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Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings Schooi of Veterinary' Meciicine at Tufts University 200 VVesiboro Road North Grafton, IVIA 01536
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Issued unifor7n -with this book
Our Devoted Friend
The Dog
By Sarah K. Bolton
L. C. Page & Company Publishers, Boston, Mass.
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Our Noblest Friend The Horse
BY
FRANCIS M. WARE
Author of " Some First-hand Bits of Stable Lore "
Illustrated
" A horse should be treated like a gentleman "
LELAND STANFORD
BOSTON L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
MDCCCCIII
fit
Copyright, igo2 By L. C. Page & Company
(incorporated)
All rights reserved
Published, November, 1902
Colonial ^rrsa
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston. Mass., U. S. A.
Contents
part 1[. — Ibocse IRature
CHAPTER PAGF
I. Mental Limitations of Horses . . .11
II. Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home . 22
III. Affection for Animals, Not for Man . 32
Ipart im. — Iborae JE^ucatlon
I. Education of Colts 45
II. Equine Education 62
III. Vice and Its Correction . . . . 'n
IV. Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness . . 90
part 1T1I1F. — Gboosiufl anO Tllsing Iborscs
I. Horse Buying and Horse Trying . . 105
II. Driving ........ 124
III. Riding for Women and Children . -134
IV. The Family Horse and the Children's
Pony 151
V. The Roadster 163
VI. A Plea for the Pony 176
VII. Driving Tours 187
V
VI
Contents
IPart IFli). — Cbe Proper treatment of Iborses
CHAPTER
I. Fad and Fashion. The Docking and Mu- tilating OF Horses
II. Sense and Sentiment
III. Our Obligations to Our Dumb Dependents
IV. Homes for Horses
2or 215
22 ^
234
IPart D. — Ibealtb anO Comfort
I. Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping, Etc.
II. Shoeing and the Feet ....
III. The Horse's Clothes ....
IV. Preventable Hardships Due to Our Cli
mate and Environments . V. The Horse at Pasture .... VI. The Horse in Sickness . . . •
247 269 281
295 303 311
Ipart m. — '^bc Stable
Stabling Arrangements Appropriate to American Climate 333
II. Stable Conveniences
III. Care of Vehicles and Horses
IV. Outfit for One Horse . V. Keeping One Horse
344
352 357 363
5Li8t of Ifllustmtions
PAGE
Correct in Every Particular Frontispiece
Ready for Anytiiing. Original drawing by Frank Whitney . i8
A Well-xMatched Pair. Original drawing by Frank Whitney . 28 Chums. I. Paleface with her dog friend. — 2. Paleface with
her parrot and kitten ....... 38
Halter-Breaking a Colt 47
Three Well-Behaved Pupils 55
The Proper Way to Throw a Horse 58
Cross Country. President Theodore Roosevelt taking a
three-rail fence . . 72
Two Peerless Animals. i. Boralma, the great trotter. — 2.
Dare Devil, the great stallion. Both owned by Thomas
W. Lawson ......... 78
I. War-Bridle. — 2. Trip-Line 82
The Kentucky Kicking-Strap 85
The Best Way to Fasten a Halter- Breaker .... 88
Two Popular Tricks, i. Shaking hands. — 2. Walking on
two feet .......... 94
On the Way to Market ........ 106
I. Nearly a Pair. — 2. A Perfect Pair. Original drawings by
Frank Whitney . . . . . .110
Likely to Suit. Mr. J. H. Shultz. driving Colonel Direct . 120
A Perfect Little Horsewoman. Miss Marion HoUins, riding
astride . . -136
List of Illustrations
PAGE
A Model Lady's Hack. Miss Belle Beach on Ace of Spades,
owned by Mr. Harry T. Peters . . . . . .140
Two Model Saddle- Horses, i. Julep, ridden by Mrs. James L. Kernochan. — 2. Glorious Radie, owned by Thomas W. Lawson 148
Pony Outfits. I. Alone in his glory. — 2. The more the
merrier . . . . . . . . . . 1 58
Perfect Style and Action, i. Glorious Black Venus. — 2.
Glorious Bonnie. Both owned by Thomas W. Lawson 163
A " Big Little One." Rags, owned by Mr. Howard Willet . 177
Two Sporty Ponies, i. Bo-Peep, owned by R. F. Carman. —
2. Doncaster Model, driven by Mrs. John Gerken . . 182
Off for the Afternoon 191
A Good Outfit for a Driving Tour. Mr. Alfred G. Vanderbilt
driving depot wagon 1 92
Ready for the Journey, i. Mr. R. C. Vanderbilt. — 2. Mr.
Howard Willet . . . . . . . . .196
Polo Ponies. Judging the Polo Class, at Bay Shore Horse
Show 207
Prize- Winning Pairs. Courtesy of the owner, Mr. Eben D.
Jordan 212
Low Brilliant, a Winner of 450 Prizes 224
Horses' Homes 236
Past Their Prime, i. Three old pensioners at a horses' home.
— 2. Still in service 242
Up to Four Miles or Forty. Waubun, ridden by Mr. John
Gerken . . . . . . . • • • 248
Heatherbloom's Great Jump. 8 feet, 2,% inches . . . 268
A Prize- Winning Four. Courtesy of the owner, Mr. Eben D.
Jordan .......... 280
A Glorious Quartette. Owned by Thomas W. Lawson. i. Glorious Red Cloud and Glorious Thunder Cloud. — 2. Glorious Whirling Cloud and Glorious Flying Cloud . 294
List of Illustrations
PAGE
Two Jumpers, i. Jumping at the Bay Shore Horse Show. — 2. Heatherbloom |un)ping 7 feet, 2 inches at the Atlantic City Horse Show . . . . . • . • 302
A High-Stepping Tandem. Courtesy of the owner, Mr. Eben
D. Jordan 310
A Model Stable ; Neat and Unpretentious .... 334
The Extreme of Luxury and Comfort. Two views of Mr.
Thomas W. Lawson's celebrated show barn . . . 344
The Best in Their Class. Courtesy of Mr. Eben D. Jordan . 356
part 11 ♦ t)or0e Bature
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part II. Iborse IRature
CHAPTER I. Mental Limitations of Horses
IT is due to the romancing of the inexperienced and impractical that we too often would attrib- ute to the horse mental qualities which he does not possess, and mistakenly endow him with an intelligence which, could he even approximate, would not improbably render him useless for' the purposes at which we are accustomed to employ him.
II
12 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
This extreme sagacity has been denied him by nature, and, through its absence, we are enabled to hoodwink him as to our intentions, our means of restraint (so totally inadequate did he but realise it), etc., and to compel him to render to us a service which (as cannot too often be repeated) he does not " deligJit to render," as sentimentalists and theorists would have the world believe. Any labour that is performed for mankind by the horse is done solely and simply because he has been educated through constant and exhaustive rehearsal to yield obedience to our demands, and because his attempts at resistance have been, from the very be- ginning, regularly and completely brought to nought. Man has so invariably proved the master in every argument, the victor in every dispute, that his sov- ereign rule is conceded — and once this idea is firmly implanted in the animal's mind, all revolt is ended ; he yields to his handler any performance within his powers — not glorying in duty done, but refraining from fruitless rebellion.
This statement is so absolutelv true that it is
Mental Limitations of Horses 13
only necessary to let an animal uncc get the idea that he need not perform some task, to find that, either regularly or occasionally, he will ever after attempt to shirk the matter. This evasion may con- sist of any resistance, balking being the most com- mon form, or refusing to turn one way or the other, or turning round to go home, etc. Its form does not matter; it is the rebellious act that is significant.
The accepting of individual qualities and perform- ances as characteristic of the equine race in the abstract has been the cause, to those who keep and use horses, of many fatal mistakes and much trouble, and in these pages the general qualities of the average horse are the only ones considered.
^The reader must be asked to accept — or to inves- tigate, at least — sev^eral statements as to the horse's limitations which will not improbably at first meet condemnation. These are, first, that the horse is a fool ; second, that he is a coward ; and third, that, like most cowards, he is a bully. It is through no faults of his own making that the animal is thus to be classified, but because nature has thus beneficently
14 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
arranged matters in order to facilitate his subjuga- tion and subsequent utility for human usages. His f oohshness renders him easy to deceive ; his timidity makes him quickly submissive, unwilling to resist once he believes it useless ; and his propensity to be a bully is evidenced from the fact that as a youngster (and frequently in later life), he is continually trying to find out just how far he will be allowed to rebel, and will, if unchecked, overstep the bounds continu- ally, each time more defiantly, until possible dis- aster follows.
As equine folly and timidity afford the prime factors whereby the creatures may be easily subju- gated and employed, and provide thereby a safeguard for us, so these characteristics contain their danger- ous elements. The " fool " part of the creature's nature will, at times, be so augmented by the cow- ardly, that headlong panic is the result, and frightful accidents ensue. It is true that these panics are as frequently the outcome of past as oi present happen- ings, but results are none the less unpleasant. An animal may have been injured by this or frightened
Mental Limitations of Horses 15
by that, and the reappearance of the object or the recurrence of the incident is doubly horrifying be- cause of the painful associations. The panic which follows is almost insanity; the results are fre- quently of the most serious nature.
The horse's mind can receive and digest but one impression at a time; and this again is a blessing to us in many cases, a calamity in others. It helps us because, for example, the one idea that resistance is useless becomes paramount to anything else, and we may carry his education to extended lengths, if we are willing thoroughly to accept and to act upon this unalterable fact. What makes a horse break loose from the kindly hands which have led him from his blazing stable, dash back to it, and into his own stall through flames and smoke, and there stand and die, resisting all efforts to remove him? It is because he is foolish; timid, therefore panic- stricken; and being thus, he clings to the one idea that the familiar stall, which has always before shel- tered him from harm, must be his only sanctuary now. Safety is there or nowhere — and to it he
1 6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
returns, through flames, over tottering floors, and under trembhng walls ; and there he expires — firmly convinced that there is no hope, no shelter but this.
It is for the very same reason that, if a horse is blindfolded, he may be led from a burning building. The loss of vision changes his one idea — and he becomes occupied with another. The writer got a horse from a flaming stable, after repeated and vain efforts to move him had been made, by simply tying up a leg, and forcing him to hop along on three. He came at once, and so he would have done had any one of dozens of other means been used to change the current of his thought.
It is thus with the balky animal, the one who shies — if we will but distract his attention from the one idea upon wdiich his mind is concentrated, forth- with we may do with him as we will. Some of these measures may be painful or uncomfortable, but need never be brutal or abusive. The original idea com- pels resistance, but another cunningly substituted becomes in turn overpowering, and the animal is
Mental Limitations of Horses 17
as thoroughly subjective to it as to the one whose place it takes.
The horse's memory is most retentive ; his homing instinct is as true as a carrier-pigeon's. He will remember a voice — yet never recognise the speaker either by sight, smell, or touch, until the familiar tones are heard. Words are to him of no import; he obeys only those associated with certain gestures or subsequent effects — as the cut of a whip, etc. He rarely forgets a locality, or its devious ways of approach, even although years have passed since he last visited it. It is this memory which enables us to leach him tricks, to use him for our various purposes etc., and this same power of recollection proves an undesirable faculty in that it does not allow him to forget past accidents, successful resistance, etc. In fact, the horse's memory it is which should render us doubly careful, in all our relations with him, always to retain the upper hand; for he never forgets the one time that Jie got the best of you, and the very rarity of the occurrence serves but to make the impression the more vivid.
1 8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
A horse is not generous. True, he will go until he drops in many instances, but that does not prove generosity, but rather that he has been punished if he paused, and the one idea associated with progress in harness and under saddle is to go on and on, until the biped in charge signals that enough has been done. One hardly calls the cow generous because she " gives do^wTi " her milk — it affords her relief to do so — and in the same way, the horse hurries on to the shelter, the care, and the food, which past experience has proved always await him at the journey's end ; and in this anticipation he struggles along, goaded further, when exhaustion intervenes, by fear of punishment if he stops. The unbroken colt or the untamed horse does not possess this " gener- osity " for the reasons that no past lessons of reward or punishment stimulate and urge him on. If in company with other horses, he will proceed as long as strength allows — his gregarious nature and his previous association with his kind ensure that ; but brief indeed will be his progress once all such incen- tives are missing, and vain will be any efforts to
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Mental Limitations of Horses 19
force him to continue after he is thoroughly fatigued. "Generosity" has nothing to do with the matter,. and is but another of the fallacies which so much endanger our relations with the horse who has us and our loved ones so frequently, and so completely, at his mercy.
The reader may conclude that an effort is making to depict the horse as a sort of fiend incarnate, with no desirable or reasonable attribute whatever, but this is far from the case. It is simply intended that the public shall realise that those old " ghost stories " of this and that wonderful display of intelligence and foresig-ht upon the part of the equine race are the merest fables, or explainable logically upon to- tally different grounds from those usually set forth. These yarns have been told and retold so many times and with so much elaboration, that they have become accepted as true and genuine incidents of experience with the animals. It is not fair to the horse to expect these developments ; it is dangerous in the last degree to the person who absorbs them as gospel truths. An active experience covering over thirty years
20 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
with every variety of the horse and for every pur- pose, not in scattering instances, but in quantities often amounting to hundreds, has afforded oppor- tunity to the writer for unHmited investigation and experiment — and the results are as herein set forth, the reasons are as here narrated.
Competently to handle any animal we must under- stand its mental and physical limitations. The rattle- snake is harmless if grasped in a certain fashion and handled in a certain way ; it will wave about to cer- tain music, but it will neither give milk like a cow, nor pull a load like a horse. The seal learns to beat drums, etc., but can never climb a tree, nor stand on its head like a monkey. His peailiar limitations environ the horse likewise, and he must be asked to do only what he can accomplish, in the way he can perform it. His predominating characteristics are foolishness, timidity, bullying propensity, a one- ideaed mind, a strong memory, ignorance of words, understanding of sounds, more easily if associated with gestures, keen hearing, sharp sight, etc. ; and as these are the possessions of all horses, — in however
Mental Limitations of Horses 21
varying degree, — our relations with them must, to be satisfactory, proceed along the lines indicated ; accepting these peculiarities as unalterable, and therefore to be handled to the best advantage in the securing of satisfactory results.
CHAPTER 11. Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home
TO concede that the horse possesses faithful- ness — in the ordinary acceptation of the word — as a conspicuous trait is to attribute to him another quahty of which he is not capable. Faithfulness is defined as " loyalty," " sincerity," and these virtues the animal does not exhibit, although the ungenerous motives of desire for food and shelter will produce results seemingly typical of such nobility of purpose and action. Of the quality of devotion evidenced by the dog, for instance, the horse shows not one particle; nor can he attain the eminence of the canine in this respect, because his characteristics are dissimilar, even did his oppor- tunities allow; because any such latent inclination has not been developed, as with the canine, through generations of association with man ; and because he
22
Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home 23
is too dominated by fear and foolishness to make his loyalty or faithfulness always possible under vary- ing circumstances. Do not be deceived by what you may hear or read about this characteristic, and dis- abuse your mind of the idea that the horse possesses it; that he is true to his master; that he loves to work for him; and that he performs his tasks through " faithfulness," etc. It is a lovely theory and a beautiful romance, " rolling trippingly " from the lips of humanitarians who probably believe it, but there lurk behind the lamentable facts that it is neither true nor possible.
Faithfulness implies loyalty to individual and to occupation. The horse is true to neither. Person- ally you — all human beings — are distasteful to him — your very scent is unpleasant. In so far as he finds you a medium to provide care and shelter, he tolerates you, but you never reach a higher point in his affections than that of acceptance as a neces- sary evil ; a member of the race of bipeds which has always (or generally) compelled obedience and frustrated all efforts at rebellion. As his master he
24 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
accepts you, and " faithfully " does his work, be- cause he has always been made to do it, and is imbued with the one idea that he cannot help himself.
Were he genuinely " faithful," he would betray the characteristic in various ways. He would not leave you when loose; he would love to follow you about; he would so enjoy your companionship and so relish working for you as to prove impossible of restraint from either sitting in your lap, or harness- ing himself to the carriage and insisting upon taking you to drive, whether you wanted to go or not ! In short, he would prove an unmitigated nuisance. The Po'wer which provided him for man's purposes ar- ranged his failings (and his merits) exactly to meet the requirements demanded, and as he stands he is as nearly " faithful '' as we should care to have him.
True, he comes at your call from the field (that is, sometimes he does, if he has nothing better to do), but do not flatter yourself that faithfulness or affection impel ! Not at all — either you or some one else has been in the habit, when he obeyed, of
Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home 25
rewarding him with food and dainties. If you think otherwise, and have the courage of your convictions, turn him loose on the streets, or call him from the pasture, and if you (or any one) have never re- warded him for obeying (or appetite does not just then press), he will pay not the least attention to you.
He waits " faithfully " for you at the door, be- cause you, or some other, have impressed it on his one-ideaed mind that he must not move until he is told. He stands by you when you tumble off, be- cause he has been trained so to do, or because he is not alarmed sufficiently to seek refuge in flight ; but if you imagine that he will wait around for yO'U all day as your dog will, because he loves you, try it and see — you'll enjoy a pleasant walk home!
He " faithfully " pulls his load along the thorough- fares, not because he enjoys labouring in the interest of man, but because he dare not do otherwise. Do not despise him for, nor be disappointed in, his short- comings ( ?) ; rather love and cherish him the more on their account.
26 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
The wildest cow-pony, hardly saddle-or-bridle- wise, will wait for hours at any point where he may be left, providing only that the bridle-rein is thrown over his head. The enthusiast is much impressed at the sight of this " faithful " creature waiting for his master, but does not know that the first thing a broncho is taught, as vitally important, is to stand and to wait anywhere, with but the horizon as a boundary; and that this obligation is impressed upon him by turning him loose in the corral with a sharp curb-bit in his mouth, and with its reins trailing on the ground. By the time he has stepped upon them a few times, as he wanders about, and nearly broken his jaw in consequence, he learns that trailing reins are a signal to stand still, and that only lack of motion ensures freedom from acute agony. Pull the bridle off, and you can't get near enough to " rope " him, unless in a pen, or when riding a horse fast enough to run him down. The mustang hates man, who in his experiences has proved himself a merciless brute; yet, if bridled thus, the creature
Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home 27
will wait " faithfully " his master's coming for hours or for days.
The " bump of locality," the homing instinct; and the love of home are wonderfully developed, and these possessions are, of course, a part of his pre- dominating trait, - — memory, — as is his acceptance and retention of one idea at a time. The unfortunate part of it all is that these faculties render horses acute sufferers from homesickness, which perhaps may be construed roughly as morbid recollection. No animal suffers more severely than he ; none is more faithful to the accustomed stall, the familiar yard; none is so little considered and consoled in this respect. The dog also suffers intensely, but he can be comforted by the incessant human companion- ship and affection, which do not appeal so intimately to the horse. That poor creature must pine in silence, heartbroken and inconsolable, until time, " the uni- versal healer," shall have assuaged the pain and dimmed the recollection. Let years elapse, however, and if returned to former scenes, he briskly and joyfully takes all the familiar turnings, enters the
28 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
well-known drive, and unerringly goes to the wonted stall, and who shall say what hymn of thanksgiving goes up from his anxious heart for this blessing bestowed ? Many horses which when newly arrived from the country refuse to feed well, and seem gen- erally " out-of-sorts," are suffering from nothing in the world but nostalgia, and only time can alleviate their pangs; although a return to health and spirits is, when it occurs, credited to the various drugs and nostrums einployed.
It is this active memory that proves our safeguard in handling the animal, and without it his use by man would be quite impossible. In time of emer- gency, if he answer to the sharp "Whoa!" and stands still, no matter what befall, it is because his one-ideaed mind and memory associate the order with the fact that the sound (not word — he does not understand that) has always enforced instant cessa- tion from motion, and an obligation to stand still until directed to do something else. Once learned — and every horse can learn and should be taught to obey at once — he never forgets this lesson, and
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Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home 29
even should you give the command when he is going down-hill, over smooth ice, he will stop, and refrain from voluntary motion, even though he slides to the bottom. The memory that he has always proved able to move a big load will make him fairly " pull his heart out " at anything he is harnessed to ; but woe to you if his strength is inadequate to move it, for he will never forget that either ! Of the two results he will naturally adopt as final that which causes him least exertion, — he is not fool enough to overlook this advantage, — and may very probably persist in his refusal to try again until you convince him that he cannot help himself.
Any faux pas committed by the instructor in the training of colts, or in their subsequent education, is never forgotten, and, whether it becomes confirmed or not will depend upon your ability in making a stronger impression upon the equine mind in your ensuing correction of your mistake and of his mis- conduct. If we could but trace up the causes for all the accidents and stampedes which occur, we should almost invariably find that previous mishaps and
30 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
mistakes, perhaps in babyhood, had caused appre- hensions which, while dimmed, had never been for- gotten.
The horse is a bully, and is always on the watch to take advantage and to evade obligations. He will " size you up " in a moment. The animal that walks sedately off with A will put B flat on his back; the roadster that " plays the fool " and shies at everything with C, will face fire, flood, and any- thing, when D's steady nerve telegraphs through the reins that all this " bluffing " must stop, and that discipline will be enforced. All intercourse should, upon the part of the man, be calm and good-natured, but firm, prompt, and decided, and if you are not up to the mark physically or mentally your horse knows it at once, whether you realise it or not.
Memory it is that ensures us protection from the animal's propensity to bully us. He never forgets that he did not succeed the first time he tried it, but was signally defeated — and perhaps well punished for his insubordination. In the same way he never forgets that he failed in his efforts to kick, to rear,
Faithfulness, Memory, Love of Home 31
to run away, to lie clown, etc. ; and this memory pre- vents his trying again, and ensures us safety in his use. An all-wise Providence has thus provided us a means to control and to educate him which is thoroughly efficient, and which, despite his very limited mental abilities, renders him able safely to perform for us the various tasks at which we use him, in the manner that we direct. In this particular he ranks as a wonderfully intelligent creature, and in his case, as in that of man, memory is the faculty which makes possible extensive acquirements, and advances the interests not only of himself, but of his associates.
