder, as if to say, ‘‘ You may do
it, but not if I can prevent it;’ while the other stood with
folded arms, SOUS the most perfect confidence in himself.
x ‘<The immense throng
present was hushed into
silence, waiting for the
contest. A signal brought
Tommy upon a run, when
the athlete was invited to
come forward, who, dis-
daining help, lightly
bounded upon the pony’s
back; but before he had
time to say Jack Robinson,
Tommy commenced a
is a= series of gyrations that
Tommy as the model gentle pony. would astonish an Indian,
and sent his man fully six feet into the air. It was beau-
tifully and grandly accomplished; but would he, could he,
do it again ?

«« The trial was made, and, as before, the pony went into
the air with the quickness of lightning, and after a little more
prolonged effort, sent his man heavily to the ground. But
the contest was not yet over. All the desperation that pride
and confidence could excite seemed to be now called into the
actions of the man for a final test. He mounted more care-
fully, and, with a grasp of iron, awaited the onset. It soon
came; for Tommy, seeming to be now conscious of the task
upon him, twisted, turned and jumped like a demon, his eyes
flashing fire, until, with a tremendous bound, he sent the man
high in the air from his back, this time fully vanquished. It
was a grand performance. Many, with feelings of intense
admiration, crowded forward to caress the noble little fellow,
while Mr. Magner seemed as proud of his pet as if he had

PRESS COMMENTS. 173

won a kingdom. It was the finest and most exciting exhibi-
tion we ever witnessd.”—Buffalo (WV. Y.) Courter.

On page 177, I give a more extended account of a char-
acteristic incident, with the interest attached to it, which wil]
be read with special interest, in connection with what is said
here regarding him.

Many times the real key or point of my success was
dependent upon the performance of this pony, when without
it my efforts must have resulted in signal failure. During my
visit to Cleveland, for exam- \
ple, when failure seemed in-
evitable, and all was lost, as
stated, the performance of
this pony enabled me to get
the attention of the crowd
again, thus making it the op-
portunity for another trial,

when I made it a flattering ===

Success. a his is _ but a fair — =

tached to and the value of his pe oa nces to me.

The intelligence and sagacity shown by these horses was,
in some respects, really wonderful. To show something of
this, I will include here what was said about their perform-
ances in all parts of the country visited by me:--

‘‘Last night a large number of our leading citizens, by
special invitation, were present at Prof. Magner’s exhibition
on Champlain street.

‘<The first exercise was performed by blind Billy, a
pony, stone blind. The pony sat down at a word from his
master, and walked upright on his hind legs several times
around the ring. A handkerchief was thrown down in the
ring, and the pony ordered by his master to find it. After
walking around a few minutes, the pony came to a stand
and seized the article in its mouth. Several other interest-
ing tricks were performed by this blind pony, but the
most laughable scene took place when the spotted wild horse,

174 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Tommy, was introduced. He presented every appearance of
a wild steed, and ran restively about with distended nostrils
and fiery eye, his mane bristling lke the quills of a fretful
porcupine, but at the approach of his master he became as
tame asa lamb. Every one was invited to try their eques-
trian skill on Tommy, and all who tried were thrown to the
ground, tenderly, but in the twinkling of an eye. Mr. Mag-
ner offered $100 to any man who would ride Tommy one
minute. Several tried, but none were rewarded with suc-
cess. One ambitious gentleman threw off his hat, coat, and
vest, and said he ‘would be d-—d if he didn’t ride him.’

Fig. 1o1.—Blind Billy running after and catching his trainer when
playing blind man’s buff.

Tommy was too much for him. He was thrown several
times, and finally concluded that he had better let Tommy
have his own way.’’—C/leveland Leader.

“FUN ON THE PARADE.

‘The parade yesterday morning presented such a lively
scene as has not been witnessed for some time. The occa-
sion was the exercise of some trained horses by Mr. Magner.
Straw was plentifully strewn on the ground, and expectation
was high while the arrangements were going on. A cordon
of boys and men was arranged, a rope placed in their hands,
and a ring formed around the straw, into which soon pranced
the first animal. This one cut up all sorts of circus capers,
the most notable and most heartily applauded feat being the
dexterous unseating of a small colored boy, who had the

TO LAG ONS LAC KES: 175

hardihood to allow himself to be placed astride the animal.
Next came a totally blind animal, which performed miracu-
’ lous antics at bidding.

‘©The last feature was the crowning one. A spotted
horse was let into the arena amid the plaudits of the vast as-
semblage present on the ground, and the Reform Club,
- which appeared en masse at the windows. After various ges-
ticulations by the horse, a challenge was sent to the multi-
tude for some one to mount. A larger darky essayed the
task; but no sooner had he pronounced himself ‘ready’ than
spotty raised his hindermost legs, lowered his head, and
L. D. went careering through the air. ‘Golly, boss! dat
hoss can’t do dat again;’ and so up he went again, to be
treated the same way, only more so. A fairer complexioned
auditor then attempted it, but he was treated in like manner.
In fact, it is quite impossible for any one to remain seated
when that horse takes a notion to unseat him. The prompt
unseating of these two worthies so amused the multitude that
Mr. M. thought they had had fun enough for one day, and
so announced the show over. His power over untamed
horses is said to be marvelous.—Wew London (Conn.) Evening
Gazette.

To illustrate further something of the intelligence and
sagacity of these horses, when in a stall, Turco would allow
no one around him, and it was frequently amusing to have a
hostler come to me, saying, ‘‘ That horse is so vicious that I
cannot go near him,” and Turco would act this out so cun-
ningly that it appeared to be unmistakable. It was often a
source of great amusement when I would go out and say,
‘¢Turk, this man is telling bad stories about you; he says you
are vicious. I want you to show him that you are the gen-
tlest horse he has ever had anything to do with, and that you
are only playing a part;” after which the man could go as he
pleased around or even under him with the most perfect
safety. When driving him without reins, he seemed to know
just as well as I did what was wanted. Among other fea-
tures of his performance, I could put him on a run and turn
him so short around as to have the wagon upset, and the
moment he felt it going over, he would instantly stop and

176 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

look around as if to say, ‘‘I am waiting for you.” As soon
as I righted the wagon and got in, he would again plunge
ahead with the apparent fierceness of a wild horse, but con-
stantly turning his head right and left, the better to see and
obey my slightest command. At a certain signal which
told him of danger, no matter how fast he was going, he
would stop instantly, throwing himself back upon his hind
quarters with his fore feet forward, and fairly sliding on the
ground.

When talking to a crowd to illustrate points, by simply
saying to him, ‘‘ Turk, I want you to show the people how
much a horse knows,—that you really understand what I say
to you,—kick just a little;”” he would barely move his hind
parts from the ground. ‘‘Kicka little harder,” and finally
at, ‘‘ Kick very hard,” he would kick up between the shafts,
even throwing his feet over the dash, but without touching
it, and look around at me as if to say, ‘‘ Haven’t I done that
well?”? When free from harness, with nothing on him, if
crowded upon too closely by the people, by my simply say-
ing, ‘‘ Turk, drive them back,’ he would wheel around and
kick just hard enough to frighten them, but not to hurt any
one, and force them back better than it would be possible for
half a dozen men to do.

Another horse, Gifford, while dancing around the ring
in the most docile manner, with a man on his back, at a sig-
nal such as implied that the man was one that a good horse
should not carry, would give a series of such bounds into the
air that the man, if not thrown off, would be glad enough to
jump off the best way he could and run out of the ring; then
again he would carry any one in the most gentle manner. At
a signal he could not be led; again, any child could lead
him. He would give the most perfect imitation of sickness
by lying down, rolling and groaning; yet on the instant sig-
naled, jump up, run around the ring and spring into the air,
showing that he was only playing.

Tommy would beg as plainly for presents of apples or

A. CHAKA CEERISIIEG INCIDENT. 177

other delicacies as it would be possible for any boy or girl to
do. If I happened to have an apple in my pocket, no mat-
ter how industriously he had been at work, he would watch
his opportunity to run around behind me and try to get his
nose into the pocket for it; then if he could not reach it he
would run around in front of me and go through with some
of his most amusing tricks, begging for it as plainly as could
be, and then run back again and repeat the effort to get the
apple out of my pocket; and all with such a comical expres-
sion that it excited the greatest amusement, and was one of
the best illustrations that could well be given of his wonder-
ful sagacity. A certain signal indicated to him when he had
his hardest work to do and when he must make his greatest
effort, but it also said to him, ‘‘If you do well, you shall
have a nice present;”’ and it was comical to see how anxious
he would be to earn it. He showed that he knew as well as
any one else when the act was well done, by coming and ask-
ing for his pay, which he always got; for I made it a point
never to deceive or disappoint my horses, in any such prom-
ises to them. ;

I give portraits from life of this interesting group, with
a few of their performances.

A CHARACTERISTIC INCIDENT.

I may be permitted to state that there were many inci-
dents in connection with the performarices of these ponies,
more particularly those of Tommy, which were identified
with some of my most trying experiments, and I have thought
it of interest to include here the full details of a characteristic
example.

Once at a point in Southern Michigan, at the general
morning exhibition, before organizing a class, a little boy
happening to hang to the pony’s neck, and fearing an injury
to him, I did not dare to call upon the pony to exert himself
sufficiently to throw him. There was an immediate effort to
try to make a point of this, it being claimed that he had

12

178 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

technically ridden the pony, for which it was insisted that he
be paid a forfeiture of $5.

Explaining first that I did not advertise to give any sum
for riding the pony; but, that any one who felt that they could
ride him and take their own risk of being hurt, had the lib-
erty of making the trial, and if they could do so, could have
five dollars, when the matter could be quickly settled whether
the pony could be ridden or not. Notwithstanding this, I
was annoyed to find, during the afternoon, that the father,
thinking he had a point against me, counseled with a lawyer

Tommy in his vicious act defending the ring.

with a view of taking it into court, and that there was a very
ugly undercurrent of feeling against me on the part of the
rabble. Being advertised to give a special exhibition there
that evening, it portended trouble, about which I felt some-
what anxious.

A short time before the commencement of this exhibi-
bition, a gentleman came to me saying, ‘‘ There is a plot
formed to defeat you, and feeling that justice to you
demands that you should know it, I take the liberty of telling
you.” It was that they had arranged to have six of their best
young men ride the pony in succession, and as each would
have three chances, they expected in this way to so tire the
pony out that they could defeat me. This gave me an

A, WEEEDEVISED PLOT. 179

important point, and I proposed making the most of it; so I
said to the man, ‘‘ Don’t tell anybody that I know anything
about it. Let it be an entire secret between us, and | will
give you some fun.”

The plot was really a good one, and had I not been put
on my guard, might probably have succeeded in defeating me.
I accordingly said to my assistant (Mr. Johnson), who usu-
ally worked the ponies for me in the evening, that he could
have a play spell, as I would work them myself that evening.

Though a small country place, there was the usual large
crowd from the surrounding region. As I expected, every-
thing went smoothly until the performance of Tommy came
on. Upon calling for riders there at once sprang into the
ring a tall, athletic young man. I-looked him over saying,
‘Tf this is a specimen of your boys here I must give you
credit for having as good representations of young men as I
have found in the State,’’ and went on as usual, showing in a
variety of ways the docility and sagacity of the pony.

In bringing out these points sharply, I usually assumed
that the boy had not been nice, perhaps stayed out nights,
chewed tobacco, swore, or something else objectionable, and
that as soon as the pony learned of this he would not
only throw such a boy but drive him out of the ring. While,
on the contrary, if the boy was a nice boy the pony would
carry him or evena couple of them with the greatest possible
docility. Then, if in a political strife, it was between repub-
lican and democrat, being either thrown or carried according
to the party he belongedto. Then sometimes, he would carry
both, and show how they straddled the fence, by throwing
them both together, which he would unerringly do at any
time and place on the instant of being signaled.

In this place one side of the ground on which the ring
was formed was hard and stony, while the rest of it was thick,
soft yielding sod; and from the commencement I planned to
make the punishment as effective as I could by doing the
throwing on this hard place.

180 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

Upon getting the young man on I quietly told him that I
would regard it a special favor for him not to try to stick on too
hard, as I really feared he could ride the pony; and sent the
pony round with the usual run of badinage to disguise my
purpose; but the pony finally learning, as I intimated, that
the boy was not a very nice fellow, after making a few pre-
liminary motions, apparently making a great effort, upon get-
ting to the hard ground ‘he was signaled to throw him hard,
and, as I anticipated, did it nicely. Upon coming up to
repeat the experiment I said to him: ‘‘ This was an accident,

4 but don’t try to stick too

Pe Gay hard, as I am afraid you can

SWAN disable the pony. The object

fa\: is of course to make all the
Dy l\ fun we can, but on the point
S\ AW of not sticking hard, don’t
\ iN \ give me away,” and sent him

around as before. The fellow
now, however, was pretty
well on his nerve, but the
pony learning again of the
young man committing some other grievous fault, with a
single bound sent the fellow clean over his head to the
ground. The third trial was a repetition of the others, and
so continued with the next four, but with the interjection of
such remarks and comments as would fit the peculiarity of

Blind Billy walking on his knees.

each case, and so thus give the pony ample time to recover
from the exertion, at the same time being careful not to
throw them so hard as to frighten those to follow from com-
ing in, until the sixth young man came forward.

I may explain here that there was usually no limit as to
the number of riders during these trials, but they rarely ex-
ceed more than three or four. On this point, however, I was
careful to make no comment, but intimating it to be of but
ordinary occurrence.

Anticipating that they held back their best man to the

TATE A LOGS OF, WAR: 181

last, I proposed making him feel the full force of what I could
do, by taking the confidence out of him so thoroughly as to
get the laugh on him; and in this I was not disappointed, for
the moment the call was made for the next rider, he jumped
in, and disdaining assistance, sprang upon the pony’s back
with the air of the utmost confidence. I said to myself,
«Young fellow you are a good one, but I guess I'll fix you
so that you will be glad to have assistance when you get on
next time.”

After going round the ring once or twice and making my
usual comments, publicly in-
timating to Tommy that the
rider was no better than the (#

\\

others, upon the instant of Ni \ I
getting to the hard place, I SMW
called on him to send him

with all the force he could to ¥

SS

SSS 4 gy Hy,
\\ (ZZ

SS

SS

WIS

SS

i WP Ai4 4:
the ground, and never did he Dy
doit more handsomely or with (
greater force, fairly lifting the = /

fellow from his back and
throwing him over his head
with such terrific force as to shake him up considerably. He

Blind Billy kicking up.

finally got up, came forward slowly, went clear round the
pony to look him over, when waiting my assistance, he cau-
tiously got on, but holding with a grip that meant fight as if
for his life; but, as before, upon coming to my chosen hard
spot, sending him with almost the force of a bullet, which so
stunned the fellow that he was hardly able to get up.

The third time I knew would be the tug of war, and was
prepared for it, and I never before saw a finer struggle.
Twice the pony made an effort and was unable to dislodge
him; but finally, as was usual in a supreme effort, I signaled
him to the top of his speed around the ring again, and when
he came to the hard point of ground I called on him, when,
with a bound in the air, he sent the fellow clean and clear

182, MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

2

from his back fully ten feet, and with such force that he was
for some time unable to rise.

I now turned to the people, saying the performances so
far had been for the fun of it, just to wake up the pony, and
I was now ready to show something of his real power; that
I had learned there were some young men there, who during
all the afternoon had been bragging that they would ride the
pony at any hazard, and I was now ready for them to come in;
but mS them that they must take their own risk of being

hurt, at the same time promising that
the one who could stay upon his back
one minute could have an even $100.
Looking up to the top of the canvas
where there was a rent, I said: ‘‘ Do you
see that hole upthere? Well! the last
young man who made his brags on what
he could do riding this pony was thrown
out of the top of the canvas, in proof
; , _ of which there is the hole, and I guess
Blind Billy walking erect. he is going yet; and I would warn these
young men that if they try it they will probably go out
theretoo. 2:

The crowd, catching the point of the joke, clapped their
hands and shouted with such glee that they fairly shook
the canvas when they subsided. The last young man upon
getting up went round the pony, then stood off and looked at
him saying, ‘‘You are safe in offering all the money you
wish, for I’ll bet there is not a man in the world who can
tiderhim:,

CHAPTER XV.

TEACHING TRICKS.

S it will be of interest to many of my readers to know

“\ how the trick of throwing a rider is taught, I quote from

the chapter on Teaching Tricks, in my regular work, the fol-
lowing in relation to 1t:—

It is of the first importance to secure the right kind ofa
pony, one so small that the fall will be as little as possible,
yet so strong and active that he can carry and easily throw
the strongest boy or man. A stallion is by all odds to be
preferred, because having more style and action, and will
usually be found more brainy and sensible. It 1s necessary
not only to have a good-tempered one but one of a high order
of intelligence and pluck, because while it is necessary that
the pony should be able to throw the boy promptly, as de-
sired, it is at the same time essential to success that he can
be held in restraint to any degree and at any point that may
be necessary; that is, not to throw any harder than may be-
required. This requires not only intelligence, but a plastic
temper. It would bea very serious thing, for example, for
a pony to throw a small or sensitive boy so hard as to injure
him.

One of the strongest and most powerful ponies I ever
saw or found was a little mustang, not quite twelve hands
high, in Central Ohio. The point of throwing he took up as
if by intuition, and although so small and low that the feet
of an ordinary rider would almost touch the ground, he could
throw the strongest man from his back with almost the force
of a bullet. But because I could not tone him down so as to
throw lightly as I wished, though in other respects one of
the best ponies I ever saw, I had to discard him.

| 183 |

184 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

I may mention here that Tommy was in all respects so
nearly an ideal, in temperament, size, form and color, that
for years I had a standing offer of a thousand dollars fora
green pony that would be his equal, without being able to
find one. :

With the pony selected, the first important point is to
make him thoroughly gentle, which in most cases by my reg-
ular treatment would rarely be the work of more than a few
minutes. Second, to teach him to be entirely manageable to
the control of the whip; that is, so that he could be taken
into the street, or around anywhere, without anything on him,
by the control of the whip alone. This, too, may seem a
great feat to do, and yet when properly done it is one of the
simplest and easiest imaginable. It is really wonderful how
quickly and easily most horses can be taught to do this.

It will be noted that in the story of my experience I
refer, as a daily feat performed. by me in Maine and other
parts of the country, to being able to take any wild, unbroken
colt into the street, entirely gentle and manageable, by the
control of the whip alone, without bridle or halter, within
twenty minutes. And extraordinary as it may seem, in no
instance did I fail to be able to do this with the most perfect
success, and this, too, while surrounded with a crowd of
men and noisy boys. I would not, of course, assert that
there were no horses that I could not do it with in this time,
but I took the chances, and was always so fortunate as to be
able to do it. The full details of this are given on page 155
of my regular work.

This control by the whip being necessarily the ground-
work of what is to follow, it should be well done. When
accomplished, the next step is to have provided a ring or
room thirty or forty feet in diameter, covered plentifully with
sawdust, straw, or other soft material, in sufficient quantity
to break the fall of the rider, yet not to seriously hamper the
pony in his movements. Commence by teaching him to kick
up, which can be easily done by pricking him a little on the

TEACHING TRICKS. 185

rump with a pin until there is inclination to kick up; then
stop and caress him. This repeat until the least motion to-
ward the rump will cause him to kick up; then touch the
same part with the lash of a short buggy whip, until at the
lightest motion of it, he will kick up. This done, put a boy
on his back, and while holding by the halter, as before, with
the ight touch of the whip make him kick up, when, on the
instant of his doing so, no matter how slightly, have the boy
throw himself forward over the shoulders, or pull him off.
Then encourage the pony by caressing him, giving him a
piece of apple, or something of which he is fond. ‘This is to
be slowly and carefully repeated until he catches the idea,
and makes an effort himself to get the boy off. With a little
patience it is wonderful to see how quickly and intelligently
a pony will catch this point.

At this stage it is usually necessary to move very care-
fully. With a boy on, commence by leading the pony around
a short distance, and then signal for him to throw. Repeat
in this manner, and finally let him go around alone, with the
boy on his back, until he will go round on a sharp trot or
run, and throw only when signaled to do so. All these pro-
gressive steps should be made short; the pony, when he does
well, should be encouraged, and treated with the greatest
kindness, and he should never be taxed beyond what he can
easily do. If at any stage he cannot throw the boy, let the
boy at once throw himself off.

The next important step is to carry one or more boys on
his back without resistance, allowing them to go between his
legs, under the body, etc., yet be ready at any time at the
signal to throw either or both from his back. The rest, so
far as making sure for the work to follow, is a matter of sim-
- ple practice.

In my efforts in this direction it was my custom, after
giving the pony the idea, to hire a number of boys, with
whom to practice, so that gradually he was worked up to the
point of making an effort, as if making a public, trial and,

~

186 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

indeed, many of these experiments or efforts were frequently
of the greatest interest. In Bath, N. Y., where I trained a
number of ponies in this way, and where I had an amphithe-
ater built expressly for the purpose, at the time of such les-
sons it was not uncommon to have the tent filled with people.
And frequently as interesting feats of riding and throwing
would be brought out as I had ever given on the road.

‘This act may be matched in with a number of other sim-
ple ones, which can be easily taught, thereby making the
pony seem very intelligent. For example, to teach to nod
the head, or say yes, prick a little on the back with a pin,
and continue until in his efforts to avoid annoyance he will
drop the head a little, when stop and caress him, at the same
time giving him something of which he is fond. In this way,
continue to alternate the pricking and caressing, until at the
least motion toward his back, or even of taking a pin from
the coat, he will drop his head.

To shake the head, or say no, prick him lightly with a
pin on the top of the shoulder until he shakes his head, when,
as before, stop and reward him. Repeat this pricking and
rewarding until at the least motion of the hand from the collar
and pointing toward the withers, the head will be shaken.

To tell the age, prick lightly on the back part of the leg,
just below the elbow, until, to avoid the annoyance, the foot
is lifted, or there is an effort to paw; for this, stop and caress,
as before. Simply repeat until the least motion toward this
part will induce him to paw.

Now combining these little tricks, we make a very inter-
‘esting exhibition. First, we can say to the pony, ‘‘Say good
morning to the people,’ at the same time signaling him to
bow the head. If he has been treated badly, he will shake
his head, on being asked the question, if at the same time he
is given the signal which he has been taught. It being nat-
urally accepted as a wonderful proof of his intelligence to be
able to tell his age, by stooping over a little as if to count,
but indicating to him what is desired to be done, he will

DRIVING WITHOUT REINS. 187

commence to paw, and upon counting up to five, six or eight
-years old, as may be desired, by straightening yourself up he
will instantly stop. This may be carried a little farther, and
make him appear very intelligent, by asking him to ‘‘kiss
good morning,’”’ making him put his lips up to those of the
trainer, examine a boy’s head, etc., which can be easily taught.

Tommy understood every signal so plainly, that while
standing off from any distance, and giving the least intima-
tion, he would obey instantly. Thus I could send him round
the ring to pick out a good-looking lady, or homely man; the
point was, stopping him at any point to nod or shake the head,
just as I wished. On the point of throwing, he was wonder-
fully intelligent, comprehending every point just as well as it
was possible for any man to do.

The training to drive spirited stallions without reins in
the street is perhaps one of the most interesting and aston-
ishing feats of training that has ever been exhibited. It was
simply and purely the result of a delicate feat of training.
There is no difficulty at all in training the horse to obey and
be guided by the motions of the whip, but the nice point and
real difficulty was making the horse so reliable and safe in his
obedience that, no matter what the strain of excitement or
difficulty, he could be guided or controlled at willas required,
so that, no matter what the speed, driving him to any point,
you may be confident, should any emergency arise, of being
able to stop him instantly. To have it interesting, it was
necessary that the horse should be energetic and spirited,
and of the highest courage and intelligence. Perhaps no
horse tamed in this way gave a finer expression of this feat
than my old horse Turco. He was, like Tommy, in his way,
practically perfect. Toshow something of this, he could be
taken out with reins, pulling on the bit, with such energy and
courage that it would seem as if with the least mishap he
would run away. Then, throwing the reins loose, and with
bit out of his mouth, he could be put at full speed through
the town, by the guidance and control of the whip alone.

CHAPTER XVI.

RAREY: INSIDE FACTS IN RELATION TO HIM.*

HERE is no part of this work

that has cost me more anxiety
and effort to obtain the information
it embodies, and place it in the
ia ———— form here given, than this; and
there is none of more significance or importance to the real
student, for the reason that without it there would neces-
sarily be more or less cloud and doubt regarding the true
principles and conditions of subjection or the art of taming
horses. In addition, it will be found specially important as
a means of correcting history. It was a continued effort of
nearly fifteen years to accomplish this as here given.

As noted in the first chapter, I refer briefly to the parties
most prominent as professed horse-tamers before my time,
which it is presumed have beén carefully read. In continu-
ing the subject here, in reference to John S. Rarey, I think
it advisable to again refer to some of the parties mentioned
there, as well as the treatment used by them. It has long
been known that disabling any part of the body will make a
horse to some degree helpless and submissive; hence, it has
been quite a secret among many, in making a horse stand to
be shod, to tie down one ear or cover the eyes so that he can-
not see. No matter how impulsive and reckless a headstrong
horse may be to lead, if blindfolded, he will at once lead gently.
In the chapter on the management of stallions, I refer to the
feat I advertised to perform daily, of making any headstrong,
unmanageable horse of this character,—one that could not

* | quote this chapter from my regular work.
[ 188 }

CONTROL BY DISABLING. 189

be held or controlled in the street,—by a few minutes’ treat-
ment, so that he would follow any one gently.

The question would be asked, ‘‘ How can I get the horse
to follow?’’ My reply would be, ‘‘Cover his head with a
blanket, and he will follow you without the least trouble.” A
horse that may balk quite seriously, if simply blindfolded,
will usually go right along, more especially if first allowed
to stand a little while, and then move him right and left
a little, the better to divert his attention before asking him
to start. This will in part explain why a horse that may
not drive with safety during the day, will, under cover of a
dark night, when unable to see, usually drive all right. It
has been a great secret among some jockeys, to drive a
kicker, to tie the tail down to the cross-piece of the shafts,
or with a small string tie it forward to the bellyband, having
learned that if the tail was so disabled that it could not be
raised, the horse would rarely kick.

Carrying this principle farther, it will be noted by turn-
ing to introductory pages, before referred to, that it was re-
garded a great secret for taming horses, and practically the
limit of what was known on the subject before my time, to
tie up one or both fore-legs and lay the horse down. Who
discovered or first introduced this method of treatment is not
known. It is certain that it was known and practiced in this
country, and more especially among circus men, for more
than a hundred years before the time of Rarey and the other
parties referred to.

As before stated, the first man known to me personally,
who taught this method of treatment in this country, was
O. H. P. Fancher, who, up to 1867, made his home in the
country village of New London, O., and later at Brushes
Mills, New York. More than thirty years ago (now 1895)
Mr. Fancher exhibited to me certificates under date of 1844,
signed by Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and other men of na-
tional repute, in recognition of his disabling a horse in this
way so as to lay him down, which was practically all that

190 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

was claimed for it at this time, and long afterward, as shown
by pages from Offutt’s book.* It was certainly known to me
that he traveled afterward quite extensively over the country,
teaching the secret at large prices, as I have had a great
many parties who had attended my lectures tell me of paying ~
him from ten to fifty dollars, and in some instances much
more, for this secret, including that of the Arabian secrets,

A
eM es. |
\== 25555
ee
—=—Z

AG wr as

—Z—

=——

\ =

\)
Se
STZ

Fig. 113.—The leg strapped up.
orscents. Heassumed to have obtained the secret in Mexico,
of Comanche Indians. This method of treatment was not
adapted to the mustang nature, and it is clear to me that he
obtained the secret from the same source as did Denton
Offfitt, or from him directly, which is more probable.

The next in this country to whom I have been able to
authoritatively trace this method of treatment, was Denton
Offutt, of Georgetown, Ky., before referred to. It is inter-
‘esting to know that this was the man who kept a store at

* This part is necessarily excluded here.

RAREY’S BEGINNING. 191

New Salem, Sangamon county, Ill., in 1831 and ’32, and for
whom Abraham Lincoln (afterward president of the United
States) clerked. Failing in trade, he left that place, and I
next located bim in Georgetown, Ky., where he attracted
some attention as possessing the secret of horse-taming, and
where John S. Rarey obtained the secret from him, the facts
of which are given farther on.*

We now come to the facts in relation to John S. Rarey,
about whose efforts there has been and is yet more miscon-
ception than concerning any man who has ever traveled; and
for this reason it is essential for the general reader that I
should be very definite.

Fig. 114.—Strap No.1.

Rarey was the son of a country hotel-keeper in a little
borough called Groveport, about ten miles south of Colum-
bus, O. He was a man of but limited education, and before
leaving his home was in no way identified with the study of
the horse beyond that of any ordinary country boy. Whena
young man, while traveling with a circus, he visited George-
town, Ky., where he obtained the secret, as explained, of
Denton Offutt.

Soon afterward (1858), he was suddenly brought to no-
tice by the following facts: First, his being permitted to
give an exhibition before the Queen and royal family of Eng-
land; second, his claims of- being possessor of important
secrets of his own discovery, by which he assumed to have
the power to subdue any horse or animal in the world. This

*This Offutt is variously, though not differently described (see
Lamson’s “ Life of Lincoln’’) as a“ wild, harum-scarum, reckless fel-
low;” a‘“gusty, windy, brain-rattling man;” a “noisy, fussy, rattle-
brained man, wild and improvident.”

192 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

he apparently proved by his control of the stallion Cruiser, a
horse claimed to be so dangerously vicious that to prevent
his killing any one he was kept in a brick building, with the
extra precaution of having an iron muzzle on him, it being
the intention to have him shot. Next, by his control of a
horse in France that had killed a man, and in England of a
zebra from the Zoological Gardens of London. The result was

QI TENS
tes uN 1 aay) \
My f

my

"

sails \ ai, iy

Kaw \\, gn
| HL Vaal
\ 1 i LAN tH|
| yh
Via

1 \

he PD “4, |

Fig. 115.— The horse with straps Nos. 1 and 2.

that he obtained two thousand subscribers from among the
nobility, at $50 each, to learn the secret, and thus at one
movement, with his partner, Mr. R. A. Goodenough, made
$100,000.

When, however, the great secret was revealed, it was
found to comprise simply the point of disabling the fore-legs
and laying the horse down, as before explained. The treat-
ment was the same for all classes of horses, of whatever age
or habit; and it was soon found that it came far short of
meeting the extravagant claims made for it.

A CLEVER PARTNER. 193

Every point, however, was so skillfully covered up that
it was difficult for anyone to explain the real cause of weak-
ness. For over against every point of seeming weakness and
valid objection was the apparent proof of the control of the
cases referred to, which were recognized as of the most vicious
character possible, and which, in connection with the bold-
ness of his claims and the distinction conferred upon him,
seemed to make his position practically impregnable.

DOUBTS OF ENGLISH WRITERS.

There was, however, a strong undercurrent of suspicion
among leading English writers at the time in relation to

fig. 116.—Strap No. 2.

the subject, to explain something of which I quote a few par-
agraphs:—

“‘The clever management of his partner, Mr. Goode-
nough, and the profound secrecy maintained for so long, car-
ried the public away, and, as in the fable of the fox who had
lost his tail, all those who had spent their ten guineas were
anxious to place their friends in the same predicament. This
is the only way in which I can account for the extraordinary
conclusion to which so many practical horsemen arrived in
relation to it.

««The cardinal points of Mr. Rarey’s system are, first,
never to let the horse know his strength; that the horse must
never be coerced or resisted unless a man is certain of suc-
cess in controlling him; second, that when his muscles are
tired out, he is relieved from restraint and treated gently and
patiently so as to make him a friend. Then, after showing
that this could not be carried out in practice by the treatment
given, he refers to special cases, as follows: In referring to a

13

194 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

particular horse treated by Mr. Rarey, that had resisted vio-
lently for about half an hour, he says: ‘The horse, now
nearly covered with foam and very much exhausted, fell over
on his side with a heavy groan and lay stretched upon the
straw;’ . .. . and finally remarked, it was so evident that
he was exhausted rather than subjugated, that Mr. Rarey
informed the audience that several more lessons would be
required to make him submissive and gentle.”’

In commenting upon the treatment, another writer
said :—

«« There are numerous instances which have come to my
knowledge, of horses resuming their vicious habits again;’’
and referring to Cruiser, ‘‘that though the operation had
been repeated upon him hundreds of times, the evidence was
all the other way; that if put in the witness box he would tell
that he had several times turned against his groom and put his
life in danger; . . . . that he knew of no instance of a horse
which had gone through the operation, doing any good sub-
sequently on the turf, all having shown afterward either want
of speed or heart; that whatever had been the cause of this,
they had run behind those animals whose forms were consid-
ered by good judges to have been inferior to theirs.”

HOW I WAS LED TO DOUBT HIM.

Like others, I was at first a great admirer of Rarey, and
my confidence in him was so great that I was led to perse-
veringly try the treatment upon all sorts of horses, and study
with closest attention the effects it would produce upon
horses of different temperaments and habits, with the final
result of most serious disappointment, and doubt as to the
truth of his claims. While I found it would permit of con-
siderable success in the control of some horses, it would
utterly fail upon others, and it became, in fact, so much ofa
puzzle to me that it was the cause of the loss of much valu-
able time. I finally was forced to the conclusion, as the only
explanation, that there was either some secret about the
treatment that I did not understand, or that there was the
grossest misrepresentation and deception in relation to it.

DOUBIS AS ATOLKARE Vi: 195

It certainly seemed to me there were several points that
would not bear anything like close investigation. First, if
this treatment enabled Mr. Rarey to perform the feats claimed
in Europe, why would it not, upon thorough trial by himself and
others, produce the same results here upon horses only mod-
erately vicious ? Second,
Cruiser and the other cases
referred to, out of his hands
became again unmanage-
able. How was it that he
could control such horses,
while others, using the
same treatment, utterly
failed upon them? These
were questions which puz-
zled and misled the public,
making them believe, as
the only reasonable expla-
nation, that he had some
magnetic or psychological
power over horses that
others did not possess, and
by which he was enabled
to control them as he
wished; or that he gave
them drugs, or something
that gave him power to
control them for the time.
Another point, and the one Fig. 117.—The bridle used to prevent biting.

I felt to be the most: suspicious, was that before going to
Europe he made no special reputation as a_ horse-tamer,*

* During my early professional career, I traveled over much country
that had been visited by Rarey previous to his going to Europe, espe-
cially in Southern Pennsylvania, and frequently heard of him. All the
statements concerning him substantially agreed, in the fact that he trav-
eled alone on foot from town to town, carrying a satchel and meeting
with but very indifferent success. His charges were $3.00, and he was
ready to teach one or more at atime, as he had opportunity, at this rate.

196 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

and after dissolving partnership with Mr. Goodenough in
England, or after his return to this country, he made
no special stir, nor did he make the improvements (having
made none whatever) to be reasonably expected from a man
capable of the resources and skill necessary to attain the suc-
cess with which he had been credited. He simply repeated

uN \

fi
yn
{7

Ya

Fig. 118.—The horse struggling.

the same method of treatment, depending entirely upon the
prestige of his European reputation for enlisting attention
here.

The whole thing so annoyed me that I was bound, if pos-
sible, to go to the bottom of it. To do this, I had a great
desire, first to see Mr. Rarey himself explain and illustrate
the treatment, and upon having an opportunity to do -so
in the spring of ’65, at Pittsburg, Pa., where I had given ex-
hibitions the week before, I took advantage of it todo so. I
found his explanation and application of treatment to be pre-

RAREY—INSIDE FACTS. 197

cisely what I had long been familiar with and practiced.
There was no variation whatever. He went through the same
routine of exhibiting two straps by which he claimed to have
accomplished so much. Putting it mildly, I was not only
greatly disappointed but disgusted.*

I next desired to see Cruiser, and study the peculiarities
of his disposition, and at my earliest opportunity afterward,
went to Groveport, O., especially for the purpose. I found
him a medium sized, \ :
well-bred horse,
weighing about 1,000
pounds. His _ head
was well propor-
tioned, wide and full /
between the eyes,
which though not
large were well set
out on the head. The
eyelids were thin and
the distance from eye
to ear _ noticeably
short. The ears were Fig. 119.—Cruiser’s head.
exceedingly fine, short and set close, together and pointed, in-
dicating, like the other parts, great sensibility and courage,
as well as great capacity for prolonged resistance; and while
not by any means exhibiting the bad character represented,
such a horse I knew could not be made gentle by the treat-

*] had another, and if anything a more serious reason for trying to
get to the bottom of the matter. It was a constant source of embarrass-
ment to me to be asked daily and almost hourly if my system of treat-
ment was anything like Rarey’s; that he claimed to be able to subdue
any horse or animal in the world, etc., etc.; and as I made no such pre-
tensions it was naturally inferred that I could not doas muchas he. In
reply, I usually stated that all this I would satisfactorily explain in my
class instructions; that nearly all those attending my lectures under-
stood all that treatment and much more; and that unless my treatment
was different and superior I could not travel a single day with success.
The subject was forced upon me so repeatedly and persistently that it
was imperative that I should uncover it if I could.

198 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

ment claimed to have been practiced upon him. (I give a
sketch of his head drawn by a noted artist, by my direction,
from memory, Fig. 119.)

I took into more special consideration the character of
the Stafford horse in France, upon which I knew from his
temperament that such treatment would have little real effect,
and when I considered more particularly that of the zebra,
which I knew could not be controlled by such treatment, I

Fig. 120.—The horse exhausted (the original term used). He was struggled
with on the knees until tired or exhausted, when he
was brought down on the side.

became convinced that the real point of their control, which
was only temporary, had for good reasons been kept covered
up. I next directed my attention to learn what foundation,
if any, there was for his claims of having experimented upon
horses from youth up, and having so many accidents in do-
ing so, etc., so when traveling in that part of Ohio after-
ward, I made the most careful inquiry of old residents of
Groveport, his former home, and those of the neighboring
towns, in relation to him, but could not learn that during his
minority he had been in any way identified with the subject,

MEETING WITH MR. GOODENOUGH. 199

or recognized as possessing any special aptitude in that direc-
tion, or that he had any serious accidents; showing me con-
clusively that at least these claims were not true.

For years I also had been making the most persistent
efforts to find Mr. Goodenough, the man who had been his
partner in England, and whom I had been long convinced
was the real master spirit of his success and efforts, but
could not learn whether he was in the country or even living.
This, however, I was in a chance way finally able to accom-
plish, and that when least expecting it, under the following
circumstances :—

As explained on page 73, in the winter of 1871 and ’72,
I gave a series of test exhibitions before leading gentlemen
in New York City, to which this gentleman (Mr. Goode-
nough) was incidentally invited by a friend. A few minutes
before commencing the exhibition he was introduced to me.
The moment I saw him, it was at once plain to me that he
was the real key of the whole matter. He was a man nearly
six feet tall, finely proportioned, of a strong, vigorous, ag-
gressive nature, in fact just the man to engineer and make a
success of such an enterprise. I immediately said to him
that he was the man of all others I wished to see; that for
more than ten years I had been in vain looking for him, and
that I would like a few minutes’ private conversation with
him. This he kindly granted, when I said: ‘‘ There is one
question I wish to ask which you alone can answer. You
were with Mr. Rarey when he controlled Cruiser, and I would
like to know just how he accomplished it, as I am sure he
never did it by the treatment he professed to have practiced
upon him.”

Mr. G. replied, ‘‘ How do you know he did not?”

I said, ‘‘I have studied Cruiser, and experimented with
the treatment in the most careful manner upon all classes of
horses showing different types of temperament and resist-
ance, and know exactly what it will do; and I know it will
not work, as claimed, upon such a horse; and when I con-

200 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

sider more particularly the control of the other cases, upon
the management of which he based his reputation, I know
that it could not have been done by that treatment, and
I would lke to know just what you did to control him.
I know how such cases could be controlled temporarily in a
number of ways which would not be at all difficult, and which
was all that was done.’’ I reminded him at the same time

Sree

fig. 121.—The horse tamed,

that it would make no difference now about the facts being
known, Mr. Rarey being dead.
~ Mr. Goodenough laughed, and said: ‘ You are right; he
was not controlled by that treatment. We tried it thoroughly
upon him, and failed. I then advised Rarey to tie him down!
We did so, and let him he all night and the night following,
when we could handle him as we pleased. This was the only
alternative that suggested itself in the emergency, and we
employed it.”
After the matter had been prepared for the chapter ex-
plaining these facts in my first general work, from the revised

Mk. BONNER’'S ADVICE. 201

edition of which, now entitled ‘‘ Facts for Horse Owners,’’
the matter as stated before, in this chapter, has been con-
densed, I had a conversation with Mr. Robert Bonner, of
New York City, and I referred to the discovery I had made
in relation to this subject, and stated further that I proposed
publishing it in my book. Mr. Bonner at once asked, ‘‘Is
Mr. Goodenough living?’’:

I stated that I did not know, when he at once cautioned

me in positive terms that it would not do to publish sucha
statement unless Mr. Goodenough was living.
_ During this interview I also stated to Mr. Bonner, that
while I was almost sure that Mr. Rarey obtained his secret of
Denton Offutt, I could not give positive proof of it. Among
other reasons for my thinking so, was that upon Karey’s re-
turn from Europe he was prosecuted by Offutt for revealing
the secret, Offutt claiming large damages.

Mr. Bonner replied, ‘‘ You will find the facts concerning
Rarey’s being taught by Offutt in the issue of Zurf, Field and
Farm, of Jan. 4, 1878,’ and to prove it, he at once sent to the
office of that paper for the files containing the issue in ques-
tion, and read the article.

He informed me also that Mr. Offutt’s original work was
published in the same paper. This being a matter of great
interest to me, I immediately called at the office of that paper,
and requested the privilege of examining the files containing
the issues in which it was published. This was kindly
granted, and I read it through with great care. It struck me
that the dialogue between man and horse, and the recipes
for scents or drugs given for approaching and controlling
wild or vicious horses, would be of so much interest to my
readers, as to be worth preserving, and so I determined to
obtain it, if I could, for publication. My request was
granted, and I| give the matter in my regular work.

I immediately obtained an interview with the chief ed-
itor, Mr. Hamilton Busbey, who is yet living, during which
he gave me the following facts in relation to Mr. Richards’

202 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

statement regarding Denton Offutt and his instruction of
Rarey:—

In October, 1877, he (Mr. Busbey) was dining with Mr.
Keene Richards,* at Blue Grass Park, when the subject of
horse-taming came up. Mr. Richards stated that the founder
of the horse-taming school was a native of Georgetown, Ky.,
and that his name was Denton Offutt. Mr. Richards himself
was a pupil of Offutt, whom he described as uneducated, but
full of originality; that when quite a young man, John S.
Rarey came to Georgetown and studied with Offutt, and later
on practiced the system in Ohio, before going to England
with Mr. Goodenough.

After dinner, the conversation was continued in the li-
brary, when Mr. Richards handed Mr. Busbey a book which
Offutt had published for the benefit of his pupils, ali of whom
he pledged to secrecy.

Mr. Busbey was very much interested in the book, and
carried it with him to New York. One day he let Mr. Rob-
ert Bonner take it to examine, and the next morning he re-
ceived the following note from that gentleman:—

‘‘ There are many interesting things in Offutt’s book,
some that are entirely new to me, and well worth copying.
The dialogue between man and horse, beginning on page 37
and ending on page 46, contains the essence of all that Rarey
ever taught. He evidently based his system on that.” This
part, as before stated, I publish entire in my regular work.

Mr. Busbey, beginning with January, 1878, published
the work of Denton Offutt in the Zurf, Field and Farm, and
it attracted at the time, much attention.

In consequence of the injunction of Mr. Bonner, that it
would not do to publish the facts stated unless Mr. Goode-
nough was living, and not having any clue to him beyond
having met him in the city years before, it was a matter of
great difficulty to find him, and it was only after a long and

* Keene Richards, Esq.,a leading dealer and turf patron of Ken-
tucky, died March 19, 1881.

EXACT FACTS. 203

diligent search that I was by the merest chance finally able
to do so. I found him still in vigorous health, at the age of
seventy-two. He received me kindly, but upon stating the
object of my visit, he manifested a decided reluctance to say
anything about the matter; and I succeeded only after ur-
gently explaining to him that it was necessary, not only to
the present but to future generations, that the exact facts
should be authoritatively made known, as a means of cor-
recting the false impressions made by Rarey’s pretensions, as
well as of correcting history; that it was a matter of no spe-
cial consideration to me beyond wishing to make my work in
every respect as reliable in its instructions as possible, and
that the time had come, when as a matter of truth and right,
the facts should be given. I called attention also to the fact
that the real credit and success of the scheme belonged to
him, and that he should not object to relating the truth.
Finally, with the promise that whatever I should write upon
the subject would not be published until first submitted to
his inspection, he consented, and after nearly two hours’
pleasant conversation, during which time he gave me many
interesting incidents in connection with his efforts in Eng-
land, he gave me the following facts, which I wrote down
from his dietation.*

EXACT FACTS.

First, becoming interested in Rarey’s mode of treatment,
and desiring to go to England for his own pleasure, and more
as a means of recreation than of profit, he proposed taking
Rarey to England for the purpose of teaching the system,
and if successful, to divide the profits equally. Should the
enterprise not pay, he was to return Rarey to this country at
his own expense. As a preparatory step, Mr. Goodenough
had exhibitions given before the chief officers of the govern-

* During this interview, also, I was fortunately put in the way of
authenticating the facts in relation to Rarey being taught the secret by
Denton Offutt, of Georgetown, Ky., the particulars of which are given
elsewhere.

204 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

ment of Canada, which were highly satisfactory. He then
obtained letters of introduction from the Governor General of
Canada to Sir Charles York of the Horse Guards of London,
also to Sir Richard Airy, Quartermaster General, to whom he
explained what he wanted; and by them he was introduced to
Col. Hood, Prince Albert’s Chief Equerry, who had charge
of the Queen’s farm at Windsor, and Lord Alfred Paget, the
Queen’s First Equerry, who were made confidants, and to
whom the system was previously explained. By them he
was introduced to the Queen and royal family, before whom
he performed upon a four-year-old colt* from the Queen’s
farm, and also upon other horses. These gentlemen permit-
ted their names to be used in the London Times as reference
for the faithful performance of what was promised.

Books were now opened at Tattersall’s for subscriptions
to learn the system, and two thousand names, comprising the
nobility of England, were obtained, at ten guineas each. The
first lesson was given at the Duke of Wellington’s private
riding school, upon Cruiser.

FACTS IN RELATION TO CRUISER.

The facts in relation to Cruiser and his subjection were
as follows: He was owned by Lord Dorchester, and had been
vicious from acolt. He was kept for breeding purposes at
Morrel Green, forty-one miles from London, in a building

* An amusing incident in relation to the treatment of this colt, not
before known, is as follows: It was desired to have the colt so trained
that he could easily be made to lie down before the Queen. He was
brought in the night before, and Rarey experimented upon him during
the evening, the building being strongly lighted to do so. At this point,
the Equerry, a high officer—a Scotchman, who had special charge of the
department, came up, and finding Mr. Goodenough at the door on guard,
asked him what business he had there, what it all meant, stating his
position, etc., and that he wanted the proceedings at once stopped, and
seeking to enter. Mr. Goodenough looked at him and replied by saying
“T don’t know you, sir. You must give me credentials of who you are
before I can admit you.” The audacity of the assumption so confused
and annoyed him, and being apparently unable to prove it, he was actu-
ally kept out. Mr. Goodenough told the incident to Sir Albert Paget,
who belonged to the Queen’s househould; and who next morning told
it to the Queen, as a good joke upon the Equerry, and it was heartily
laughed at by her Majesty.

FACTS REGARDING CRUISER. 205

erected especially for him. He had ona simple watering.
bridle, to which were attached two chains, each about twelve
inches long, having buckles on the ends. The door of his
stable was cut in-two, and when they intended to lead him
out for use, they opened the lower half and put in a bucket
of water for him to drink. When he put his nose into the
bucket to drink, they would quickly buckle two straps to
these chains, each twenty feet long, when he could easily be
led out between two men.

Fig. 122.—The second lesson in harness. | Method of driving horse after treatment.

I asked Mr. Goodenough, ‘‘ What about the big iron
muzzle which it was claimed Cruiser had worn?”

He laughed, and said, ‘‘ That was all advertising decep-
tion. I had nothing to do with that. There was no muzzle
at all on him.”’