CHAPTER III. Affection for Animals, Not for Man
THE horse is a gregarious animal, and as such craves the companionship of his kind, or failing that, of any other living creature, man ranking lowest not in the list of his affections, but of his tolerations. As the slang phrase runs, he emphatically " has no use for " the biped, save as a drawer of water and a means to the end of food and shelter. As such, man has his uses in equine eyes, but not otherwise, nor for any other purposes. True, to the hunter camped for the night upon the plains may come his four-footed comrade in the " dim watches of the night," and may graze or stand near him ; but should he thus seem to seek compan- ionship in the vast solitudes of the prairies it is regarded by the experienced not as a cause for self- congratulation and as a manifestation of affection,
32
Affection for Animals, Not for Man 33
but as an evidence of apprehension, a token of un- easiness at the impending storm, the hovering coyotes or other dangers ; nor will he thus seek his master unless he is absolutely alone; if others of his kind are in company with him, the proprietor finds that his only means of security from straying or disappearing altogether is assured by the use of strong hobbles, and short-coupled at that. Alack for the theorist who would turn his steed loose, unfettered of limb, and expect always to find him again, even had theirs been the close companionship of years !
A horse will not seek his master in the field save for selfish ends; nor will he select him from among several others, if they all use the same sounds and gestures ; and he advances as readily at a call mean- ing "Go away!" as "Come here!" provided the sounds and intonation be similar. He knows no one by sight, although his sense of smell has seemed sometimes to aid him ; but even so. it was some familiar and perhaps unconscious gesture, action, or manner that aided his efforts at identification,
34 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
allayed his feeling of distrust and timidity, and caused him to seem to recognise his friend. Senti- ment to the contrary, he has no " longing for the famiUar hand, the well-known voice," nor will he " cuddle his head upon your breast in the expression of his wordless affection," as the fairy tales run. If he does so " cuddle," it is because some one has been accustomed to fondle him thus; and this is tolerated because of the sugar or carrot which has proved a not unusual accompaniment. While dis- tressing to the writer thus to wipe away the cob- webs of tradition and of school-book narrative, cold facts are what they will be, and most actions of our four-footed friends are explainable if reasons for them are sought.
If affection is not felt for man, resentment is plainly evidenced, and certain race-horses have been known either to fly into a frightful rage, or to shake and sweat with dread when they heard the tones of a jockey who had brutally punished them in a race ; yet this same rider could stand directly before them, and no demonstration followed as long as he did not
Affection for Animals, Not for Man 35
use his voice; but of that the merest whisper was enough. It would be most interesting to see whether such an animal could by any means recognise such a man if he had never before heard him speak; but the chances are against it, although, as stated above, the sense of smell might assist. One well-known race-mare was so upset every day by hearing the trainer's voice giving orders to the boy-rider when at exercise, that nothing could be done with her until a code of signals was arranged by means of a stick, etc. From that day (the trainer changing his appearance in no way), she was perfectly quiet and tractable, al- though the man was always about her both in and out of the stable. He might be in her box for a long time, handle her in any way, but if he spoke, she would fly at him instantly, and act like a wild thing for some time after. Certain race-horses also take such a violent antipathy to certain riders that they will not try to race when ridden by them, but sulk and refuse to run; nor are these always boys who have abused them.
There is something about a highly organised, in-
36 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
tensely nervous horse that makes him quick to take these notions of disHke. Of course, all race-horses, as they advance in training, become irritable and irrational to a degree — and, man or beast, there is something about perfect physical condition that acts upon the mental, and renders them at these times unreasonable, morose, and " crotchety " to a degree, and it is then that personal inclination as to society or seclusion must be closely studied and intel- ligently catered to if the best results are to accrue. The writer has often thought that we do not suffi- ciently regard the sense of hearing — of " pitch " — in the animal ear. We all know that certain tones or notes in voice or instrument will make dogs un- easy, finally howling dismally, or escaping if possi- ble; and it has been said that every violin or piano has some special notes of harmony or discord that will drive any dog to desperation. He believes that the horse is affected in the same way, but possibly to a lesser degree. Certain horses seem to rejoice in carrying the drums in a mounted band; others can never be made to submit quietly. Every one has
Affection for Animals, Not for Man 37
seen an animal, standing in his box, evidence irrita- tion and violent anger at the voice of some total stranger, yet treat his companions with every courtesy, — and here, perhaps, crops out as well the propensity to bully.
Horses are perfectly submissive in the hands of some men, although they have never seen them before. A certain " horse dentist " was sent for, to attend to the teeth of a very savage stallion, but, through a mistake, was not informed that the animal was vicious. IJe arrived, and finding no one in charge of the stable, and seeing that there was only one stallion stabled there, concluded he was the subject, and, entering his box, was busily working upon his teeth, when the man in charge returned. The groom could hardly believe his eyes, as he had himself for years been the only one who could handle the horse. The secret of it was that the doctor, not knowing the horse was vicious, had no fear, and as he was of the wise few who never " speak to horses," the stallion considered him his regular attendant, and submitted at once. Had he
38 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
spoken he would have been recognised as a stranger, and probably killed off-hand.
Horses kept in what is practically solitary con- finement, as is the case with many stallions, and with trotters and race-horses far too often, form strange and touching friendships with all sorts of animals, — cats, dogs, goats, sheep, fowls, etc., — and are some- times quite inconsolable without them, provided their solitary existence is continued. It has always seemed, however, that too much stress was put upon the display of affection by , the equine, and hardly any of the credit given to his little com- panion, who always made the first advances, and who could leave the box at any time, but preferred to stop with his big " pal." How true this is may be proved by turning such a horse out to grass with others, or even alone, and by confining his partner where he can see and be with him if he zmll — nor perhaps, if he could always see him would the test be fair, for that might suffice. Not in one case in a thousand will the steed pay any further attention to his erstwhile cherished comrade.
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Affection for Animals, Not for Man 39
The celebrated trotting stallion Cresceus was al- ways accompanied by his dog, which never left him, save w^hen he was taking part in the actual race ; yet how much of this fidelity was creditable to the dog no one has ever troubled to wonder or to investigate. Most race-horses are preceded by a special compan- ion, sometimes a tiny pony, in most of their slow ex- ercise; yet, if emergency arises, any other horse seems to answer nearly as well, provided he calmly and confidently leads them — his tranquillity allay- ing their nervous apprehension.
The more highly bred the subject the more likely is he to betray the characteristics of affectionate regard for certain other creatures. The coarse-bred dullard is indifferent to such things. In a similar way greater intelligence is to be expected from all well-descended animals, provided the laws of in- breeding have not been outraged too severely. For this reason strictly thoroughbred horses are useless for circus or other trick purposes, — they are too in- telligent to be hoodwinked, and too impatient of
40 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
restraint to attempt to train with reasonable prospect of success.
If there were anything in the theory of the horse's affection for man, one would be safe in expecting that, at this same circus work, he would delight in performing at his best through love of the master who tenderly cares for and liberally rewards com- petent rehearsal and proper performance. The plain truth is that all these horses get finally out of control — save in a few, very few instances — and have to be relegated to other uses. The troupes of perform- ing horses never last long before the public, because the cunning creatures find that they may, in public, set authority at defiance ; as they learn that the dire punishment which follows the slightest mistake in private cannot be inflicted in public; nor can any errors be corrected at the daily rehearsal, because there they are generally letter-perfect, and rarely make the slightest error.
Therefore the creature's " affection " is rarely more than mere gregarious instinct. He loves com- panionship, and wants some living thing to chum
Affection for Animals, Not for Man 41
with, but as a rule, if he can always freely see and hear his kind, he has no use for other connection, and the odd relations which exist between himself and various other animals are due to their advances and to his toleration. If this were not true, he would in a wild state herd and graze with other than his kind ; but he never does so if the latter can be found. It is to animals in their wild state that we must turn for natural instincts — not to the domesticated, whose fancies may be diseased. Primitive man hardly cared for cigarettes, cotillions, and cham- pagne — it was only when civilised and domesticated that these unnatural tastes developed and overcame him.
Ipart 1I1I. Iborse lEbucatton
IPart nil. Iborec lebucation
CHAPTER I. Education of Colts
THE man who thoroughly and properly edu- cates a young horse confers a direct benefit upon humanity, and by the consequent safety and ability which his manipulation ensures, his pupil becomes a blessing to mankind, increasing the esteem in which the animal is held, and vastly enlarging the sphere of usefulness of his race.
If young horses could always, and from the very first, know us intimately as puppies do, and if their education began regularly from the very moment of their birth,, there would be little need for many of the appliances which we now esteem absolutely
45
46 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
essential to their control and safe use, and the term " breaking " (which always seems to imply brutality at some period and abusive measures to overcome a resistance which, if unprovoked, is rarely offered) would never have been applied to the process. Man's presence should never be associated with any- thing unpleasant, but always with tender care, pro- gressive instruction, and performance, which the pupil, by reward of food and caress of hand (never of voice), understands to be satisfactory.
A quiet and leisurely moving groom is invaluable around young horses; a trainer would be better if he were dumb, or always firmly gagged before he began his duties. Two words he will probably need to use, "Whoa!" and "Cl'k!" "Back" is also permissible, although by no means essential, and when the education is complete, " the student gradu- ated," he will be a better and more lively horse if he never again hears any word but " Whoa ! " and that rarely and only when meant to be instantly obeyed. However green and awkward a colt may be, if he understands that " Whoa! " means " stop "
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Education of Colts 47
— dead still ; stop in full career, slide, slip, or fall ; " stop and stand still " — he is wiser than ninety per cent, of his confreres ever learn to become, and the man who trained him deserves more than well of his fellow beings. Nor is the accomplishment difficult to acquire, or complicated to impart — a very little patience is the only requisite upon both sides — yet what colt educator thoroughly teaches it ? What consumer ever appreciates it or rehearses it constantly, that the habit may not grow rusty through disuse? Every baby should obey the word implicitly before ever harness is put upon him, and a yearling should be as biddable as any horse.
When the little thing is three or four weeks old, it should be accustomed to the halter, to leading, and to standing tied. Even before that — from the very day of birth — it should have been handled regularly all over, and as a matter of course ; constantly pushed and pulled gently about for a few steps ; and should grow up with the idea firmly implanted that the curious biped who is always about it and its mother is so strong and masterful that resistance to his
48 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
directions is quite useless. Early impressions with animals and children are lasting. The head-collar should be of soft but strong leather, fitting snugly about the nose, so that the little chap may not catch a hind foot in it, as he is not unlikely to do when scratching his cheek, etc., and so arranged that the cheek-pieces will not draw into his eyes. Lead him behind or beside his mother, — for he will go freely after her, — just restraining him enough so that he may feel that he is not free, and if he goes along quietly for fifty feet or so, unsnap your halter-shank and let him go, but never if he is pulling at you at the time ; wait until he chances to be quiet, and if he is loosened then he will not get the idea that his efforts effected it. A few brief lessons like this, and he is ready to be really led. Generally he will come quietly with you, but be prepared for the worst. If he resists, do not pull him or jerk him, and above all do not look him in the eye — unless he is very wilful. Simply stand still and hold your own; the rest is his affair. Let him pull it out, — he is learn- ing every instant, — and w'hen he does " come
Education of Colts 49
a-running," as he will in a few moments, he has learned a lesson which he will never forget. Be careful, if he throws himself, to keep his head up lest he injure an eye or stun himself. Once con- vinced that he cannot get free, he will never try, nor attempt, when he is tied up, to break that slender rope which has proved so powerful.
When you begin to put harness, etc., upon him, let him see, smell, and touch every article. Add to the harness one piece at a time, beginning with a surcingle, and put it on and off many times daily, gradually increasing the tightness of girths, etc. Accustom him, finally, to have it thrown on to him and dragged carelessly off, the saddle left hanging about his heels by the crupper under his tail, etc. Add all sorts of loose pieces to hang about and tickle his legs and under his tail — old straps, pieces of chain, tin pans, if you like. Educating a colt is simply accustoming him to everything, and a lot of odds and ends dangling about him is no more fearsome than the ordinary harness ; while, for the same reason, a rattling, creaking, break-cart is to
50 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
be preferred to the absolutely silent vehicle, and an ideal " school " would contain elevated roads, auto- mobiles, pile-drivers, brass bands, and steam drills. A horse fears everything which is strange — nothing to which he is accustomed. The sleepy artillery horse, indifferent to cannon firing in his face, runs away at sight of a flapping apron. Therefore, let the pupil be arrayed in all sorts of fantastic trappings, wearing them at first in his box and then outside, until he absolutely fears no combination. The writer once won some very " easy money " by driving a yearling a mile and back over a country road, the youngster drawing the gig by his tail, and holding it back by his bare hind quarters. Any colt will do the same if you teach him, and, no matter how un- comfortable, he will acquiesce if he has been taught (as this one had) that he would not be hurt, and that he could not help himself.
When first taken outdoors, he is to be led about by his halter-shank (with all the harness and loose ends on him), and brought back every few minutes to the starting-point, where he is to be partially unhar-
Education of Colts 51
nessed (buckles eased, etc.), and taught to stand still, an act which he soon accepts as part of the task. Short lessons and plenty of them are the thing, and two or three days at this are well spent. During the last day or two have cords attached to the traces, and let a man walk behind, holding and quietly pull- ing back upon them, especially at starting off. The pupil thus gets the idea that he can pull anything; is accustomed to seeing a man behind him; and when put in a gig will probably go off at once. Keep him at this until he exercises quite a bit oi strength in the traces, and will also allow them to swing and slap loosely against quarters and hocks. Caress him always for good performance, and caress the part he has iised hi performing the act, aki^ays in- cluding the brain, and don't imagine he doesn't understand, or that this association of " will and deed " is not intelligible to him. Let the signal to advance and the act of pulling on the traces be asso- ciated in his mind now, and it is there for good and all; you will never find him balking thereafter. Here he should be taught to back, and the best
52 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
practice possible is to lead him up to a familiar door or gate, which swings tozuard him; get him too near it for it to open until he moves backward, and, as you pull it to him, press back upon the halter, and say " Back ! " clearly and firmly, but do not shout. He ?niist move back, and he does; he sees the reason for the retrograde movement, and he asso- ciates the act with the word. Do this now every time he passes the gate — several times at each pas- sage, and in a day or two you may take up the practice as you lead him about, but always standing in front of him, making sure that he is standing square and in position to comply ; accompanying the word with quick pressure on the halter, and, when he obeys, never forcing him back more than a few steps before advancing again. Toward the last, arrange cords on his breeching, and pull against these as he backs, so that he may get the idea of bracing himself against weight. Show him at every step the reason for the act, and associate its prompt compliance with caress. The reins, hitherto buckled in the head collar, may now be transferred to a large
Education of Colts 53
leather bit, thick, but only wide enough to fit his little mouth, its rings large, and protected by leather circles that it may not pull through. Let your man now lead him, and do you drive him, applying proper pressure to turn him right, left, and to stop and back. In a day or two — this process will have already con- sumed five or six days — you should take him into a yard, or other small enclosure where you can be alone, and there put him through all the manoeuvres described, driving but not leading him ; a check of the " side " variety, but having its loops placed high on the crowii-pieces, being now imposed, just short enough for him to feel, if he hangs his head very low. This may be taken up by degrees until he gives to it and has to carry his head steadily, but at every lesson it should be easy at starting and tightened only after his neck muscles have become warm and well flexed, when he can yield to it easily ; and. after his last lesson each day, he should, on returning to his box, be checked up a few holes higher and left to bend himself for ten minutes or so, akuays caressing jaw and neck when the bridle is removed. Never
54 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
let any one persuade you to use a " bitting harness," and if you get the chance at one, out knife and never stop cutting it to pieces ; what human hands cannot do, no machine can accomphsh, at least in horse training. Nature has afforded you in the horse's mouth a wonderfully constructed and sensitive means for controlling the animal. Did you ever study it ? Do be careful how you abuse and destroy its exquisite tissues and nerves. Your pupil will " make and harden " his own mouth if you will but give him the chance.
There has never seemed any advantage in driving a colt in double harness, but, if you think so, be sure that you provide a nimble, quick partner (at start and at walk), and a fearless, for colts are very imitative. Perhaps a sluggard may be best double, for emulation wakes him up, and may make a quicker, livelier animal of him. Short drives of only a few moments are best, and be very careful that shoulders do not get chafed or bruised, and change the side the baby works on every trip, thus keeping his mouth and action true and even.
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Education of Colts 55
All colts are different, and the same colt is rarely two days alike. Be doubly patient with the slow- witted and the dull (or the easily confused and frightened). Never tire him, but always try to have him fresh and interested, and, furthermore, if you are conscious that you " got out of bed the wrong side " and are worried, or nervous, or irritable, give the job the go-by for that day. Your colt will find it out sure, even if you do not thoroughly realise it yourself, and a circus may ensue that will undo all your work, and spoil a horse. Take your own mental temperature every morning — your colt's, if you handle him, will probably prove the same.
Let the colt see the gig, smell it, and touch it; of course you always use an open bridle. Bring it to him. run it to him, lead him about, and have it drawn behind him; bring the shafts on to his withers, against his legs, etc., and finally, when he has no fear of it, and has been placed between the shafts and then led out several times, have every- thing in readiness and " put him to." You should be at his head. The traces should hook on to a staple
56 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
close to the tugs (short straps being used tempo- rarily) ; the breeching should hook, the belly-band ditto, the kicking-strap (the " Kentucky " X. kind, as in illustration) should snap each side, and you and your assistant should have all fast in an instant. Let him stand for a few moments, if he will, but if uneasy, lead him off, your assistant walking behind with the reins; and look out for squalls, although nine times in ten the little creature will not rebel. Do not ask him to turn too sharply, and, each time you take him out of his gig " put him to " again at once (just for a moment). Let your assist- ant mount the seat as soon as the colt is used to his hampering surroundings; keep a hand on the halter (always retained) the next few times he is driven; then drive him where you like, assured of reasonable safety, and in three weeks from begin- ning you should have a well-educated, active, willing youngster, sensible and better-mouthed than half the old horses.
But, says the reader, what about misbehaviour? True, colts will misbehave, and they are never really
Education of Colts 57
safe until there has been a quarrel and they have been mastered. Educated as described, there will, up to now, have arisen trouble from only two causes (in all probability). Every colt, sooner or later, will try to kick, but a properly placed and stout kicking-strap nips all that in the bud, and no young or fresh horse should ever be driven without one ; it is no trouble, and it is like carrying a revolver, — you may never need it, but if you do, you'll need it mighty bad ! Therefore, put it on and keep it on, long after all necessity seems past. Not every smash is caused by vice, and a frolic often ends in a row. The other " break " your pupil may make is to throw himself, and if he does, pile on to his neck and sit there while you smoke a cigar. The little beggar is doing a heap of hard thinking all the while, and the conclusion he reaches is that that particular game doesn't pay. If he tries it again, sing out for some rope, tie his legs together, fix his head comfortably, and leave him there for an hour or so. He is learn- ing that you are stronger than he — or, rather, you are deceiving him to that effect.
58 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
A " trip line " to a fore foot is a safeguard, if a colt is inclined to bolt, or perhaps run away, but this inclination is best combated perhaps by double- harness work. With the light and sensitive mouth such a colt will have, and educated as he has been, this escapade is unlikely, but if worst comes, and you feel that he is " going," try to " whirl " him by putting your strength on one rein and circling him, if you have room ; or put him head-on to a fence or building if time serves. There is an indefinable preliminary cringing, dropping of tail and ears, etc., — hard to describe but unmistakable after you have " been there " once or twice, — and when you see it coming, do anything you can accomplish quickest, even to throwing him, if possible, for he may endanger other lives if he gets under way.
Punishment must come, and it should always be severe, but try to let him know the exact reason for it. For instance, he tries to turn round ; this proba- bly happened when you were driving him on foot, and well if so, because you could correct him then and there. Try to straighten him out, giving him
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Education of Colts 59
time, but if he will not, then hand him one sharp cut of the whip — just one good one — along the proper side (that to which he turns) ; then wait, for perhaps he will straighten up. If not, hit him again, each time giving him the chance to answer your rein, and so continue until he obeys. Proceed the same in every emergency ; but if you cannot instantly punish disobedience, better let the incident pass for that time. If you will have a definite idea that satisfies yourself what you punish for, it is astonishing how little you will punish at all ! Or, in other words, flagellation is generally unnecessary.
Never punish an animal for shying. Remember he fears nothing to which he is accustomed; there- fore " get him used to " what he fears. If he persists, his eyes are wrong, or some one has pun- ished him for shying at that particular thing (or things), and he associates cause and effect. Any other follies and foibles of which the infant may become possessed are combated along similar lines, and there is rarely any difficulty in carrying his further education to any lengths desired.
6o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
More summary methods must be employed with more mature colts, or horses fully developed and able to resist (and these same plans may be used for the youngsters, but gentler ways answer best for them). The operations of a few "vicious horse" handlers have made these proceedings (elaborated and spoiled by them for show purposes) familiar in detail, and they all include the same principle — rendering the horse from the start powerless to resist, and obliging him to yield at length to almost any demand. Modified to meet individual require- ments, these methods, though rough and ready, are very effective, and are detailed in the chapter on " Vice and Its Correction."
Colts are trained to saddle by simply putting a boy up (the pad or saddle having no stirrups), hav- ing a man at each side, with a rope to the headstall to hold the colt, and also to give the lad a hand if the youngster bucks hard. Thoroughbred year- lings are generally following each other around the track, with boys up, and quite sedate, within two days after being first backed, and in a week or
Education of Colts 6i
ten days are quite way wise, and steady enough to go on the roads, etc., nor does this summary method seem to have any particularly bad effects upon either temper or mouth. We have always been taught that certain preliminaries were advisable, but theory must always give way to satisfactory practice, and certainly, in this case, results are good enough for practical purposes.
No colt is ever born vicious. If a saucy youngster becomes, through incapable handling, unmanage- able or dangerous, he should be destroyed, but if he does adopt such practices, it is solely and simply the fault of the man who essayed to educate and control him.