He leased the horse for six months by the payment of
£100, stipulating that he should break the horse, and return
him in good order. Should he fail, he was to pay £500,
which he subsequently paid Lord Dorchester, and brought
the horse to America.

HOW CRUISER WAS SUBDUED.

Not wishing to follow the plan of the grooms in taking
him from the stable, they devised the following one, and
nearly failed. They backed a cart up near the door, and tried
by various means to attach the straps to the bridle; but after
an hour’s effort, failed. Finally, while Mr. Goodenough stood
in the cart and attracted the attention of the horse as he

206 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

stood near the door, Rarey succeeded in slipping the strap
over the leg and arm. Once on three legs, he was speedily
brought under control by throwing. He was now led into
the yard on three legs, and Lord Dorchester mounted him.
They now repeated the treatment out of doors. The horse fi-
nally became greatly excited, and resisted with the utmost fury.

Fig. 123 —Mr. R. A. Goodenough at the age of 72.

At this point, when failure was inevitable, Mr. Goode-
nough suggested the only means of success available, that
of tying down, and letting him remain until exhausted and
submissive. He was accordingly led into the stable again,
his fore-legs tied up, and he was thrown down, a collar put
on, and his hind legs tied forward to it. In this condition
he was left until the next morning, when they gave him wa-
ter while down; but behaving gentle, he was released. They
now fed and groomed him carefully, and led him behind a

SUBJECTION OF CRUISER. 207

dog-cart to London, forty-one miles. To make sure, that
night they tied him down again, when afterward he could be
managed without difficulty. After this, Rarey handled and
trained him every day for two weeks, when he had him under
such good control that he could stand in the ring, and by
calling, the horse would come out of his stall to him.

The Stafford horse was the worst one they handled. It
was only after being subjected to treatment in the most thor-
ough and persevering manner, and being tied down ten
nights in succession, that they were able to handle him with
any degree of safety. The zebra was tied down fifteen
nights. Of course all this was kept a profound secret. In
all critical cases, they invariably handled the horse in pri-
vate, until successful. Cruiser and the other horses were
handled almost daily for two weeks, to insure their reliable
management when in public.

Another fact was not known; namely, that the entire
subjection of the zebra, and almost the entire work of sub-
duing the Stafford horse, was done by Mr: Goodenough. At
the conclusion of the interview, I asked, ‘‘ Who wrote the
little work explaining the principles upon which it was as-
sumed the system was founded?”’ His answer was,—‘‘Oh,
I fixed that up.”

The foregoing has been submitted to me for revision and
correction, and I find it a simple statement of facts.

New York, K.
June 2, 1887. : /

It struck me as of great interest, in connection with his
statement, to give a portrait of Mr. Goodenough, and I re-
quested his permission to do so. This he at first declined to
permit, in positive terms, but finally, after much persuasion,

208 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

and as a matter of personal favor, it was granted and is here
given.

The weakness of this method of treatment can be seen
by the fact that it was limited to one short, indirect step of
overcoming physical resistance—that of laying the horse
down. It being the only resource, it was necessarily the

Ny \ i i i
| MW

fig. 125.—TLaming the Zebra.

same treatment for all classes of horses, from the green colt
that had never been handled to the old horse of the most
vicious character, all being necessarily treated alike. It was
the same as assuming to cure all manner of diseases with one
simple remedy. It would, of course, be easy to disable and
lay a horse down in this way, but the difficulty would be to
make sufficient impression upon him to make and hold him
gentle.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE ART OR SECRET OF TAMING HORSES—IMPORTANCE OF THE SUB-
JECT—INTERESTING FACTS, ETC.

A .

bel

LTHOUGH in part going outside

i the limits of what I felt to be
admissible in this little work, the in-
terest that must necessarily attach
to any explanation of the secrets of
= controlling horses, induces me to
insert en additional features as I believe would in a gen-
eral way do this best.

First, as to the facts of changing the character of horses.
Let us, for example, presume to take a horse of so nervous.
and excitable a character that we cannot with safety ap-
proach him near enough to put our hands on him—one
that it certainly would seem impossible to do anything
with in harness; we will say a wild, unbroken colt, or a horse
that had been frightened, kicked and ran away, and become
so vicious and dangerous as not to admit of being put in
harness at all. If I were to now say, Give me fifteen, twenty
or thirty minutes’ time to myself, and let us see what we can
do with this case; and if in this time I were to show him,
without being in the least injured or excited, entirely gentle
and submissive, really indifferent to the causes which so
short a time before produced such serious disturbance and
excitement, it would certainly seem but little short of a
miracle, and a very startling fact. The question would nat-
urally be, as expressed to me almost daily, How could it be
possible by any natural or reasonable means, to produce such
a remarkable change, and especially in a way to have it re-
main so? As the most reasonable explanation of it, the

14 [ 209 ]

210 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

attention would naturally be directed to myself. Was it not
something in me? Did I not possess some superior powers?
And if so, where and what was the secret? Viewed in this
light, it would certainly seem most puzzling, but when ex-
plained, the great wonder would be the common-sense sim-
plicity and success of the treatment by which accomplished.

If I were to ask a man, one even recognized as among
the very first in intelligence and scientific attainments in the
country, ‘‘ What should the treatment be to bring about such
a great change—to do it, say within thirty or forty minutes,
or even an hour—he would find himself at once blocked. If
he were to turn to his library, or even ransack the libraries
of the world, he would be surprised to discover that he would
be unable to find a single work or other authority, outside of
what is given or published by me, from which he could obtain
this knowledge, because not known before my time.

When I gave the test experiments in New York City,
referred to on page 73; I had before me over a hundred of
probably the best representative students of the horse in this
country, if not in the world, comprising the best representa-
tive trainers, thinkers and writers in this country, among
whom I may mention the distinguished Robert Bonner.

By way of introduction I said I felt embarrassed in pre-
suming to be able to give any new ideas to such a distin-
guished company of gentlemen, who were presumed to know
everything that had been taught and practiced on the subject;
that I was aware they were familiar with the treatment prac-
ticed by Rarey, and others who made any pretension to
knowledge or skill in this line, and that it would seem but
reasonable to them that there could be nothing new for them
to learn in relation to it. And yet I would show them en-
tirely new and original principles of treatment that would pro-
duce results entirely impossible by any other methods of treat-
ment, and practically revolutionize their ideas on the subject.

Said I: ‘Suppose, for example, we were to have led in
here an unbroken colt, one of so wild and nervous a character

TESTE OOESTIONS: 211

as to be really dangerous to go near or touch, and I were
to ask you, What should the treatment be, so that within
twenty, thirty or forty minutes, or even within an hour, you
could make him so gentle and submissive that you could, if
you pleased, put him in harness, hitch him to the wagon, and
so far as docility was concerned, he would be as gentle and
fearless as any old family horse? How you can do it with
every case in a hundred within this average time? You could
not tell me, because there is not one here, or in the city, or
in the world, outside of those attending my classes, who can
do it, there being no other way yet discovered by which it
can be done. Now, I will forfeit $500 to any man here who
will produce a colt of this character that I cannot do this
with, here before you, within forty minutes. |

««Next, if we were to have led in a kicking, runaway
horse, of so vicious a character that he could not with
safety be handled or put in harness, and I were to ask you,
What would your treatment be, so that within thirty or forty
minutes, or even an hour, you could make him so manageable
that you could with safety hitch him up and drive him sub-
missive and gentle, without breeching, with other tests of the
severest character without resistance? You could not tell
me, because there is no way known to you or anybody else by
which it can be done, outside of the treatment I will show
you.

‘««Now I will give $500 to any man that can produce a
horse of this character that I cannot control and drive gently
here before you within forty minutes.’’ Following which I
enumerated a number of other equally startling feats that I
stood ready to perform, which they knew would be entirely
impossible to do by any other treatment known. Among
which I mentioned the interesting feat of the control of stal-
lions, referred to on page 64, and of halter-pullers, page
125.

Now after the trial was given, these gentlemen were so
fully convinced of the truth of my statements that the com-

212 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

mittee by unanimous vote instructed their secretary, in writ-
ting up his report, to say just what I wanted, to which all the
gentlemen present united in the request that their names be
added, as in the fullest sense endorsing the report. I may
state, however, that not wishing to take any undue advantage
of such freedom, I simply directed the gentleman to give a
simple statement of facts, which is given on page 75.

INPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT.

These facts are specially significant for the following grave
reasons: No one can reasonably deny that we are more largely
dependent upon the use of horses than all other animals
together, and particularly in positions involving much risk to
life; every member of the family being almost constantly de-
pendent for their safety and lives upon the reliability and
good character of their horses; that, outside of the anxiety ~
and loss of property there are perhaps more serious and fatal
accidents occurring from the use of horses that are unsafe or
improperly broken than from all other causes by public or
private conveyance combined to which they are exposed, and
this without apparent remedy. In every town, city, and vil-
lage of the country, accidents of this character are daily and
often of hourly occurrence, which, when considered in the
aggregate might well be regarded as appalling. And when it
is considered that nearly all this trouble and loss, by proper
measures of treatment, as demonstrated by me (not at all
difficult for any one to use), would be entirely preventable,
something of the value and importance of this knowledge can
be seen.

Not only this, but we see that by the treatment in general
use, it is the work of months, and frequently of years, to break
horses in this crude, imperfect way, and with this great ex-
penditure of time and effort, many of the best horses by
nature are practically ruined.

How many horses of spirit do we find that do not have
fastened upon them some one or more unpleasant or danger-

SUGGESTIVE FACTS. 218

ous habits that make them unsafe if not worthless for use?
Hence the importance of instruction by which we can not
only prevent or overcome all this without abuse or accident,
but save fully nineteen-twentieths of the time employed in
such work, and do it better than it would be possible to do
by any other treatment known.

SUGGESTIVE FACTS.

I was once present when a team of four horses was har-
nessed for the first time to a band wagon. Though well
broken to harness and entirely gentle, with the first notes of
the band, which was entirely new to them, the horses were
excited to such intense fear that it was only by the greatest
effort they were kept from running away, though the band
stopped playing instantly. Aware of the great danger of a
serious accident, and the necessity for prompt and proper
measures of treatment, I said to the men, ‘‘If you will be
guided by me I will soon fix the horses so that you can play
as you please.’’ The men being really anxious for their
safety, they readily consented.

As the first step, I directed them to get out and go back
about ten or fifteen rods. In the meatime, I took the most
excitable horse by the bridle, stroked his nose, talked to him
quietly, and directed the others to be treated in like manner.
They were greatly excited, the one I held fairly shaking with
fear. After a few minutes I directed the band to commence
very lightly upon one or two instruments at first, the others
to start in gradually. This slight commencement was re-
peated several times before the horses would bear more with-
out exhibiting the most intense fear. I then directed them
to play louder, and increase the tone gradually until up to
the full force of all the instruments and drums. This point
gained, while playing they came forward very slowly, got in,
and commenced again in the lightest possible manner, gradu-
ally increasing the sound until the horses again submitted to
their playing with full force. I now directed the men to keep

214 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

quiet while the team was driven a short distance, then, as be-
fore, commence lightly, slowly and gradually playing louder
until the horses appeared indifferent to the noise. The re-
sult was that within twenty minutes the band paraded the
streets, playing as they pleased, the horses submissive and
gentle, in fact, appearing to enjoy the music.

Suppose we have a colt which we wish to drive in har-
ness. He is, perhaps, so gentle that he submits to be har-
nessed and hitched to wagon without difficulty. If he moves
off gently he is supposed to be all right, and he may be
driven for years successfully. Unexpectedly, some little de-
rangement or accident occurs, in itself trifling, such as rais-
ing.an umbrella behind him, catching the rein under the tail,
the breeching strap breaking, or being buckled so long as to
let the cross-piece of shafts strike the quarters. The result
will be that he is frightened, and from an impulse of defense
he kicks; the legs or quarters coming violently against the
shafts or cross-piece, he is hurt and the fear and excitement
relatively increased, with the consequence that he resists
control and gets away, with the result of tearing the wagon
and harness to pieces, perhaps throwing the occupants out
and seriously injuring if not killing one or more of them.
But the harm does not stop here, for the horse is left so sen-
sitive, if not violent, that if successful in being able to hitch
him up at all, it is almost sure to result in an early repetition
of the occurrence, completely spoiling the horse.

This was the history of nearly all the more serious kick-
ing, runaway horses brought me for treatment—cases that
were in many instances so nervous and violent in their resist-
ance that they could not with safety be brought near or put
in shafts. It is easy to see that horses trained in this way
are a constant menace of danger; that their use is about as
risky as going through sparks of fire carrying bags of powder
in the arms; that if there is escape from accident, it is a mat-
ter of the merest good luck. Then these accidents always

FEATS BY OTHERS. 215

occur at vitally critical times, when safety is of the greatest
importance.

In the treatment of these cases something of the real
beauty and value of scientific treatment is demonstrated.
Now, as repeatedly stated in other pages, no matter how sen-
sitive or vicious, at one movement, and frequently in a few
minutes, with scarcely an exception, within the limits of an
hour, the horse can be made so fearless and gentle that as soon
as we are successful in driving him to the bit, he can be driven
to carriage at any speed, without breeching, up or down hill,
perfectly obedient to word of command, or to the lightest
restraint of the reins. Nor is this at all difficult to do, even
with horses that have been regarded exceptionally dangerous
and vicious.

To show something of this, I include here a few repre-
sentative statements of what was accomplished by parties
who have never seen me, but who obtained their instructions
from my work on this subject:—

“‘T have a heavy-boned California horse, that breaks
every halter put on him. I have to tie him up with a chain.
I cannot take sucha horse into the field, for he will stampede
the whole herd by breaking loose and running. This same
horse is a vicious striker, and has already knocked down and
walked all over one of my sergeants. He is of no use to the
government, and I[ want to either break or kill him.”

After the horse had been subjected to treatment, the fol-
lowing statement was made:—

‘«Your system of breaking halter-pullers works like a
charm. That wild California horse (after giving details of
treatment which did not require more than two minutes) I
could not get men enough around him to force him back the
second time. From the stall I took him out to the picket
line and tied him toa post. After pulling once we could not
induce him to pull again. Any halter will hold him now.
He was so easily managed that I concluded I had misjudged
his disposition, and so took him in hand (giving particulars

a

216 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

of treatment used), when he was saddled, and a man mounted
and dismounted, and in fact he was broken to shoe, to ride,
to stand still, and behave himself generally, in about twenty
minutes. ‘¢ Yours truly,
“<A, E. Woop, Capt. 4th Cavalry,
‘«Fort Huachua, Arizona.”

‘In twelve minutes, by the instruction in your book, I
made a four-year-old kicking colt that had been given up by
one man as entirely unmanageable before she came into my
hands, so- gentle that I hitched her up and drove her in the
public street, without breeching. A twelve-year-old bay
mare that could not be shod without ox-slings or other con-
finement, after treating her twice, was shod at the shop with-
out trouble. ‘““Ezra T. WEBBER,

‘<North Vassalboro, Me.’’

‘¢Mrs. Hill has taken a broncho, green from the range,
and by the instructions in your book, has a horse that will
come into the house, eat bread from her hands, open the win-
dows; in fact do lots of things showing his docility. Your
‘system of treatment certainly entitles you to the biggest kind
of a medal. ‘““Epwin C. HI Lt,

««White Sulphur Springs, Mont.”’

«« About two weeks since, I received from a brother in
Connecticut a copy of your valuable work, and a more inter-
esting and instructive book never before reached my hand.
Believing that it will do your heart good, I will state that I
have subdued some of the most vicious and dangerous horses
ever known in this section of the country, in twenty minutes
to one hour, by the application of your methods, etc. Perhaps
I may seem to you a little over-enthusiastic, but I have just
put the finishing touches on the worst brute of a beast that
man ever attempted to lay hands on, and all of the efforts
made to accomplish the result were of the neatest, easist, and
safest kind. GON Bi Ot a RAL Aatane WES)

‘““Reno, Nev.’’

Any number of statements of this character could be
given, showing the entire success and ease with which horses
supposed to be of the very worst character may be made en-
tirely safe and gentle, by persons of no experience, and with

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE MAN. 217

no practical knowledge of the subject before having access to
my work.

The great value of my treatment is in its preventing trou-
ble, as stated, in making the young horse so gentle— which
any one should be able to do within an hour or two—as to
give security against such troubles.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE MAN.

This is a study and work, though contrary to what is
generally supposed, that to attain to anything like unusual
success requires in the man not only a high order of ability,
but a combination of really superior qualities.

It is generally supposed that the larger and coarser the
man, especially if he does not seem to be good for anything
else, he has all the qualifications necessary for breaking
horses. No mistake could be greater. We see, first, thatit is
necessary that a man have such precision of judgment that
he is able to see and understand with accuracy the constantly
varying conditions with which he has to deal.

Second, that without revealing timidity or weakness, he
will be able to go up to the line of danger, yet with such ac-
curacy of judgment as not to go beyond it. A man in busi-
ness or in the professions may be exceptionally successful,
even though gravely deficient in personal courage or decision
of character; while in dealing with horses which are at all
courageous or intelligent, such a weakness would be practi-
cally fatal to success.*

Third, that he has the highest instincts of truthfulness
and honesty, because, in word or action, to the least degree
to lie to or deceive the horse would of itself, especially in

* During my professional experience I was almost constantly
brought in contact with horses that I knew studied and examined me
searchingly, and as severely tried the tension of my nerves as it would
be possible for any man to do, and I felt it to be as necessary to keep con-
cealed my real apprehension of danger as if I had been contending
with the most intelligent, courageous person; and frequently my safety

really depended upon the observance of these conditions. The incident
given on page 83 was a good illustration in point.

218 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

anything like critical cases, in a great measure be sufficient
to neutralize if not destroy his success. He must have, ina
word, the keenest discernment, the broadest and soundest
judgment, the truest courage, the most persistent persever-
ance and patience, with the highest instincts of benevolence
and kindness. In other words, he must have the delicacy of
touch of a woman, the highest order of judgment, the te-
nacity and perseverance of a bull-dog, with the courage of a
lion. Lacking in any of these, however valuable the princi-
ples of treatment, his efforts can certainly be but little more
than common-place.

CHAPTER XVIII.

TEMPERAMENTS AND INTELLIGENCE, ETC.

ET us now in a general way dis-
cuss some points of this subject
briefly. * :

Suppose, for example, we have

a dozen horses to treat, all exactly
of the same size and general appearance. Upon trial, one
will be found to submit to treatment in a few minutes,
while another may require much more effort and care to
bring him under the same degree of submission, while a third
may require many times the work to produce a like result.
This will naturally compel a more particular observance of
the texture and details of bodily structure, and when we do
so carefully we will find that they will to a remarkable degree
correspond with the order of the resistance; that they are in
all cases dependent upon the peculiarity of texture and con-
formation of the brain.

If we study primary conditions, we find that each peculi-
arity of special power is governed by nerve ganglia, or cen-
ters. For example, the senses of smelling, tasting, feeling,
seeing, etc., will be strong and active in proportion to the
development of the nerve ganglia from which these senses
emanate. Thus a hound that follows a scent, or a bird dog
that has the power of smelling game at a distance, has large
development of the olfactory nerves; while the greyhound,
eagle, etc., that depend for their success upon seeing ata
distance, have large development of the optic nerves.

* These points are very fully explained in the introductory chapter
of my regular work, and as given here will be of more particular inter-
est to my scholars.

[219 |

220 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

On the same principle, the size and texture of the brain
becomes the real primal factor of determining the character.
For example, the larger and finer the quality of the brain, the
greater will be the degree of intelligence. In the human
family we see that a man that has the back part of the brain
so large as to overbalance the moral and intellectual faculties,
is almost sure to be low and coarse; while the reverse, or
preponderance of the intellectual faculties over the merely
animal, will give excep-
tional intelligence and dis-
cretion. Thus men indi-
vidually constantly illus-
trate adaptability for
special lines of effort or
thought. The same lines
are exemplified to a won-
derful degree in the horse,
mM, in showing extremes of
! modification of intelligence
and character. We see
that one horse may be sen-
: sitive, quick, intelligent,
Fig. 128.—Intelligent, docile family horse. keenly susceptible to fear;

while another may be so wild, aggressive or vicious, as to
make it dangerous even to go near; while another may be
dull and stupid. One is resolute, courageous and deter-
mined, while another may be timid in the extreme, with a
sensibility so acute that he will not bear the least excitement.

Now, if we study these peculiarities of character closely,
we will observe well-marked differences peculiar to each.
This will be shown by the form of the head, eye, and ear,
color and size of the eye, as well as by the bodily structure
generally. If, for example, there is a large, expressive,
brown eye, set well out on the head, thin lids, broad forehead,
short from eyes to ears, ears short, pointed, and not too wide
apart, the head high between the ears, large nostrils, with

CHARACTER INDICATIONS. 221

head well cut out under the eyes, there will be indicated the
best type of intelligent, docile character, represented by Fig.
128. :

If, on the contrary, the eye is small, round, of a greyish,
dark color, set well into.and back on the side of the head,
eyelids thick, forehead narrow, long from eyes to ears, ears
long and flabby and set well apart, head rather long and full
below the eyes, the nostrils well drawn in and nose rounded,
there will be indicated a
sullen, treacherous na-
ture, of which Fig. 129
is a good representation. Las

Although I have iit
made a great effort to (\;

YRS J ~
Dp
=z

give the best possible ha
representation of these Le
peculiarities of charac- RA
ter,itisnotinthe power ‘\ WA
of art to designate the : »\

inner and _ constantly
years conditions of ex- Fig. 129.—Represents the see character treated
pression revealing the by the author. Taken from life.
character, which becomes in itself the secret of understand-
ingit. Icall particular attention to this in applying the third
or passive method of subjection, that the expression of the eye
becomes the real key in determining when the horse submits.
So that these illustrations, however perfect in themselves,
can be accepted as but little more than mere suggestions.

If the eye is large, clear, and sensitive, set well out on
the head, eyelids thin, forehead broad, short from eyes to
ears, ears rather pointed, but long, nostrils large, hair short
and fine, we will have represented an intelligent, though ex-
tremely sensitive character,—one that will not bear excite-
ment, a good representation of which is Fig. 130. If the eye
is large, showing a good deal of white partly closed, ears
somewhat long, rather wide apart, and dropping back a little,

222 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

especially if rather long from eyes to ears, there may be even
more than average intelligence, not apparently difficult to
manage; but if once roused to anger,*he will be found deter-
mined and reckless in resistance, of which Fig. 131 is a good
representation,-—cases which, when serious, require very
careful conditions of treatment.*

The better to explain these points I include illustrations
of the greatest extremes of viciousness—the Tasmania Devil
and Gorilla; the very
expression of which,
it will be seen, are
suggestive of vicious-
ness. There are some
interesting points that
might be referred to
here in relation to
correlative families,
but space will not
permit.

It is easy to see,

Fig. 130.—Idcal of sensitive, nervous character. then, like the study of
medicine or any of the more important professions, that any-
thing like success worthy the name in the control of horses,
implies, first, a correct knowledge of the principles of treat-
ment, which cannot be given here; second, an intelligent
understanding of the conditions, with the proper adjustment
of treatment to them; that to intelligently treat the case, it is

* It will be interesting to have me explain here that observation and
experience finally taught me to judge the character with such accuracy,
that if a man would tell me what his horse would do, if a marked case, I
could with almost unerring certainty be able to describe the horse, even
to size, color, and conformation; for, obtaining anything like a correct
idea of a single part or act, | was given the clue to the general charac-
ter; and if able to see a horse, even at a distance, his movement and
general appearance indicated to me, with great certainty what I had to
deal with. Indeed, during the later years of my professional efforts,
when the people had become extremely critical, this knowledge was
absolutely essential to my success. A number of interesting incidents
illustrating this are referred to in other pages.

ADAPTATION TO. WANTS. 223

in the highest degree necessary to be able to understand the
exact character; for without this knowledge there must nec-
essarily be, especially in anything like serious cases, liability
to failure as well as subjecting the horse to needless abuse.

I may throw in here, by way of parenthesis, that to the
carefully-observant student the condition of the nervous sys-
tem demands the closest consideration. I have found as
clearly marked conditions of insanity in the horse as ever
appear in the human ;
family, which would often
add greatly to the difficul-
ties of the case, if not to
make the subject practi-
cally beyond the resources
of treatment. But the suc-
cess with which many of
even such cases may be
controlled may well be re-
garded as wonderful.
‘“Wild Pete,” the Wil-
kins, Malone, and Hillman

horse Jet, referred to, were
good exam ples. A Fig. 131.—A vicious horse treated by the author.

The eye in all cases reveals the exact conditions plainly.
If in doubt about about it, then excite a little resistance, when
note the amount of disturbance revealed, which will disclose
with great accuracy the exact conditions, with the treatment
to be used, and the degree to which it should be carried.

ADAPTATION TO WANTS.

It will be interesting in this connection to consider briefly
another very important fact—the wonderful creative wisdom
displayed in the difference in horses. While most people
can readily see the difference there is in size, intelligence, and
disposition of horses, but few seem to appreciate the wisdom
of such differences. Let us examine this subject briefly.

224 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

In the extreme north, where nootherdomestic animal could
live or be of any use to man, they have not only a dog, but one
of peculiar nature, which is singularly adapted to the wants
of the Esquimaux as a
beast of burden, fisher,
hunter, etc. A _- little
farther south they have
the reindeer, which sub-
sists on the moss pecul-
iar to that region, and
travels rapidly over the
frozen snows, drawing
heavy loads. In addi-
tion to this, he supplies
the people with subsist-
ence in the way of milk,

Fig. 132.—The Tasmanian devil. Most butter, cheese,and meat,
vicious animal known. and his skin makes the
best of clothing. The Peruvians have the llama or alpaca,
which, accustomed to climbing the mountains, carries heavy
burdens over the Andes, and furnishes the people with milk
for their children, wool for
their clothing, and flesh for
food.

But perhaps the most
interesting as well as won-
derful adaptation for special
wants is that shown in the
camel, which is so constituted
that, while traveling over the
arid, sandy plains of the des- ‘
‘ert, where water is the great Fig. 133.—Head of Tasmanian devil.
requisite, he carries an extra supply of it within the body,
sufficient in some breeds to last for a week.

Now this singular adaptation for special wants is to a
wonderful degree exemplified in the horse, in size, tempera-

NATURAL ADAPTATION. 225

ment, endurance, intelligence, action, etc. Thus we have
the large, heavy cart-horse, fitted for the drudgery of the cart or
plow, with his opposite, the racer, which has the conforma-
tion of the grayhound, enabling him to run with the fleetness
of the wind. Between these extremes we see that we have

ETI

fig. 134.—The gorilla.

almost countless modifications in size, intelligence, endurance
and action, thereby fitting them the better for the various
requirements of man. .

Now a very important point is placing the horse to the
work for which nature best adapts him. In subjecting to
treatment, it is equally important that we adapt it to the con-
ditions of temperament and intelligence.

15

CHAPTER XIX.

STRONG LIKES AND DISLIKES OF HORSES.

ANY horses of a highly organ-
ized nature, easy and gentle
to manage, when intelligently
treated, are frequently the most
- positive in their likes and dislikes,
consequently making it a very se-
rious matter, by any carelessness
or abuce treatment, to excite their antagonism into activity.
This is a point that was brought almost constantly to my no-
tice by the history of the cases brought to me for experi-
ment, and is one of great interest to the intelligent student.
I will refer briefly to a few cases in point.

ARND HORSE.

This was a ten-year-old Morgan stallion, owned in Bath,
N. Y., naturally of a fine, intelligent, docile disposition. I
bought him for the purpose of teaching him to drive without
reins, and succeeded in making him drive very nicely. Fora
stallion, he was singularly free from all inclination to bite, and
other habits of viciousness. Later I sold this horse, with an-
other, to a man named Arnd, at the time a hotel keeper in
Bath, N. Y. Mr. Arnd (who was somewhat intemperate in
his habits) one day, believing the horse acted as though
about to bite, whipped him severely. Happening in the sta-
ble at the time, I found Arnd in the horse’s stall, greatly
excited from the exertion of kicking and whipping. I told
him with emphasis that he must not whip and abuse the horse
in that way; that if he did, he would make him so vicious he
could do nothing with him. I advised him at once to give the

[ 226 ]

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SN

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AWS

Fig. 136.—The Arnd horse as taken out of the stall before treatment.

[ 227 }

228 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

horse some apples, and handle and caress him until over the
excitement. But he disregarded the advice, and about a
week afterward I again heard a row inthis stall. Proceeding
to the place, I found Arnd, with hat off and face red with pas-
sion, in the act of whipping and kicking the horse. I again
told him in the most positive terms that he could not whip
and abuse the horse in that manner without surely spoiling
him, and that he must on no condition repeat it. As before,
I urged him to treat the horse kindly, give apples, etc.; but

Fig. 136.—The Arnd horse four years after being subdued.

my advice was disregarded, and as the result, in less than a
week afterward he came to me and said, ‘‘ My horse is ruined;
he is so vicious that he will kill any one going near him. If
you will break him for me I will do anything you require.” I
found the horse perfectly furious, with eyes like balls of fire,
and ready to jump at any one who might approach him. He
did not seem to have the least recollection of me, and it was
with the greatest difficulty I was able to get him out of the
stall, and across the street into my tent. Upon taking him
in hand carefully, and while his resistance was at first of the
most wicked character possible, after about twenty minutes’
treatment, he submitted unconditionally. After getting him

THE ARND HORSE. 229

to a point where I could handle him with safety, I talked to
him and caressed him for some time, walking around with
him, when he would follow me around perfectly gentle. I
now directed that the horse be placed in the care of a quiet,
careful man, whom I instructed to make it his business to
visit the horse frequently in his stall, give an apple or two
each time, caress and talk to him, but on no account to allow
Arnd to go near or inhis sight until I advised it. This treat-
ment was continued two weeks, the horse acting just as gen-
tle as before. Then while standing at his head I directed
Arnd tocome inside the door of his stall. The horse knew
him instantly, and became greatly excited, but I managed
to keep him quiet while Arnd was near him.

I soon afterward left the place, but after the expiration
of about four years I again visited that part of the State pro-
fessionally. At Merchantsville, in the same county, I was sur-
prised to find:'this horse. I was informed after my leaving Bath,
that the moment Arnd would come near, the horse would be-
come furiously excited and seem ready to jump at him, but was
perfectly gentle toward others. Mr. Arnd, convinced that he
could not with any degree of safety manage him, sold him to
his present owner, a resident of Merchantsville, who used him
for breeding purposes and for a family driving horse.

The owner told me his wife could hitch up the horse and -
drive him with as much safety as she could any old family
horse, and he could take him out in the street by the halter
and play with him with all the freedom he could with any pet
horse. ‘‘But,’’ added he, ‘‘were he to see a bald-headed man,
it would make him sofurious he would kill himif he could get
at him.’’ Mr. Arnd was bald-headed, and the horse retained
his peculiar repugnance to such an appearance. I took him
into the streets by the halter, when he went through his tricks,
driving without reins, just as promptly and obedient to the
whip as when I owned him, over four years before.

Another instance was related to me of a fine stallion, of
a remarkably gentle character, owned by two brothers. One

230 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

day happening in play to resist a little, he was struck by one
of the brothers just once, and that not very severely, with the
whip. The result was that he took such a dislike to that
brother, and expressed it by such extreme viciousness, that
he could do nothing with him, while to the other brother he
continued just as gentle and manageable as before. Upon
mentioning the principle before one of my classes, the inci-
dent was related to me by the brother who had so struck the
horse with the result stated.

The Roberts horse, referred to on page 30, was a very
striking example. This case, as stated, was of so intelligent
and gentle a character that he could be handled by the ladies
of the family, and was used by them as their family driving
horse; but, in consequence of being thoughtlessly whipped
once or twice by a rough groom, he was made so vicious that
he would kill any one he could get to, and had nearly killed
his owner. Yet, once treated by me, not requiring in all more
than twelve or fifteen minutes, with careful, kind management,
was fully restored to his former good character, proving after-
wards entirely gentle, being hitched up and driven, as before,
as their family carriage horse.

I once had a gentleman, member of my class in Elkhart,
Ind., request that I would look at a horse he had. I said;
‘«‘Yes ; you have a remarkably fine fellow here, but if you
were to strike him once with a whip enough to hurt him much
you would be almost sure to spoil him.’’ Said he, ‘‘He is
one of the gentlest horses you ever saw. My wife can drive
him anywhere with perfect safety, but I should not want to be
behind him and hurt him with a whip.”

In my regular work I refer, particularly in chapter on
stallions, to the necessity for the most considerate, kind
treatment, especially in the management of highly organized,
intelligent cases, and from which I quote the cases here
referred to.

CHAPTER XX.

SPECIAL CASES.

|e what has been said in other
pages, I have thought it of sufficient
interest to include here more par-
ticular reference to a few excep-

tional cases treated by me. In my
regular work, with a view to making
the instructions as plain as_possi-
ble, I give the exact facts in relation
to forty of the best representative cases, giving age, ‘color,
size, temperaments, with the exact details of treatment. I
am necessarily limited here to the facts only in relation to
the horses, with the effects produced upon them.

THE HILLMAN HORSE “JET.”

When the complete facts of this case are considered, it
must be accepted as not only without a parallel, but as being
by far the most remarkable as well as interesting case ever
known in this or any other country. He wasa young stallion
out of one of the best trotting horses in the State of Maine.
He was but little over three years old, and of beautiful form.
Notwithstanding that the conditions of his management had
been of the very best, when but little past two years old, in
defiance of all that could be done, he developed such extreme
viciousness as to become entirely uncontrollable. He was
recognized as the most vicious horse of his age ever known,
so dangerous, in fact, that it was the intention to have him
shot.

My attention was called to him incidentally by a promi-
nent citizen, who said he had nearly killed a man named
Eben Howe, had seriously injured several others, and had
been shut up ina building for nearly a year, to prevent his
killing any one. He stated that if I could subdue such a

[231 ]

232 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

horse I would prove my ability to subdue any horse in the
world. Promising to take him in hand at my convenience, I
requested that the horse should not be annoyed or molested
in any way, but should occasionally be given apples, etc.

Upon arriving in the State in the following spring, I
went to see the horse privately; and upon a careful examina-
tion, concluded I could not prudently experiment upon him
before a class, and so announced I would take him in hand
immediately after the close of the season’s business, at which
time T went specially to Portland for the purpose. Desiring
to make the experiment a perfectly fair one, I appointed a
special committee of three leading citizens, to invite a few
representative horsemen to be present and witness the experi-
ment. It being supposed that I would play some under-
handed game, giving the horse medicine, or something that
would control him for the present, a special committee was
appointed to accompany me from the time I got up in the
morning until the horse was brought forward for treatment.

The real difficulty in the management of this case was
in getting to him with safety and taking him from his stable
to the place of exhibition. This, however, I was so fortunate
as to be able to do without accident. Knowing by his tem-
perament that what I term in my regular treatment the First
and Second Methods of subjection would have but lttle if
any effect upon him, I determined, as a matter of experi-
ment, to try, by the Second Method, to impress him suffici-
ently to enable subjecting him to the Third with safety,
which is a method of acting directly but passively upon the
nerve centers, and which in some cases produces the most
wonderful results, frequently enabling the easy subjection of
horses im a few minutes that would resist the severest treat-
ment of other character.

But notwithstanding the utmost precaution, it was with
the greatest difficulty I was able, with any degree of safety,
to apply this method of treatment. His resistance, as I
anticipated, was of the most violent and desperate character,
but within twenty minutes he became so quiet and docile that
he was now hitched up and driven entirely gentle, after
which he was turned loose in the midst of the crowd, without
even a halter upon him, proving him to be perfectly gentle.

An incident in relation to the subjection of this case that
has not been referred to before will be interesting to mention
here.

SLED SO BDUELD. 233

There being considerable controversy excited regarding
the absurdity of my assuming to subdue such a horse, and
this being brought to my attention in a way to demand notice
before taking him in hand, on the impulse of the moment,
after calling attention to the current talk in relation to the
subject, and particularly in relation to myself, I was led to
make the following proposition: First, that though I had in
no way permitted myself to bet or wager any amount of
money before, I would so far break my rules as to do so in
this case. I accordingly stated that I would place, first
$1,000 against an equal amount that I would turn the horse
loose perfectly gentle within thirty-five minutes. There be-
ing no takers to this I next offered to place $5,000 against
$2,500 that I would do it within thirty minutes. There being
no takers to this, I offered next $10,000 against $5,000 that I
would do it within twenty-five minutes, but no one ventured
to accept it. The horse, however, was turned loose by me,
entirely gentle, in exactly twenty-two minutes. I knew it
could not be done in less than twenty minutes, and felt con-
fident I could do it within twenty-five.

He was then taken charge of by a good practical horse-
man, Mr. Robinson, whom I charged to treat him with the
utmost kindness and care, and to go to his stable at least a
dozen times a day, rub, caress, give apples to him, etc.,
which instructions were carefully carried out.

On the Monday following, as a matter of precaution, he
was subjected by me again to a short lesson, by what I give
in my instructions as the Second Method, which was now ex-
actly adapted: to his condition, his temperament being
changed to a marked degree by the previous treatment, so as
to make this the most effective, after which he was driven in
harness for about two hours. A week afterward, as pre-
viously advertised, he was taken into the street and handled
and driven, and shown to be as gentle and submissive as any
ordinary driving-horse. On Fourth of July morning, two
weeks afterward, I drove him in a street procession, when he
proved to be one of the most fearless and manageable horses
in the crowd. r

I include a synopsis of press notices of the time, in rela-
tion to the subjection of this most notoriously vicious horse;
but of most interest is the historical sketch of him, written
by Mr. Robinson, in whose charge he was placed after his
subjugation.

234 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

“ HORSE-TRAINING—A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE.

‘«The announcement that the well-known Hillman horse
was to be trained at the South-street stable, drew a large
crowd yesterday morning, as this horse is known to be one of
the worst cases‘on record. Some few gentlemen, including
representatives of the morning papers, took carriages and
drove out to the residence of Rev. A. P. Hillman, near the
Reform School, to see Professor Magner in his first attempt
to handle the animal.

«¢ Last September he was placed in a large box-stall and
had not been taken out until yesterday morning. . . In
this condition Jet was led from the stall for the first time in
eight months. The line of march was taken up for the city,
a man on either side holding by the cords attached to him.
All the residents on the way were in waiting to see the won-
derful horse pass, and on reaching the city a large crowd fol-
lowed the horse and his trainer to the stable.

‘¢ The stable was thronged on the arrival, and after giv-
ing the horse a slight rest, Mr. Magner commenced upon
him. We cannot give the method of training, for it would
be telling the secret by which he governs horses. Suffice it
to say that in just twenty-five minutes the striking, dangerous
‘horse was as mild as a lamb. He was turned loose, and
wandered about among the horsemen as though he were an
old truck-horse. The trainer jumped upon his back, and
afterward harnessed him to a wagon, and drove about with-
out the least strap to keep the wagon from striking his heels.
The gathering was composed almost exclusively of horsemen,
and each and every one of them pronounced the horse under
perfect control, and they voted the Professor a vote of
thanks.”—Portland Press.

“*JET”’ CONQUERED—AN INTERESTING EXHIBITION OF
HORSE-TAMING.

‘“¢When Magner first entered the stall, the demon in the
brute showed itself in the most striking manner by frantic
efforts to seize him with his teeth, rushing around his narrow
quarters like a caged tiger, while the red flash of his wild
eyes would have deterred many strong men from approach-
ing him. But the Professor paid little heed to the wicked
manifestations of this modern Bucephalus, and, taking
advantage of his quiet seconds, firmly secured his head with

SLES CH AOL Te PINOLE ID [Es Dee 235

cords, slipped a large hood over his head; and thus blind-
folded and fastened in the strongest possible manner, hand-
some ‘Jet’ was led in triumph to the city, and taken to the
old riding-school on South street, arriving there shortly after
g o’clock. A large number of people interested in horses,
including nearly every physician in the city, were assembled
at this place; and, on the stallion’s arrival, many were the
comments on his remarkable beauty of form and color, as
well as the strength and supple grace which every movement
revealed.

‘At 10 o’clock Professor Magner cleared the place of all
spectators excepting those holding tickets of invitation from
the committee having charge of the exhibition, and proceeded
to carry out the promise of his circular.

‘¢Of course, the peculiar method by which, in a won-
derfully brief time, one of the most savage stallions in
the State was so completely conquered that he was harnessed
to a carriage and driven around the enclosed yard, fast or
slow, as suited, as well as backing, stopping instantly at the
word, ‘Whoa!’’ besides various other things,—all proving
that the demon had been, temporarily at least, exorcised,—
cannot be stated; but it was surely done.” —Portland Argus.

SKETCH OF THE NOTED HILLMAN HORSE, “JET.”
BY C. G. ROBINSON, ESQ.

Who took charge of him after being subdued.

‘¢T have known ‘Jet’ since he was foaled. He has been
known as the finest and most promising colt of his age in the
State, being of the best trotting blood. He has attracted the
most widespread notice for his remarkable viciousness. He
would look at a man pleasantly, yet bite, strike, or kick, as
soon as within reach, and would fight as coolly and desper-
ately as a bull-dog. If he could not reach the person with his -
forefeet or mouth, he would wheel and kick with the quickness
ofa mule. Anyone having a little experience with him once,
let him alone afterward. When but eighteen months old, he
was taken for exhibition to the Lewiston fair. It was with
great difficulty that he was taken out after standing in the car
two days, and he was not, in consequence, entered for compe-
tition. His exploits at this age were numerous. For in-
stance, a horseman who did not fear any horse, could not be
prevailed upon to keep away, and, though warned to keep

236 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

out, incautiously stepped into ‘Jet’s’ department; when,
quick as a flash, upon getting near enough, ‘ Jet’ cornered
and crushed him under his feet with mouthand hoofs. When
that man was rescued, which was with great difficulty, he
needed no more admonitions to keep away. At different
times foolhardy individuals were cornered in this manner at
Lewiston; and each time the horse had to be clubbed to res-
cue them. Though notoriously vicious, being remarkably
fine in form and action, a great effort was made to use him
for breeding. He was put in the care of Mr. Jacob Bailey, of
Hiram, a horse-breaker who was highly recommended in the
language, ‘If he cannot break him, no man can.’ Mr. Bai-
ley had him but a short time, when he wrote the owner that he
could not manage him at all, and that he must take the horse
away; in fact the horse came near killing him. Then a
Southern colored man, who had been used to taking care of
blooded horses in the South, was recommended very highly
to take him, and was employed by the owner. He had him
but a few days before he was beaten. Then, with much dif-
ficulty, with strapping and binding he was carried to Portland.
In leading him from the cars to the stable, he got the man
under him, who was rescued with difficulty from his ferocious
fury.

‘¢Mr. Richardson and Eben Howe, two of our most ex-
perienced and successful horsemen, now took him in hand.
They attached ropes to his feet and head, tied up one foot,
taking every precaution they could, and undertook to lead
him to his owner’s stable between them. In his efforts to
resist, and of the men to hold him, Mr. Richardson’s rope
broke, when the horse at once jumped for Mr. Howe, catch-
ing him by the breast of his thick overcoat, lifting him from
the floor as if only a mere toy (Mr. Howe will weigh about 180
pounds), threw him down, and came down upon him with his
knees, holding his grip with the tenacity of a tiger (Mr. Hill-
man’s words). Mr. J. Jewell, stable-keeper on Center street,
grabbed a hay-fork and hit the horse three times heavily on the
back of the head, while another man hit him in the same place
with a butt of a heavy black whip; but his grip was only loosened
by thrusting the fork-handle between his jaws above the nip-
pers, and thus his mouth was pried open. Mr. Howe was so
seriously injured that he was unable to attend to his duties for
a long time; indeed, it is regarded fortunate, so bad were his
injuries, that he was able to regain his health even then. By

HETTRICK HORSE. 237

being tied and hampered in the most effective manner that
skill and ingenuity could suggest, he was led to Mr. Hillman’s
place in Cape Elizabeth, where he was kept confined for
nearly nine months, until taken out two weeks ago, and sub-
dued in the presence of our leading citizens by Prof. Magner.
Such is but a brief outline of the character of this most re-
markable horse. It is admitted by all that he was the most
vicious horse of any age ever known in this country.”

HETTRICK HORSE.

This case is mainly interesting as being one of the most
pronounced of a certain class that I had to deal with. It
will be interesting here, also, in showing the marked change
possible to produce by proper measures of treatment.

For a domestic horse, this was certainly one of the most
vicious, kicking, striking, runaway brutes I ever saw. He
was a large sorrel, weighing about 1,150 lbs., owned by a
man named Hettrick, who kept a hack stable on Thirtieth
street, near Sixth Avenue, New York City. This Hettrick
happened down on Twenty-fourth street, and saw the horse
hitched to a big dump cart, both wheels being blocked. Two
men were holding him by the head, and the third was in the
cart holding by the reins. The horse was sold for $275 on
condition that he could be driven, and to give assurance of
his not getting away, these precautions had been taken. But
notwitstanding which, the moment he was given freedom to
move he plunged ahead with such reckless ferocity as to pull
away and tear the cart to pieces. Mr. Hettrick left his card,
with the statement that he would give $50 for the horse,
which, the same afternoon was sent him at the price named.
Expressing himself to me, he laughingly said: ‘*I would not
give a dollar for him for myself, but thought I would invest
$50 for a subject to have some fun for you, and think I have
got one that will try you.”

The moment I saw the horse, I knew I had a brute of
the most dangerous possible character to deal with, and I
accordingly told Mr. Hettrick that I'did not consider it pru-
dent to take such a horse before a class until I knew what he
would bear, as it might cause me serious trouble to be able
to get to him with any degree of safety, and besides it would
expose the class to a danger I could not safely hazard.

As he could be led without much risk, by keeping well
out to the end of a long halter-strap, I had him taken over

238 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

to my place on the opposite side of the street, where he was
tied to the center pole of my tent. Upon trial, I was not dis-
appointed; for notwithstanding I exercised the greatest care
in approaching him, I could not possibly go near enough to
touch him with safety, he not only striking in the most vio-
lent manner, but springing into the air, and at the same time
wheeling and kicking at me and snorting. He was simply a
terror. It was only by the greatest difficulty that I was finally
able to get to him with any degree of safety, and this only by
the use of measures to disable him. When finally able to
get my hands upon him and subject him to treatment, I found
I could not, without the certainty of failure, let up on him
until I brought him under complete control; for to do so
would certainly jeopardize my success, as upon repeating the
effort there was danger of not being able to secure the neces-
sary reaction upon his nervous system to make him safe. For
this reason (which is very impoctant, especially in critical
cases of his temperament), I felt compelled to carry the
treatment to the extent of his complete subjection, which re-
quired about thirty minutes to accomplish.

The real point of success in the management of this case
was in pushing him quickly. From the time I was able to
get my hands upon him with safety it was, without a let-up
at any point, a struggle for life, until successful. If treated
at all timidly or carelessly, this case could not have been
made safe.

So complete and thorough, however, was his subjection
that the same afternoon I hitched him to a buggy, and, ac-
companied by the owner, drove him without breeching up to
Central Park, proving him entirely safe and gentle. Next
day he was put before a hack, in which position he was
worked regularly afterward, and proved one of the best work-
ing horses in the stable.

I regarded this case at the time so interesting that after
his subjection I employed the well-known artist, Mr. J. C.
Beard, to make a drawing of his head, which I had engraved,
and which is here presented. Although made after his sub-
jection, when he was entirely gentle, it is seen to have the
true expression of a vicious, dangerous character.

THE BUFFALO OMNIBUS COMPANY’S HORSE.

This case was mainly interesting, first, from the fact that
he was so vicious that it was the intention to have him shot;

THE OMNIBUS HORSE. 239

and second, the remarkable results possible to attain by in-
telligent treatment, as well as the facility with which it was
accomplished.