CHAPTER 11. Equine Education
MAN must dominate the animal kingdom in all his relations with it, and no such arrangement as a partnership between the human and the brute is possible. The master hand and mind must always enforce submission, and in a state of domesticity this all works for the well-being of the animal as strongly as for the welfare of his owner. Proper and patient instruction increases the animal's market value and actual worth, and his receptive faculties are greatly developed by the demands thus made upon them, each step in his education being the easier if the rudiments have been thoroughly rehearsed and accepted.
The education of a horse may proceed as far as the owner pleases, provided its direction is restrained within limits possible, both physically and mentally,
62
Equine Education 63
to the creature. Most of us are satisfied with very Httle, and recognise no need for any advance beyond the most crude service, — just as in the case of our own children we deem the ordinary curriculum of the public schools of various grades all-sufficient, and neither encourage nor tolerate further exploration into the fields of knowledge. The higher branches of education are in both cases considered superfluous, yet injustice is done as much to the horse as to the child if education is not carried as far as circum- stances will allow.
Every buyer when he enters the horse marts seeks for a " patent safety conveyance " for himself and his family, yet by mistaken ideas of economy, and by unwillingness to pay reasonable prices for such articles, renders such development of the animal's moral and mental powers impossible to the purveyor. To make a horse safe, fearless, and reliable, he must be shown and familiarised with all objects at Vast expenditure of time, labour, and money. There is no other way to do it, and as the animal fears noth- ing he is familiar with, rehearsals must go on until
64 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
that point is reached, and he has regularly seen and encountered every sort of disconcerting sight and heard every kind of alarming noise.
Now if the buyer will not pay for this labour and skill in the wp.y of increased price, certainly the seller is foolish to proceed any further than will en- able his merchandise to pass muster. He is not in business for his health, and if the pater-familias will persist in buying for a hundred and fifty dollars a horse which he knows is raw and " green" to town and city sights, resolutely refusing to part with five hundred dollars or thereabouts for a properly educa- ted animal, let the woe be upon his head which his utter folly invokes.
In view of the increasing difficulties and dangers attending progression along not only our highways but our byways as well, it seems inevitable that our horses must be prepared for all manner of hideous sights and sounds before they are brought to the city markets, and a not improbable part of the equine schoolroom of the future will be gasping and toot- ing automobiles, hissing steam-drills, snorting en-
Equine Education 65
gines, blasts, bonfires, cannons, and music. If he is duly introduced to all these he will pay not the slight- est heed to any of them. How he feared the bicycle when it was first brought out ! yet to-day what raw colt even looks at one? In the same way if he is trained to stand tin cans, loose chains and straps, and rattling wagon behind him, he never flinches at breakdown or smashup; will pull the wagon by his tail, and hold it back by his bare quarters if you ask him to do it properly. Just show him that he won't be hurt, and keep rehearsing him, and you may accustom the wildest brute to any ridiculous feat or freak your fancy conceives and his limitations admit. As the ideal training-ground would provide a medley of hideous sights and sounds, so the ideal trainer would be dumb. The use of language dis- tracts the animal's attention, and whatever is said to him should be always brief, abrupt, and distinct ; the tone, as nearly as possible, always the same. He who never speaks to a horse does well ; he whose vocabulary is absolutely limited to " whoa ! " and '•' c'lk " is fortunate. To speak to a colt or a wild
66 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
horse is to arouse in his fooHsh brain terror ; his one- ideaed mind cannot grasp the two details of your ac- tions and your words. The former he finally compre- hends by their physical effect upon himself ; the latter he never understands at all, although the tone as an accompaniment and eifect oi a gesture he learns to interpret. The two words you do employ should never mean but one thing, and should receive implicit obedience. " Whoa " means stop — slide, fall, or stumble, perhaps, but stop dead, and stand still. " C'lk," at once to proceed at a pace regulated by the feeling of the hand upon the mouth. The man who is eternally " Steady, old man," " Whoa- boy," or " P-weep-p-p-ing " to his horse is an infernal nuisance and a menace to every one within hearing, for he is driving every other horse in his neighbourhood, and spoiling the manners of his own. Gag yourself if you can't prevent this obnoxious habit — or buy an automobile. " Back ! " may be included as a third order, perhaps, though by no means as necessary as the other two, and, given an animal who instantly obeys all three commands.
Equine Education 67
one is well equipped to enjoy all the pleasures to be gained from horse-keeping, and that in absolute safety.
Granted the perfect acquirements of these three accomplishments, a horse's " education " is progress- ing, and further advance is always easier, because the average animal acquires facility and yields more readily as the hopelessness of resistance is impressed upon him. Intelligence varies vastly, and physical defects enter largely into the matter of the creature's obedience or resistance. His next important accom- plishment, and one of his most valuable, should be to walk fast and well. There is no pace so essential^ so much appreciated, or so practically useful as a fast, fair, square walk ; and there is nothing that will cause an animal to be driven so hard, or kept so continually on the other gaits, as a deficiency in this respect. Months of time and of intelligent and patient effort are expended to make the creature a fast trotter, a high stepper, a well-gaited saddle- horse; but so far as the walk goes, he is generalh- put upon the market as nature made him; rolling
68 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
along at the rate his ambition dictates, commended by his owner as a wonder if he happen to go fast, and sworn at and overdriven by every one if he chance to be slow. No colt should ever be harnessed beside other than a quick, free mover; and every saddle-horse should be ridden as persistently and carefully at the walk as at any pace — nor is any gait more susceptible of improvement, if requisite care is taken. Breeders, trainers, and owners are wholly to blame for the failure oi their charges to attain proficiency at this, the most useful, enjoyable, practical, and most neglected gait the horse employs for the purposes of locomotion. A prompt walker is almost invariably a free roadster, or if he is not, he may be greatly improved by common sense methods.
If all horses were generous, and if one could only form mutually satisfactory alliances with them, their management .would be all too easy. As this is not the case, and as discipline must be preserved (and as arguments are useless), one must attain one's ends at times by punishment; always requiting proper
Equine Education 69
performance by reward and caress — not by word. Punishment when inflicted must be sharp and severe, — it is the truest kindness, — but the utmost care must be taken that it is administered at the appro- priate time and in the proper way, and the recipient must be given every chance to understand the reason for the act. Nine horses in ten are punished at the wrong time. For instance, your horse shies at a heap of dirt. Once past and straightened out, you settle yourself again, arrange your robe, throw away your cigar, reach for the whip, and proceed to administer a thrashing, accompanied by sundr}' jerks and yanks at a sensitive mouth. " I'll show him ! " you reply to your protesting better half.
And that's just what you are doing — showing him that somehow dirt piles and a good licking are synonymous, and that, to escape both, he had better go over the fence when he meets the next one — which he proceeds to do in pursuit of the lesson you have taught him! Remember his one-ideaed mind. If he shies again — or at all — firstly, have his eyes examined ; secondly, familiarise him with the objects
yo Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
of his distrust by taking him repeatedly and regularly where they may be found in plenty ; thirdly, try to get his attention — his one idea — on other things, by shifting his bit, and puzzling him as to what you expect him to do (poor brute, how often he must ponder that), and if all means fail, and he still retains fear of any special thing, be sure that in some previous ownership that object is associated in his mind wnth either cruel punishment or serious accident and injury. Punishment is toO' often a result of man's impatience ; but that individual who cannot patiently bear with the shortcomings of a defenceless creature had best betake himself to dressing paper dolls for his amusement. Be sure that you have given your pupil every opportunity to grasp your meaning, and then, if he will not obey, he must be made; and severe correction, which ceases and is followed by caresses when obedience is yielded, will prove the only satisfactory method of progressing. Constant and tiresome repetition taught you your multiplication table — there is no
Equine Education 71
other way to teach the brute than that found effective with the human.
Indiscriminate caressing is almost as bad as none at all. If your son has passed his geography exami- nations, do you reward your daughter? If your horse performs some task in which his hind quarters have been the chief agents employed, do not pat his neck; should he yield his neck and jaws to your attempt at '' mouthing " him, do not caress his ribs — and, above all, do not think that this is far- fetched, for it is the gist of the whole business. Punish and reward the part you are attempting to " educate." As that old book on equestrianism says : *' If your beaste disobeyeth alrayte him with a loude voyce; and beat him terribly about the eares." Leaving out the voice, there is good sense in that; and soundly cuffed or switched ears are, in cases of mutiny, very productive of good, as is the caress to the same part, — the brain, — when the aninial has apparently grasped a new idea. The strength and sense of the Baucher system is that it attacks directly the member it would educate, and rewards as it
72 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
coerces. Next time your hunter just clears some big place, lean back, and clap those muscular quarters that have so ably done the trick, and do it at once. Be sure your good horse understands.
As you caress with the hand the external, so reward with sugar, carrots, apples, etc., the internal horse; and here as everywhere, "he gives twice who gives quickly." If you really care for animals, — and the writer is not attempting to convince those who do not and can not, — you will always be pro- vided with some titbit when associating with them, and even as the old cook found her way into your boyish affections via the cake-and-cooky route, so your charger will appreciate you in proportion as you "tip" him with delicate morsels (as he, how- ever, will any one else who does the same).
While every horse, from the day he is halter " broken " at a few weeks old, should be carefully and progressively " educated " and promoted as he learns, he must be thoroughly imbued with the idea that he is powerless to resist, or, rather, the habit of non-resistance must be confirmed. As early as
Equine Education 73
possible this fact must be brought to his attention, or his one successful effort at insubordination may- recur to him at any moment. There is no horse so genuinely dangerous as the one who (probably of lethargic temperament) has been brought up by some old farmer, who has, through his slow and gradual processes, probably never fought a pitched battle with the pupil — and conquered. Such an animal's docility is but a thin veneer which may crack at any moment, and when it does, look out! He never has been mastered, — as boy or colt we must all have been (once at least) if we are dependable now, — and any occurrence outside the usual routine may cause serious and immediate disaster. Assert 3''Ourself at all stages, and if a quarrel does not brew naturally, why, pick one — but only when you are sure you can win.
Further education proceeds upon the same princi- ples exactly, and advances depend upon what you personally want and how you want it done. If you wish your saddle-horse to go through his paces by employing exactly wrong aids and indications
74 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
of your wishes, you can teach him, and that this is very easy is proved by the fact that ninety per cent, of us use wrong indications anyhow. If you wish your steed to drive without reins, and to " gee " and " haw " Hke Job's off-ox, you may gratify your desire. One often thinks of the confusion that must reign in the brain of a horse fresh from the country, which is put into heavy harness for the first few times. He has always been taught that he was to hold his wagon back by his haunches. Now, to his amazement, he finds no breeching provided, but learns that he must perform that office by the root of his tail and the belly-band buckled tightly around his body; hitherto a check has meant, "hold your neck straight up and your nose out " ; now it forces him to arch the one and depress the other; a pull upon his jointed snaffle-bit has always stood for a turn either way, but now this straight and solid arrangement, which pulls down on one side of the lov\^er jaw, presses up on the upper and opposite sur- face; while the chin-strap, which used to mean
Equine Education 75
*' hold up " in the overdraw check days, now means (when shifted to the curb-chain) " hold down," Can you wonder that so many " green " horses balk, kick, rear, and throw themselves in their bewilder- ment ?
It is impossible, of course, within the limits of a book, to give ways and means, methods and man- ners, of " educating " the horse to perform sedately all the offices which we require of him, but the funda- mental rules are invariably the same, and their results are, if intelligently applied, universally sat- isfactory. A certain amount of " horse sense " is required, and ordinary nerve and temper; that is all, and every horse which successfully performs on track or circus ring, park, road, or riding school, has learned his lesson on these general lines of in- struction, which might have been acquired so much more quickly, painlessly, and pleasantly, had reward always been intelligible, caress appropriate, and punishment as rare, as prompt and severe upon occa- sions. Sentiment and theory are slender supports in
76 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
such matters, and as you love and care for all dumb animals, so see that in their sphere of action they, perform their tasks as you, their master, direct, promoting thus their truest happiness and best wel- fare.
CHAPTER III. Vice and Its Correction
NO sane horse was ever born vicious. Such characteristics are invariably the resuh of imperfect attempts by man at coercion and educa- tion. All the animal's natural characteristics and temperament are foreign to active aggression of any sort ; nor does the fact that the wild horse or the unhandled colt will bite, kick, or strike when cor- nered, prove to the contrary. All his instincts are for flight, and given the opportunity to exercise this proclivity, he will always avail himself of such means of escape.
The occasional saucy colt, which lays back its ears and runs at its care-taker or any stranger, is not vicious, but only exercising, rather in a spirit of play, that bullying propensity which is, in some form, noticeable in all horses. Undue familiarity
77
78 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
breeds contempt in animals as in any other depend- ents, and must be as promptly checked in the one as in the other case. Otherwise this playfulness may, in the case of the animal, lead him to presume too much upon good nature, and the jest may in unex- pected fashion turn to earnest. Quiet firmness works prompt reform, however, and there is no fear of incorrigibility resulting if the animal is handled with ordinary judiciousness. Once in awhile a horse becomes thoroughly savage, or unmanageable in other directions, but if so, the poor brute is insane in some way, and not responsible for his actions. Stal- lions, through the utterly erroneous idea that they must not be used and handled as other horses, are not infrequently set down as vicious and dangerous. Plenty of work, fearless handling, and a stable en- vironment which ensures sociability and companion- ship with their kind, soon reform all but the most hardened offenders — which could never have been classed as such had the most ordinary intelligence been used in their bringing up. The solitary and monotonous confinement of a box stall, tightly
Photo^'raphs by '1'. J.. Alair. i. -imh.
Two Peerless Animals.
I. BoRALMA, the great trotter. — 2. Dare Devil, the great stallion. Both owned by Thomas W. Lawson.
Vice and Its Correction 79
boarded up on all sides, will suffice to render any horse melancholy, morose, and finally treacherous. Such living places are the refinement of cruelty, nor is there any possible excuse or reason for such isola- tion. A horse is what you make of him, — he is as plastic as clay, — and if you treat a stallion like others of his kind he will act like them. The screaming, yelling, plunging brute is a living re- proach to and criticism upon his owner's methods. Success in correcting bad, and preventing vicious, habits must prove proportionate to the ability of trainers to proceed along the lines indicated by the horse's limitations, and possible to his intelligence. Such conditions must be combated and overcome by addressing the understanding without needlessly awakening fear, or permitting successful resistance. It rnust always be recognised that, as the horse is much stronger than man, although ignorant of it, all efforts must be made to blind him to the fact, and to deceive him as to his ou-n powers; suffering him, when practicable, to proceed in his rebellion, but only in a manner that will lead to his final defeat and
8o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
submission, such demonstration being by far the most convincing to him and satisfactory in result.
The horse's methods of reasoning (in such crude fashion as he performs that mental process) are limited entirely by the experiences of his senses, — sight, hearing, smell, and touch, — and he must be convinced through these organs that alarming con- tacts, sights, and sounds are harmless. Not under- standing words or language, it is to these senses that we must address our efforts. For this reason, con- fusion, excitement, or terror are to be carefully avoided, as greatly complicating matters ; and, while any of these mental conditions is in the ascend- ant, progress must be quite impossible.
Many animals are not intrinsically worth the time and patience required to correct the bad habits or vices which they have acquired, nor indeed is it well for the layman to attempt to handle any really determined ofifender in the way of savagery, or of running away, kicking, etc. If of ordinary activity and courage, however, no one need fear to attempt even serious cases if he will be careful never to
Vice and Its Correction 8 1
endanger the lives of others, and always to proceed along reasonable lines. There is nothing more ex- hilarating than the consciousness of having thor- oughly and permanently subdued such a recalcitrant, and never does man more keenly appreciate the advantages of his superior intelligence. " Make haste slowly " must ever be the motto at this task, and every opportunity must be afforded the subject to realise his helplessness and the reasons for it, as well as to recognise the contriver of it.
As argued in previous chapters, the horse is not to be spoken to while in process of handling, save in one instance possibly, and that is when about to enter a single stall. At this time it is best to attract the animal's attention before doing so, but a cough or any signal that will prevent his being startled by you is sufficient. Especially is this advisable if the horse is feeding, since many otherwise even-tempered animals resent being disturbed at their meals.
Punishment must occasionally be administered, and if you are calm and convinced (by reasons that
82 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
thoroughly satisfy yourself) that it is needful, apply it severely — it is the truest kindness.
The principal aids to conquering the vicious and controlling the unruly are the " war-bridle," the side line, the trip line, and the kicking-strap. These are all thoroughly practical, and when properly applied most effective. The " war-bridle " consists simply of a piece of cord, a size larger than clothes-line, and from about ten feet long upward. A hard knot is made in one end; another running knot just far enough away to encircle closely the lower jaw ; thence carry cord over the head, close behind the ears from off side up, and down nigh side; under upper lip and over teeth on gums ; over head again and through jaw loop. This is for controlling any horse, and when jerked sharply is very severe. Another mode of arrangement, used on runaways, etc., and carried back to the carriage like a rein (although this should always lead from the off or right-hand side of the mouth in order to pull the animal toward the roadside and not into passing vehicles), is to put the loop as described around the
I. \Var-I5ridle. — 2. Trip-Line.
Vice and Its Correction 83
neck at throttle ; double the cord ; run the loop (from the off side) one part through mouth and the other between the upper lip and upper teeth; bring the slack up off side, over head behind ears, down nigh side, through loop at lip, and back to the wagon. Few horses will attempt to get away with this rig- gmg applied, and will not go far if they do.
The " trip line," affixed tO' front pastern, thence running through a ring on shaft or girth to the trainer's hands, is useful, but may throw a horse and blemish his knees, if on hard ground. This arrangement may include both front pasterns if desired.
The " side line " is valuable in teaching a horse to stand still, etc., while, or until, harnessed, and is simply a rather large rope, one end made into a loop large enough to encircle the horse's neck like a collar, and with enough extra length to form another loop large enough for him to step a hind foot in. When he does this, pull up the slack, so that the foot is drawn forward and upward al)out six inches from the ground, and tie in the neck-loop
84 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
in a slip knot which a pull will release. A fairly- large rope will not cut nor chafe the ankle, and the horse is quite helpless to resist handling while thus hampered.
To start a balking horse, distract, by any means, his attention from his one idea of standing still. Frequently, the most irrelevant actions will bring this about. Bending the ear or ears down under the head-stall, raising or lowering the bit in his mouth, altering any of the girths or straps, placing a little sand or dirt in the mouth, pushing him a few steps to the right and then back again to the left, — any novelty that will change the current of his thought. The " war-bridle " will cure him, and should be put on under his harness bridle. Jerk him sharply with the cord, never straight ahead, but always laterally. Do not look him in the eye, as that sometimes seri- ously disconcerts him. Give him time to think it over between each jerk. Leave the cord on him for a few days thereafter when driving him, as a reminder of what he may expect if he rebels. If
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Vice and Its Correction 85
he gets sullen and throws himself, tie all his feet tosfether and leave him there for an hour or two.
If a horse rears in harness, put him in a strong cart, and run a cord under him from shaft to shaft at the stifles. When he rears he punishes himself.
If a horse is a runaway, shoot him, or sell him to some one (with a full knowledge of his failing) who will put him at such drudgery that he cannot indulge his freak. Panic may occur at any moment — the cowardly and the foolish elements in his make-up ensure that — and his one idea makes him go blindly on, over, or through anything.
The " Kentucky " kicking-strap is the only form which is absolutely certain to prevent kicking. This is a strap or rope which goes from before the tug on the shaft of one side to the cross-bar on the shafts at the other, and crossing its companion piece half-way between the croup and the root of the tail. Or the check-rein may be continued back to the croup, where it divides, and continues down each hindquarter to the shaft. Thus when the animal
86 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
kicks he throws his own head up. A strap is also used in double harness, but it is of Httle value. A back strap that is too short, or a saddle that is too narrow may make any horse kick, but this he ceases when relieved of his discomfort, and he is not to be condemned for the action. Nothing but a strap will absolutely and certainly cure this vice. Lots of hard work will usually prevent it.
If horses kick the stall partitions at night, they are afraid of the dark, and a light left in the stable is a sure preventative.
An animal who kicks at people in the stable should be kept in a box stall, and " whip-broken " always to face instantly any one who enters. To do this with a stout whip cut him about the hind legs until he faces you — when stop and caress him. Repeat until he always faces you promptly. If he must be kept in a single stall, arrange his halter with two ropes, one tying on the heel-post, the other running through the ring in the manger, and then back to the same place. Tie both to the post, and get him out by casting both off and hauling on the
Vice and Its Correction 87
former, reversing the process to return him to his place.
A biter should wear a rather close-fitting, bottom- less solid leather muzzle, which hangs well below his lips. He can eat with this on, but cannot grab at you sideways before you can get hold of his halter.
A strong and short standing martingale will keep a rearer on all fours.
Horses which shy persistently generally have defective vision, and should never be punished, but every effort made to encourage them, and create con- fidence, alarming objects being passed, when possi- ble, at a distance.
The treatment of hard pullers, etc., depends entirely upon individual conformation, character- istics, etc., and no rules can be laid down which will succeed in every case. They are all made by man's folly and wilfulness, and not by Nature's errors. If a horse's teeth are all right, his balance good, his neck not too thick and straight, nor his jaws too narrow, and he still pulls, then he has been
88 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
taught to do so, and his education in that respect must be gradually overthrown.
If a horse breaks his halter rope, and pulls back when tied, double a stout rope, place it round his body in a noose just over his back ribs; run the ends forward between the fore legs, through the head-stall ring, and tie to the manger. When he pulls back at this a few times, he will stand tied with a thread; or the rope may be passed under the tail as a crupper and then forw^ard; or the halter rope may be rtui through the manger-ring and tied to a front ankle.
Cribbing is prevented by arranging the feed-boxes as recommended in chapter on stabling, or a strap may be worn round the throat.
Other vices and tricks are occasionally met with, but nearly all may be combated successfully by patience and common sense, bearing in mind the characteristics of the animal. Readers should not imagine that the writer is an advocate of roughness and abuse, for such is not the case, but they should thoroughly comprehend the natural and sharply
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Vice and Its Correction 89
defined limitations of the horse, and understand that " man's noblest friend " is no more to be implicitly trusted than the average acquaintance; that his intelligence and generosity have their narrow boun- daries; that an animal is anxious to please you in proportion as he realises that you are his master; and that as you cannot overmatch him in physical strength, your safeguard is the subterfuge and de- ception which you would resent in him, — the less noble animal.