This horse was nine years old, a bright bay, remarkably
fine, strong and intelligent; weight about 1,200 pounds. He
had been worked to an omnibus, and was, it seems, by abus-
ive treatment gradually made so vicious that it required
great care to harness and handle him. He finally bit and
crushed a man’s arm, and inflicted such other injuries as to
nearly kill him. The man was, in fact rescued only by the
prompt interference of the other men. The horse was now
so furious that he would jump at and bite other horses, and
it was only by the use of pitchforks, etc., that the stablemen
were finally able to drive him into his stall, where he stood,
with his collar on, tor over three months, no one in the time
daring to go near him, his food and water being let down to
him from above. Unable to work him, and fearing he would
kill some one, the superintendent had ordered him sfo¢, but
for some cause it had been put off until the period of my visit
mEnere:

One day, before commencing my exhibition, a gentle-
man who was especially interested in my efforts, informed
me privately of this case, explaining at the same time that
there was a strong faction of opposition to me. They asserted
that they would consider it worth their while to come and see
me when I proved myself able to control this horse. The
man stated that it was unreasonable to expect that sucha
horse could be broken. I told him I was not so sure about
this; at any rate at my earliest opportunity I would try to see
the horse and determine uponit. The seeming difficulty of
controlling the case was just the reason why I felt anxious to
make the trial. But this 1 kept to myself; without intimat-
ing to anyone my purpose, I went to the stable named and
had the horse pointed out tome. Observing that he was a
large-brained, fine, intelligent fellow, I felt confident of ex-
periencing no real difficulty in his management. I accord-
ingly made myself known to the superintendent and asked for
the horse to experiment upon before my class. He looked at
me in amazement, replying that he considered the horse too
dangerous to let me have anything to do with him; that I
would surely get seriously injured if not killed, and in case
there should be an accident, the public would blame him
for it, and that he could not think of taking any such respon-

240 MEMOIRS OF MAGNER.

sibility. He was frank in stating also that so far as the horse
was concerned, he cared nothing about him—it mattered not
if I killed him, as he had given orders to have him shot, and
intended to have it done at an early opportunity; but in any
event, he considered the experiment so dangerous that he did
not want anything to do with it.

Finally, having convinced the gentleman that I would
relieve him of all responsibility as to risk, he gave me _ per-
mission to take the horse to my amphitheater, where, in the
presence of a large class, comprising many leading citizens
of that city, I quickly made him entirely gentle and submissive.
The collar that had been on him for three months was taken
off and put on at pleasure, the whole time of the treatment
not exceeding twelve minutes. I ordered the horse put to
work in charge of a good, careful man, and advised that he
be brought back in a week to be tested. When brought
back, he was tested severely and proved entirely gentle, and
he remained so ever after.

THE OXFORD HORSE.

This horse is included as the best representative of an-
other class of cases very common to my experience. He was
seven years old, owned by a hotel-keeper in Oxford, Miss.
He was peculiar for his extreme sensibility, courage, and fine
form. While entirely gentle to handle or approach, he would
not bear the least abuse or excitement. The special pecu-
liarity of the case was, that although a fine saddle-horse,
entirely submissive and gentle to be mounted or dismounted
in a building, it could not with safety be attempted outside
the building. If an effort was made to lead, mount, or dis-
mount him outside the building, he would jump and pull
away, striking and plunging with the fury of a maniac, making
him not only: entirely unmanageable, but really dangerous:
yet inside the building, as stated, he would be as gentle as
any horse.

As an illustration of the remarkable sensitiveness of this
case, it was stated by the owner that once, desiring to shoe
him, he was ridden to the blacksmith shop, but refusing to go
in, he was struck upon the shoulder with the end of the bri-
dle-rein and spoken to a little sharply, not enough to be at
all noticeable to any common horse, yet in his case it was
sufficient to excite such antipathy to a blacksmith shop that
he could not be taken afterward near or into one, and had to

THE OXFORD HORSE. 241

be shod in his stable, where it could be done as usual without
his exhibiting the least resistance.

At two different times, traveling horse-taming parties had
visited the place and tried their skill upon this case, each
resulting in such disastrous failure that they had to leave
town; the second parties making such an entire failure that
they stole out of town during the night following. As a con-
sequence when I visited the place their unpleasant experience
made the people extremely exacting and critical in relation to
my efforts, making it the first condition of my doing anything
there that I should control this case. It was therefore a mat-
ter of either giving up the place, or taking the horse in hand,
and though I considered the case a very serious one, 1t was
so contrary to my custom to throw up an engagement, which
I in no instance permitted myself to do, and though subject-
ing myself to considerable trouble for the reason of the difh-
culty of securing sufficient privacy outdoors, where he would
have to be treated, I determined to take him in hand.

Upon doing so, as a matter of precaution, I put on him
a means of control by which any ordinary man could with ease
control the strongest horse, but to guard against accident I
secured the assistance of a strong, powerful man. The
moment he stepped outside the door such a desperate struggle
commenced—he to get away and we to hold him—as was, per-
haps, never seen before; certainly such as I never witnessed
before, or expect to again. In the desperation of his strug-
gles, he sprang more than fifty times in succession into the
air, and had we not been fortunate enough to be able to get
him immediately back into the barn again, he certainly would
have gotten away from us.

I now had him mounted inside the barn, when he was
ridden to a field about a mile outside the town, followed by
the members of the class, which was a large one, where I
subjected him to treatment, when after about thirty minutes’
effort I succeeded in making him entirely submissive to con-
trol, when he was led back into town, mounted and dis-
mounted onthe public square, the experiment being regarded,
as it really was, a great success.

a

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Si

al

Paw? TECRUELTY.

[ 243 ]

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CHAPTER XXI.

GENERAL REMARKS.

S an appropriate introduction to the facts I propose giv-
ing in this part of this little work, I think it proper
to state that I wish to give only ss

5 ,t as
the plain facts as they appeared to A ye GN
me, and practical statements of Gee yp j se y

: MO 24
what must be evident toareason- ™ “a i vaes

Ze ey \W
ZR La

ably observing and intelligent per- Ly
son. j

We see, first, that the horse
is recognized as being nearest to
man in in-
telligence of x
all the lower

animals. He Nature and beauty.
is also the most willing and obedient.
It is a matter of common experience for
every one to see how a horse will tug
and pull at a load until exhausted;
that at the will of any ignorant or
thoughtless person who chooses
to drive or mount him, he will go
\ at the highest point of speed until
‘nature can endure no longer, often
even to the point of dropping dead.
= He has, in fact, the exact qualities
_ Nature. to make him the most useful and

valuable servant of man.

We could not go to church, to mill, plow the field, draw
wood, or do much else bearing upon our business or pleasure

[245 ]

%

246. CROTETN

without the use of horses. It is for these reasons that the
best men and women of the world, those of the highest intel-
ligence and finest feeling, most fully appreciate the value of
this noble animal. From the earliest times he has been the
theme of history and art, the sculptor’s model and the poet’s
song.

Nature.

Even the uncivilized Arab values his favorite mare so
highly that he sleeps by Her side in his tent, and cares for
her as he does for members of his family, and refers with
_pride to the fact that the pedigree of favorite breeds has been
kept by them unsullied, even from the time of Solomon. As
an illustration of this, an old story may be repeated. It is
related that a sheik who owned a mare of great beauty and
such speed that she could outrun any other horse possessed
by the tribes of the desert, was offered a large price for her

,

GENERAL REMARKS. 247

by a neighboring sheik who wished to possess her. This be-
ing refused, the sheik offered to give all he possessed for her,
but was indignantly refused
again. Determined at all haz-
' ards to have her, though closely
watched, he entered the camp
and stole her. The owner and
members of the tribe, on their .
fleetest horses, pursued imme- -
diately, and after a severe strug-
gle, gaining upon her so much
as to be almost within reach,
the owner called to the man to
‘pinch her ear,”’ which was a
secret signal for her to do her
best, when she immediately ran
away from them with the fleet-
ness of the wind. He preferred
to lose her rather than have her
past reputation sullied by even

an appearance of being outrun
and beaten by the inferior horses
of the tribe.

But high as the estima-
tion is in which the horse 1s
held by the Arab, the value
now attached to him 1s so far
beyond the estimation of the |
child of the desert during re-_
cent years, as to be almost =
fabulous. So high a value — =

Strength.

has the horse of special speed

and breeding attained, it is
not uncommon to have them sold from fifty to a hundred
thousand dollars, and even one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. There are horses represented in this little work that

248 CRUELTY.

have been actually sold at from $36,000 to $125,000, and one
(Palo Alto), it is stated that a quarter of a million could not
have bought before his death.

What excites more attention
or enthusiasm than the contest in’
speed of superior horses, the
power to exceed certain limits of
even a second or two in a mile,
gaining for the winner almost the
renown of a king or queen among
men, and the possession of such
being counted among the highest
honors ?

Once in conversation with a
distinguished gentleman, he said:
‘‘T can sit here in my library and
look in upon ——— in his stall,”
mentioning really the most famous
horse of that day. Here was a gen-
tleman who had all that almost un-
= limited wea:th could command, yet

whose highest pride was the con-
sciousness of possessing the great-
est horse of his class in the world.
Yet there is probably no other
sm domestic animal that is subjected
f, to so much abuse. and this from
- causes not only entirely prevent-
able, but, looking at it with rea-
sonable fairness, in the highest
degree nothing short of being
wickedly senseless. First, in train-

Three common phases of cruelty.

ing and breaking; second, by injury to the feet in shoeing;
third, by checking, blinders, etc. The causes of this un-
limited abuse of the horse will be fully explained under these
different heads.

CHECKING. : 249

CHECKING.

Probably the most widely prevalent and noticeable
causes of injury are checking and blinders. It should be evi-
ea dent to almost any one that

nature designs that the horse
should not only have the fullest
freedom of his head, but that
he should be able to see plainly;
that it must be not only ex-

tremely annoying and trying to
have the head held up helpless,
as if in a straight-jacket, but
to have the eyes so covered up
that he can only see forward,
as it were, from their inner cor-

Nature.

ners. Now this is just the~
effect of checking and blind-
ers as commonly used.

When the horse’s head
is held up as usually done,
to give what is falsely called
“style” through restraint of
the check, such restraint be-
ing frequently kept up for \
hours, and perhaps all day, ‘
and this often while rapidly
driven or hard worked, it
should not be difficult to see
that it becomes not only one
of the gravest causes of dis-
comfort and injury to him, but to a great extent disables him.
When, in addition, the eyes are covered up or flapped against
by heavy blinders, as now used, not only is the horse pre-

am

NX

B

=|
_

aS

The prayer of the horse.

250 CEEOL NERVE

@}, vented from seeing plainly, but the eyes are
, subjected to serious injury.

In the first place it should be plain to
most any one that when it is necessary to put
forth much effort, especially if at all severe
and prolonged, there should be as much free-
dom from all forms of restraint as possible,
since opportunity for change of position is of
itself in a great measure equivalent to rest-
ing, and consequently indispensable to en-
able the horse to work
to advantage, as well as
to afford him reasonable
comfort.

We notice the la-
borer or athlete, espe-
cially when desiring to
put forth much effort,
frees himself as much
as possible from the irk-
someness and trammel
Of restraimt: and at “1s
equally evident that a

horse, in doing his work,
should be made as much
at ease from the restraint of the harness as
possible. I regard this as so serious a matter
that I have felt called upon to put it in such
shape as to show the necessity for reform.

A horse never looks so graceful and
beautiful as when permitted to appear nat-
ural. No one pretends to use check and
blinders upon a riding horse because it would

Extreme cruelty.

My destroy his grace of motion, and on the same
ZZ principle the horse should be given all possi-
From life. ble freedom of the head in driving or work-

CHECKING. 251

ing in harness. The free, natural movements of the head
and neck, of my trained stallions, as driven without reins, rep-
resented on next page, was one of the most striking and inter-
esting features of their appearance. In the experiments
made before my classes, no matter how sensitive, spirited, or
vicious a horse might have been, he was always driven with-
out the restraint of check or blinders, and even without

1)!
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The ignorant snob out for a drive.

breeching. In making these experiments, particular atten-
tion was called to the necessity of having the harness so ad-
justed or fitted that it would not in any way chafe or irritate;
and more particularly against any hampering of checks and
blinders, especially, when the horse was compelled to exert
himself or work hard.

The original object in using a check or bearing-rein was
mainly to prevent the head being thrown down below the
breast. It consisted of asimple strap, the ends of which were
buckled to the rings of the bit, passed through the lugs on

252 CROEETN

each side, then attached to the throat-latch and back to the
saddle-hook. The shorter the strap, and the higher the lugs
were placed, the higher the head was necessarily drawn up
and back; but even when drawn quite short, it still permitted
the head considerable freedom. Variotis modifications were
made of this form of check, mainly based upon pulley pur-
chase, in connection with powerful, curved bits, for the pur-
pose of elevating the head to give fictitious style; now being

3}. i

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QP '

Nature. —The author's trained stallions as driven without bridles, bits or reins.

used particularly upon fancy carriage teams in the principal
cities of this country and England, as shown on page 250, see
also blinders on page 264.

When trotting became popular, it was supposed that
horses of a certain temperament and form could be made to
trot faster and more reliably by holding the head checked
high, which lead to the introduction of the present form of
the overdraw-check. This gives such advantage that no mat-
ter what the form or temper of the horse, it holds his head up
so arbitrarily that he becomes practically helpless to resist it.
For this reason it has become popular, particularly with deal-
ers and others, for the purpose of giving horses, especially

THE TRUE INDICATIONS. 253

_those that carry their heads low,
fictitious style, and which has been
the secret of this form of check
coming into such general use.
Every jockey and country fellow
who becomes owner of a horse,
no matter how low-headed or how
little spirit he may have, finds that
with this check he can pull tHe
head up and hold it as high as he
pleases. The illustrations given,
though apparently exaggerated, are
only a fair representation of this.
Of course if left long enough to
give the head reasonable freedom,
or it not kept on too long, it
would not be seriously objection-
able; but used indiscriminately, as
it is, upon, horses that are driven
or worked hard, and especially

with the head pulled up and held GAP
there above its natural position, A Vij

as is generally done, it becomes Discomfort.
~ one of the most serious causes of
discomfort and abuse to which the
horse is exposed.

THE TRUE INDICATIONS. —K AS

The height of the head itself ggga(cpsy
is not the true indication of dis- -
comfort and injury to which the
horse may be exposed by this
cause, but the degree to which it
is held above its natural position.
A horse naturally high-headed may
have the head appear quite high

without suffering; while one nat- Torture.

254 CROLL TY.

urally low-headed, though not checked nearly so high, may
have 1t so much above its natural position as to become a

; cause of serious discomfort and
injury.

The cuts on page 250 represent
the efforts of a horse, when checked
tightly, to relieve himself; it is in
fact often nothing short of being
pitiable to see the discomfort
evinced by horses when their heads
are checked beyond their natural
positions in this way. These fig-
ures were made from life, and are
exact representations of the efforts
of “a gentle: horse (seen= by. “the
writer) while being driven by two

Nineteenth century improvements. By

ladies, with his head checked as :
high as it could be well pulled
up; and this is but a fair rep-
resentation of what may be con-
stantly seen in almost every
town, village, and city of the
country, and this without excit-
ing remark.

Most people suppose that
because successful trotting-train-
ers drive trotters with the head
checked high, they can be safely
imitated; but it should be borne LAY.
in the mind that the intelligent ye he
trainer and driver uses the Deformity—a thing to be proud of.
check on the same principle that he uses toe-weights and other
means of balancing and forcing the horse to his highest speed,
and that as soonas he makes a race the head is immediately

OPINIONS ON CHECKING. 209

given freedom. JBesides, no intelligent trainer now will as-
sume it to be necessary to check the head above its natural
position. He has not only learned this, but also to be very
particular not to use a check upon a horse that is at all disa-
greeable to him. He will also condemn checking high in
moderate driving or mild exercise. On this subject I quote
the opinions of the most expert trainers:

Fig. 165.—Trying to imitate the English aristocracy.

Hiram Woodruff, the famous father of trotting, says: ‘‘In
order that a horse may be under circumstances to do his best,
he should be as much at his ease in his harness and general
rig as possible.”

John Splan, one of our most famous modern trainers,
says: ‘‘] think that as a rule, road-horses are checked en-
tirely too high. To place a horse’s head in that position,
and ask him to pull five hundred pounds weight at a high
rate of speed, is wrong. . . . With the head checked up with

256 CRUELTY.

an overdraw check, short martingale, you have him in a posi-
tion to torture without relief.”’

Mr. Marvin, recognized among the very first experts
upon this subject, says: ‘‘ Observe well the way the horse
carries his head, and let that be your guide when you come to

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fig. 166.—Torture of the fashionable Bodlonap or gag-bearing rein.
adjust his check-rein. . . . The less restraint or annoyance
these appliances [checks and bits] give the horse, the better.
These opinions are in accordance with the judgment of ali
leading trainers.’’
‘«The over-draw check is a disgrace to civilization.”’
DR: sMGEACHRAN A ha tkticSas
Director of the Royal Veterinary College, England.

EPFECLS OF CHECKING. 257

«¢ The check rein is extremely cruel—a hindrance to speed,
and a cause of disease. It causes
stumbling, painful breathing, limits
yf the animal’s power, and shortens his
life.” Dr. FLEMING,
Chief Veterinary Surgeon
British Army.

I quote the following high au-
thorities regarding the serious in-
\ HH juries caused by the check:—

, a STRAY) Profi7Axe, of the Royal, Veter-
Vi inary College, London, Eng., says:
‘Tf the public could see and under-
stand the effects of its [the bearing-
; rein’s]_ insidious work on the res-
Ww” piratory organs, I do not think that

The only place where the check its use would be long continued by
can be used advantageously. them.’’

dk ,

Prof. Freeman, of Nottingham, Eng., says: ‘‘ The bear-
ing-rein causes roaring and other diseases of the respiratory

Forms of bits used with the bridles and checks represented by Fig. 166.

system. The cause is simple; the windpipe is forced into an
unnatural curve by the bearing-rein, and the supply of air is
therefore checked in its passage to and from the lungs.”’

17

Try it yoursely.

GRUEBE TY,

The following are given as a more
concise statement of the serious results
from this cause:

‘¢ First, that in hot weather or dur-
ing extreme exertion, it may produce an
attack of giddiness or apoplexy, often
terminating in death. Second, that it
causes pain and distress in breathing.
Third, that it tends to distort the upper
part of the windpipe and causes roaring.
Fourth, that it frets the temper of nerv-
ous, excitable horses, and shortens the
lives of all.”

These statements are endorsed by
all leading veterinary surgeons of Eng-

land, and are fully corrobo-
rated by our leading vet-
erinary surgeons in this
country.

After the matter for
this chapter was prepared,
an article on the Abuse of
the Check Rein, by Hon.
Richard F. Reed, of Natchez,
Miss., and read by him at
one of the annual meetings
of the American Humane
Association is so well-worded
that, at risk of some repeti-
tion, I quote from 1t:—

‘<The courts —have de-
cided, and the legislatures of
a number of States have en-
acted, that ‘cruelty’ means
not only. direct infliction of

suffering, but includes every
act of omission or neglect

How it works.

PSTRIE AIS VA OOH EGS) BI LT ose 259

whereby unjustifiable physical pain is caused or permitted.
«Tt seems almost a waste of words to state to the Ameri-
can Humane Association that a too tight check rein is cruel,
nor will I present a formal argument,
but simply express a few thoughts
suggested by the subject. If a per-
son cannot appreciate the truth that
antight check rein is ja, tortures let
him for a short time watch a spirited
horse over-checked. See how rest-
less the noble animal is; how it tosses
its unnaturally elevated head; how it
stamps the ground uneasily; how all
of its nerves are quivering; and how
froth, often colored by blood, from
= the bruised tongue and jaws, flows
Just as good for the rider. from the trembling lips. If the per-
son is so willfully blind from prejudice or otherwise inca-
pacitated as to fail to understand

from this lesson of observation, Ni ap
and there seem to be many who DUETS

aN
Nl
are, then I recommend experi- Ko

Menta pa alin ourseliaa sue
an overhead check rein on your

own precious body. Pull back ee )
the lines as far as they will go, Y AS
until your face is raised skyward. ( WW
Then walk about the streets; run | aN
upstairs; jump over a crossing; ey |
push a wheel-barrow along; go We «
Ua With

and stand in front of a church
for a couple of hours, and put
on a few ‘airs’ if you please.
Now for an opinion. Experi- \
ment iS a convincing teacher. = i\
Of course the experimenter will
look quite stylish and_ high- 2
toned. His friends may judge

him wrongly somewhat, and ZENS OS MEO) CTI GATE

say that he is getting too proud to speak to common folks. But
how will he feel? Well, it would not be safe to ask him.
However, I believe he would find the check rein ‘ guilty as
charged.’

alt\\}

260

The family horse trying to re-
lieve himself from the
pain of the check.

graceful in their movements,

as wellasto be able to exert
their full strength in drawing
a load. Nature ordained
that the horse’s head should
be free. The Holy Scripture
teaches lessons of mercy, and
condemns cruelty. Who can
present a valid argument to
justify the use of this cruel
contrivance? I have never
heard such.”

Trying to obtain relief from pain of the che

CRORE

‘<The check rein is refined
torture. It is used to make a
horse look spirited whether he is
or not, and false pride causes it
to be placed on the unfortuate
animal. People will be barbar-
ously cruel for the sake of ap-
pearance. Let me say that, in
my judgment, there is something
lacking in the culture of any
person who uses the tight check
rein. Horses were intended to
have their heads free. They
need the unrestricted use of
their muscles in order (to be

=

The horse trying to obtain relief.
Another leading writer in
discussing this subject says:—

‘‘Itis pitiful to go through
the park or pass through the
fashionable streets of our
cities and see the sufferings
which are endured by horses.
While being driven round the
park, stopping at fashionable
stores and other _ places,
horses may be seen undergo-
ing this torture for hours to-
gether. The liveried brute
and idiot of a coachman, of

ck. course, thinks it a very fine

CRUEL IGNORANCE. 261

thing to sit behind these poor animals with their stuck up
heads. I look at the arms of the carriage and I know who
are the greatest fools in the upper class. I have often
wondered to see ladies sitting in their luxurious carriages, evi-
dently ignorant of the fact that the incessant tossing of heads

hi
y

AN Ne

ZAIN
, AY AY
y,

Indicates a lack of brains.

and rattle of harness are sure proofs that their horses are suf-
fering from ceaseless pain. A dog would yelp and a cat
would scream if such pain would be inflicted upon it, and
would soon force its tortures upon the ear when the eye took
no notice. But the horse neither yelps nor screams. It suf-
fers silently, and its owner is too thoughtless to see that it is
in pain:

=a

PAS

tl
te
>)
fs
K
Z

Engraved trom photographs made from life.

CHAPTER XXII.

BLINDERS.

ET us, in the same fair and im-
partial spirit, consider the
subject of blinders; for injurious
as the check is, they are, if possi-

ble, a cause of even more discom-

\\ SS fort and injury. JBlinders are
Photographed from life. used under the assumption that
they render the horse more safe and tractable; whereas they
really make him more unsafe and unmanageable, as will be
explained farther on. But they are used mainly with a view
to making the head look better. This is also a mistake; for in-
stead of improving the ap-
pearance, they really de-
tractfrom andinjure it. In
proof of this, notice the in-
telligent expression of the
eye in Fig. 182, which il-
lustration was made ex-
pressly to demonstrate
this. The intelligent and
observing owner will per-

ceive that enabling the ee
horse to see everything Fig. 182.—The natural eye.
around him distinctly is an important condition of making
him safe, of which in thousands of instances I have given the
most convincing demonstrations.

Now blinders, as generally used, are not only a serious
obstruction to the horse’s seeing plainly, but also a cause of

[ 263 |

Fig. 183.—The eye better to show the exact degree

entirely covered.

Not seriously
objectionable.

CROLLLTING

great injury in striking against the eyes, or
being pressed upon them. Frequently the
wire clinch of the ornament of the blind be-
comes raised and so presses against the eye
as to be a cause of serious injury to it, be-
sides the pain thereby caused to the horse.
One of the points I early learned was the
necessity that the horse should see everything
around him plainly, and it was for this rea-
son that I always drove the most nervous
and excitable horses without the
restraint of either blinders or
check.

To show the importance as
well as extremely exposed con-
dition of the eyes, I give first a
front view of the eye in its
nearly natural size, and the

to which it stands out on the
side of the head, I had photo-
zraphs made from life, represented
on pages 262 and 263, which il-
lustrate this very finely; thereby
showing the serious injury towhich /‘%g. 78—E£ye
they are liable by the covering or CO eee
contact of blinders. Figs. 183 and 184, which
have also been photographed from life, repre-
sent the exact position in the ultra-fashionable

form of blinders, as used especially in the larger
cities. As will be seen they are so large and
concaved so deeply that they come in front and
around the eyes so closely that they actually
cover them up. Farther on are given other
interesting illustrations, showing the injury and
annoyance from this cause.

: =< —_ _\ ~
AQ WOM)

This is put in to show the beauty of the eyes in nature, and the wicked folly of covering them

266 CROERETN,:.

HOW BLINDERS WERE INTRODUCED.

According to an old story, an English nobleman had a
favorite horse with a defective eye, to conceal which he at-
tached to the cheek-pieces of the
bridle, wide pieces of leather,
NWA which were termed ‘‘winkers,”
WN A which partly covered the eyes.

Oia Vhen it was soon found that the
"outside surface was a good place
on which to put the crest of rank,
and the foolish vanity of fashion
brought them into use.

In explaining the location of
the eyes, and the harm done by
covering them up, the following
from a high authority is so well
worded that I cannot do better
than quote it :——

‘« Human vision is binocular;
that 1s, we see the same objects
with both eyes, and so adjust the
axis of vision that the object ap-
pears single, though seen with
both eyes! eBut “‘theseyes ot the
horse are placed on the side of the
head, and the axis of each eye is
nearly at right angles with the
longitudinal line of the body, so
that it is impossible that the same
object can be distinctly seen with
both eyes. Now by blinding [cov-
ering] the eye in the direction in
which it was intended in its con-
struction that it should see (for-
ward, sideways and back), it is forced to use an oblique vis-
ion, as if we should cover the front of our optics and be com-
pelled to see by the corners of our eyes. This unnatural and

Photographed from life.

INJURY AND DISCOMFORT. 267

constrained use of the eye must toa greater or less extent
impair vision, if not entirely destroy it.”

INJURY AS WELL AS DISCOMFORT.

Not only are blinders a source of great discomfort to
the horse, preventing him from 3
seeing plainly, but they often cause
the most serious injury to the eyes.
This is especially the case should
the clinch or wire holding the or- (Bren. <

Wie

f
nament either extend beyond the lil

Ihe

surface of the leather or become lly A, AAS

raised much, it so rubs against the
lids of the eyes as to irritate and
break the skin. I have frequently
found the outer edge of the eyea
raw sore from this cause, and the
eye seriously affected in conse-
quence. While writing this art1-
cle, in examining the blinders of a
horse in the street, I found that
the wire clinch was raised, and %
that it had pressed into the eye
almost a quarter of an inch, with
the result of cutting and injuring
the part very seriously. Figures
193 and 194 were made to show
the way this clinch was raised and
the injury it caused the eye, and
are but a fair representation of the
injury caused in this way. Now
when it is borne in mind that a
large proportion of the horses Photographed from life.
throughout the country are constantly compelled to endure
the same cause of pain, something of the magnitude of this
source of harm can be realized.

268 CROCE TIN:

In order to be entirely fair in explaining these causes of
harm, I went into the street and had photographs taken of
the heads of eight ordinary driving or work horses, all of them
farmers’ horses (from six of
these, which are a fair aver-
age, I had engravings made,
shown on pages 266 and 267),
to show the degree to which
the eyes were pressed upon
or flapped against from this
cause, as well as to give an
accurate idea of its natural

position in relation to such
obstructions; in point of fact, it is hardly possible to show
this in the engraving, as exhibited in cases presented to my
notice. While taking these photographs, I found one case
in which the eye
was so injured in
consequence of the
sharp corner of the
blinder violently
striking against it,
that it was entirely
closed; the horse
_ could not seeatall, Z
the head being wet
with water running
from the eye as
shown on page 269.
Though I. called
the owner’s atten-
tion to it, he seemed to regard it as of but little conse-
quence; but I said to him, ‘‘ The blinders do not do any
good; and why not take them off ?”’ and yet the stupid fellow
could not see the point of it, for he simply looked at me as if
I were meddling with something that did not amount to

Fig. 193.—Raised clinch. Lig. 194.—Its effect.

WHEN USED TO ADVANTAGE. 269

much; and this is but a fair illustration of the ignorance and
apathy prevalent throughout the country in relation to it.

WHEN THEY MAY BE USED TO ADVANTAGE.

In certain cases blinders may be used to advantage. A
lazy horse will drive steadier and better if he cannot see the
motion of the whip behind him, and blind-
ers might be desirable for such horses; but
in all cases they should be so formed or ad-
justed as not to touch or press against the |M
eye, or interfere with his seeing everything
before him clearly. A horse with an ugly
head or suffering the loss of an eye, may |
be improved by the use of nicely adjusted i
blinders. The next most desirable condi- }
tion for their use is when the horse is im- — Properly adjusted.
perfectly trained, especially when hitched to a top carriage;
the covering of the eyes with blinders often enables one to
drive him with comparative safety. But while I would make

rN
is el i |

AN

WW

\

Appearance of eye when injured by the blinder.

this exception, I would also caution that it is lable to be-
come a serious source of danger.

To explain: A horse has been driven, perhaps months or
years to a top carriage, without trouble. Unexpectedly one
of the blinders becomes misplaced or loose, or the bridle be-
comes changed for one the blinders of which cover the eyes

270 CRUELTY.

but imperfectly; or perhaps in changing harnesses, the bridle
proved too short, and in letting out the cheek pieces the

i ‘blinders were brought
too low for the eyes. In
any case, the horse is
able to see the top, be-
comes frightened at it,
‘springs ahead, and the
result is usually a dan-
gerous, kicking, runa-
way scrape. What is
supposed to be a gentle
horse has without any
apparent cause become
suddenly frightened and
unmanageable, and the
consequence is a serious
accident, which not only

Style prevalent in large cities.

destroys the character of the
horse, but is likely to result
in serious injury and very
great loss.

Once, after explaining
this very common cause of iM
trouble to my class, a gentle- il

man present made the fol- il i
lowing statement: A horse ,,,.""\
that was considered perfectly (we
gentle and safe, having been ‘

used for years™ for fama. «2
driving, was hitched to a

carriage, in which were seated
the owner’s wife and child,
when the man noticed the hal-
ter had been left on under the bridle, and he attempted to
removeit. The instant the bridle was taken off sufficiently

The old farm horse with blinders.

CAUSES OF FRIGHT. 271

to permit the horse to look back over his shoulder, and see
the top of the carriage behind him, he became so frightened
that he plunged ahead and
got away. The woman was
thrown out and killed, the
child seriously injured, the
wagon wrecked, and the horse
made so nervous and excit- f
able that he could not after-
ward with safety be hitched
or driven to carriage. An-

other very common source | ff
of trouble from this cause ist
the driving of a horse of \&
this character to an open :
buggy or carriage. A shower
or storm comes up, and an umbrella is raised behind him.
Able to see back over the blinders, he becomes frightened at
it and plunges
ahead, resisting all
comtroles|) lies re-
sult is often a run-

Blinds dangle against the eyes.

away and serious
accident. This was
the simple history
), \ of a large propor-
AK\ tion of the cases
‘ brought me to ex-
periment upon be-
fore my Classes.

A horse, like

every other animal,

Fashion in the country.

is naturally suspi-
cious and fearful of every object that he does not clearly see,
or the nature of which he does not comprehend; and it is
evident that he must either be prevented from seeing anything

272 CRUELTY.

at all or be permitted to view every object plainly and un-
obstructedly. Now the effect of blinders is to increase the
difficulty of seeing, making it impossible for the horse to see
objects before him clearly, especially if his head is checked
high. A sensitive, intelligent horse, particularly, will al-
ways drive better when the eyes are entirely unobstructed,
because he can see better and more clearly understand the
commands and intentions
of his driver. He becomes,
as it were, more in sympa-
thy with his driver.
This was finely illus-
trated by the alertness of
my horses trained to drive
without reins. They would
constantly turn their heads
right and left, the more
quickly to obey the com-
mands indicated by mo-
tions of the whip. See
Fig. 100. Sothere can be
no question that with the
bridle properly arranged,
permitting the eye, by far the most beautiful and ex-
pressive feature of the head, to be unobstructed, the horse

not only looks far better without than with blinders, but
is immeasurably safer. Then it is the work only of a few
minutes’ intelligent treatment (the whole secret being in
knowing what to do), to make any colt or horse so that he
will be entirely indifferent to any of these objects, such as a
carriage top or umbrella being raised behind him.

But even if it be advisable to use blinders in certain
cases, what is the necessity or sense of using them upon team
horses and others that are entirely safe and gentle? They
only add to the expense and weight of the harness; and espe-
cially in hot weather, covering the eyes as they do, and neces-

AN INCIDENT IN POINT.

vo

73

sarily greatly increasing the temperature around them or
knocking against them, they become, as already stated, not
only a cause of great discomfort and harm, but interfere
seriously with the horse’s seeing clearly.

Consider fora moment how you would feel if placed in
such a situation yourself, without being able so make protest
or defense.

The following incident is so much in point that I con-

clude to here give it a
place : —

An illiterate but witty
Irishman had a poor horse
that he was in the habit of
driving to a truck wagon to
market. The weather was
hot, the flies troublesome,
and in addition to the load,
the poor horse, which had
been, by the way, denuded
of his tail, was struggling
piteously, while the man was
in conversation with a neigh-
bor, in trying to protect him-
self from annoyance. Upon
the old bridle was an ex-
ceptionally big pair of wink-
ers or blinders, which, with
the horse’s every movement
right or left, flapped vio-
lently against the eyes. Excited by torture of burrs.

Said the observing gentleman, who was of a humane turn of mind,
with a meaning look at the horse’s head: “ Pat, suppose that during this

‘hot weather you had a couple of pieces of thick leather, as heavy and
stiff as two pieces of board, put over your eyes, pressing against and
covering them up, not only so that you could not see, or with great diffi-
culty, but confining and heating the air around them, and consequently
seriously hurting them. How would you like it?”” Pat, who, though in
the roughest garb and an apparently dull fellow, was quick to appre-
-hend, with a sparkle of intelligence in his eye, said to his interlocu-
tor: “ Begorra, sor, don’t say another word. I'll fix it;” got on his load,
and drove on. But next morning when Pat came along, he made an op-
portunity to stop, and with apparent indifference looked at his friend
with a sense of proud significance, at the same time glancing toward
the horse’s head: “Top o’ the mornin’ to you, sor.” Upon looking, the

entleman could see that the blinders had been not only cut off from the
old bridle, but the horse was covered by a comfortable netting. The
gentleman, with equal meaning, expressed his satisfaction, saying:
“Pat, lam glad tosee you. I’m sure you're good, and that you have
the prayers of the Virgin to help you this morning.”

18

a4 CRUBIE TY.

The efforts that have been put forth for years by the hu-
mane societies of this country and Europe to effect a reform
in these respects, are deserving of the strongest encourage-
ment on the part of every admirer and lover of horses, and
of every Christian lady and gentleman; and it is to be hoped

Senator Stanford's famous Palo Alto (2.08%).

that the day is not distant when the public generally will ap-
preciate and act upon these facts, so that the needless and
improper use of both checks and blinders may be among the
things of the past.

Before giving this matter to the printers, the following,
handed me by a friend, is so much in point that I give ita
place here :—

SOME MEAN MEN. 275

SOME MEAN MEN.

_ The man who starts his horse with a cut of a whip instead of by his
voice, is a mean man.

The man who requires his horse to draw a big load or go as fast on
muddy roads as on dry ones, is a mean man.

The man who whips a startled or frightened horse is not only mean
but cruel and silly. Whipping does not allay fear, but the assuring
voice of a kind driver does. He who kindly shows his horse that the
cause of his fear will not hurt him, acts like a man, and will cure his
horse of timidity, but the whipping idiot makes him a chronic shyer.

iif

—-2: = ——— A
ey
ae Hi :

|

|
lI

ert |
Us

|

The noted Godolphin Arabian. Most famous horse of the 18th century.

The man who has his horse “clipped” in winter and puts fur gloves
and heavy overcoat on himself, is an especially mean man. This sort
of aman smokes 25-cent cigars and finds fault with his wife because
she can’t dress on $30 a year.

The man who checks his horse’s head above its natural and easy
position because, to his depraved taste, it ‘looks better,” is a mean man,
and ought to have his head strapped out of place in the same way.

The man who leaves his horse uncovered on a cold day, is a mean
man. This sort of man buys cotton gloves for his wife and fur ones for
himself.

The man who lets his horse go hungry or thirsty, because it is some
trouble or expense to relieve him, is a mean man. This sort makes
his wife carry the valise, lunch basket and the baby, while he carries—a
cane.

276 CROLEY

The driver who lets his axles get dry, because he don’t want to stop
to oil them, comes under this head. When drivers have to draw the
wagon there will be no dry axles.

Mr. Pennywise who thinks it cute to reduce his horses’ feed and get
the same work out of them by torture—whipping—is not only mean but
worse. A horse is like a locomotive; both must be fed, and you cannot
get any more power out of either than you put in.

Clipping the ears—a fashion formerly in vogue in England.

Mean men have but little sense, otherwise they would not be mean.

Mean men are despised even by those who treat them well, and
everybody notices meanness.

Mean men are a poor sort to marry. Girls should remember that a
man who neglects or abuses his horse, cow or dog will abuse and neglect
his wife or child. If meanness is in a man it will certainly slop out onto
whatever he dominates, be it horse or wife. If you want to know
whether a man is mean, observe how he treats his animals. It is a sure
indication.

CHAPTER XXIII.

DOCKING AND NICKING.

HIS fashion, which is again becoming very prevalent in
this country, is of a piece with the others referred to,
being if anything worse than they, because depriving the
horse of the ability, so important to his comfort, to protect
himself from the annoyance of flies. This is particularly
so in this country where the summers are so much hotter

Ideal bob tail.

than in Europe or Eng-
land, and consequently the
flies so much more trouble-
some. In addition, the
operation is extremely
painful and. often danger-
ous, because so much in- Nature.

flammation is liable to result as to not only cause the loss of
the hair of the tail, but of producing tetanus, and eventually
death—a very common occurrence.

From thirty to forty years ago the custom of docking and
nicking was about as common as the use of the overdraw-
check is now. In those days I often saw ina single stable
as many as half a dozen horses in pulleys after such opera-
tions as represented on next page.

—t
Ne

MN

MN

278 CROLL TNA

The method at first most common in England was sim-
ply to square off the hair of the tail at the end of the dock,
termed ‘‘ bobbing,” which was soon superseded by amputat-
ing or cutting off one or more joints of the dock, and there-
by shortening the tail according to the dictates of fashion or
fancy of the operator. This amputation was often carried to
such an extreme as to | i
leave little more than ene
the merest stump of
ave tail nwathi jUsteea
fringe of hair, as rep- ©
resented on page 277.

The nerves and ligaments of
the under side were severed,
the hair or what was left of
it, gathered into a knot, to
wi which a cord was attached.
Vi “Y This was passed overa pulley
Fig. 207.—Method of pulling up the tail. by Re Gh fag savas Thald
up by weights and made to grow into an erect position, as
shown by illustration. To accomplish this successfully the
horse is required to stand in his stall with the tail so pulled
up, for several weeks. This constant and unnatural strain
upon it frequently produced, as stated, so much inflamma-
tion in the tail as to cause the loss of the hair, or ¢efanus, and
thereby in most cases the loss of the horse. My purpose
being to present this subject with the greatest fairness, I
wish to make this statement:: —
There is only one class of cases in which the cutting off
and raising of the tail is admissible or at all excusable. These
are nervous mares that kick when they happen to catch the

DOCKING ILLUSTRATED. 279

reins under the tail, or horses that are exceptionally trouble-
some in driving by catching and hugging the rein under the
tail, when they are liable to kick and run away. In such
cases, by docking and raising
the tail, the horse is made
more safe and serviceable and
its market value increased, in
which case it may be resorted
to as any other needed surgi-
cal operation. But these are
rare exceptions, and almost
on the plane of driving horses
with the eyes covered up with
blinders to prevent their be- ey
coming frightened, which Tells its own story.
would be entirely prevented by a little very simple treat-
ment, easy for anyone to do, as I have countless times dem-
onstrated. But the operation could be obviated by the simple
expedient of putting on a thick but soft crupper, which would
g prevent the rein from be-
ing caught and held by
the tail.
Just before giving this
matter to the printers, the
following, which I clip

SS X ‘
oe y)

from a leading horse paper
(Clark’s Horse Review), is
so much in point that I
consider it worthy of a
place:—

‘«When the custom of

Tells its own story. ‘docking’ was first prac-
ticed we have no information, but that it is a relic of barbarism
is certain. The tail of the horse, in a state of nature, is one of
his crowning beauties, and it is evidence of but a sadly per-
verted taste, a brutalized instinct, akin to that which clips the
ears of a dog and in various other ways mangles and deforms

280 CRUELTY. Z

the best members of the brute creation. At present it is most
highly developed in this country as a fashionable ‘fad ’—a
foolish, an illogical, an inhumane Anglomaniac aping of a
British barbarity, yclept style-—-and as such practiced and
sanctioned chiefly by that coterie known as ‘the 400’--the
aristocracy of wealth, not the aristocracy of taste, of culture
or of brains. To every right-minded man, whose instincts
are humane, whose ethics are not perverted, whose refine-
ment 1s innate and not an artificial veneer, whose esthetic sen-

i

A matter of common occurrence.

sitiveness is not blunted, it is an abomination deserving the
ban and proscription of the law.’’

The wicked foolishness of this custom is so well depicted
by a leading writer that I am led to give place to his words:——

‘¢The unornamental and wholly useless fringe of hair
which marks the end of a fashionable horse’s brief remnant
of tail, did not reach its present attenuated appearance by
the progress of a natural revolution, nor yet by a single
bound, as did that of Tam O’Shanter’s trusty mare ‘Meg.’
Cruel fashion directed the knife of the horse-doctor, as joint
after joint and nerve after nerve was ruthlessly cut away, un-
til little more than a coccyx remains of what should be a

FOOLISH FASHIONS. 281

flowing mass of shining hair, the comfort of the horse and
the pride of his owner.

«They began, first, by leaving the stump of the tail its
natural length and squaring or cutting the hair off down to it,
called ‘bobbing.’ But they have since cut away the stump of
the tail, and cut the nerves and ligaments by which it was
kept down in its normal position. Aside from the pain in-
flicted, the horse is robbed of the protection from flies which
nature intended his tail to afford him. The tail will never

An old, old story.

grow again. All the rest of his life he is deprived of it, and
when for any cause he is turned out to pasture, the flies find
him a helpless victim.”

This writer had talked with a leading veterinary surgeon
in relation to it, and quotes from his words as follows : —

‘Tf it were announced that it had become fashionable
in England to cut off half the left ears of horses you would
see in a very short time a majority of the horses in this city
with their left ears amputated. It is a blind following of
fashion merely, and nothing but the most stringent laws can
stop it.”’

The following are representative statements regarding
this foolish custom from the highest authorities : —

282 GRUELTY..

‘‘7 believe the time is near at hand when even the cow-
leech [the most ignorant horse doctor] will perceive the
absurdity of endeavoring to improve upon the fair forms of
the most graceful works of nature, and will leave the horse’s
tail, not less ornamental than useful, alone.”’

‘¢Asa general custom inflicted on the horse, merely to
please some ignorant fancy, docking is most justly repro-
bated. It is a cruel operation, not only from the pain
thereof, but even more cruel in depriving the poor animal of

HON
Posi |

Young sports out for a drive.

the beautiful! provision which nature has given him as a de-
fense from flies and other equine torments with which this
country especially abounds. It also sometimes produces
lock-jaw, and results in death.”

Dr. Zuill, Professor in the Veterinary Department of the
Pennsylvania University, says: ‘‘ Docking horses is cruel,
even barbarous, and is discountenanced by the profession.”’

Geo. Fleming, the highest veterinary authority in Eng-
land, says: ‘‘ Docking decreases the value and usefulness of
horses.”

The State of Massachusetts regards it so serious an of-
fense that a penalty of $250 is imposed for docking; and
many other States have equally stringent laws.

NEEDEESS TORTURE. 283

A leading veterinarian states that out of over thirty cases
of tetanus which he had been called to treat in one year,
twenty-seven resulted from docking.

In commenting on the subject, the Mew Orleans Picayune
says: ‘‘ He who docks a horse should be confined naked on a
sugar dock in fly time, with his hands tied behind him.”’

In a discussion of this subject in the Massachusetts Leg-
islature, shortly before this chapter was put in type, the fol-

Young sports returned—the horse ruined.

lowing statements, which I quote from Our Dumb Animals
(published by Geo. T. Angell, Esq., Boston, Mass.), are so
much in point that I give them a place : —

“In August last I walked side by side on Beacon street with an ele-
gant equipage; there was no one in the carriage, and as it was intensely
hot, the coachman was walking the horses, a noble pair of chestnuts; but
those animals were scarcely less than frantic with torture; their broad
backs were literally speckled with black flies; they thrashed their heads,
and whisked their poor little stumps, all along the street, while the
coachman held them in by the bits. Shc

“ Tradition tells us that one of the ingenious forms of martyr-
dom was to tie the victim hand and foot, and expose him to swarms of
insects; the end was a terrible form of insanity anda fearful death. We
have made great progress, have we, because the battle for opinion’s sake
is now fought with type? Yes, and then our ‘best society’ takes its most

284 CROUEIETN:

faithful servant, powerless to speak for himself, and helpless to resist,
and inflicts upon him this very martyrdom. :

“T feel it my duty to enter my protest against a continuance of
docking horses’ tails; mutilating, torturing a faithful animal for life.
Kindly 1 think for one moment what this cruel, barbarous performance
means!—cruel and painful in its operation and lasting in its effect.
Flesh, sinew and bone cut away for the gratification of a few senseless
cowards. \ say cowards with a full sense of its meaning, because the op-
eration ts always done secretly and under cover. These people desire to
follow a fashion which has nothing to recommend it whatever, for it does
not lengthen the life of the horse, add to his speed or render him more
tractable, nor is it justifiable in any sense whatever. .

“ The incident of the debate was Mr. Russell's question of Mr. Mori-
arty, of Worcester, if he would shoot docked-tailed horses. ‘No,’ was
the answer, ‘but I would shoot the fellows who docked their tails.’ The
House laughed and cheered.”

THE PEST OF FLIES AND. PARASITES.

It will be interesting, in connection with what has been
said on the subject of Docking and Nicking, to include a few

YW)

* ys. PD, ws |

Horse jiy. The horse tortured by flies.

facts in relation to the great annoyance and injury caused by
flies and parasites. *

During the hot summer months of this climate these
pests are a more common and serious cause of annoyance and
injury than most people suppose, and particularly to short-
haired, sensitive horses. Various means are used to prevent
their attacks, as sponging the skin with a decoction of walnut

* From page 583 of the author’s “ Facts for Horse Owners.”

FLIES AND PARASITES. 285

or elder leaves, or to dust with Persian insect powder, in
connection with the use of a light blanket or fly-net. The
stable should be provided with screens, and kept clean and
fresh by the use of chloride of lime.

During the hot season, also, certain kinds of flies are not
only causes of great annoyance to horses, but deposit their
eggs on open sores or wet, filthy parts of the skin, thereby giv-
ing rise to serious trouble. A fly in the South called the

The common stable fly.
Natural size.

The bot fly.

UV
Meat fly, enlarged. ep

screw-worm fly, and the ordinary meat or flesh fly (see cut),
is the most common and dangerous. To prevent their at-
tacks, all wet, filthy hairs should be carefully removed and
wounds kept clean or covered with tar, or something that
will protect them. The more scientific treatment would be
to render them antiseptic by the use of a carbolic acid lotion,
in the proportion of about one part acid to fifty or sixty parts
water, or by a mixture of one ounce oil of tar to fifteen or
twenty of sweet oil. Should there be grubs already present,
which is not an unusual occurrence, they should be carefully
picked out and one of these dressings promptly apphed. z

For poison bites, ammonia, or a solution of one part car-
bolic acid to about twenty parts sweet oil or glycerine is
recommended.

286 CRG ELEPN.

In the bottom lands of the cotton States there are what
are called buffalo gnats, which are very annoying and danger-
ous. If not protected from them, they will attack and killa
horse very quickly. The usual remedy is liberally greasing
the sheath and other parts that are sensitive with grease or oil.

The famous tsetze fly of Africa.

For the stings of bees or hornets, which are very danger-
ous, the simplest and most effective treatment is poultices of
wet clay, or alotion of soda, ammonia, or carbolic acid can be
used.

A good illustration is given of the disturbance caused to

Man eating fly. A terrible pest. The common bot fiy.

horses and cattle by the common gad or bot-fly; and it is not
a little singular that there is a fly of this character peculiar to
each family of the domestic as well as wild animals.

SPECIALLY DANGEROUS FLIES.