CHAPTER IV. Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness
SOME people find amusement in teaching tricks to their horses and other animals, and there are certain little performances which they may- learn without the application of punishment. That these accomplishments will be perfect, or that they will be promptly performed is unlikely, because — alack for tradition ! — no dumb animal is taught such things except by punishment, or through the impression produced by hunger. The horse is neither susceptible to flattery, nor receptive of new ideas; having, unlike the dog, but little reasoning power. If he is conciliated too much in these under- takings, and if he is allowed to become too familiar with man, it has seemed often that his disposition to take matters into his own hands is strengthened,
90
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness 91
and that trouble is invited which might easily be avoided.
Horses are made to perform tricks by being hampered in various ways ; by instant and condign punishment for failure or inattention ; and by caress and reward for proper performance. Too often the most summai-y methods are used. Thus a horse is taught he must not cross the low boundary of the circus-ring, by stationing around it men armed with . heavy whips, who thrash him unmercifully at every attempt to leave it. His one-ideaed mind acquires the impression that he cannot go out until the barrier is removed, and he, imagining finally that he cannot escape, will remain in that eighteen-inch enclosure to be beaten to death by his trainer if he elect.
Horses vary greatly in their ability to learn, and one can never tell whether or not they will "catch the idea " until trial proves. Some most intelligent and beautiful creatures are hopelessly awkward ; again a homely old mongrel will pick up his signals, etc., in wonderful fashion, and prove as agile as a goat. If adaptable, every one has a predilection
92 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
for certain styles of performance, and it is the part of the trainer to distinguish this quickly and cor- rectly, and not to waste time over pupils which can but prove failures; nor try to teach a horse to waltz, etc., which cannot manage that, but could prove adept at some of the other branches. Thor- oughbred horses are generally worthless for these purposes, — they are too headstrong, nervous, and impatient.
Some of the performances described here are valuable acquisitions for any horse ; others are mere tricks intended only to amuse. It should be borne in m.ind that each feat learned makes further advance more easily possible, and increases the general adapt- ability.
To teach a saddle-horse to stand still anywhere, if the reins are thrown over his head, put a bridle on him with a severe bit, turn him loose in a yard or box stall, and leave the reins to trail. He will step on them, throw up his head, hurt his mouth, and finally get the idea that standing still when the reins trail insures freedom from pain.
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness 93
To make your horse stay with you if you fall off, practise slipping off (in field or yard) and holding a long rein or rope attached to a sharp bit. As he runs away he will check on this, and, finding that he is free from pain if he remains close to you, will finally stop instantly, should you fall, and stand still.
To make a horse stop and stand still at the word '■ Whoa," see chapter on training colts.
To make an animal back freely and quickly, see same chapter.
To cause him to guide by the neck, cross the curb reins under his chin, and bring them to your (one) hand — the bridoon (or snaffle reins) being as usual. As you turn him, carry your hand across his neck in the direction you would go; he will quickly associate the pressure of the rein upon the left side of the neck with the pull upon the right side of the mouth, and will turn to the right or left finally by the pressure on the neck of the rein alone. The sway of the body to the right or left, the applica- tion of the right or left leg (or the lady's whip)
94 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
behind the girths, the directing of the animal in turning into appropriate corners (that he may see and distinguish reasons for his compHance), all greatly assist acquirement.
To teach to " shake hands," tap the right fore leg lightly with a switch until he starts to paw, at the same time saying " Shake hands." When he raises the leg to paw, seize it and move it up and down — he will quickly get the idea.
To teach him to say " yes " or " no " always use some special gesture, tone, and phrase; the gesture is the important feature, and is what he looks for. Thus, with a feather tickle the ear, saying, " Are you a Democrat? " or any such catch phrase. He will toss and shake his head, and if rewarded and regularly rehearsed will shortly act upon the word, and be emphatic, if you move your hand as if the annoying feather were there. To make him say " yes," with the feather tickle his nose. He will toss his head back and forth at the proper order; or if he be pricked with a pin (very lightly) upon the top of the head, the same effect will be produced.
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Two Popular Tricks. I. Shaking bands. — 2. Walking on two feet.
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness 95
Lying down is taught very easily. Put a plain snaffle bridle on the horse, and a rope or strap on his off fetlock, running thence up over his shoulder and withers to your hand (armed with heavy glove). You stand on his left side, your right shoulder against his left. Now pull up his fore foot by draw- ing on the rope over his withers; pulling (by your left hand on the bit) his head and neck round to your body (i. e. so that it curves round you), and saying, " Lie down." He must go down first on his knees, then on his side. Never hurry him, and be sure you are fit yourself, for he must go down the first time, or he will get the idea he need not — and always afterward resist. Soon the mere picking up the foot and the order will ensure his obeying — • especially if he is allowed to roll when down, for all horses greatly fancy this privilege.
To teach him to kneel, strap up one leg (he must be on deep straw, earth, or soft grass), and tap the other leg until he goes down. He will plunge up for a few times, but finally through fatigue remain kneeling, when reward him freely. He will finally
96 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
kneel as soon as you touch the legs or point the whip at them, the order " Kneel down " being of course given always and distinctly.
Learning to march is easily taught. Equipped with a double-bridle, the animal is placed against a wall or fence, so that his direction may be main- tained by his progress along it. The lower leg is then tapped with the whip until the animal paws — and when he will do this freely (at a touch, or when the whip is pointed) he is urged on, when the leg is raised, by the left hand, which holds the bridle ( close to the mouth ) . He will have to take a sort of step in order to maintain his balance, and puts the foot down slightly before the other. Repeat this unlil he will walk forward, and, as he does so, raises his foot high, and throws it forward, before putting it down. When he will properly take, say, twenty steps in this way, begin in the same manner with the other leg; when perfect with each, work him with both, alternate taps (and finally point- ing) being his signals to step high. To have him march when carrying a rider, put some one on
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness 97
him who will, with his toe, touch the proper elbow as you signal (on foot) with the whip. The horse will finally accept this transfer of signals, and obey them so that none at all are noticeable. Of course in the true " high school " systems these proceedings are much more complicated and finer in every way, but this method ensures the same result in a manner that any one can easily compel.
To make a horse stand still and pirouette around one leg (which remains motionless, or in some cases twists, without lifting, slowly round after the other leg has wrapped round it), one leg must be strapped up, and the horse taught to use the other as a pivot round which his hind quarters turn by slow and deliberate steps. When he will turn freely either way and has gained the necessary balance, let his leg down, but hold the strap (still attached to his fetlock) in your hand. Go very slowly, and be satisfied with very little progress. Pirouette him repeatedly, and if he tries to step away or to move the pivot foot, pull the other foot up, and begin all
98 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
over again. He will finally twist his forelegs into a curl, and turn completely round the pivot foot.
To teach a horse to bring things — anything portable — take him into a small yard, or box, and throw bits of carrot, one at a time, where he can plainly see, and can get them. He should be hungry at the time. Always use some word, as " Fetch," and invariably the same. When he understands that he is to go and get the carrot, attach a rag or bit of wood to the pieces, and as he picks up the article (or the carrot) slip another bit of root into his mouth, and take from him the object thrown. Finally you may throw the article alone, and he will get and bring it to you for the caress and dainty bit which must always reward his performance.
To make him close or open a door, tempt him through the partly open door with carrots, etc., until he understands that he must push the obstacle away from him to get the root. Always say " Door," or " Open," or " Close," and shortly he will obey the command readily.
To untie a handkerchief from any leg (the hand-
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness 99
kerchief being- tied in a single knot and the ends liaring apart, so that he may not take hold of both at once) have it soaked in sweeiened water, and let him pull it from your hand, always slipping a bit of sug-ar or carrot, etc., into his mouth (at the upper angle) as you take the cloth away from him. Drop it on the ground and let him take it up; tie it about any leg (always letting him see and smell it first), and finally he will take any handkerchief, etc., from any leg for the reward that is to follow, or will fetch it, or will open a closet door with his nose and get the rag, or perform any combination of these tricks desired — even bringing his own harness piece by piece.
To teach an animal to tell his age, prick him lightly with a pin on the shoulder or arm until he makes an effort to paw, when stop, and caress the part. Finally, at a motion toward the leg, he will paw the ground. You have of course to bend your body when doing this, and by repetition, your taking this position will show the pupil that he is to paw — which accordingly he will do. at your
100 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
assumption of the posture, until you straighten up again after he has pawed as many times as he is years old.
Teaching to kiss is very simple. Stand in front of the animal, and let him take a bit of carrot or apple from your hand, holding it near your mouth and finally between your lips. Always say " Kiss me," as you rehearse him, and finally give the apple only when he has brought his mouth to yours.
There are many other performances teachable by a combination of reward and punishment, and in fact, if chastisement for inattention, etc., is absolutely interdicted, there remains only privation from food as an alternative means to ensure obedience, i.e. the animal will do what he has learnt will afford him titbits, etc., and to be anxious for these he must be hungry. A full stomach makes an indifferent pupil, and if he learns that he may do as he likes, he quickly will. If it is difficult to " bring up " a child properly without some acceptable method of disci- pline (even advice failing its due effect), how really hopeless it is to expect to make any lasting impres-
Tricks, Etc., Taught by Kindness loi
sion upon the intellect of a dumb animal, unless he learns that he must obey, or take the consequences. No horse submits because he longs to do so, or be- cause he loves you, or because in you he recognises his own master ; disabuse your mind of all that non- sense once and for all. Certain performances, as cited, he will go through, but generally, if kindness must maintain, at his own time and in his own way.
A few simple rules must be carefully learned, and never neglected, if we are to make headway in han- dling animals. These are as follows :
( I ) Never omit instant rezvard and caress, since the first time you do, you will create a doubt, and the one-ideaed mind may develop that to dominate every- thing. (2) Always caress the brain, the seat of intelligence, and then the member zuith zvhich the desired act has been performed, or the required obedience rendered.
(3) Never hurry; never fatigue the wandering mind and flagging interest; frequent and short les- sons and constant repetition are the only methods. If attention is rigidly paid to these three all-important
I02 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
and vital principles you may carry the animal as far as his individual intelligence will go, remembering always that each trick learnt renders the next more easily possible, especially through the fact that he understands reward will be prompt.
Your own patience, intelligence, and abilities will develop — or should — faster than one would believe possible. Whenever you feel nervous or irritable, however, give the task the go-by for the day, and you will both be the gainers ; but otherwise never omit, if you expect to accomplish anything, at least two twenty or thirty minute rehearsals daily.
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CHAPTER I. Horse Buying and Horse Trying
WITH our first rocking-horse usually comes the wish to own a real one; and by the average youth and man the day when he can set up his own equipage is eagerly longed for, marking as it does for him his first foothold upon the pavements of " Easy Street " ; his first visible token to the world that he is prospering. If wisely reared he will have been by experience, or at least by precept, prepared for the taking of this important step ; but if the opportunities for practice have been scanty, or lacking entirely, he will perforce betake himself to friendly council before the matter of ways and means
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is satisfactorily adjusted. Presumably the latter detail is inconsecjuent, but there still remains the former, and many a man has paused right there, and, hesitating, failed of further progress. There are always ready to proffer advice the critical friends " who know all about horses " ; the experienced avuncular relative who has bought and sold every kind of steed from the saw-horse to the war-horse; cautions galore await the adventurer on every hand, but he will, if he is wise, disregard all of them, and, realising that he must tempt fortune in his own way, prepare to run the same risk that he would in buying any other commodity — as a watch or a picture — to suit himself. The purchase of a timepiece, how- ever, has the advantage that you can look inside the case, while the picture can always be revarnished, and there is some special light in which it will always appear to good advantage. One can never plunge until he dives; and the way to learn to swim is to go into the water — and a little over your head at that — therefore, be not perturbed unduly at the unexplored depths of the horse market.
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Any one can buy a horse, but it is a special gift to be able, as a general thing, to select a good one. Nor does the mere knowledge of soundness, and of the appropriate relation of parts, and of harmony of proportions afford anything more than a more or less vague indication. Veterinarians are everywhere nowadays, and the question of physical condition may be left to them : it should be enough for the buyer that the animal does not go lame, is sound in wind and eyes, and has no vices in or out of the stable; and what is. after all. more cloying than perfection? or more dif^cult " to live up to "?
These characteristics are but the framework, the shell which contains the meat ; and it is for you to try your luck at the guesswork of whether the creature is suited to your purposes, whether his individuality is such as you fancy. The domestic and the stable arrangements are two details whicli every man must arrange for himself. While it is impossible so to particularise that you shall recognise a good, lively, well-dis])osed, healthy, and honest horse whenever anrl wherever vou mav encounter
lo8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
him, there are certain characteristics which figure as badges of merit, and may be briefly and imperfectly enumerated. Were there but a definite pattern to apply to this task, results would be much more satis- factory ; failing it, we must trust to observation and native intuition.
Women are surprisingly good judges of horse- flesh. By that is meant that the feminine eye is strong for proportion and harmony of outline, while a woman is burdened with no prejudice, as to this fine quarter or that good shoulder, basing her verdict simply and solely upon whether the subject, per se, appeals to her as desirable. If when " shopping," a horse does so to you, and if price and accomplish- ments are within requirements, buy him, and rest quite assured that you probably have made a satis- factory purchase, even if Uncle Tom doesn't like his feet, if Cousin Harry hardly fancies his back, and if Brother Dick calls him too light below the knee.
Never be guided by the opinion of groom, farmer, or any of the vast tribe who " know a lot about
Horse Buying and Horse Trying 109
horses " ; or by those officious individuals, who, real- ising how easy it is to find fault, strive by caustic comment to conceal their profound ignorance. Horse buying is not an occult science, and there are no hidden mysteries about such matters which have been, as by a miracle, revealed to the dull and the ignorant, and remain ever veiled from the capable and the intelligent. Class yourself with the latter, at feast to yourself.
To begin with, the animal's temperament should be of the most active, brisk, and ambitious; temper, of the most kindly and genial. Temperament is an inheritance from various and sundry ancestors, and can be but little changed, but temper, while coming from the same sources, is susceptible of ruin or cul- ture, according as education shall tend.
Having studied the inward conformation — or temperament — of the beast, perhaps we are in condi- tion to consider his outward arrangement, and those indications of his merits and good qualities which are afforded by such points ; not only the individu- ality, which is an external evidence of the tempera-
IIO Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
inent, but the general bodily form and its propor- tions, which testify to ability or the reverse.
If you must buy a horse upon one single point, choose him on his head and countenance — and never select one which, whatever his bodily merits, does not impress you as being generous, bold, intelligent, and vivacious. You trust a man by his face — take his soul on credit, if that evidence be flawless : you may pursue the same course with your horse. The body represents the material portion, the head and countenance the spiritual.
A little book by Doctor J. C. L. Carson, of Ireland, — long out of print, — provides the very best de- scription of a horse's faultless head that has ever been written, and it were presumptuous to attempt to improve upon it in any respect. The doctor says : " The head of every horse should be as small as must be in keeping with the rest of his body. A large, coarse head is a physical defect, and has no counterbalancing advantages. The muzzle should be fine and of moderate length ; the mouth deep, for receiving and retaining the bit : the lips rather thin
I. Nearly a Pair. — 2. A Perif.ct Pair. Original drawings by Frank Whitney.
Horse Buying and Horse Trying 1 1 1
and firmly compressed. A fine, light lip is indica- tive of an active temperament, and affords a measure of the energy of the animal. Horses with short, thick, flabby lips, lying wide apart, are proverbial for sluggishness. The nostrils should be large, so as to allow the air free access to the lungs. There is a direct relation between the development of the nostrils and the capacity of the lungs. Capacious lungs are of no use. if the orifice w^hich supplies them is so contracted that due extension is prevented. Care must be taken not to confound a naturally well-developed nostril with one which appears large because permanently distended by disease of the lungs and air passages.
" The muzzle should be fine for a good way up, and then enlarge suddenly, that the under jaw may be broad, as w^ell as thick from side to side. The space between the two blades of the under jaw should be broad and deep to freely admit the windpipe and neck, when the head is bent toward the chest. The face, at side view, should be straight, or perhaps dipped between eyes and nose as in the Arab or the
112 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
blood-horse. The face should be broad between the eyes, but taper somewhat as it approaches the ears.
" Of all organs the eye is perhaps the most char- acteristic and expressive. It may well be called the window, through which we can look and behold the activities going on within, which would be for ever hidden from us were this friendly orifice darkened. It should be kindly, bold, full of suggestions of latent heat and fervour, but over all a mild and gentle look. An eye ringed with white suggests mischief (although this does not necessarily follow). A horse that is generally looking backward so far as to expose the white of the eye is generally alert for mischief, and not to be trusted."
The ears should be quick and lively in movement, rather close together at the base, and tapering finely, the points tending upward; a long ear of this sort is not to be rejected. Beware the horse who holds them regularly straight up, or perhaps backward a little. He is not looking — but listening — and
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this jack-rabbit style is indicative of nervousness and possible vice — or at least of uncertain temper.
The brov^^ should be broad: rather full (not pro- truding). Here lies the brain — the intelligence — which varies as much in animal as in man. Such a horse's instincts are generous — his play will be only fun, his work well done; while the narrow- browed dullard will prove a shirk or worse, and his playfulness but slightly removed from meanness of some sort.
Broad should be the jaws where the neck joins; free and clear the windpipe; the neck itself rather long, nobly arched, and crested, well-veined, thicker in the middle than at top or bottom. Never accept the short, straight-necked, narrow- jawed beast — he is deformed, and cannot bend and supple himself as he can if the neck is what it should be, — one of his most attractive possessions.
The chest should be large, deep, and round in proportion to depth. Here lies the steam-room con- taining the heart and lungs, and upon them depends the endurance of the animal ; mere beauty amounts
114 ^ur Noblest Friend, The Horse
to nothing, lacking that ability to perform which sound heart and big lungs insure.
The shoulder should be oblique, the withers high, bony, and prominent, not low, thick, and " meaty." The first shape insures sure-footedness in a great degree, because it affords room for the oblique and well-placed shoulder to play cleanly and to act promptly, providing free and bold methods of pro- gression. Especially are such withers necessary for saddle work — for the lady's saddle-horse vitally important, as safeguarding the saddle and prevent- ing it from turning. Be sure, however, that the strong, broad, able look of the shoulder is a matter of compact muscle, and not loosely-set shoulder- blades. If investigation, then, by the finger-tips proves the upper point to lie close into the spinal column and ribs, the formation is all that could be asked.
The arm (upper fore leg) should be muscular, and set "thickly" into the shoulder; the elbow large, not turned in nor out, but boldly square. The cannon-bone (shin or lower fore leg) should be flat,
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sharply and cleanly tendoned ; large and flat knee- joint; no soft or "gummy" appearance or feel to any part of its connections, nor of the fetlock-joints. The sinews cordy, thrown well up, and large. The pastern sloping fairly, and not too long — beware the long, slender joint (conspicuously so), or the short upright one; neither wear well as a rule. It must in honesty be allowed, however, that many straight-shouldered, small-boned, " gummy "-legged, bad-pasterned horses work on indefinitely — still, these exceptions have no bearing upon appropriate selection and average results.
The hoof should measure more in length than in breadth, and should be widest directly through the centre. Never accept the low, meaty heel, espe- cially if the pastern is long and weak. Such com- bination is sure to be faulty ; to resist concussion badly, and to fail somewhere. There should be no rings or protuberances upon the outside surface of the horn, and this should be smooth, black, and /o//o-//-looking. The slant of the natural toe to the ground is about fifty per cent. The frog should be
ii6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
like a big chunk of India-rubber : elastic, healthy, and free from smell ; it cannot be too large nor too long. Be sure that the horse stands square on his fore legs and on his pasterns; that his toes turn neither out nor in; that his leg as he walks and trots swings straight, true, and free. If the elbow turns out the toes generally turn in, and vice versa. The knee should never incline backward (the " calf " knee), nor be round and protruding (the "buck" knee), nor should it cut in at a sharp angle where the back tendon joins it.
Hear Doctor Carson again upon these matters : " Any person may see that safety to the horse's knees depends chiefly on the slant of the shoulder and pastern, together with the method in which the foot is brought to the ground. I look upon high- lifting as a very great fault. It is the laying doimi of the foot which renders the animal safe. Of course the foot should be raised high enough to prevent the toe from coming into contact with the ground; but this is very different from what is called high action. The medium course is the only safe one. If the horse
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lifts his foot clear, and lays his heel first to the ground he cannot stumble, this being caused by sticking the toe into the road, or striking it against a stone just as the foot is being brought down into contact with the surface of the ground. As a horse has no weight dependent upon his foot in lifting it, he seldom or never fails when it is in that position; but only when returning it, and then only when the toe is placed upon the ground before the heel. Under such circumstances a slight obstacle will bend the pastern forward — and away he goes ! Of course, these observations are applicable to shape and action alcne, and have no reference to those cases where a fall is caused by a sharp stone pressing upon a tender and diseased foot." Or, the doctor might have added, by painful speedy-cutting, or interfering.
A long back is reputed weak, if the back ribs are shallow, and the coupling at the hips angular, the hip-joints ragged ; yet, although some of our best hunters and steeplechasers are shaped in this way, it does not seem to affect their weight-carrying or
Ii8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
leaping powers, popular opinion and prejudice to the contrary. Still it is not a desirable conformation when excessive ; nor is such a shape likely to hold its flesh W''ell, and to retain that robust appearance so acceptable to the eye. " Short above and long below " affords the ideal conformation, and insures a horse " standing over a lot of ground," and prop- erly on all his legs. A " roached " loin is not attrac- tive, nor is a decided drop to the croup — yet the formations neither insure nor forbid power in back and loin. A sway-backed draught-horse is more powerful than his straight-made mate, but will not remain so if weight (as a man or bag of meal) be placed upon the latter's loins to dip his back for the pull.