The Screw-worm Fly, the Common Flesh Fly, the Famous
Tsetze Fly of Africa.—The better to emphasize the great harm
that may be caused by flies, I think it necessary to add a few

SPE CIATIEE YR QANG ERO GS, ALLES. 287
facts in illustration, which are common to every intelligent

reader of natural history; which are but merely representa-
tive of an almost countless number of others that could if de-

Ox gad-fly.

sired be referred to showing the great annoyance as well as
danger occasioned by this class of pests, and the necessity of
giving all possible protection against them.

The screw-worm fly which is peculiar to the warm lati-

Blue bottle or blow fly, enlarged. Head and mandibles of fiy.

tudes of the South, is a common appearing meat fly; this fly
is ready to deposit its eggs upon any exposed or injured
part, which rapidly grow into little worms that burrow so
rapidly and deeply into the tissues as to cause the most se-

288 CROEIEIN.

vere torture, and finally result fatally. As an illustration of
this, a drunken man, while lying insensible in the sun was
attacked by one of these flies, which deposited its eggs in his
nostrils, with the result of their developing so quickly and
burrowing so deeply into the soft parts surrounding, that it
was only by the greatest patience and difficulty that they
were dissected out, which to save his life became imperative.
The terrible tsetze fly, which is hardly larger than a com-
mon house-fly, fine representations of which are given, is such
a special curse of certain parts of Africa, as to destroy horses,
dogs and cows by thousands, making it impossible to keep or
use those animals in such parts of that country. A singular
fact in relation to this fly is that it is a very local insect, its
boundaries being sometimes so sharply defined that one side
of a stream may be infested with it, while the other may be
perfectly free from it. But at any rate it is impossible, as
stated, to keep or use oxen where they exist, and conse-
quently cattle cannot be raised in those parts of Africa.

BADEY PREPARED FOODS.

Though somewhat outside of the ordinary lines of cruelty,
as generally understood, there is a cause of injury and loss
which but few suspect,
yet a source of such
serious abuse as to be
= worthy of giving a few
points upon it. This
is, the result of feeding
moldy or badly pre-
pared food. I quote
from instructions on feeding, in my regular work, page 579:—

“‘Tf you will look at the article on Heaves, Medical De-
partment,-you will find some startling statements: First,
that heaves or asthmatic troubles are never found in the rac-
ing stables, where horses are properly fed; that these troubles
are always common to the carter’s or farmer’s stables, where
there is no attention given to quality of food or conditions of
feeding, beyond the throwing it before the animal and letting
him eat it as he will.

Moldy oat kernel, enlarged.

BADLY PREPARED FOODS. 289

‘If you were to shake up moldy or mowburnt hay or
oats, it would be found to throw off a.mass of powdery dust.
If this is closely examined with a microscope of high power,
it will be found to contain a mass of parasitic life.

‘¢T include a representation of moldy oats, wea a speci-
men of low forms of germ or para-
sitic life common to such condi-
tions of hay and grain, more par-
ticularly to moldy or badly cured
hay. This dust breathed into the
air passages and lungs, not only
irritates but fills them up, and

thereby produces such serious dis-

turbance to the general health as
to soon ruin it, noticeable by cough
and husky breathing (usually termed heaves).

The disturbance to the kidneys is liable to be very seri-
ous. Ina word, the whole system is to a greater or less
degree poisoned and consequently the health undermined.”’

CHAPTER XXIV.

HOW THE FEET ARE RUINED IN SHOEING.

PART from the needless pain and cruelty it causes, the
A aggregate of loss to the people of the country from ig-
norant, bad treatment of the feet in shoeing is something ap-
palling. In explanation of this it is only necessary to state
that but few horses, after being
shod a few years, have sound, 4
healthy feet. ey)

Something of the suffering en- :
tailed by such causes can be un-
derstood when it is seen that the
horse is compelled to work and
submit to be driven to the limit of
his endurance, with an amount of
pain and inflammation often going
on in the feet, which, if a man
were subjected to, would make him
a helpless cripple, demanding the
best of medical care.

= Diy at fi
\, Ni iN hy

Vi cl

{)

===

Result of bad treatment.

CIRCULATION IN THE FEET.

If we study the foot closely, we find it one of the most
interesting and wonderful structures imaginable. I would
particularly call attention to the large amount of blood which
passes through the feet. It is estimated that about one-
tenth of the weight of the horse’s body is blood; that is, a
horse weighing one thousand pounds, has about one hundred
pounds of blood; and that all this blood makes the rounds of
the system about once in every three minutes, and this, too
while the horse is in repose; so that when excited or com-

[291 ]

292 SHOEING.

pelled to make much exertion, the amount of blood passing
through the feet is necessarily greatly increased. The won-
derful provision for this large
circulation to pass through
the feet is something re-
markable, which can be seen
by the accompanying illustra-
tions.

Now if from any cause
there is a disturbance or ob-
struction of this circulation,
there will necessarily be more
or less congestion and in-
flammation; following which
there will be proportionate
injury and change of struct-
ure, not only quickly destroy-
ing health and vitality of the
parts, but inducing great pain
and soreness. Now when
this inflammation or conges-
tion becomes so great as to
seriously involve the soft
pants Gemiena lly, dso NOt
promptly checked and con-
trolled, such rapid destruc-
tion of the tissue takes place
as to quickly ruin the feet,
and hence the explanation of
the great loss and injury
from these causes, which are

very common.
SS — Some common _ causes

Different views of healthy feet. of injury are, cutting away
the wall, sole and frog too much; heedlessly burning and rasp-
ing the wall of the hoof; thick, heavy shoes badly adjusted;

SIMPLE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. 293

pricking, or driving nails too deeply—disturbances which
quickly involve the soft parts of the foot, thereby inducing
serious inflammation, change of structure and lameness.

; i iN
ah

ULL

Li a
Wi

5 _C Bee:
D s U a
| 2

Longitudinal section of the foot, showing the internal structure. From article
on Navicular joint lameness. 7, location of the trouble.

SIMPLE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT.

I will include here, in the way of parenthesis, a few
points for overcoming such inflammation when it occurs.
Outside of the measures of prevention, explained farther on,
the simplest and best treatment is hot and cold water, the
measure of its effectiveness being the knowledge of how to
use it.

My

iy

Showing the circulation of the foot. See note on page 305.

{ 294 |

SIMPLE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. 295

The principle is, when the pain and disturbance are
serious, to apply all the heat that can be borne, but not
neuen to scald or burn, as to which great care should be

\ exercised. The simplest way
to do this, in case of injury to
the foot, is to put it ina tub of
water as hot as can be borne
without scalding or injury, and
after submitting to this for ten
or fifteen minutes, it is to be
taken out and put into cold
water for a minute or two, when
~ - it is again to be put into hot
SEE Le water, and so alternated until

the inflammation will be overcome.

The reason for such alternation is, that heat relaxes the
-skin and capillary action, and if continued for a great length
of time would so weaken the tissues as to eventually destroy
them.

Cold acts as a tonic, pre-
venting this, and toning up
the parts, which enables the
use of hot applications for a
long time. I may explain
here, further, that when there
is severe swelling with pain,
hot applications are always
indicated, and the best form
of using the latter is that of
a strong spray from a pipe; Superior, posterior view of weak
next, pouring it from the contracted foot.
spout of a pitcher, or other means; if there is no swelling or
severe pain, cold may be used.

Where there is acute inflammation, especially over a
bony part, a continuous spray or stream of cold water poured
on in this way will be found wonderfully effective. It is sur-

296 SHOEING.

prising to find how quickly inflammation in a part may be
controlled by this simple treatment, the point being, should
the inflammation return, to repeat it.

Strains of the tendons and ligaments are so closely con-
nected with the treatment of the foot that I am led to include
this explanation in relation to them. In all cases of strain or
injury, the horse should be
given absolute rest, in con-
nection with the use of hot or
cold applications, as may be
advisable. It is important
that this be done not only
promptly but thoroughly.

Going back again to the
foot, as an illustration of the
value of this simple means
of treatment, in overcoming

inflammation, which if not
prevented must soon result in
hopeless destruction to it, I
will refer to an instance in
point. In getting one of my
ponies shod, the man having
himin charge had the calks
made very sharp. Accident-
ally, one of these sharp calks
was struck into the coronet
of the opposite foot, making

Some of the deep ramifications of a deep though not very se-
the digital artery through the bone.* rious looking wound. line

re

flammation soon set in, of so violent a character that the
horse could not step or put his foot to the ground. To neg-,
lect it while in this stage for even a few hours would surely
have ruined the horse. Upon its being brought to my notice,

* These cuts on circulation are from the chapter on Navicular joint lameness, in the
author’s large work, *t Facts for Horse Owners.”

SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT. 297

I immediately directed that the foot be put in water as hot as
could be borne, and at the expiration of each ten or fifteen
minutes to alternate with cold water for a few minutes. This
was continued until the extreme pain was relieved, requiring
several hours. ©

The foot was now enveloped in several thicknesses of
blanket wrung out of hot water. Two sets of such cloths
were used; when one became cool, the other was put on.
About every twelve to fifteen minutes these hot fomentations
were alternated with
applications of cold
water for a few min-
utes, which treatment
was continued until
the acute stage passed
off, requiring nearly
three days and nights.
In the meantime the
patient was carefully es ae
nursed and fed with Ve nn «
soft food, such as — LVN)
warm bran-mashes, Superficial disposition of the digital artery
boiled oats, etc. The on the lateral face of the foot.
foot was now enveloped in cool, wet cloths until the inflamma-
tion subsided, when necessity compelled me to have him put

(

N
N)

AN

Rass

Wie

wal

EY
aid

on theroad again. The mud becoming deep, there was soon
set up again a most alarming condition of inflammation,
which was, if anything, worse than the first. We simply re-
peated the treatment before used night and day, with the
difference that we were compelled to continue it somewhat
longer as well as with more care, but ultimately with entirely
successful results. This case, during the height of the in-
flammation, would seem to those of ordinary experience to be
hopeless; I did not, however, feel any serious doubt as to the
result, but by a careful and thorough following up of this
simple treatment, which can be easily used by any one, there

298 SHOEING.

was, as I anticipated, a quick and safe recovery, without any
noticeable blemish.

In a case recently reported to the author, that of a valu-
able trotting horse, when under the pressure of a supreme
effort in a race, one of the tendons (supposed to be the perfo-

j rans) suddenly gave way. Ina short
time the horse was so disabled that
he could not walk or bear his weight
upon his foot. Being regarded hope-
lessly ruined, the owner gave orders
to have him shot; but this not being
done, he was taken to a stable, where
he lay for nearly a week without being
able to get up or move, in the mean-
time suffering the most intense pain.
At this point a man who had a copy
of my book happened around, and
on the promise of the horse being
given to him, took him in hand. He
used, as directed therein, fomenta-
tions upon the foot, with such success
that in two weeks he had the horse
on his feet, and without difficulty
moved him a distance of ten miles,
He was so elated with his success

\ Wg ihe My”

A

Gia
ass’ INy that he wrote me the particulars in

Arteries of the fore foot. relation to it.

COMMON CAUSES OF INJURY.

The most common, least understood and most dangerous
cause of trouble in the foot is termed navicular-joint lame-
ness; yet in its incipient stages this difficulty, if treated
promptly and properly, easy for anyone to do, is one of the
simplest to overcome; while if not properly treated before a
certain stage it will be sure to degenerate into chronic lame-
ness, which ruins the horse. The chief difficulty is, that the

COMMON CAUSES OF INJURY. 299

nature and location of the trouble, with the conditions of
treatment, are not well understood. (See cut on page 293,
taken from the article on this subject in the author’s spe-
cial work.) For want of specific instructions for treatment,
this trouble is often permitted to go on, until such deteriora-
tion of tissue or change of structure takes place, as to make

MW i] R\\\\\\ i
| f} | ANI | Hl |
WAG iis ~

YYyyp |
Y
fia
Y Wit
HY}
WE ‘IDRIS
HH) NARI
A I |
TEA
;
} | H ’ \
i | Ws
i} HA) I) Wh
4 | } | i} \\\
lif MI) Ml wigit \
Ta}
}
Hh}
HATH

ATE Ae
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ul

Represents the upper surface with the elastic cartilaginous bund that accomplishes
it. The letters Aand Bindicate the part usually envolved in navicularjoint lameness.
Also showing the navicular joint with the large tendons passing down behind.

===>
———
———

cure impossible, and the consequence is that the horse, no
matter how valuable otherwise, is sure to be ruined.

Space will not permit of giving any extended particulars
or details in relation to this interesting, important and very
prevalent cause of affliction to horses. Those interested in

300 SHOEING.

this or other forms of serious lameness common to the foot
will find the fullest instructions in relation to them in the
work named.
With this digression, we will take up the conditions of
shoeing again.
CONDITIONS OF SHOEING.

We see that the wild horse of the plains, that was never
shod at all, has the best possible condition of feet; that there

Posterior view of the interior of the hoof.

is never any trouble with the colt’s feet before being shod,
excepting what may result from their growing out of form,
which should be corrected by leveling down the edge of the
wall to prevent its breaking, etc. If the foot is strong, and
the conditions are such that the horn is not worn off more
rapidly than it grows, shoes are entirely unnecessary, and it
would be better to have none put on. Shoes are only de-
manded when the wear becomes greater than the growth of
horn, and when the feet are weak and flat, as is common to
most horses raised in wet, low country, because they are neces-
sary to preserve the crusts of such feet from excessive wear

CONDITIONS OF SHOEING. 301

and breaking away, and also under certain conditions to give
a hold upon the ground or prevent slipping. The shoe
should be no larger or heavier than is necessary to sustain
the wear for the time it is expected to be on. More than this
becomes an injurious impediment to the mobility of the foot.
The hoof, therefore, should be pared in such a way, and the -
shoe so fitted and adjusted, that the weight will be equally
distributed between the bones and flexor.tendons. If one
heel is suffered to grow higher than the other, bruises or

Side view of properly adjusted shoe.

corns must not only soon result on the high heel, but there
will be serious disturbance to the even growth of the wall.
So the first and most important point to be attained is to
level the bearing of the foot so that it will be as nearly
natural as possible in adjustment; next, not to cut away too
much, yet enough, but no more of the hoof than to remove
the surplus growth of wall and sole. If the foot is pared too
much, it quickly acquires an exaggerated sensibility, due to
the excessive thinness both of the sole and inferior wall,
while, if not pared enough or unevenly, there will be relative
interference with its natural functions, by causing misadjust-
ment, contraction, with its consequent undue pressure upon
the soft part and thus cause serious injury.

302 SHOEING.

If from any cause there is in-
flammation set up in the soft parts
of the foot—the consequence of driv-
ing a nail too deep, bruising the sole
at the heel or other part, so that mat-
ter is formed—surrounded by a hard
unyielding covering of horny wall, as
it is, there will be not only such
increased pressure upon the nerves
and blood-vessels of the parts as to
cause the most extreme pain and
soreness; but matter, if formed, hav-
ing no outlet, burrows under the wall

Ci through the soft parts, causing an
Nail driven into the quick. _ ulcer or fistula (quittor). This quickly

spreads and causes such change of struc-
ture and deterioration of the tissues and
bony structure of the foot before referred
to as. to quickly ruinit. Hence the injury
and loss from incompetency or ignorance.

The first thing, of course, that should
be done is to remove the nail or other
cause of injury, whatever it is, enlarge the
opening and reach the bottom, injecting
some antiseptic, keeping the opening free
for the escape of pus, when there is any,

About as it should be.

the wound being kept clean by frequent antiseptic injections.
(One of the best and simplest

il Mi

LA A

(ii \X is corrosive sublimate [ bi-chlo-

! ride of mercury] one part to 500
parts of soft water.) After the
healing advances to the surface,
asimple protection to the sore

AW YZ a0 will be sufficient until the heal-
Mf a ing is completed. The princi-

One of the causes of injury. ple of treatment in all cases, 1s

TIPS. 303

to be the reverse of the cause of the trouble, whatever it is.
Summarized, it is briefly this: Promptly remove an offending
foreign body, or offending pressure, and if inflammation ex-
ists it is to be energetically counteracted, when the trouble in
itsearly stages, even though serious, can be easily overcome.

TIPS.

As there is a great deal of discussion, in humane jour-
nals especially, about working horses bare-foot, and more
particularly as to the use of tips, I quote here a few para-
graphs from my special instructions on this subject in my
large work, where the conditions are very fully explained:—

Good forms of tips.

‘«« Any foot that is thin in its structure, but more so in its
vertical position, or from top to bottom, and with the frog
full at its pyramidal eminence or body, is not a proper foot
for frog pressure. In such feet the plantar cushion, or what
is known as the fibrous or fatty frog, is very thin, is easily
made weaker by absorption through extreme pressure or
irritation of the horny frog, and therefore offers very little
protection to the great flexor tendon where it passes under
the navicular bone.”

‘«No thoughtful man would dare throw extra weight on
the frog of a foot that had long suffered the navicular disease,
however excellent this would be as a preventive. Neither

304 SHOEING.

should we throw extra weight on the back part of a foot or
limb where there is any soreness of the flexor muscles or ten-
dons, or any ligaments involved, as it would entail great ten-
sion on the parts, while the opposite is what is required, viz.,
flexion or relaxation.”’ .

How the foot is ruined.*

In relation to the feet that tips can be used upon safely,
it is stated: —

‘“‘We can safely give extra frog and heel pressure in all
cases where the hoof is deep at the quarters, or where there
is a tendency toward contraction and atrophy of the frog, or
where the obliquity of the pastern is not too great, and where
the feet and limbs are perfectly sound and well-proportioned.’’

Putting the subject inversely:—

‘<Tips are useful in case of corns, in quarter crack, in
thrush, in interfering, and in fitting the horse to run at grass.

* This cut is one of a series of over thirty, taken from the author’s large work,
showing the change in the structure of the foot caused by bad treatment, also an ac-
count of each—features of great interest to the student and shoer.

LELESS: 305

They are not applicable to the feet that have thin, flat soles
with no heels; or to heavy work-horses with flat feet and
prominent frogs, as such frogs are liable to suffer bruises
when so exposed, the resulting inflammation extending fre-
quently to deeper and more vital structures. They are not
applicable to feet having navicular disease; nor in applying
them is it necessary to disturb the normal relations of the
bones of the limb.*

* Shoers and others specially interested in the treatment of lameness
and shoeing, by addressing the publishers (Magner Publishing Co., Bat-
tle Creek, Mich.) will receive some very important particulars.

NOTE TO PAGE 294.—This illustration is one of a series of fifty-
six in the author’s special work, ‘Facts for Horse Owners,” showing
every part of the structure of the foot.

CHAPTER KXV.

CRUELTY

IN TRAINING AND BREAKING.

HILE on the road, it was a matter of almost daily oc-

currence to have horses brought for experiment, that
had for years resisted the efforts of the best trainers to break
them, and which had been given up as so incorrigibly vicious
as to be practically worthless. Yet in every instance, I was
able to demonstrate that the whole trouble with them was
caused by ignorant, bad treatment. This I proved by the
quickness and ease with which I was able to make them gen-
tle and submissive to control. I will refer to a few cases in
point from an almost limitless number that could be men-
tioned.

When at Norwalk, O., among other interesting subjects
brought me for experiment was one having the following his-
tory: A leading citizen of the place had raised a fine three-
year-old colt. In trying to break him, the colt was excited
to kicking and running away. Up to five years old several
horse-breakers had tried to break him but failed, the last trial
having been made by two professed horse-tamers, who, after
several weeks, not only utterly failed, but abused him so seri-
ously that he was taken away from them, and 1n consequence
of being cut up and injured was scarcely fit to be seen for sev-
eral weeks afterwards.

When I visited the place, this horse was seven years old,
had been running loose about two years, and was considered
so vicious and unmanageable as to be practically worthless.

Though nobody believed that such a horse could be bro-
ken, it became a matter of such general interest to see if I
could do anything with him, that it was laid before me. Upon

[ 306 |

INTERESTING CASES. 307

examination of the case I assured them that he would prove
but little more than an ordinary case, and his management
would present no serious difficulty, which statement was
received with incredulity. The horse, though of great spirit
and pluck, being an exceptionally intelligent fellow, yielded
to the treatment as I anticipated, as I was not only able to
drive him gently and without breeching before the class, in
about thirty-five minutes, but was able next day to give a
test exhibition in the open street with him, when he proved
so safe and gentle, that while surrounded with a noisy crowd
of boys and men, I could stop and start him at will, by word
of command only, though six or eight rods distant from him,
showing that the trouble with him was the result entirely
of the most inexcusably bad treatment.

The case referred to on page 117, was a striking one in
point. This horse, after being sent a distance of sixty miles
to a noted horse-trainer for treatment, and being worked upon
six weeks, in the time being abused so seriously that the
trainer was arrested twice for cruelty, was finally sent home
as so incorrigibly vicious that nothing could be done with him;
yet proved but a little more than a simple case to manage.

In Mansfield, O., I had a very interesting case in point.
This was a finely bred trotting mare, purchased when three
years old by McVay and Allison of that city. After exhaust-
ing every effort to break her, and failing, at seven years old,
when I visited that place, she was regarded so exceptionally
vicious and unmanageable as to be practically worthless.

With the purpose solely of having some fun with me, the
owner directed their foreman to join my class and take her in,
telling him that she was too mean to breed from, and being
practically worthless, they did not care if she was killed. I
was not, however, given the slightest intimation of her char-
acter. Neither her owners nor anybody else had the least
faith that the treatment would do her any good, supposing
that if she could be controlled at all it would be merely tem-

308 CROLLEANG TIN. ACA TINIING:

porary, and would amount to nothing. So fixed were the
owners in this impression that they did not come near me.

Upon her being brought in, I recognized her to be some-
what of an exceptional character, and, taking her in hand
carefully, within forty minutes brought her under complete
control, driving her in the street without breeching.*

Three months afterwards I met one of the owners of this
mare, who informed me that she was then one of the finest
and most valuable driving mares in that country, the one
treatment given her before the class having proved sufficient
to make her entirely gentle.

Nowin the effort to break this mare she had been abused
enough to kill any common horse, showing that the whole
trouble with her was owing to the ignorant and abusive treat-
ment to which she had been subjected.

The Wilkins horse, referred to on page 145, was a strik-
ing one in point. This horse, as a final trial, was given toa
horse tamer, who, after working upon him a week, pro-
nounced him so incorrigibly vicious that he could do nothing
with him. Yet by less than an hour’s treatment this case was
made entirely manageable. The abuse to which this horse
had been subjected in the effort to break him was simply out-
rageous.

A striking illustration in point is the case of a balky
mare brought to my attention, while preparing this work, in
this city (Battle Creek, Mich.) A business man called at my
office and made the following statement in relation to his suc-
cess in controlling a mare that he then owned. He stated
that the mare had been a balker of the worst character, and
had passed through the hands of six different parties (giving
the names and facts), the last one of whom, being determined

*Tt will be interesting to add here an incident in connection with
the treatment of this case. The opposition with which I was met at this
place made it necessary that I should make a great effort, and for this
reason | was led among other things to place a forfeiture of five hun-
dred dollars if | failed to drive gently, without breeching,. within
forty minutes, the most vicious, kicking, runaway horse that could be
produced,

INTERESTING CASES. 309

to make her work or kill her, and unable to make her go,
knocked her down several times; at one time so severely
clubbing her as to make her insensible, and for some time
thought to be dead. Being considered practically worthless,
she was secured by him ata merely trifling cost—inside of
twenty dollars. He stated that when he got her she was so
cut up and injured from the effects of the severe abuse, that
she was not fit to be seen, and that he had to let her run for
a month before attempting to do anything with her, when he
directed his teamster what to do. The first day after being
taken in hand, she balked once, after which she worked right
in, and was then one of the best and gentlest working mares
in the city; would pull a ton anywhere, and that $150 would
not buy her. Asking him to give me the exact details of
what he did with her, he looked at me quizzically and said,
«Why, I did exactly as you direct in your book,” referring
to the incident, given in the chapter on balking, page 261,
not coming at all under the head of regular treatment, but
showing what good management will do. He was led to try
it, with the result stated.

Now here was a naturally fine, gentle horse, which had
been so wretchedly clubbed and nineed as to result in being
practically ruined.

These are but fair F cntesen tat ous of the great amount of
abuse and cruelty to which horses are subjected on account
of ignorance.

As illustrative of the interest frequently exhibited in this
point, by those attending my lectures, I will refer to repre.
sentative incidents.

Once, after experimenting upon a notably vicious colt,
and driving him gently without breeching before a class, re-
quiring about twenty minutes, a Methodist minister, who was
present, remarked that if he had known three months before
what he had just learned, it would not only have saved him
a valuable young horse, which he had to trade off for mere
nothing, but the infliction upon him of a degree of abuse of

310 CRUELTY IN TRAINING.

which he was really ashamed. He said that he and his
brother worked upon a fine colt owned by him, fully half a
day in trying to drive him; that the colt got away from them,
plunging over a fence, carrying the buggy with him; that he
supposed he was doing only the proper thing to whip and
pound the horse, and in the great excitement under which he
was laboring, he did it in the severest manner; that for weeks
afterwards he was so lame and sore in consequence of the ex-
ertion of whipping the horse, as to be unfitted to do any cleri-
cal work. And turning to me in a laughing manner, he said,
‘¢Your work is really calculated to do more good than any
pulpit in the land.’’

At another time a lady, who with her husband attended
one of my lectures, after the lesson, with a smile remarked,
‘¢You are areal missionary to the women of the country.”
In explanation, she said that some time before they owned a
favorite horse, which would sometimes balk; that she could
always tell, when her husband came home at night, when the
horse had balked; that at such times he would be so cross
and irritable that for days there was scarcely any living with
him; that even the children would be so afraid of him that
they would shrink into a corner from him; that she had so
much trouble in consequence, that she finally prevailed upon
her husband to get rid of the horse. And continuing pleas-
antly, she said, ‘‘If we had then known what we have learned
of you today, how much trouble it would have saved us.’’

THE NEW BOOK.

ITS PREPARATION AND GREAT COST—INTERESTING FACTS.

Reference being repeatedly made in the preceding pages
to my large work, ‘‘Facts ror Horse Owners,’’ it will be of
interest, especially to my old scholars, to givehere a few facts
in relation to it.

As stated on page 163, after leaving the road, as the con-
dition of my health permitted, I took up the work of writing
out the details of my system for general instruction, with the
addition of such features as experience had taught me would
be of most importance to horse-owners. Becoming unable to
finish the matter as I desired, I was forced to publish it as it
was. When finally published, I found it came so far short of
what I desired to make it that I concluded to suppress it un-
til I could revise and rewrite it. Persuaded, however, to per-
mit the sale of a few copies, to my. surprise it was received
with such favor that to meet the demand it was necessary to
print, in rapid succession, six large editions.

~ However, as the condition of my health permitted, I took
up again the work of rewriting it, including the addition of
much new and valuable matter, in connection with a far
larger number and finer class of illustrations. To do this in
the best possible manner, agents were employed by me, both
in this country and Europe, to obtain what would in any way
aid or be suggestive in securing designs for the features of
illustration desired, more particularly on the structure of the
foot. Something of the magnitude of this work can be under-
stood by the fact that a large proportion of the engravings
illustrating the text, including these plates, have been re-
-drawn and re-engraved from two to three times, including the
color blocks of the plates and was the work of near-
ly seven years to accomplish, making the series of engrav-
ings and plates not only what are accepted as undoubtedly
the most complete and valuable of their kind, but the most

[ 311]

312 THE NEW. BOOK.

expensive yet published in any single work on the horse.

The work comprises three general divisions: First, all
the details of my system of subduing and controlling vicious
or unmanageable horses, just as I gave them to classes, with
the difference of being given with more care and fullness,
illustrated in the best manner possible, including such other
facts as would be of most interest on training, care, and
management of horses.

Up to my time there was no well-defined system or basis of
treatment known on the subjection or control of vicious
horses. This it has remained for me to finally accomplish by
a series of such discoveries as to practically revolutionize all
previous ideas on the subject. ~

These secrets and methods of treatment having been al-
most entirely the outgrowth of my own efforts and study, and
given by me only under an oath of secrecy to classes, at a
cost of from five to ten dollars each, this knowledge, coming
directly from me, becomes relatively important and valuable.
There are many single things in this department that I have
been told hundreds of times were worth hundreds of dollars
to any horse-owner. ;

Among other important entirely new features in this part,
is an interesting chapter on trotting. A feature of the illus-
tration of this 1s positions in the flying trot, with the best con-
formations for speed and endurance, represented by portraits
from life, with sections of the same, of the best representa-
tive trotters in the world up to the time of its publication,
comprising over fifty made expressly for it.

Equally interesting are chapters on cruelty, illustrated in
the finest possible manner, the features on telling the age.
In addition to the large number of illustrations in the text in this
chapter there is a diagram, comprising nearly one hundred of
the most perfect representations of the teeth, which show the
progressive changes up to thirty years.*

*Copies of this interesting diagram, printed on thin paper, suitable
for mailing, will be furnished on application by inclosing three two-
cent stamps to cover postage.

THE NEW BOOK. 313

Part Second.—The care of the feet and shoeing, with the
most complete instructions for the management of injuries and
lameness. In this department, in addition to the regular in-
structions, careful technical explanations of the structure of
the foot, are given, not only finely illustrated in the text, but
with a series of over fifty elegant plates, which give at a
glance a better idea of the wonderful structure of the foot
than it would be possible to obtain in any other way by years
of study. These elegant plates, which in the best editions are
in colors, if published separately, at an ordinary sale, could
not be afforded at less than the price of the complete work.

The points of curing contraction and quarter-crack, which
have been held as great secrets, including a valuable patent
(the use of which is given to subscribers), shoers admit to be
absolutely priceless to them, and is published only in this

work.

In this section is given a secret for the relief and cure of contraction and lameness
for which the United States Government paid $25,000.

Many shoers, who have obtained their instructions en-
tirely from my old book on these points, have been so suc-
cessful in the cure of injuries and lameness as in many cases
to make it a specialty, thereby often doubling and trebling
their income. The following are examples:—

A few months after obtaining a copy of the work a shoer
writes :—

‘‘T have cured eight cases of quarter crack, fifteen cases of con-
traction, and nearly thirty cases of what is called navicular-joint
lameness since I have had your book. I can now do so much better
by treating lameness than I can by shoeing that I have abandoned
my regular work of shoeing and make this a specialty.”

Another writes, a few weeks after receiving 1t:—

‘“‘T have made more than /ive Times the Cost of your book
already Since I have hadit. I have cured a Quarter- Crack in each
of the fore feet of a horse which I had tried for fou years to cure,
but failed. Also cured one which another horseshoer tried in vain
to cure.”

‘‘T would not be without Prof. Magner’s book for $50. The in-
struction on SHOEING is the BEST I. EVER SAW.”

Harry SULLIVAN,
Ex-Sec. Mich. State Ass’n Master Horseshoers, Battle Creek, Mich.

314 THE NEW BOOK.

‘‘For six months or more, my horse was very lame because of a
contracted foot. During that time I daily treated his foot in a vari-
ety of ways, but was unable to afford him any relief. It is now
about two weeks since I began to try Prof. Magner’s treatment
for contracted feet, as set forth in his valuable work on the horse,
and it affords me great pleasure to say that my horse is free from
lameness from that cause. I had frequently expressed a willingness
to pay any person $25 to do for my horse what I have done with a
very trifling expense, by using knowledge derived from this work.”

H. H. BLancuarp,
Attorney at Law, Janesville, Wis.

Part Third.—Diseases, Injuries, Lameness, etc. In the
preparation of this section, the author was assisted by several
of the most eminent veterinary experts in the country. Over
two hundred and fifty topics are treated. The aim has been
to give the instructions in language so free from technical-
ities as to make the meaning most easily comprehended by
ordinary stablemen and owners, and the remedies advised are
such as experience has demonstrated to be the most reliable
and practical.

Besides other important features there are a large number
of valuable prescriptions, which have been held as great
secrets in the profession, and highly valued by eminent prac-
titioners, and were only obtained with great expense and
difficulty. Many of these have been repeatedly sold at large
prices.

The work comprises nominally 1120 pages, royal octavo,
with 1384 wood engravings illustrating the text, and nearly 80
full page plates—in the best editions in colors.

In giving instructions personally, it was always on the
broad conditions that any one who was not in the fullest
degree satisfied, by so stating to me, either privately or pub-
licly, could at once have his money back; and during my long
experience of over twenty years on the road, no one can truth-
fully say that he had reason to be dissatisfied. Now I may be
permitted to state that I am, if possible, more sensitive in
relation to this work meeting every promised requirement
and giving the fullest satisfaction.

ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE. 315

For this reason it is sold by the publishers, with my
personal guarantee to those who may order it, either from the
office of publication or through agents, that if upon careful
examination, it is not found as represented, and satisfactory,
it can be returned to the publishers and money will be re-
funded.

This work is sold only by subscription, not being for
sale in book stores, but where there are no agents, those
wishing can obtain copies immediately, without risk or extra
charge, by inclosing price to the publishers of the edition

desired.
If preferred, the price can be enclosed to the agent of

the American Express Company, of this city (Battle Creek,
Mich. ), with orders to be held ten days, or longer if desired,
at the same time notifying the office, and the book will be
forwarded promptly to any part of the country with express
charges prepaid. If, after the book is received, it is not
found as represented or satisfactory, it can be returned at
the expense of the publishers and money ordered back. .No
stipulation is made as to damage or injury to the book, with
the exception that it shall not be mutilated.

I may with great pleasure be permitted to state that on
these conditions, out of a large sale of the former edition,
which was necessarily very crude and imperfect, not a single
copy was returned or dissatisfaction expressed. And with
the far larger, finer, and more expensive character of the
work, as now published, I have the strongest reason for
believing that it will be valued at least with equal favor.

I include a few representative statements from thousands
that could be given, showing the high appreciation of the
old work:—

‘‘T can conscientiously say that it is by far the best work of the
kind that, so far as I know, has ever been issued from the press.”’

RoseErT BoNNER, owner of Maud S., Sunol, etc.

‘It contains the most useful information to the owner of the

horse that it has ever been my privilege to examine in any single
volume or work.” D. G. SUTHERLAND, V. S.,

President of Michigan State Vet. Association, East Saginaw, Mich.

316 THE NEW BOOK

‘“‘To my mind, Prof. Magner’s book is the grandest work of our
time on the horse.”’ James Hanmitu, D. V. S.,
Prof. of Pathological Shoeing, in N. Y. Vet. Col., 416 E. 14th St., N. Y.

‘‘T consider your work a masterpiece of its character, while all
the lovers of horseflesh will ever regard the great treatise as an em-
blem of great merit, not only in the present century, but in all time
to come.” Cee AL SE Daag Sas

Pittsfield, Mass.

‘TI would not take $50 for my book if I could not get another.
The veterinary department alone is worth double the price asked for
the book.” E. B. Murpock,

Erving, Mass.

‘‘T did not at first appreciate the value of Prof. Magner’s book,
but the more I studied it, the more I learned to value it. During
the time I have had it, it has saved me, at the lowest average, one
hundred dollars a year. Money could not induce me to part with my
copy, if I could not get another.”’ W. W. STARKEY, Prop.,

Cedar River Stock Farm, Fowlerville, Mich.

“About two weeks since I received from my brother in Connecticut
a copy of your valuable book on the Horse, and a more interesting and
instructive book never before reached my hand. Believing it would do
your heart good, I will state that I have subdued some of the most
vicious and dangerous horses ever known in this section of the country
in twenty minutes to one hour, by the application of your treatment
[refers to treatment used]. Perhaps I may seem to you a little over-
enthusiastic, but I have just put the finishing touches on the worst brute
of a beast that man ever attempted to lay hands on, and all the efforts
made to accomplish the result were of the neatest, easiest, and safest
kind, which makes one smile to see how powerful he is, especially when
he has Magner at hand.” iby, (Es Aue, Wo Sh
Reno, Nev.

“The price is not one-half what this book is worth. Really, if I
could not get another copy, I would not take $100 for it. I have by its
instructions broken a horse that a child can handle him anywhere and
in any place. He was a very vicious animal. He would run away
without the slightest cause, get frightened at flying paper or almost
anything else. He is now perfectly safe, not afraid of anything.”

L. D. PLYMPTON,
30 May St., Worcester, Mass.

“T believe that every man who owns a horse should have your book.
I would not take five times the price of it, if I could not get another
copy. It is undoubtedly the best book of the kind extant.”
J. W. TILDEN, A. M., M..D.,
Peekskill, N. Y.

“The book came all right; just what I wanted. I would not take
$25 for it, if | could not get another copy.” W. E. STRAIGHT,
Genyay Nowe

TESTIMONIALS. 317

A leading editor and agricultural writer of twenty-five years ex-
perience, after examining the book carefully, says, “there are 200,000
people in this country who, if they knew the value of this book, would
have it at once at even twice its price. There are 50,000 in the State of
Illinois alone who would buy it.”

“T regard your book on the horse as the best that exists on the

subject of which it treats.” PAUL PAQUIN, A. M., V.S.

State Veterinarian and Prof. Veterinary Science in State Agr. College,
Columbia, Mo

This work is placed at the following low prices:—

In fine English cloth binding, with plates plain . . $5.00

Ing@lierany, sbindine.; with (plates plaim ©.) : ).5 27.05.6100

On extra paper, with plates in colors, in library binding 7.00

SamesinwieussiaeioiaGdinee tee. 17 oP er OLOO

A small edition of this last binding one has ese pre-
pared to meet special demands.
We place one cheap edition in cloth binding, without
Dlatesnatieaete Liane ERP: Cea ao ay ea Mik Baran
The author would say to friends that he is confident that
the edition on extra paper, with colored plates, at the addi-
tional price, will give the best satisfaction.
For any additional particulars, address MAGNER Pup-
LISHING Co., BatrLe CREEK, Micu., and a paper will be for-
warded giving other particulars of interest.

oo ey se wore or foremise

Ds Ee Cae
cen ve Gough ted Ca,

318 NOTE.

Note to page 162.—The BATTLE CREEK SANITARIUM.—But few
realize the magnitude and interesting character of this really great
institution, which is now, I believe, conceded to be the largest and most
complete of its kind in this country or the world.

In its management it embraces both hygienic and surgical treat-
ment, all of which is conducted on the most advanced and scientific
principles. ;

It has an efficient corps of from eight to twelve physicians and sur-
geons, with a small army of nurses and assistants, averaging about
three hundred.

It is under the general control of one of the most distinguished
surgeons and students of hygienic science in the country, under whose
management it has grown up almost entirely to its present large propor-
tions and prosperity.

The following are some of the principal figures which will give some
idea of the great magnitude of the institution:—

Frontage of main buildings, nearly 600 feet.

Floor surface of main buildings, nearly four acres.

Floor surface of cottage annexes, about three acres.

Floor surface of other accessory buildings, nearly two acres.
Cost of the whole establishment, about $500,000.

rs-A BONANZA FOR YOU.
WRITE US AT ONCE.

BOOK AGENTS.—Whatever your experience in selling books,
_write us immediately for particulars. To Experienced Agents of
ability we offer liberal terms. Our Agents are making BIG
SALES, where nothing could be done with other books.

We also want LADY AGENTS in EVERY TOWN and CITY
in the COUNTRY to sell this and other books on Salary or Com-
mission. Bright, smart ladies out of employment, no matter what
your experience, we can put you in the way of making good
wages. Write us immediately, giving particulars of age and ex-
perience. See special statement on 2d page of cover,

THE MAGNER PUB. CO.,
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.

AGCOnSpILaGy..sa-e

Adaptation to wants........

Amusing incident... ...

Amusing incident, results...

An extreme case.

Animals, fafelineence oe ee
An interesting experiment...

A peculiar case.

Art of taming horses.......

A severe trial.........

INSSISUAHItGENes Sree aren neon ar
Attest experimenty =... 2)
A trifling incident, result of..
Augusta, Me., My visit to...

BadskOodSi= sae ira:

BACHE SO cin Seen as yar

Blind Billy . .
Blinders. .

Bonner, Roberte 74, 147, 149,

Book, New. oe
Buffalo Wien Bates

Cases aspecia ligt eae

Causes of injury,...
Chances, narrow....
Characteristic incident

Charming horses... .

Checkin eterieges mace irk wen.
Classes, managing.........
Glasses, teachin sae:
Cleveland, my visit to....

Committee; meportiof.-”.

Character, understanding...

INDEX.

62

117
Tetel

209

160

288
291
169
5-268
201
163

49

231

. 298

65
177
87
106
249
93
81
43
175

Committee, watched by. 60, 232

Conspiracy a

ts Sanitarium Note to page 162 —see 318.

62

Controleby thereyer ss).

Cruelty .. eae
Cruelty in “Grecia, ;

Crueltysimeblindersae ia.
Cruelty in docking and nick-

ing.

Cr uelty i in training ral bi eal’

ing . seas ot
Cruelty in 1 SIONS,

Cruiser, facts in relation LO}

DangeroqusycaseS.— 5s

Defeat me, efforts to. ..

Dentong@tiutien- 2.7 ee
Desirable subjects.........
Discoveries, important... .,
Disorderly element ae sea.

Docking and nicking

Driving _ stallions
reins.

Bdwandss Walliamigs =) 355).
Efforts to defeat me........
Embarrassing trial ........

Engage in the business, how
WP CAMetLOmpa 5 era

Exhibitions, pony......

Experiment, an interesting. .

Experiment, an
LESte

Exponmented in iNew von
Extreme case.

Eve mCOnttOl Vee |e een
antCWe ne Oesida ban en a:

Feats,
HGAtS yalUt) Caen
Feats, special.....

[ 319 ]

without

Diecene

PTC ALES Wee wa ene tee

320 INDEX.
Pirst classie. 2c. eee c= Zon Oberlin imCidenties ass ere a2
Hlies‘and! parasites: 228") 28a Oltutts Denton) 6s zom
Goodenough, R. A...... 13, 206 - Peculiar case ......... 5 III
Greencastleshorsess ee 4 tr) Rete aN Vill Cen eattae cueene eeTs THT
Heenan etalon eae cy) 60 Pony exhibitions. eee Reet LRT
Rien Hore, aa, a Principles of control..... . 108
Hillman horse, wep on... 235 Rarey, John S., inside facts
Horse; Hettricks.~ 85885 . 12,188,203
Malone sd oe ah ty el Ne ye Rewae Eable incredulity = 120
Omnibus | 238 Report N. Y. Conic! dsseeacy (95
Oxford .... _.... 240 Result slight incidents...... 144
Press) ee, st vesullt of trifling inerdenies ay,
Roberts’ 60) (8 ean oberts horsee 1a. eae aa
Horse training, wonderful.. 234 Robinson, J. W. sas
How I came to engage in the Saiitariuiiie aaa eee TO?
bUSIMESS (yet cae ees ald Shoeing, bad. Ned “uses teeaG®
Important discovery. ...... 291 Slight set lest: aasceltis oh eeu
Importance of the subject.. 212 Special cases...... ....... 231
Incident, -characteristicy..6 177% SPeClaluteatsim senate ae
Incidents, results of slight.. 144 Special mention,.... .. 159
Incredulity, remarkable... .37,120 Sources of instruction...... 26
Instructions, sources of.... 26 Subjects, desirable......... 8g
Intelligence of animals’ (7. 97 Waking risks, 42.5 020). 2.0 On
jeticonquered!) 7.4 2 ae 234) wleachumem classesm as see reaL
NeteSketchionie a. 62350 deachineitnicksh se eee anlOS
Known before my time, what Test experiments ......... 42
WLS tives alias pate) WN Aye ae 9 Test experiments in New
Malonetorse) 0) 9 eae Vorkss cee t WOR a 7A
Maniac 1 Monnmiy, Oa at peo
I INC CLASSES) wai iri OR . :
Memeecter Bataleon ue ener PONIES Vee Yikes Acie ehOl
NPSERA rane ee were ele ys Wells ial Nes) Workin eeer 1418
Mastane pony * Wi ae nee cee Trifling incident, results of.. 37
My trained ponies......... 165 Understanding character... 87
Myrvisit toNew) York: City,, G4. 710 9 | Viale, ste Oi ee nmenaiaee 181
Narrow chances,.......... 65 Watched by committee. . 60,232
New York, test experiments Wall Pete ic 0g teeta omentaaly then eet cal
1 ee es antes... ak O4a Tale meNVrOnGe tefl joationmanes.. 234

“
<
mene eg

ages? Hip aie ea ben atl sor sans
REVERSIBLE VETERINARY DIAGRAMS
A series of four veterinary charts, 36 by 51 inches, printed in colors0n heavy plate
. paper. iy ; t ‘ i
A ENO! 1—Comprises 30 fine figures, printed in four colors, so grouped and arranged as
to show at a glance every detail of the structure of the foot.

No. 2.—A grouping of 50 special figures, showing in the most interesting and
instructive form the effects of injury and disease. A feature of the greatest import-
ance and interest to the student and shoer, not before published or made accessible.

No. 3—Nearly 100 figures representing the ground views of the foot, principles of
shoeing, with different kinds of shoes, including specimens of old Roman shoes sup-
posed to be 2,000 years old. ~ j

No. 4—Thirty-six fine figures, showing the physiology and anatomy of the horse,
good and bad points of bodily structure, etc., ete. ;

These fine diagrams are printed on both sides of heavy plate paper, the first in
four colors the others in two colors each, mounted equally fine on both sides, so that
they can be hung in the shop, occupying the space of two yet by reversing having the
advantage of four elegant diagrams.

‘These diagrams are warranted to be just what represented, and indispensable to
the student and shoer. They are made up from plates and engravings, representing
the subjects treated from the different departments of Facts for Horse Owners. 1f

engravings were made especially for them, they could not, at an ordinary sale, be
furnished at. less than from $3 to $5 a set, but representing the book, and desiring in
connection with it to bring them within the reach of all, they are placed at the merely

nominal prices named.
Finely mounted, with edges tape bound, and varnished

in the finest map form, . : . $1.00 per set.
Two sets, = - : = . ” $1.75.
Additional sets at the same rate.
In sheets unmounted - : - - $ .40 per set.
Two sets - - - as - $ .65.

Additional sets at same rate.

For further details send name to the publishers as below and a paper giving full
particulars will be sent you.

DIAGRAMS ON THE TEETH

How to Tell the Age. The Finest Representation of the Progressive Changes in the
Teeth Yet Published.

These fine Diagrams comprise 80 special figures, showing table, front and profile
views of the various changes of the teeth from the young colt to the old horse of
thirty years, sO arranged and grouped as to enable at a glance determining the age of
' the horse accurately.

It is printed on thin map paper of the finest quality, 25 by 38 inches, suitabie for
mailing, 15 cents a rad Ne Printed on heavy plate paper 25 cents, net. ;

Also the same, table, front and profile views in continued contrast in parallel col-
umns three feet long, comprising 50 special figures.

The second on thin map paper, 15 by 38 inchesin connection with the other, 10
cents a copy, or by mail twenty-five cents for both. i

These charts are indispensable to the Breeder and'Stablekeeper.

A special edition of the plates on the structure of the foot on fine quality of plate
paper in book form 12 by 18 inches, including full technical details, with other infor-
mation, of interest for the special use of students, $2.00 per set net.

Agents Wanted. —Ladies and gentlemen of practical experience, we have just what
youwant. Write us at once for particulars.

Good bright men and women out of employment, if you are willing to push work
energetically, we can put youin the way of making good wages, with pleasant, agree-
able -work—practically the best kind of missionary work. You can rely upon fair
dealing and the most liberal terms. On these points we can easily satisfy you. Write
us at once giving particulars.

These books and diagrams are sold exclusively by agents aud by the publishers
direct from the office of publication,

For full particulars address
THE MAGNER PUBLISHING CO.,
Battle Creek, Michigan.

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?2 ILD IDL LLL LILI S—4

“How to Obtain the Book FREE.

- We desire to make this book available to all
‘Teamsters, ‘Trainers, Horse - Shoers, Coachmen,
Breeders, and others. having the care or personal
charge of horses. To any one who will ‘send

us Twenty-five plainly written names and.
addresses of Teamsters, Coachmen and others men- —

tioned, and six cents to pay postage, we will send
a copy of the book free. |

A copy on extra paper with special plates at
twenty-five cents and twenty-five names. The
extra edition at the extra cost will give oe best
satisfaction.

This work is cheap at twice the prices at which
placed, 25 and 50 cents a copy, but to extend its
circulation, it is as an experiment sold at these
rates, which barely cover cost.

THE MAGNER PUB. CO.,
BATTLE GREEK, MICH.

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