The ribs should be long, well sprung, standing out well from the backbone; the hips round, and smooth over the hip bones; the stifles prominent, playing clear of the sides, and well muscled ; the horse very broad through there — " good to follow," as horsemen say. The ragged-hipped formation is
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strong and rug-ged, but not handsome, and apt to be associated with a Hght loin.
The great thigh muscles should run down into a strong, bony, well-developed hock-joint; large it must be, coarse it may he, provided all the other joints of the body show the same characteristic — the sinew large and broad. The lower thigh bone should meet the hock at a rather sharp angle, but thence the leg should run as straight as a line to the pastern. Any departure from this conformation renders curb liable, from local friction and inflamma- tion.
The very smooth, neat, and finely turned hock is the one that is liable to trouble, especially if the shank, as it joins the hock, is very small, thus pre- venting sufficient resting-place or surface for this most important joint to w^ork upon, and not suffi- ciently distributing the concussion. Improper shoe- ing throws the whole mechanism of the hind leg out of gear, and spavin results. Broad, wide bone, clean in tendon and sinew, and free from appearance of " softness," is essential.
I20 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
Bear in mind the purposes for which you princi- pally want the animal. Insist upon general harmony and proportion of appearance. Do not buy him for his arching neck and flowing tail, unless you are satisfied with the excellence of those members and ask no more — there should be lots of " horse " between them and supporting them, or your bargain is poor.
This is what you need to look for in your prospec- tive purchase; now how to find him. To do this with reasonable chance oi success taboo the adver- tising columns of the daily papers. Those fascinat- ing descriptions of the animal for sale only " because the property of my late husband," or because " owner wishes to leave town," are not to be thought of at any price — if for no other reason than because, in purchasing so much excellence for such a trifling cash outlay, you would be doing injustice to a fellow being, and not returning a fair equivalent. That is one reason; the other is that ninety per cent, of these advertisements are rank swindles, yet so skil- fully managed that you would almost infallibly fall a victim to the sharks who insert them.
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Go shopping for your horses then as you do for your cravats. Go to any dealer, and, pocketing your pride, confess your ignorance of all matters equine — no secret, by the way, because he knew it the moment you spoke to him. Tell him frankly what you want, what you will pay, and what trial you require. Place him on his honour, and be sure that he will do his best to suit you if he has the sort of animal you describe ; if not, that he will frankly say so, and recommend you to some other who has. Do not imagine that he is conducting a gift enterprise, and will, because of your winning manners or genial smile, allow you to carry away a five-hundred-dollar horse for two hundred and fifty dollars ; for he will do nothing of the sort, not improbably having a family of little Dealers for whom to provide board and lodging. He will give you a fair horse for a fair price ; an excellent animal for a big figure ; a " screw " for a little money — and that is all you have any reason to expect from him. Do not try to impress him with the various phrases you may have laboriously committed to
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memory, after culling them from the conversation of " horsey " friends, nor make strange passes at the animal produced for your inspection, as if about to hypnotise him, but stand at a reasonable distance, look the suspect over, and see if he impresses you favourably — resembles the animal your fancy has, all these years, painted as conveying you and Amelia over the boulevards and through the parks when the halcyon days arrived that should enable you to " keep a carriage."
Exact in the way of a trial anything you wish, but have that matter distinctly understood with the dealer before he goes to the trouble of harnessing his offering for you. If he does not wish to submit to your exactions go elsewhere. — there are plenty of dealers. — but don't put a man whose time is as valuable to him as yours to you to a lot of bother, and then disgiist him by insisting upon some unrea- sonable trial, for which he knows his animal will not qualify. Don't let the " seller buy him for you." but take him to all the objects you expect him to face, nor be particular about going gently with him
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lest he kick or balk — he had better do it now before you own him than after you buy him — he had much better smash the dealer's wagon than your ow^n. Besides this, you do not want to know how he will behave in an expert's hands, but what his deportment is when you are holding the reins.
Should the trial be satisfactory, call in a veteri- nary surgeon, and, telling him that all you expect is " practical " soundness, ask him how nearly the horse on trial fills the bill. Do not let him lapse into prophecy as to w^hat changes may take place in the animal's internal economy, after six years' usage, but hold him down rigidly to present conditions. If he says the bill of health is a reasonably clear one, and likely, in his opinion, to continue so, settle for your purchase, and send him home satisfied that so far as your opportunities go you have proceeded wisely, and that, at all events, you have not allowed to any carping critic the quasi-right to, if the w'orst happens, continually croak that most intensely irri- tating sentence in our language, " I told you so! "
CHAPTER II. Driving
TO dignify this accomplishment by classing it among the arts and sciences is to concede only its due, and it is to be regretted that more pains are not generally taken to acquire genuine proficiency. The mere steering of one or more horses along the highways and byways of town and country, and the fortunate avoidance of passing or stationary vehicles, lamp-posts, and pedestrians, is not driving by any means. There is more to it than the mere pulling of one rein harder than the other to turn to the right or left, or the hauling upon both to prevent progression, although we are prone to advance no farther than these rudimentary acquire- ments.
It is largely for these reasons that our native horses are not better mannered and more lightly
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Driving 1 25
bitted. Their trainers lack the skill necessary to advance them, or, if they possess it, they find that the horse-using public neither demands perfection nor, as a rule, possesses the ability to handle the thoroughly educated and properly mouthed animal.
The average charioteer also, be he never so indif- ferent a performer, resents instantly and vigorously any imputations cast upon his skill, or any advice looking to his improvement in such undertakings. It is an odd kink in human nature, but astonish- ingly common, that one must never imply that an- other does not know all about horses — their care, management, and steerage — and while it is quite safe to jeer at the golfer, to deride the yachtsman, to instruct the athlete, or to advise the tyro at any of the favourite sports and pastimes, he who would warn, chide, or demonstrate to the neophyte horse- man is rash indeed, and tempts reprisals which he wots not of.
Advice, forsooth, to Smith, who always as a boy drove the peripatetic butcher's and grocer's wagons whenever he could " hook school ! " Or to Brown,
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whose father always kept a family steed — the same one for over twenty years — and behind which Brown was usually allowed to take the air solus (or with his " best girl "), during the infrequent periods when that patient steed was not needed for other domestic uses, like bringing home the laundry, or hauling the cultivator. Nothing ever happened to these two adventurers — at least, nothing that they ever confessed — and what is there about other equines that they should fear or hesitate to essay their handling? Perish the thought, and bring on your horses — Smith, Brown, and their ilk will gaily tackle them all ; nor do the difficulties attending the driving of a pair present to them more obstacles than the handling of a single horse, for are they not securely fastened together? And if one of the pair is foolish enough to do all the work, why, what more could one expect from an unreasoning brute?
The humourous Irishman, who possessed but a single eye. claimed that of course he could sit up all night " with the boys," because they, poor fel- lows, had two eyes to rest, and therefore got twice
Driving 127
as tired as he did. In the same way the equestrian of one idea has it always in working order, and, refusing steadfastly to expand or modify it, can put the man of much experience completely out of court in many arguments.
If Smith and Brown are obdurate, their better halves are usually adamant in their absurd confi- dence that what they do not know about a horse is " not worth knowing." Their fathers always let them drive, and the old gentlemen included among their possessions steeds of large toleration and vast experience with the vagaries of mankind, which were as nearly automatic in the performance of their duties as anything of flesh and blood can be. " Pop- per " and " mommer '' and " all of us children " invited locomotion by first jerking the reins, then slapping both, or one, of them upon the animal's back, and adding thereto various mystic sounds, such as " crk-crk-crk-cl'k," pronounced very rapidly and with much effort, if by feminine lips, or a " Pw^-e-e-e-p." as if one had absorbed an over- supply of that delectable sweetmeat known as
128 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
" fudge." These signals always secured advance of some sort, and of varied celerity, and increase of pace was to be reached by more vigorous application of the same methods, reinforced, if necessity im- pelled and time pressed, by a grasping of the whip, and a vigorous application of it along the whole length of Dobbin's framework.
Therefore any other equine cloth is to be at once cut according to this familiar coat, and the young horse-flesh fro^m the country, and just added to Smith's earthly goods and chattels, finds himself brought to the door ; not improbably left standing alone while Smith goes into the house tO' hunt for his gloves (Dobbin always stood so, why not any horse?), and once the family is safely installed in the vehicle, receives, to his amazement and disgust, a more or less violent jerk in the mouth, while his ears are saluted by a volley of sounds, reminding him of the old hens, which he used to hear about the barnyard at home, calling to their chickens. While thus bewildered, he is further outraged by receiving a slap of the reins on the quarters and
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back, and, as they are quite loose, he makes a tre- mendous plunge to get somewhere away from the scene of his discomfort, and not improbably the Smiths are picked out of various hedges and off of sundry fence pickets, according as chance has dis- seminated them.
The best way to learn to drive is to drive, and not to stick to the one horse which will tolerate your eccentricities, but to shift as often as possible, taking the rough with the smooth; free-goers and slug- gards ; the tricky and the sedate. Advice and dem- onstration can carry you along only so far, the rest of it is all practice and observation. Much can be learned by watching a first-class performer, and by copying his apparently effortless methods, study- ing the reasons for them, experimenting with all sorts of angles, both advancing and backing, and cultivating your eye to a prompt appreciation of distance and direction.
One of the last things you will learn, and one of the greatest obstructions to advance until it is ap- preciated, is the fact that too m|uch is attempted
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with most horses, and that we do not leave them to their own devices as often as we should. They all have ideas about the best way to accomplish a task, and are entitled to an opportunity to demon- strate their theories.
It is for this reason that a woman, when she drives really well, is a better driver than any man. She lets her horses alone more ; gives them more free- dom ; takes it for granted that they know their busi- ness. A man immediately begins to bully a horse. He wants him to turn upon the spot he selects and in the style he fancies. Failing this, he resorts to force, and not infrequently ends by finding the trouble he has sought.
The fundamental principle of driving or of riding is never to ask a movement of a horse unless you have conveyed to him by a delicate manipulation of the bit and reins the intelligence that you are about to require motion of him. This applies to starting, stopping, turning, backing, and every movement possible to the animal. Its conveyance is so subtle as to be almost automatic, electric, what you will.
Driving 13 1
Watch an expert about to mount his vehicle. He ascends and takes the reins. As you think he is about to start, an acquaintance calls him. He con- verses with him for some moments, the reins mean- while leading from his hands quite directly to the horse's mouth. His conversation finished and adieux exchanged, the animal moves off as by his own voli- tion. Now what did the driver do? He neither spoke nor moved so far as you could see, yet, at the exact instant he mentally desired it, the horse ad- vanced. How was it done? Why did he not move before, when the reins were drawn as tight?
Again, at some period in a similar conversation, an advancing carriage made it necessary for this driver to back a few steps out of the way. Ap- parently independently of any guidance back goes the horse at the required instant, yet the occupant of the vehicle hardly looked at him, and certainly made no apparent motion. How was the signal conveyed ?
Again, our friend comes dashing down the street at twelve miles an hour, hails us. and pulls up. Motionless in his tracks stands the good horse, al-
132 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
though headed for home and close to the well-known stable. Our chat finished, at the last word off he starts, and in ten strides is flying along at the old pace. Can you do the same? Can you perform any of these feats, not with one horse but with nine out of ten? Why not? It is as possible to you as to any one, and you are no driver until you can do it, if not in perfection at least approximately.
Can you make a horse stand still, a nervous, fret- ting animal that is anxious to be off? Try it and see how seldom you can do it, and realise that you have been usually standing at your animal's pleasure, not he at yours.
" Hands " accomplish all this, so called for lack of better definition, although they are after all but subordinate elements. Sympathy, intelligence, " horse sense," common sense, intuitive perception of what a horse is about to do, and almost auto- matic measures to frustrate it are the essentials.
Of course our friend the expert was really signal- ling to his horse all the time he was under observa- tion, but we were not quick enough O'f eye and
Driving 133
perception to appreciate it. Everything the animal did he was telegraphed to do, and it is this sympa- thetic magnetism that made the expert what he is, and what he is yon can be in a degree if you really love animals, and care to try to win their confidence, but not otherwise. Certain natures are non-assim- ilative in these connections, and no efforts can put them thoroughly en rapport either with their own kind or with the animal kingdom; but, fortunately, such as they are rare, and equally luckily it is not necessary that you should possess the ability of the expert.
Pages might be written on this subject, for it alone affords material for a volume. No reference will be made here to the manner of holding reins and whip, or to the thousand and one details con- nected with the art. All these particulars are so closely interdependent that it is not possible to sep- arate them, or to carry demonstration along consecu- tively otherwise. Therefore, but a few generally disregarded, but really vitally important, matters are touched upon.
CHAPTER III. Riding for Women and Children
NOWHERE does a woman look better than upon a horse's back ; no costume is more becoming to the trim and well-carried figure; while no exercise is more generally beneficial, and none may be more exactly graded to the powers and abilities of the participant.
True as this is, the reverse holds equally good. No woman can look well upon horseback who does not carry herself erectly, with straight back and shoulders, and hollowed waist. No costume is less adaptable to the slouchy figure, or tends more to neatness and smartness at every point, even to the most minute detail. No amusement has in it more temptation to overexertion, and to carrying the outing to excess; and no position W'ill so easily tend to develop the muscles of but one side of the
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Riding lor Women luid Children 135
body, unless the reversible saddle i^ used, and the equestrienne sits alternately upon the right and left side of her horse, or varies the method radically by taking up the fashion which is now coming into favour, of riding astride.
Than this last, no style is more practical, more appropriate, or more genuinely modest. The modern riding-skirt is really little more than an apron, and, taken in conjunction with a tightly fitting waist, leaves little to the imagination when it is, by the rider's position in the saddle, drawn tightly round the figure. The divided skirt, on the contrary, is most modest when walking, and when astride the horse, its flowing outlines are such as to conceal gracefully the limbs and feet. There is little doubt but that, if the custom receives a little more en- couragement from the " right people," so as to include it among the list of fashionable fads, the side-saddle will shortly become as extinct and as much a matter of curiosity as the pillion of colonial days.
Naturally, the ordinary man's saddle is not appro-
136 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
priate for a woman's use, and if she attempts to ride upon it, her sense of insecurity, which is actual as well as imaginary, will cause the novice to abandon the innovation before reasonable trial has proved its many and manifest advantages. To go rather in- timately into particulars, the thigh is too round to grasp at the knee the plain saddle-tree, as usually made. Man has a hollow or curve on the inside of the leg, and a prominent and bony knee ; woman is the antithesis of this in shape, and her saddle must be arranged to meet her requirements. This is best done, first, by arranging a large pad, or " roll," on the saddle flap at the knee ; second, by placing another roll on the flap under the thigh, about half-way to the knee; third, by covering the whole with buckskin as being less slippery and sure to furnish a better seat.
Even if they are to take to the side-saddle in later life, girls and all children should be taught to ride astride. No other means will ensure them such a firm seat, square shoulders, hollow waist, confidence, and good hands, and balance. They
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Riding for Women and Children 137
should always begin upon a pad of thick steam felting girthed about an animal narrow enough through to afford some chance for the little legs to get a steadying hold. Their next promotion should be to the saddle with stirrups, and the grad- uating course should include the saddle without stirrups or girths. When any boy or girl can trot and canter on a stirrupless and girthless saddle, and feel quite at ease, he, or she, has made greater advances in equestrianism than one in a thousand ever does — and yet only what it is easily possible for any one to accomplish.
The trouble with us all is that we are in such a terrific hurry about everything, and rush through and over all obstacles from the cradle to the grave, as if " repose of manner " were an undesirable accomplishment, and not to be cultivated. Thus we dash into a riding-school, and inquire the rates for " learning to ride." and are told that twenty lessons, at about twice as many dollars, will put us in line for public parade upon the average school hack, — those patient sufferers, whose haggard eyes and
138 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
anxious expressions, as they approach the mounting- block and despairingly scan the advancing candi- date for a location upon their poor old ridge-poles, afford one many a regretful moment of retrospec- tion. It is an extraordinary thing that one can imagine for an instant that he or she can really learn to ride in such a length of time.
True, one may secure balance and assurance enough to prevent falling off, but that is not riding by a good deal. As the Frenchman replied to his instructor who directed him to " trot on! " — " Mais noil, man ami, niais non — doiicement, doUcement. If he walk, jc suis ici — if he tr-r-rot, I do not remain!" Even so the average graduate from a twenty-lesson course " remains " purely through the courtesy of her mount, and journeys along the roads and bridle-paths, an ever-impending menace to traffic of all kinds, and to herself as well. Such an one would admit that it would be idiotic to expect to play the violin in twenty lessons, yet will idly argue that, because she has spent twenty hours at horse exercise, she is qualified to perform upon a most difficult
Riding for Women and Children 139
instrument — that is, the horse's mouth, a most dehcate bundle of nerves and highly sensitive mem- branes.
Of course, much depends upon what will satisfy the individual. Many clerks spend their days and years in writing, and display a shockingly bad hand ; people ride regularly all their lives, and never pass the "duffer" stage; not a few deride anything beyond the '* pulley-hauley " methods, and have no desire to explore the intricacies of the art ; the merest rudiments being enough, and the roughest systems accepted as suitable. With such people, riding is only a means to the end of exercise, and they care not at all how they look or what they do, so long as the liver receives its daily jolting, and a certain time is devoted to this form of exercise.
A lady's horse must be well proportioned and good-looking ; up-headed, well-necked, and good- shouldered; rather longer of back than the man's hack, that the extra length of the woman's saddle may be accommodated, and also because the extra length gives just so much more liberty and elasticity ;
140 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
well-quartered and muscled; sure-footed; free, prompt, fearless, and active. He must move his hocks well or he will never carry a rider comfort- ably; he must lead always with the right foot in the canter, and he must be up to weight well above his rider's walking avoirdupois, for a woman who scales, say one hundred and forty pounds, will ride nearly one hundred and seventy pounds. Any little, scrawny, light-framed, spindle-shanked screw, that is fit for nothing else, is generally set down as a " lady's horse," and the poor little wretches go tottering about, lugging burdens for which they are totally inadequate, until one often wonders that they do not drop in their tracks and give up in despair a task so far beyond their powers. Not only are they overburdened, but they must handle the weight, perched as it is upon one side, at a great disadvan- tage, and at the expense of much effort and dis- comfort to themselves.
Everything about the costume should be severely simple, smart, and well-fitting, and whatever one economises on, let it not be the riding habit or the
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Riding for Women and Children 141
skirt at least, on the grounds of comfort as well as appearance. The knickerbockers usually button at the knee, inside the right leg and outside the left, or sometimes tights are worn. A better plan is to have the ordinary " knickers " without buttons at the knee, but with a piece of broad tape passing under the hollow of the foot (inside the boots or leggings). This keeps everything in place, is very simple to make or to repair, and absolutely com- fortable and effective. The derby or sailor hat should fit on the head, not perch above it on the hair, and must be securely fastened ; the hair done up very snugly, and with plenty of pins, so that one may not be traced along the roads by the showers of them that tumble out; high boots or gaiters, buttoning to right and left according to the leg they are worn upon; collar high; tie plain; gloves two sizes too large; not a ribbon, flower, pin, or other gew-gaw visible ; and a good, useful, straight-cutting whip, and not the clumsy and worth- less crop.
The saddle should be flat-seated, long, and wide,
142 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
the g-irth-points separated to the extreme back and front of the panel, and the girths crossing each other under the horse's belly ; the stirrup-strap going completely around the horse and buckling to a strap sewn on the off side of the cantle. so that not only may the rider reach it with her right hand, and thus easily lengthen or shorten her own stirrup, but that the pull, as she rises in the trot, may come not upon the left side, as usual, but upon the right side, thus keeping the saddle straight in its place upon the animal's back. A saddle-cloth of felt, girthed sep- arately upon the horse's back, affords a surface for the saddle to move upon, and prevents many a chafed back and "wrung" withers. The saddle should fit the horse's back in every crevice and angle, and only thus will he safely retain his hide in an unblemished condition. A raw place is a reproach to the rider and the owner.
Every woman should learn to care for herself. The clinging, helpless female is an awful nuisance in an equestrian party, or on an afternoon ride. Drawing-room manners are out of place in the
Riding for Women and Children 143
open, and one should learn all the details of mount- ing, dismounting, and arranging the horse's trap- pings and her own — or stay at home. Every woman can and should mount her horse as easily as can her male escort, and it is her duty to know how.
To mount your own horse, let out (from the off side) your stirrup about six holes; put your left foot in the stirrup ; seize the pommel in the left, the cantle in the right, hand ; pull yourself up and stand in the stirrup, and, as you reach your altitude, shift right hand to off pommel, twist body to face horse's ears, and sit down; put the right knee over the pommel; take up the stirrup girth to the proper hole; arrange your skirt, and slip the elastics over the right foot and left heel — and there you are! To dismount, clear the elastics; take the knee off the pommel; face to the left; take the skirt in the left hand and the near pommel in the right, and slide off. Nothing is simpler, when you've done it once or twice, and you are thus independent of any escort.
144 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
There is no possible or conceivable excuse for holding the reins in the left hand — or any one hand. You will need both and wish for two or three more if you ride regularly, and nothing keeps your seat so square as riding with reins in each hand. You do not belong to the militia cavalry, nor are you one- armed ; therefore, ride in the civilian fashion, and do not be led away by any theories to the contrary. If you dO' ride one-handed you are absolutely sure to advance one shoulder and to sit crookedly, as soon as your muscles tire — and remember that this destroys your appearance, and also carefully re- member that if you look well you will always be held to ride well — if the reverse, you may be a very centaur, but will never obtain credit for your accomplishment.
Bend your right heel back close to your left shin, and let your left heel be always exactly beneath you, so that your stirrup-leather hangs straight down. If you poke out your left foot, you must stick out your right, and no fault is worse. Some women project the right away out beyond a horse's shoulder-blade,
Riding for Women and Children 145
— a hideous fault, because to do it they are not sitting lip in their saddles, but slouching down on their backbones. If you cannot keep the left down and back any other wa}^ have the stirrup strapped to the girth so that it can only move an inch or two. Seize the pommel in the bend of the right knee, and nowhere — and nohow — else. This is your seat, and from it you rise, to it you adhere; and you can perfectly well rise at the trot, if you choose, without stirrups, after a little practice, once you get this idea and habit — that your right thigh is your mainspring, and that you rise from the clasp of your knee aroimd the pommel, even as a jack- knife blade is hinged at one end of the handle.
Bend far over on both sides, lie down on the horse's back, lurch and pitch about in all directions, that your muscles may become supple, and loosen up before you begin to ride. Do this at a stand and at a walk, finally at a trot and canter. A few minutes' exercise with the lightest kind of wooden dumb-bells, before mounting, is excellent, as it expands the chest and brings all the useful muscles into active play,
146 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
so that one is ready to bend and sway loosely and easily upon mounting.
Ride at a walk, and make your horse stop, back, turn, and stand still at your desire, at any and all times. It is not as amusing as dashing gaily off at a flopping canter at once, but you are learning some- thing one way, and less than nothing the other. Walk " figure eights," and find out how your horse bends and sways, and how you must bend and sway with him.
When ready to trot, ride without rising for several days, and learn to sit up, to let the horse's mouth alone, and to keep your balance. When ready to rise, or to " post," as it is called, seize the right pommel in the rig'ht hand, the reins in the left, lean a little forward at the waist, let the horse get trot- ting steadily, and then count " one, two, three," etc., each count marking a cadence and rise and fall, where you press on the stirrup and on the pommel with the hand ; rise, and return again. Rising is very easy to learn, and it is only necessary to get the horse's step, and not to try too liard. Let him put
Riding for Women and Children 147
you up by the impulse of his trot. Always sit still, or close, a few strides before you pull up, and when you pull, lean back, and not forward over the hands, as so many do. There should be a space of about three inches between your left knee and the leaping- horn, that you may have room to rise without chafing- the thigh against it.
To canter, elevate the heel and bring the knee snugly up under the leaping-horn ; sit up ; grasp the horns well between the knees; kick the horse with the left heel, and just move the bits in his mouth ; sway forward and to the right, and touch him down the off shoulder with the whip — and off he goes. He must always lead right-legged, and never with any other, and his canter must neither be disconnected nor accelerate into the hand-gallop. Keep him up to his bridle, and by whip and heel taps make him face it, and bend himself as he must to perform the pace properly. The bit and bridooii will now come into play, and few horses will canter collectedly without this combination, and therefore
148 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
you must learn how to hold it, and that the two bits have entirely different effects and purposes.
You may hold your reins any way that comes handiest. There is a set military style, but never forget that, as a civilian, you have no use whatever for anything set and formal, and that nature gave you two hands to use and not to dangle aimlessly about. You may carry the curb-reins inside, or vice versa — one way is as good as the other — but what- ever method you adopt, learn to shut the hands tight and to keep them closed, and to hold the reins firmly as they are placed. When you can do this with no conscious effort you will make an advance that most people do not learn in a lifetime.
Practise doing anything that will make you at home on a horse — open gates, put down and take up bars, pick up sticks or light chairs (when stand- ing still), play croquet, or polo, or ping-pong on him if you like, and never be satisfied with half-way measures. Make up your mind that of all your accomplishments none is so conspiaious, and if you have no pride for yourself and in your own appear-
PhotD^raph by T. E. Murr, liuhton.
Two Model Saddle- Horses.
I. Julep, ridden by Mrs. James L. Kernochan. — 2. Glorious
Radik, owned by Thomas \V. Lawson.
Riding for Women and Children 149
ance, cultivate it for the sake of your male relatives and acquaintances, that they may find you a com- panion and not a detriment, a help and not a burden, thoroughly competent and not hopelessly helpless.
Children should not ride before they are old enough to intelligently profit by instruction, and some of the very worst riders one will find are from the ranks of those who literally rode as soon as they could walk, and being self-taught, were very badly instructed. Seven or eight is quite young enough, and it should be made a sine qua iion that the child must care for its pony, clean, feed, and saddle it — it's all a part of the education, and if interest flags, get rid of the little beast before he reaches the time when indifference breeds neglect and familiarity contempt.
Never have the very small ponies, nor donkeys, at any price. They are usually low-headed, hard- mouthed, straight-shouldered, thick-bodied, treacher- ous little wretches, neither half-broken nor quarter- mouthed. Your child gets heavy hands and a callous indifference to the use of the whip almost
150 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
at once, because little Topsy, with a polar bear's hide, finds a beating a pleasant sensation, and is utterly indifferent to all the jerks and tugs the tiny liands and puny arms can give her.
Children are mischievous, and once they think they may with impunity, attempt all kinds of strange performances with their pets, to their great discomfort. They need constant supervision, and if the amusement palls, the pony should go.
The little horse or big pony of about fourteen hands or so is much the best, because he lasts longer for the children to grow up with, is better broken, and more usually docile, and may be genuinely useful for various other family pur^ses as well as lugging the infants about.
CHAPTER IV.
The Family Horse and the Children's
Pony
THE writer cannot lay claim to many virtues, but he has refrained from two misdeeds, — an abnegation which affords him unceasing gratifi- cation, — he has never sold a horse (but once) guar- anteed as " safe for a woman to drive," and he has never sold a pony at all, as " clever enough for chil- dren's use." These facts do not at all prove that there are not many animals reliable for such pur- poses — the roads and parkways testify to the con- trary ; but intimate acquaintance with every kind, size, and disposition of equine flesh has afforded evidence that these prophecies are generally un- warranted, and that such accomplishments are claimed most unwisely for the average animal. It is astounding that so many purveyors will sell animals, with which they have but the most
152 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
casual acquaintance, as safe for family and ju\e- nile use, and that they will endow the beast of the moment with all the virtues in the calendar. Not only the " gipsy " dealers will do this, but the reputable men of high standing in their calling ; and as a general thing they honestly believe what thev say, for the reason that, in their Jiaiids, the proffered quadruped displays the mildness of the lamb, and the wisdom of the serpent ; nor can they make allow- ances for the bullying propensities of the creature which, recognising and submitting at once to their experienced handling, proves always tractable with them; yet, immediately that a woman or child is in charge, begins, not improbably, experiments to see how far he may safely proceed in insubordination and in mischief.
The " general purpose " horse is not unusually a " no purpose " horse : a brute who, failing signally at any of the specialties, is thus characterised because he has learned a little of the various branches he has essayed — and that little very badly. A " family horse " is certain, for the same reason, to be a misfit
Family Horse and Children's Pony 153
in some directions. If spirited enough for papa, he is too bold for mother and the children to drive ; if (juiet enoug'h for them, he is usually of slow and phlegmatic nature, and the man of the house scorn- fully repudiates him. He is hardly likely to be a trotter one day, a slave the next, an enduring road- ster the third, and a satisfactory saddle-conveyance on the fourth, and to fill in his spare time by plough- ing the garden, hauling manure, and bringing home the wash. There are such horses, — and all honour, a happy life, and a decent burial to them, — but they are not usually for sale, unless the owner is insane or bankrupt ; and where one such is encoun- tered, a thousand are met that are in no way depend- able or satisfactory.
A woman is rarely fitted to be trusted alone with a horse — this means the abstract, not the individual, female — because she is generally ignorant of the vagaries of any horse but old Billy " that father kept for twenty years," and which was as regular in all respects as the kitchen clock. Every new bit of horse-cloth must be cut according to Billy's
154 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
coat — and as she lacks in experience, so also is she in proportion deficient in toleration. She revels in her ignorance, and any accident which scatters her and the children along the countryside is invaria- bly the horse's fault, and never her own — woe the " worser "-half who would dare suggest otherwise!
Again, she has no strength in her wrists or arms; she has never been taught to shut her hands and to hold them closed, even when there was no active resistance from reins, etc. ; she generally wears gloves too small, or so confining to hand and wrist that, if she double up her fist, it must open freely in a moment, from sheer inability to remain closed, through cramping of the muscles. If then she suc- cessfully and quite unharmed navigates the highways and byways for extended periods, it may be con- sidered but another of the many wondrous happen- ings of the age, and more worthy of commemora- tion than many of the deeds engraven upon tablets of brass and monuments of stone.
As she is usually ignorant of the first laws of equitation, so also is she guileless of any knowledge
Family Horse and Children's Pony 155
as to how to act if accidents occur : what repairs to make; whether harness, carriage, etc., are all cor- rectly joined, and appropriate liberty allowed the motive power. John hies him to the city, leaving Mary and the children to the tender mercies of a hired man (who probably never had his hand on a horse until he came to America) ; and this hireling attaches the roan to the carryall by the various straps that seem appropriate, and, installing the family in the vehicle, returns to his job of banking the celery, turning Mary (and the children) loose upon the public thoroughfares to ply her aimless way amid the varying traffic, a menace to all others, and a not improbable cause of destruction to herself and family, if any emergency arise. John! John! the sword of Damocles hangs over your bald pate as you sit serenely in your office, and you are in more luck than you deserve if the fool-killer does not get you some fine night as you are walking up from the station !
No man has any right to entrust a woman alone with a horse — no matter how expert she is ; no
156 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
woman is justified in assuming such risks — for the general pubhc, to whom she is a perpetual danger, is worthy of as much or more consideration than she herself deserves when she thus tempts fate. Remem- ber the horse's limitations — that he is foolish and timid — and beware how you trust to the tempera- ment that is so placid among familiar sights and sounds, so panic-stricken if anything unexpected or startling to it occurs. No one can afford to keep a horse — really afford it in every sense — unless he can also afford to hire a man; not a dull lump of a born wood-hewer and water-drawer, but an experi- enced, able servant, who shall accompany the wife and family upon all drives, etc. — and shame on the male who through false economy neglects these pre- cautions. He is as recreant to his duties as husband and father as to those devolving upon the good citizen; for as he must safeguard his own, so should he allow no property of his to threaten injury and death to the public at large. Thus equipped any ordinarily trained animal is " safe for family use " — hut otherwise, none is. Cases may be cited
Family Horse and Children's Pony 157
in abundance where safety has endured for years, but these d(j not alter the main facts, nor the gen- eral truth of these statements. A man would never dream of sending out his family alone in a row- or sail-boat, yet he criminally entrusts them all to the vagaries of a dumb beast; and, when the worst comes, excuses himself for what may have been virtually classed as manslaughter, by saying that he '■ does not know much about horses anyway."
The family horse must always have reached years of discretion before he can, by any possibility, be entitled to safely bear the appellation. No animal of five or six years old can possibly have passed creditably through the varied experiences which such an avocation demands ; for the family steed must be as nearly a stoic under every possible circumstance as though he were but a graven image. The strange objects, the disconcerting incidents usual along and amid ordinary traffic should be to him matters of utter indifference, and the steam from a buzzing, thumping automobile as enjoyable as the bang and crash of an explosion, or the roar and rattle of a
158 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
railroad train. Until the frivolities of youth have been laid aside, such hardihood is not to be ex- pected, and as there is no royal road to the acquire- ment of such virtues, the experience of years is the only safeguard. The animal of eight to twelve has many years of usefulness before him; has experienced many of the eccentricities of nature and of mankind ; and is sobered by the realisation of his destiny. If he is at this period fairly sound, active, sure-footed, of good and pliant mouth, average wind and eyesight, and fearless, buy him, for he as nearly fills the requirements as any horse possibly can. Be his colour what it will, his shape as may chance, all the essentials are his — so buy and be thankful.
If the family horse needs appropriate supervision, no less does the children's pony. These little brutes are many of them very dangerous, for their education has never seemed exactly a man's job, and they have been so easy for a grown person to haul about as he pleased, that deportment has rarely been carefully and thoroughly impressed upon them. They seldom get properly bitted, and they have usually been so
Pony Outkits. I. Alone ir his glory. — 2. The more the merrier.
Family Horse and Children's Pony 159
petted and proved so tractable, that never once has any difficulty arisen in their training; never once has occurred that first insubordination, followed by prompt and complete correction, which is so impress- ive to all juvenile minds, and if futile, never for- gotten. As the average pony is half-bitted and mouthed, so is he usually short, thick, and straight of neck, narrow of jaw, and low of head. His deci- sion to do anything or tO' go anywhere can rarely be successfully combated by the tiny hands and puny strength of his little owner, and once his bullying propensities have assured him that he may do as he likes, he proceeds to indulge his whims at his own sweet will, nor has the young steersman any idea of how to correct the rebellion, nor his parents of how serious the matter is becoming, until some day there comes a smash.
People will persist in buying lots of such little wretches for their children, simply because they are cheap. In no way can they so injure the future of their offspring as horsemen. If dull and phlegmatic, the little brutes submit to an amount of jerking and
l6o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
thrashing which imbues the childish mind with the idea that any creature can be mauled about in the same way, and that as Inkling never seems to heed the vigorous applications of the whip to his shaggy black hide, there is no cruelty in thus beating any animal; while, if he may be jerked and kicked with impunity, so may any of his kind. Your boy thus grows up with the worst of " hands " on a horse's mouth, and with a callous indifference as to suffering ingrained in his nature; and, if the average little pony makes this probable, the useless donkey renders it certain.
Whatever else you economise on, never do it when buying ponies, and when you get one, if not a horse- man yourself, send it to some one w'ho is, and have it thoroughly and completely trained, mouthed, and bitted, as if it were just fresh and wild from the plains. If you can't afford this, don't keep a pony. Let it be smart, spirited, active, carrying a good arched neck, thin through the body, that the little legs may clasp him securely. Teach your child to respect its courageous traits, and allow him, under
Family Horse and Children's Pony i6i
competent supervision, to use it at his pleasure, but make him tend it in every detail of food, care, and equipment as well — and if these pursuits fail of interest, sell the animal forthwith. Familiarity breeds contempt, and children are mischievous. As soon as interest flags, they will begin to essay new feats, and to make various experiments with their charge. As long as he submits, all W'Cll and good, but the time may come when he will not, and then look out !
Children are kept at the " pony age " too long, and these very small ponies are of little practical use. A little horse of 14. i or .2 is more satisfactory in every way, better shaped, better trained, lasts the growing child longer, can be converted to various family uses in a really practical way, is less expensive to buy than the tiny ones, and eats very little more. There is not one argument in favour of the small beast, save that, if the child falls off. he has not far to go. This argument has little force, for the number of times a tricky little brute will put him
1 62 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
off will more than compensate — and the well-trained little horse or large pony is unlikely to attempt it.
No child should be allowed to handle any animal unless properly supervised, and all their pets should be of an age and size ably to resist abuse. Scratches, bites, bruises, and cuts may ensue, but every physical mark leaves a mental imprint to correspond, and not too soon, nor too thoroughly, can children be impressed with the idea that every creature has rights which must be respected, methods of reprisal which may prove painful, and tempers with which it is unwise to tamper.
Pliotographs by T. E. Mnrr. Boston.
Pkki-kct Style and Action.
I. Gloriou-s Black Venu.s. — 2. Glorious Bonnie.
Both owned by Thomas W. Lawson.
CHAPTER V. The Roadster
WE do not all fancy the heavy harness, or the ride and drive horse, and there is an ever increasing contingent which prefers the typical American road-horse : the animal which can " step away " at a pace from " pretty good '" to very fast, serving also, as ably, at various family duties. Such owners generally keep among their equine accoutrements a light wagon and harness, so that, when time allows a little leisure, they may disport themselves along the public roads, or upon the local race-track, " seeking whom they may devour " among their acquaintances, and bidding defiance to all similarly equipped. There is no out- door amusement, bar croquet and golf, at which all ages may so equally meet in competition, and the wholesome excitement and fresh air, thus provided
163
164 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
and absorbed, add many a long year to the future, and many an enjoyable hour to the present.
Fast horses are comparatively cheap nowadays, and as a rule uncommonly well-broken. Your ster- ling old campaigner of ten or twelve years of age has been through so much excitement on race- courses, and in travelling" on railroad trains, that ht views with ecjuanimity sights that would appall his juniors ; while the mere fact that, at such an age, he is still able and well preserved, proves him robust and well-constitutioned above the average of his kind. He may display about him the honourable scars of his calling- in prominent wind-galls, and legs not quite as symmetrical as of yore, but you buy him with all — or most — of his deficiencies plainly visible, and as the fresh air hums by your ears, and the flush of excitement dyes your cheeks, you will find, in increased appetite and wholesome sleep, many occasions to " rise up and call him blessed," and to bear him ever in grateful recollec- tion for the pleasure afforded you and yours. The fast pacer is the easiest to find, the cheapest
The Roadster 165
to buy, and the handiest to drive. Not a few of them jog", and go on up to a ten-mile-an-hour gait, at a square trot ; so that no one would suspect them of the " side-wheeHng " instinct until you " cl'k " to them, and take hold of their heads for a bit of a brush. The modern pacer, unlike his prototype of twenty years or more ago, looks exactly like a trot- ter, and displays little or no pacing conformation in his make-up. Most of them turn out their toes, and that seems a peculiarity which rather assists at this particular gait — but whether as cause or effect is not known. They are gaining- in favour as road- sters every day, and one will find twenty in use where, ten years ago. not any were to be seen.
The trotter is also in fair supply, but the very fast horse at this gait costs money, and is usually more difficult to engineer than the other : more likely to over-pace himself, and, in inexperienced hands, to go to hitching and hopping, and to become foul- gaited through ignorant methods of driving and balancing him. He not infrequently takes rather a sharp hold of the bit when at speed, and is not
1 66 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
the all-round useful slave that his less pretentious brother-in-leather becomes. Of course, many people detest pacers, and dislike the sidelong gait, nor, in sleighing time, will the former provide as much sport, for the reason that, except on ice or very smooth snow, his gait is seriously interfered with, and he is not unlikely to shift into the trot as an easier form of locomotion.
It is another evidence of the superficial way in which we observe things that our roadsters are so severely and cruelly overchecked. We see horses on the track for a race, and we notice that the head is checked up to a certain altitude. Later, possibly, we acquire the animal by purchase, and from that day on the unfortunate creature is compelled to carry his nose at the same angle, whether he is out one hour or six ; goes one mile or forty. We ignore entirelv the fact — and to our eternal shame be it that we are thus careless and indifferent — that when we saw the horse in his race his head had not been thus confined for more than a few minutes before we noticed him (or at the time he first came
The Roadster 167
out), and that the instant the heat was over, his attendant immediately let him free, to be again con- fined only when about to contest the succeeding heat, at an interval of twenty minutes. We are also ignorant of the fact that in all his slow, or jogging work, his head is left entirely free — and this exercise corresponds to the drives we give him on the road. No wonder the poor sufferer, in his discomfort and agony, pulls, drives on one rein, and does any or all of the curious and annoying things common to horses thus hampered. No road-horse needs the overdraw check, and it is an infernal ma- chine of the most scientific make : well enough in its ])lace, and for the special purpose for which it was made, but utterly out of reason, or need, in the pri- vate stable. The high side-checks, with the loops sewn upon the crown-piece of the bridle (and not af- fixed to the throat-latch), are more natural, comfort- able, graceful, and equally efifective; and they should always be worn fairly loose in ordinary driving — it is but the work of a moment to take them up a few holes if about to indulge in fast brushing. More
1 68 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
horses than one would beheve go equally well with the head entirely free from check-rein, and if allowed the chance would prove the fact. The side-check should always be fastened to another bit, that the driving-bit ma}- be entirely separate from it.
The driving-bit should be as large and easy as comfortable driving allows, and if the horse opens his mouth at speed, or at slow paces, he must be made to keep it closed by a nose-band or other arrangement fairly closely buckled. He not only looks badly with his mouth yawning wide, but he drives awkw-ardly, and not infrequently carries his tongue over the bit. He deserves all the comfort you can give him, but when it reaches the point where either you or he must suffer, it is his unfortunate prerogative to go to the wall in your favour.
Your road-horse demands ample freedom of breeching, and a long trace, in order that at speed he may have full scope, and yet may run no risk of hitting his hocks. His belly-band should be tight, that the shoulder swing may not convey too much motion to the wagon. This is overcome in
The Roadster 169
the sulky or very light speeding wagon by carrying the tugs well up the sides, and thus escaping the motion, but one can hardly do that in the ordinary road-wagon without presenting a grotesque appear- ance to eyes accustomed to other and ordinary arrangements.
An open bridle is far more comfortable to the horse, and much cooler, but is not safe upon all of them, and its constant use tends to make the animal sluggish, since he can see exactly what you are doing, and learn to be very cunning; while he anticipates every motion toward the whip by nearly jumping through his harness. Again, his head must be really finely proportioned to look well thus unadorned, and not all of our pets (of this variety) possess the grace or beauties of the sculptured steed.
Buy no horse that wears boots, for if these were necessary when he enjoyed expert handling, they W'ill be doubly essential under your careless manage- ment. Even scars and white hairs where boot- straps may have chafed, are to be regarded with suspicion ; for scientific shoeing nowadays corrects
lyo Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
many faults, and the marks are a probable proof that there was a time when they did not — \\hich period will return again, it is likely, when you and the boys begin to start him up along- speedway and roadside.
A good roadster should not pull at speed, and, if he does, try to find the reason. His teeth and cheeks may hurt him ; he may be brushing himself somewhere; there are dozens of reasons which may make him take up the trick. If he should do so, do not be in too much of a hurry to arrange harsher bits, but give him time (and take it yourself) for experiment and investigation — perhaps he will show you what is wrong, and possibly the trick is but temporary. He should drive true and straight always ; should jog, speed, or walk as directed, and in any ratio of progress, and among any company; should never pull or fret at any pace; and be as level-headed in a bunch of fast ones at speed as when jogging down to the station with the family behind him — and all this, properly handled, he will prove.
When it comes to considering the weight of the
The Roadster 1 71
wagon to be used for fast driving, it will be found that the modern very light vehicles of from fifty to eighty pounds present few advantages from their excessive lightness. They are, of course, perfectly trustworthy and thoroug-'hly reliable so far as safety goes, but naturally they are almost springless, and they are most uncomfortable for any road but the perfectly surfaced speedways or the race-tracks. They carry no backs to the seats, they barely accom- modate one man, and they are not " road-wagons " at all, but merely machines masquerading under that name, designed for purposes of covering a short dis- tance at high speed. They have been recognised in one or two of our horse shows as road-wagons, but that does not affect the point at issue. No specially good results accrue from their slender construction, for it is a fact that the average road-horse needs a certain amount of weight to steady him at speed. Rough-gaited horses also generally go much smoother when drawing a four-wheeled vehicle that has some weight to it, and the genuine road- wagon of the usual type, carrying a top and hold-
172 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
ing comfortably one man, as well as the impedimenta needed on such outings, is light enough for all prac- tical purposes, thoroughly comfortable, and will be drawn by the average horse at quite as fast a pace.
In this connection, it may be mentioned that the extraordinary skill of our native mechanics produces to-day a " road or speedway " wagon strong enough to carry a man weighing" two hundred and fifty pounds or more, which tips the scales, including the cushions, etc., at forty-six pounds! Of this total, it is said that the paint, varnish, leather for dash and shafts, and the cushion, weigh together about fourteen pounds — so that this wonderful vehicle, untrimmed, scales only thirty-two pounds! The average top wagon for one man weighs from ninety pounds to one hundred and twenty pounds, and this is not heavy enough to affect the speed of any horse in the short brushes of half a mile or so which comprise the usual road contests.
A roadster should always have size — he should be at least 15.13/^, and from that to 15.3; he should be of good appearance standing or moving ; of easy.
The Roadster 173
Irictionless gait at both slow and fast paces ; a fast and free walker; fearless, and should go at all his paces without [uilling. The temptation is always t(j buy a rather small horse, for one reason because there are more of them, and hence they are more easily found, and for another, because they are sup- posed to be more easily kept. This last recom- mendation is a usual attribute, and the small horse has all the best of it if he is thick through — "to meet and to follow." as the dealers say — wide in proportion to heig'ht. The narrow horse of any height is to be discarded, for there seems to be a lack of storage room- for the vital organs — heart, kings, and stomach — which carries with it a delicacy of constitution that is not desirable. The sturd}' little horse is generally as able as he looks, and this means a good deal if a roadster is to be such in fact as well as name, and to cover his twenty or thirty miles on demand as a good horse should, repeating the trip if necessary on several consecutive days.
American types nf horses, carriages, and harness,
174 C)ur Noblest Friend, The Horse
are winning their way by sheer force of merit in all parts of the world, and it is regrettable that we do not more generally adhere to native styles and constructions at home, instead of aping foreign fash- ions, many of which do not flourish or acclimatise successfully.
For comfort, elegance, and lightness of draft and durability, no better vehicles are made than our bug- gies, runabouts, rockaways, etc. ; our harnesses are perfect in proportion, light and strong; our horses, unmutilated as to tails and manes, are suitable to their accoutrements, and through their abilities in the way of speed and endurance, can propel our carriages farther and faster than any horses now in service. The American roadster and road-wagon are typical of a people strong in individuality, and are a development so peculiarly our own that we should not forget, nor allow the world to overlook it.
As an epitome of nervous energy, speed, en- durance and hustle — the personification of " git thar " — they as thoroughly embody the charac- teristics which have made America and Americans
The Roadster 175
what they are as any other combination that can be named. With a wonderful past, an astonishing- present, and a boundless future, the American light harness horse is worthy of the most careful foster- ing and promotion, and it is our duty that his leading characteristics of speed and endurance be kept always before the world at large.
CHAPTER VI. A Plea for the Pony
AMERICA is the only country in the world which does not actively utilise the pony, in some of his many varying heights and weights, hoth for pleasure and business. Of course this has hitherto been reasonably attributed to the fact that horses of all kinds were so cheap that no special reason existed for drawing to any extent upon the ranks of the smaller fry to take the place and per- form the duties so inexpensively rendered by the larger; and again there has always existed the feeling that it was infra dig. for the grown man or woman, or the tradesman, to be seen behind these Liliputians — an opinion which, while somewhat weakened, still holds good in the majority of instances.
This is all fast changing, and the pony, or his
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A Plea for the Pony 177
more able confrere the cob, is destined to receive tardy recognition for what he is — the ablest, most enduring, and most useful little beast we find wrapped in horsehide. The term " cob," by the way, has in America, since its adoption as a wprd in general use, been greatly misconstrued, and is ap- plied erroneously to animals from 15.2 to 16 hands. The phrase has more to do with shape than size, it is true, but the true "cob" never exceeds 15 hands, and is generally between that height and a hand lower, although " cobby-built " ponies and horses are found of all heights. We have never differ- entiated between the types in our show rings, and the entries in a pony class may be all cobs, or the reverse. The cob is stout and blockily built, thick through, and a " big little one," as the dealers say, not unusually tending rather to coarseness, and dis- playing in his general make-up and finish a lack of good breeding. Many cobs, however, are full of quality and finely finished at every point, and these, if possessed of pace and action, bring very large figures.
178 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
In another chapter the writer has cast various aspersions upon the character of the average pony and his sins of omission and commission. This he by no means quaHfies here, but would say that there are ponies and ponies, and that the properly trained, well-shaped little animal is worthy, able, and to be desired — the half -broken, low -headed, vulgar little beast so often met with, being the one especially ful- minated against.
Almost any one can afford a pony, and accommo- dations that will answer for a goat or a cow will perfectly suit him. His first cost, and that of his equipage, is very small, and his endurance and ability is fully up to that of the average horse, both in the amount of weight in proportion to his ovv^n bulk which he can handle, and in the miles he can cover, the pace he can travel. Not one pony in a thousand gets work enough, and they thrive on a fare that would put a horse out of business in short order. A fourteen-hand pony is as useful in every way as a horse, whether under the saddle or in harness; while those of lesser height might well
A Plea for the Pony 179
perform, singly and in pairs, about tlie usual work demanded from the family horse at much less than half the cost. Our tradesmen would find them just the thing for all light-delivery work, and instead of using them only occasionally, as at present, and then more for advertising purposes than for actual labour, they could capably perform all such tasks; lasting on the city stones much longer than the horses generally secured.
According to heights the average cost of a pony is in inverse ratio to that of a horse; thus the smaller the pony the greater the original outlay. The very tiny things of ten to eleven hands are seldom properly broken, and these are really too small for much genuinely important service, while their cost runs to extraordinary figures, those of fine finish and Cjuality bringing commonly " a dollar a pound," and even twice and thrice that price. Such as the Shelties. the smaller Scotch ponies, etc., come under this head, and there is hardly one of them w^hose place could not be more ably filled by an animal of from four to eight inches more stature ;
i8o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
being thus, if used by children, of longer service, since the youngsters do not so readily outgrow them. Indeed, the very small ponies are used principally by children, w'ho' perhaps would do as well to wait until greater age brought increased capacity, not only for absorbing, but for utilising, the knowledge of riding and driving, which such experiences are intended primarily to promote, and even for such use the larger are more docile and less tricky, more like horses and less like little scoundrels. Nor are the very little things so proportionately narrow through where their young riders' tiny legs must strive to clasp, that any advantage is gained by employing them, for they are generally straight and heavy shouldered, and hugely overburdened with flesh, through full feeding and light exercise. The larger pony is much oftener narrow and true-made throughout, and quite sufficiently so for the child who begins really tO' ride at a suitable age, and not at the tender period which so often brings accidents in its train when equestrianism is unwisely attempted. A child has not far to fall if thrown from a small
A Plea for the Pony i8i
pony, but he will be put off so many times by the little beast's trickery that its diminutive size has no compensating advantage.
A stout pony, of 13 to 14.2 hands, costs very little, — a plain, useful, quiet ride and drive sort from $75 to $125 and possibly less. His harness will run to as little as $10 and not over $30; a trap for him to about $50 to $100, if any of the auction-rooms are watched. A second-hand saddle and bridle costs but a trifle, — say $20, — and the family is equipped for about $150 to $250, with an outfit which will not only amuse the children, but do solid work for the elders; while on a small country place the pony may also pull the lawn-mower and do other odd jobs if a small wagon or cart is obtained. Any corner of the cow-'house, wood-shed, or other out- building will answer for a stable; all sorts of odds and ends of food will be welcomed by it, for ponies are always hardy doers; or if hay and grain fed, a mere trifle monthly will satisfy all feed bills. Shoes are rarely needed at all, or if so, only in front.
1 82 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
where the ever-useful " tip " will find its most appropriate place.
The grade Exmoors, the larger Scotch ponies, the Virginia and South Carolina " tackies," the mus- tang and Indian ponies, and the dwarf trotting-bred animals, all come under the head of the highly useful and inexpensive, and the stouter, thicker, and heavier they are, the better they will replace the larger animals. Many branded ponies, bronchos so- called, make excellent all-round family slaves, and often may be had for a mere song, while the majority are as well trained as any animal, and the idea to the contrary is a mere bugaboo of tradition and of Buffalo' Bill's show, whose " spoiled horses," as they are and are called, have helped condemn every beast disfigured by the branding-iron. There is nothing about the plains pony per se which tends to render him less amenable to discipline than any other of his race, and competent handling is now much more general in the West than it was at the time when he acquired his fiendish reputation, so that the broncho of to-day is probably as well-trained
Two Sporty Ponies.
I. Bo-Peep, owned by R. F. Carman. — 2. DoNCASTER MoDEL, driven by Mrs. John Gerken.
A Plea for the Pony 183
and as kindly disposed as any other animal on offer for general ride and drive purposes.
While perhaps the pony height of 14. i or 14.2 is rather a small standard to preserve throughout a whole stud, it is beyond doubt true that any one living in the country will do well from all points of argument and usage to approximate this size closely, and not to exceed two or three inches more in height. For riding or driving, these sizes are more generally handy and enduring, while they may be doubled and quadrupled in pair, four, or tandem fashion, as occasion demands. The small saddle- horse is much easier to mount and dismount, and therefore more suitable to the uses of all the family, young as well as old ; while in almost every locality there is always to be found an abundance of small native horses, cheap to purchase, and inured to hard work and long drives, which would promptly place their larger stable mates on the shelf for repairs. Naturally the sizes and shapes of vehicles and har- ness must be suited to the animals used with them, and it will be found that satisfaction universally
184 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
accrues from this elimination of the large and adherence to the small horse, for all people living out of town.
Tradesmen of all descriptions will find the little horse or large pony much more useful in their busi- nesses, and that he will handle weight as speedily and promptly as the big brutes, endure many more years, and cost not half as much either to purchase or to maintain. In him will the automobile find its most determined foe, and as he ably succeeds his more massive and taller relative, so will he long continue to render appropriate the following logical and exultant verses:
UNCLE HExNRY ON PASSING OF THE HORSE (S. E. Kiser in Chicago Record-Herald:)
Every little while they tell us that the horse has got to go; First the trolley was invented, 'cause the horses went so slow, And they told us that we'd better not keep raisin' colts no
more; When the street-cars got to moting that the horses pulled
before,
A Plea for the Pony 185
I thought it was all over for old Fan and Doll and Kit, S'posed the horse was up and done for, But he
ain't
went
yit.
When the bike craze first got started, people told us right
away. As you probably remember, that the horse had saw his day. People put away their buggies and went kitin' 'round on
wheels ; There were lots and lots of horses didn't even earn their
meals. I used to stand and watch 'em with their bloomers, as they'd
flit. And I thought the horse was goin', But he
ain't
went yit.
Then they got the horseless carriage, and they said the horse
was done, And the story's been repeated twenty times by Edison ;
1 86 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
Every time he gits another of his batteries to go,
He comes whoopin' out to tell us that the horse don't stand
a show. And you'd think to see these chaffeurs, as they go
a-chaufifin', it Was good-by to Mr. Dobbin. But
he *
ain't
went yit.
When the people git to flyin' in the air, T s'pose they'll say. As we long have been a-sayin', that the horse has had his day. And I s'pose that some old feller jist about like me'll stand Where it's safe and watch the horses haulin' stuff across the
land ; And he'll mebby think as I do, while the crows above him flit, " Oh, they say the horse is done for, But he
ain't
went
yit."
CHAPTER VII. Driving Tours
TO explore intimately the byways and the Iiighways of our country, and to enjoy in leisurely fashion the beauties of nature, and the frequently successful attempts of man to har- monise with or to restrain its exuberance, no more satisfactory method can be imagined than the driving tour ; that meandering peregrination which, starting with no definite objective point in view, continues in the same delightfully irresponsible fashion until vacation time expires, or funds run low. The pedes- trian, either singly or in flocks, finds his advantages in economy and in wholesome exercise; but his venture demands the possession of good health, physical ability, and youth, which unfortunately are not perennial attributes. The bicyclist is hampered by his inability to transport more than the barest
187
1 88 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
necessities for cleanliness and decency, and he, too, must be able-bodied. The automobilist is, as a rule, restricted to the more beaten paths in his wanderings, from the facts that he dare not venture far from the essentials of the hardware and stench-producing fuel necessary to ensure propulsion for his contraption. He is also, possibly, aware that, in the eternal fitness of things, his coughing, sneezing, evil-smelling monster is totally out of place amid the solitude of the green wood, or beside the mysterious murmur of stream or sea.
What horse-users and admirers for years neglected to attempt, the bicycle enthusiasts effected in short order, and for this to them be every praise. They brought about throughout the country a general and increasing improvement, not only in the maintenance but also in the construction of our roads, and the peripatetic may to-day comfortably and safely travel thoroughfares which, a few years ago, were left in the most primitive condition, — morasses in winter and ash-heaps in summer. Let him turn to any point of the compass and " follow his nose "; he will
Driving Tours 189
find not only very fair roadways, but will enjoy an- other boon, for which the " Ixions of the wheel '' are to be thanked, — comfortable and frequent places for repose and refreshment, where civilised meals are served, and a generally and genuinely human effort made to render him comfortable.
We take our trips to Europe, to the far West, East, North, and South, but the intermediate sec- tions are known to us only through glimpses obtained from a flying car window. An occasional locality may be discovered by accident, find prompt apprecia- tion, and attract frequent pilgrimages, but such an event is unusual, and, barring the patronage of that Croesus who is so necessary, apparently, to the advance of all such enterprises, its success must be but ephemeral. It is wonderful what a fillip the presence of such an one lends to the charms of nature, and how his interest adds to the value of scenery, or waters, or air — so far as the general public is concerned. It is extraordinary, also, that of the thousands who annually voyage hither and thither, so very few ever think of exploring and en-
IQO Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
joying the beauties of country, mountains, or sea close at hand, but, most unpatriotically and unenter- prisingly, expend their enthusiasm and their shekels in distant countries and amid other environments.
Thoroughly to enjoy such an outing one should be gregarious by nature and find in the sympathy and enthusiasm of one or more companions that stimulant which so delightfully emphasises the charms of fresh air and free country. Know your man, therefore (or your wife, for the matter of that), and be quite sure that, if the trip is under- taken with any reluctance, and if your associate is not imbued With that love of nature which is inborn and cannot be acquired, sooner or later friction will arise, and the " outing " will fail entirely, not only of present delight, but in that which is its most enjoy- able quality, — a tender reminiscence for years to come. The enduring harmony of such a party is in inverse ratio to its size. " Two is company," but, if the excursion includes a larger number, either they must be of one's nearest and dearest, or the journey must be a very short one. People
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Driving Tours 1 91
thrown so intimately together will surely " get on each other's nerves," nor is it easy to find a number of individuals who always want to do the same thing at the same time.
A large party also necessitates the use of a number of horses — possibly a four- or a six-in- hand, and the likelihood of some mishap is vastly increased with each additional animal. Shoulders will chafe ; legs will fill ; lameness will occur ; bad feeders and weak constitutions will betray them- selves : and such disasters prove not only hindrances to enjoyment, but possibly insurmountable obstacles.
Convenient handling of the impedimenta is gen- erally the most exacting problem of such journeys, and a trunk or trunks should be sent on ahead, to be overtaken at intervals of a few days, that laundry, etc., may be recovered and refreshed. This arrange- ment, with the addition of something like a steamer- trunk which will fit under the seat and in the back part of a runabout or buggy, will amply provide for the needs of two people; while four may find equal provision if such a vehicle as the comfortable and
192 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
practical democrat wagon is used, than which model nothing is better for such trips. Rain and other coats find storage in small compass under the cushions, or rolled and bound upon the dasher, and umbrellas may be similarly accommodated. The horse clothing, bandages, halters, etc., make a roll which straps like a knapsack to the back of the seat ; and the road-kit, etc., stows away with the apron. Everything two or four people need for from four days to a week may be snugly packed in the flat trunk or valise.
The vehicle should always be thoroughly over- hauled as to tires, nuts, braces, etc., before starting, and if heavy provided with a brake ; the horse or horses should be well and freshly shod, and they must be seasoned and in regular work; the harness must fit well and be soft and pliable at all points, the collars especially being very snug at starting, for the necks and shoulders are sure to shrink. The bridles should be open, or with blinkers flaring well. Sturdy, short-coupled, free-going beasts should be chosen, and not those which have at starting to wear boots
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Driving Tours 193
— althoug-h these should be carried, as a tired horse may bang an ankle to pieces in a few miles. Slug- gards will not answer, for the fatigues of the trip will render them more and more dull, destroying all pleasure ; even a resolute hard puller is better, for he has courage, and will give over his vice if the drives are long enough.
All horses travel best at nig'ht, but as this is not desired, the early morning and the late afternoons afford the best times, and are the most beautiful por- tions of the day. This also leaves the late morning and the early afternoon for local exploration. After a gentle pace for the first mile, horses travel easier, and last fresh longer if sent along at a fair road gait to the next halt. Nothing is more tiresome to them than dawdling along hour after hour, and they are not sustained in their task by the knowledge of coming stable and welcome rest. The last mile in should be at a moderate pace ; water should be given along the way at every opportunity, and plenti- fully. On arrival, the shoulders and saddle place should be at once sponged with cold water, the legs
194 ^^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
washed and bandaged, and the animals put away, and not mussed about in their tired condition. Leave them dirty, and have them brushed over before start- ing for the afternoon trip — if you are " making t\\^ bites " of the day's work. If not, treat them the same, but leave them to rest as much as possible, and don't bother them with their toilet until next day. Appetite must be closely watched, and a new flavour, as apples, sugar, molasses, carrots, etc., occasioually provided ; or " hay tea " may be given as a drink, and the essence of ten pounds of hay included in eight quarts of water. Ensure them boxes or roomy stalls, and see that the beds are deep and fresh. As your pleasure depends upon their condition, spare no exertion to maintain it.
Those who can spare the time, and who have a taste for thus combining camp-life and travel, should test the gipsy life of the " van dwellers," moving from spot to spot at will, exploring on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback, all points of interest within range of the camping-places ; spending a month or a summer in a sort of " land yachting " that affords
Driving Tours 195
a most unique experience either for a family or for a party of friends. No better vehicle can be imag- ined for the purpose than the caravans constructed by American mechanics for the genuine gipsies. These wagons, swinging upon their easy and elastic springs, present the acme of roomy, practical usefulness for such work. They are about tw^elve feet long by six feet broad, and have a leather top, with windows in the sides and curtain in front. The rear end covering is a sheet of canvas some twenty feet long and tw-elve wide, which, when camp is made, conveniently forms a tent or annex to the wagon, two poles being erected at its outer end, and guy ropes and pins holding it in place. Some campers surround this with canvas sides, forming with the wagon two rooms, six by twelve, and twenty by twelve. Four bunks, or cot beds, find room inside the wagon, or may be placed on the ground under the overhang, folding up against the sides of the caravan during the day, as in a sleeping-car. A few rocking-chairs, hammocks, etc., afiford seats in the van during its journeys; a port- able camp-stove and the necessary dishes and cook-
196 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
ing utensils occupy little room ; a chest will hold all the latter, and the former is so small and light that it can go in a corner of the van, or may be dispensed with if open fires are preferred; a few cupboards for odds and ends, a looking-glass, etc., a bicycle or two lashed to the roof, a couple of saddles and bridles for both sexes, or a light gig that will carry two comfortably, and a single harness, and such a party are prepared for all places, weather, seasons, and for any duration of excursion.
The horses should be stout, able, plodding brutes, true to pull, and c|uiet to ride. Canvas covers reach- ing from ears to tail should be provided for them for wet weather camping, to keep them warm and dry on cold, wet nights. No grooming, etc., is necessary, and they can be pastured most of the time. A good dog or two afford a safeguard to the wagon and companions for the children.
Neighbouring farms furnish supplies of eggs, milk, butter, vegetables, poultry, etc. ; the towns and villages encountered in transit supply groceries and ether necessities; while fishing-tackle finds its uses
Ready for the Joirney. I. Mr. R. C. Vandt'ibilt. — 2. Mr. Howard Willet.
Driving Tours 197
in near-by streams. Independent as savages and liappier than kings, such voyagers as these may, at trifling expense, enjoy the days and weeks of vaca- tion; the elders renewing their youth and their zest in hving through such care-free and wholesome existence, the chikh-en learning lessons in self- reliance, and expanding the love of nature and animal life in a thoroughly interesting school, where practice is possible, and precept may be vividly illus- trated. Once tried, such trips are eagerly repeated, and one's caravan becomes a summer haven, lacking in none of the home attributes but that of a perma- nent hearthstone, and, with its homely Lares and Penates, beloved as an abiding-place of happy hours and of tender memories.
part W. CTc proper tircatmcnt of Iborsee
Ipart HID. ^be proper treatment of Iborece
CHAPTER I.
Fad and Fashion. The Docking and Mutilating of Horses
THE fad of the hour — the fashion of the day — and not ephemeral, as the displays of each winter season increasingly prove, is for the mutilation of pets, the sacrificing of the beautiful to the grotesque and bizarre. Milady drives in the park behind her beautiful carriage-horses, docked of tail and plucked of their flowing mane ; beside her is her Boston terrier, whose ears have been trimmed, and whose docked tail has, not improbably, been broken and left disjointed, in order that the fashion- able " screw " malformation may be secured. She
20 1
202 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
is muffled in furs torn from the bodies of harmless creatures that her ruthless tastes might be gratified, and bears upon her head either the entire body or most of the plumage of some innocent bird, whose destruction left, not improbably, its helpless young to starve and to die, whose body was not needed for food, but only that it might adorn (?) the head- dress of a thoughtless woman. The lady is known perhaps for her charitable deeds; even the humane societies have benefited by her largess, yet. indif- ferent to the real facts, she goes on her way, rejoic- ing only that she is tres comnie il faut, and " up-to- date " in every detail of equipage and costume.
The very same woman and her callous class will attend a charity performance upon some cold win- ter's day, leaving her wickedly checked and shivering brougham horses to get through as best they can the long wait which precedes her reappearance; or she submits the hired cab-horse with even more indifference to the same trying exposure. She re- duces her pampered lap-dog to such a condition through overfeeding and lack of adequate exer-
Fad and Fashion 203
cise that he is steadily racked by all the throes of in- digestion and biliousness throughout his obese, asth- matic little body ; and when the wretched brute reaches the pitiful stage where it is unpleasant to have him about, she orders James to dispose of him that another more attractive may replace him, or abandons him to the tender mercies of some caretaker at her country place, where he shivers and whines away his wretched life.
The inhumanities of the poorer classes are gener- ally the result of thoughtless and absolute ignorance of the suffering they cause. The working man does not mean to abuse the animal who represents to him, in proportion to his means, a considerable — a gi- gantic — investment, and which he will, as a usual thing, care for as ably as his limited knowledge en- ables. Reared himself in rough and ready style, cuffed about from childhood, it never occurs to him that non-performance of w^ork is not to be corrected by beating; and he thinks that if the punishment is severe and long continued it is bound to effect the desired ends. It alwavs did in his own case, when
204 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
he figured as the " cuffee " and not the " differ." Hence, when arrest fohovvs his pernicious activity with whip and boot, he is not infrequently genuinely surprised, as he is at the lecture read to him by the judge and at the sentence imposed, especially as he well knows that the crippled animal his few dollars had secured had been the pet of Dives, the banker; but, injured by a fall uix)n the fiendish asphalt, had been summarily consigned to the auction mart, and sold for the trifle which Lazarus was able to afford. " Why," he says to himself, " am I, poor struggling wretch that I am, thus disciplined for beating my horse in my effort to deliver a load which would earn bread for my family, when his former owner goes free after his greater crime of thus consigning an animal tO' lingering torture which had ruined itself by efforts in his service? "
If one will watch the records of arrest for such misdeeds, one will find that seventy-five per cent, of the perpetrators of these cruelties are foreigners, and from countries where it is the national charac- teristic to abuse and to neglect the animal kingdom.
Fad and Fashion 205
Very frequently these men can barely speak our lan- guage, nor can they read it — which failings ensure an almost total ignorance of our country's laws. They are but doing as their like always did at home, and they really meant no harm. An animal is to them simply the means to the desired end, and if it will not proceed, or perform its task, it must be beaten until it does. You can punish such a man by imprisonment, etc., but you perpetrate a moral crime in so doing, for you force him to leave his family possibly to the tender mercies of charity. You cannot " reform " Jiim, but you can so educate his chil- dren, so impress upon their receptive minds the why and wherefore of right and wrong, that they shall be advanced, informed, broadened far beyond his boundaries. He is a necessary evil — possibly leav- ing his own country for its good, and being a blot upon this as long as he lives : but here he is, countless swarms of him, and constantly arriving, — the scum of Europe, the dregs of the world. His descend- ants are the Americans of the future, and no opera- tions in the interest of genuine humanity and Chris-
2o6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
lianity are practical, progressive, or satisfactory if they ignore these facts. The only worthy solution of such problems is to educate the rising generations beyond all such danger-points ; to legislate not for the punishment of man, but for his enlightenment; to see to it that every child in every school, public and private, passes his examinations as to the care and protection due dumb animals, as well as his " three royal R's " of " reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic."
But little general advance can be expected in such matters as long as object-lessons are lacking, and practical supervision and legislation remains so in- ert and so inapt. Laws exist against docking, the use of " burrs " on bridle bits, for the sanding of the asphalt, for the provision of numerous and adequate drinking-places for the refreshment of animals of all sizes ; but the rich man defies or ignores them all, and the poor man, following the lead of his \vealthy neighbour, obeys them so far as he is (obliged, or as he finds it convenient tO' do.
The crying evil of the day, so far as horses are concerned, is accepted to be the docking of the tail.
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Fad and Fashion 207
This is true in part only, for the humane societies and the laws totally ignore the " banging " of tails, which is equally inexcusable; the "pulling"' or "hog- ging " of manes (as in polo ponies, etc.) ; the clipping of the entire body of many horses, used at slow work, simply because it is labour-saving so to do, etc. The plain truth is that the Society itself is not practi- cally managed in many ways; it is subject to attacks of hysteria over trifling details ; its agents are in too many cases not practical men, and their badges have been used too frequently to procure cheap notoriety under the guise of needful discipline.
The operation of docking, in itself, is not particularly painful, and while the minds of senti- mentalists endow the proceeding with all sorts of agonies and horrors, the plain truth is that hardly any pain is evidenced by the subject, and not a few horses have been docked and subsequently seared over the stump with a hot iron while standing tran- quil and unbound. The writer himself was, years ago, " banging " a horse's tail with a keen razor, 1". e. squaring the hair ; but finding blood upon his
2o8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
hands at the conchision of the operation, discovered that he had cut off more than five inches of the an- imal's tail-bone, she standing loose upon the stable floor, the halter-rope thrown over her neck. The horse v^hich is placed in " stocks " by the operator — /. e. uprights which keep him motionless — has his apprehension excited, and may squeal as the first prick is felt. Experiment proves, however, that he will do this (for it is only the exceptional case that will so protest) if he is pricked ever so slightly at any other point, and that it is not the pain of the mutilation which causes him to complain. Docking is done with a " guillotine " knife ; the tail is seared with a hot iron; the whole operation does not last two minutes — often not thirty seconds, and you may at once put the animal in harness and drive him, if you so elect. The searing is not painful, as you may prove by taking a pointed bit of ice and pressing it upon your arm. The sensation is so pre- cisely that of the hot iron that, blindfolded, one cannot tell the difference — as the writer knows
Fad and Fashion 209
from personal experience, through initiation of a secret society.
While the actual operation of docking, therefore, is not cruel, the inhumanity comes later. Very rarely a horse's tail may fester and prove tender for awhile; but usually there are no after effects, and the scab comes away from the stump in a week or so ; but it is not at this stage that the wickedness of the grotesque fashion is felt, or its real evils experi- enced.
Forthwith, and for all his after life, the poor animal is destined to afford a pasture for countless insects for from five to twelve months annually, according to his climatic environment. If he is exposed to their attacks out-of-doors, he is little less at their mercy within, and the tender skin of his thighs, hocks, etc., is to them a favourite swarm- ing-place. Grown thin, finally, because of the con- stant misery which tortures him, the kindly ( ?) master orders him " turned out to grass " for a few months to " gain flesh," and now indeed is the evil hour of his torment come! I£ flies of all kinds drive
2IO Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
him mad by day, millions of mosquitoes gnaw his bones by night; and if he in his agony charge through woodlands, rub against fences and trees, or roll upon the ground, his skin thereby suffers abrasions which immediately form a most attract- ive feeding-place for his enemies; secure havens to deposit their eggs, and to promote festering sores.
Reduced finally to the cab ranks and the peddler's wagon, his lot is fully as hopeless, for now his duties daily call him where insects swarm, his repose (?) must be sought where similar conditions obtain.
" Banging " — i. e. squaring the hair at the end of the bone — is not quite so barbarous in its future results as docking, but for present purposes, and while the hair remains short, it is just as bad. An outrageous custom — utterly without reason, save that a little wiork is saved to lazy stable-men — has sprung up in New York, of thus mangling the tails of animals used upon express wagons, street-cars, the street-cleaning department, etc., to the number of thousands. These animals are never protected from flies, and their w^ork (and rest) is always where they
Fad and Fashion 21 1
swarm, yet the Humane Society has made no effort whatever to change matters.
The mane is useful and necessary as a fly-brtish, and again the society allows nearly all the work- horses in New York to have their mane and foretop cut off entirely; while fashionable carriage-horses, etc., have theirs " pulled " until it is about six inches long. However, they are more fortunate, at that, than the work-horses, whose heads and necks are left utterly defenceless; although, as a partial compensation, the ears of the latter are not deprived of their interior hair, as are the creatures of fashion in many cases. It is true that, if the mane is not cut away at the point where the collar rests, it may cause festering sores, and it should also be removed where the top of the bridle lies. This means only a space about five inches wide before the withers, and another cut about two inches wide behind the ears, the rest of the mane being left to fulfil its purpose as a fly-brush, etc. ; and it is a disgrace to the S. P. C. A. that it tolerates any other methods. No mane needs " hogging," on polo pony or any other
212 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
animal, and legislation should prevent; ordinary good taste and humanity should discountenance it. Docking is peculiarly inappropriate where our American vehicles are used and the passengers sit rather low behind their horse. The long tail, hang- ing well down between and behind the hind legs, forms an effective guard against flying mud, dust, and pebbles, while the docked-tailed animal, par- ticularly if he steps rather high, hurls the filth at you in showers — and some horses, thus mutilated, are quite unusable in the native runabout, buggy, etc. Theory has it that the long tail gets over the rein more frequently and more firmly than the docked, whereas exactly the contrary is the case. The docked horse not only " shuts down " closer, but his tail affords no leverage if you would finally lift it off the rein — when not improbably your clasp (and the ensuing discomfort) brings to his one- ideaed mind the thought that once upon a time some one hurt him rig'ht there, and, as opportunity offers, he proceeds to " get square " by kicking your head off, and the wagon to pieces.
Prizk- Winning Pairs. Courtesy of the owner, Mr. Eben D. Jordan.
Fad and Fashion 213
If horses are to be docked or banged, there should be a law passed making it severely punishable to fail to provide fly-nets for all horses, whether driven or ridden, during the necessary months. They can per- fectly well be applied to the saddle-horse, and any equestrian of ordinary humanity would realise it, and see to it that this most necessary and inexpen- sive provision was made for the comfort of his patient hack.
The humane societies make a tremendous flutter over the use of " burrs " upon bridle-bits, etc., yet overlook all these requirements of common sense and common decency. They do not compel sanding of streets, nor ensure the prompt destruction of fatally injured animals by making every keeper of a public stable a legal executioner, and instructing him in the merciful performance of his duties. The so- ciety has made itself an object of ridicule to horse- men everywhere by such lack of intelligent effort, and every one knows that, if docking is illegal, yet still is practised, the crime lies at no door but that of the society, which fails to suppress it and which could
214 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
absolutely and effectually do so if it chose — and were not many of its members and supporters them- selves in the habit of thus mutilating their purchases, or of buying and using them when previously dis- figured by others.
CHAPTER II. Sense and Sentiment
IN our relations with animals of all kinds we are very prone to go to extremes, and to allow sentiment to usurp to an unwarrantable and harm- ful extent the place of common sense. While excellent in its principle, humanising in its applica- tion, and ennobling in its general results, sentiment, in its relation to the animals which we foster, love, protect, and use. although in moderation desirable, is, in excess, most unwholesome and dangerous. Considered in the abstract, we can harbour for this emotion nothing but praise, although frequently, in the individual case, it proceeds to lengths which are to be deprecated.
It may seem extraordinary to assert that excess
of sentiment is responsible not only for much animal
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2i6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
suffering, but for many serious and fatal casualties, but reflection will convince that the statement is true; experience will prove it not only correct, but astoundingly so. Where there exists a happy com- bination of sense and sentiment, precept and practice, discipline and indulgence, there wc shall find our animal friends fostered and controlled as is wisest and best for their well-being, — past, present, and future, — and happy (and exceptional) the indi- vidual w^hose well-balanced mind and personal ex- periences enable him (or her) to attain this truly happy medium.
What, then, is sentiment ? Thought prompted by passion or feeling, tender susceptibility.
And what is sense? Perception through intellect, due appreciation.
These definitions being accepted, one realises that, while they are not necessarily interdependent, they should be so. Sentiment is not only an emotion, but a sense; sense is not alone the power of discern- ment, but also a sentiment — the ability to differen- tiate between right and wrong, between judicious
Sense and Sentiment 217
severity and cruel harshness, between maudhn indul- gence and wise discipline.
To sentiment, as said above, must be charged many of the ills from which our animal dependents suffer. Our undisciplined puppies — and grown dogs — reared and kept by people of foolishly fond dispositions, are mere nuisances, frequently to whole neighbourhoods ; our caged birds and other domesti- cated pets are not only bought, reared, and con- fined by humanitarians who have much to say (and do) concerning the actions of others in their rela- tions to animals, but themselves, through mistaken kindness, are responsible for a vast amount of suffer- ing among the creatures they assume to foster and protect; the domestic cat, dog, and canary bird perhaps more often suffer from mistaken kindness than any other animals; overfed, overfattened, underexercised, many of them lead miserable lives, — and just how wretched such an existence is, let any of our corpulent, indolent dyspeptics bear wit- ness.
This foolish ultra-sentimentalism is noticeable to
2i8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
nearly as great an extent in the care for and manage- ment oi horses. We are prone to strain at the gnat of docking, of the use of burr-bits, etc., and at the same time to overfeed and underexercise our own animals, to keep them in stables which in the long nights become totally unfit for occupancy, so foul does the air become; to turn them out to grass, and let them feed the flies and mosquitoes, and shrink in flesh and muscle from want of the accus- tomed grain ; to water them not at all when heated, and never during the long, long nights, when the consumption of much dry forage has rendered their thirst acute; to shoe them improperly, accepting the dictum of ignorant men as to their needs in this connection; to allow children to use them, regard- less of juvenile characteristics or abilities ; to accept as gospel the theories of individuals who have had no practical experience, etc. These are but a few of the hardships which sentiment and well-inten- tioned ignorance inflict upon the horse. We have heard of the place that was " paved with good inten- tions," and mistaken sentiment has laid more of
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tliose cobblestones than has any other one factor that can be named.
The writer well remembers that, very recently, as he was driving a yoimg and headstrong horse past one of the numerous city excavations in New York, he reached a place where there was barely room to pass an approaching hansom cab containing two ladies. When abreast of the vehicle, the young horse gave formal notice that he was about to make a bolt directly toward it ; and to prevent this the writer shifted the bit smartly in his mouth, and, as he failed to respond, struck him twice very sharply with the whip, thereby forcing him to answer his bit, and to escape, by a very narrow margin, a serious accident — as otherwise he would inevitably have landed in the cab, and probably on the laps of the ladies. As the cab passed (by a hairbreadth), one lady leaned out and exclaimed, " Oh, you brute ! You ought to be ashamed of yourself ! " The writer chanced to know who she was and followed her to her house, where he sent in his card and requested an interview. This granted, he explained his action :
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showed her how, by the exercise of needful severity, her Hfe and that of her friend had probably been saved ; explained the necessity for prompt action, and then asked her, as she had criticised the deed, to prescribe a more effective and prompt method of evading subsequent similar occurrences. To this the lady was frank enough to reply that she knew nothing whatever about horses, but had a keen love for them, and resented anything that looked like abuse; understood that they must be controlled, although all her sentiments were against severity and for kindness — and handsomely allowed that she had been wrong.
On leaving, the writer asked if he might be per- mitted to take the temperature of a corner where hung an aviary of several disconsolate appearing birds, quite near a steam radiator in full blast. Per- mission being granted, the bulb was found to register ninety-two degrees, and the lady was as much pained to learn of the cruelty which she had con- tinually practised upon her pets as was the writer at her original accusation. This was a case of
Sense and Sentiment 22 1
excess of sentiment and of lack of ordinary common sense — the well-meaning- woman was ignorantly inflicting every day more real suffering upon her birds than a daily flogging would have afforded the horse.
It is this same sort of sentimentalism that allows a horse to take all sorts of liberties, to drive care- lessly, to stumble, to pretend fear at passing or sta- tionary objects, to do, unrebuked, the thousand and one things that a horse will attempt if he thinks he dare do so with impunity. The handler must be the master, and there must be no question about it, no idea of partnership, no fallacy that " Billy knows my touch on his mouth," or that " Charley knows my voice." Nothing is more suicidal than this sort of sentimentalism. The fairy tales of our childhood of the " Arab and his steed " were the merest non- sense, the most dangerous fables. Sentiment would fain endorse them, but experience and common sense sternly forbids — therefore be warned in time.
Horses were given to mankind to subjugate, to discipline along rational lines, and to use intelli-
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gently. Originally a wild animal, the horse has many of these instincts unchanged. Never believe that he serves you because he loves you and wishes to do so. He does nothing of the sort. Your scent is unpleasant to him; your presence, until he finds that to you he must look for food and shelter, is distasteful ; he allows you to handle and to work him, not because he delights in so doing, but because he has been deceived into thinking that he cannot help himself; and he acquiesces just in the degree that he is hoodwinked, and to the extent that he has found resistance useless. He is foolish, he is timid, he has but limited intelligence — and it is in these qualities that our safeguard lies, if he is properly handled and educated as common sense defines; in the same qualities that our constant danger exists if he is pampered and indulged, as sentiment and the current mistaken ideas of humane treatment dictate.
CHAPTER III. Our Obligations to Our Dumb Dependents
ONE is tempted to say that the " fad " of the present is philanthropy, but it is more — it is the legitimate fruit of liberal education and enkindled interest in humanity in general. The American of the future — and of the present — more nearly complies with the duties of true citizen- ship than any of his contemporaries or predecessors, and assures limitless advances along the same lines. Genuine as are these obligations, those due to the dumb animals in his care, for pleasure or for profit, are as important, and should be met and cancelled in the same generous and thoughtful spirit. If, ho'W- ever, we are speedily and intelligently to ensure proper consideration for all animals, this reform must come from instructing the children, from carrying it to the same limits as other branches in
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their education, and rendering it a part of their very nature and religion.
Our efforts in this direction have not always been directed by experience, nor by ordinary common sense, and more than once theories have been promul- gated and edicts legalised which have been properly ridiculed, and have proved not only improper but dangerous. For instance, the agents of the S. P. C. A. made, one year, a sudden descent upon a number of carriages awaiting their owners outside Madison Square Garden during the annual horse show, and removed from the bits of the animals attached sun- dry so-called " burrs," which had been placed upon them, as alleged, in order to cause the animals to " foam at the mouth, and to appear spirited." A " burr," it may be explained, is a round piece of leather carrying on its surface sundry clusters of short bristles, and placed upon the mouthpiece next the cheek. The effect is not to make the animal either "foam or prance," but to drive straigJit, to keep off the sidezmlks, and, if boring, hinging, heavy-headed horses, to properly behave themselves.
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Obligations to Dumb Dependents 225
The contrivance is, as every horseman knows, useful, sometimes necessary; not at all cruel, unless it be so to hold a toothbrush against your own mouth- angle; and is felt by the animal only when he at- tempts to carry his head and neck to one side. As
these appliances were presumably necessary, it is due to luck only that some serious accident did not follow this hysterical proceeding, and, had any occurred, it would have been interesting to find out whether the society could escape the consequences of its high-handed action. " Burrs " have been in use in the streets daily for years, and are seen to-day; they do not cause suffering; they are very useful, and with certain horses a safeguard against acci- dents.
Again the use of tight check-reins is universally argued against, especially for draught work, yet there are certain low-headed, straight-shouldered horses which, if not checked, and that quite sharply, allow the collar so to work against the point of the shoulder that it is constantly galled. As a choice of evils, checks should always be used in such cases.
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We sadly lack discrimination, and the presence of practical horsemen in power, who would not only correct, but also instruct, would greatly help the task of alleviating equine conditions.
We forbid a child to hurt a fly or to pull the kitten's tail, generally before he has essayed either feat; but he is afforded no reason for the inter- diction, beyond the general statement that the act is cruel. The mere word conveys no idea to his mind, but the mandate awakens immediately his curiosity — as similar warnings concerning the more important temptations of life have affected all of us, dear reader. Lacking any demonstration as to zahy the deeds are inhuman, or as to what cruelty is, he avails himself of the first opportunity to experi- ment with fly or feline, and his convictions are formed upon the immediate results of his investi- gations.
How common it is to find that people who by act and word strive to evidence their sympathy for the animal kingdom will thoughtlessly consign to the tender mercies of their children all varieties of pets;
Obligations to Dumb Dependents 227
allow collections of butterflies, and of birds' eggs to be made ; ignorant of the treatment portioned out to the various animals which their offspring may pet, abuse, overfeed, and starve, according to juvenile caprice and carelessness, children of three to four years of age being permitted to maul, squeeze, and maltreat kittens, puppies, etc., to an outrageous extent, not only to the ensuing discomfort and agony of the little things, but not infrequently to their positive physical injury.
No child should be allowed to have or to handle any pet until it has reached the age when warning and instruction may be assimilated and acted upon. Nor should they, at any time, be allowed the handling of animals too young or too feeble to resent with vigour any attempt at abuse or oppression. Better far the bite or scratch which teaches summarily and indelibly its lesson, than the callous indifference ensured by the patient suffering of tiny things which can but dumbly wonder and lament that their help- lessness secures for them only discomfort from the juniors, neglect from the elders. The mere con-
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signing of a forlorn pnppy or kitten, just taken from its mother's side, to the cellar every night to mourn its lonely little heart out, can but have its effect upon the children, who find that the parents not only tolerate, but direct such methods. As one little girl said : " Why, father, kittie only mewed once when I pulled her tail; but she cries all night when you put her in the cellar ! "
The purchaser who invests in horse, dog, or other pet does so with no idea of any special duty to the animal who thus comes into his charge ; and generally with no previous knowledge of its require- ments. He simply acquires it, as he does his walk- ing-stick, and expects it forthwith to be as handy, useful, and ornamental as the implement. Of the animal's obligations to him he has a generally exag- gerated idea; for his to the creature he cares but little, and would be surprised did you ask if he realised what they were, or whether any existed. He will allow that food, water, and shelter must be provided in order that condition for use, or pleasure, may be maintained, but further than that it never
Obligations to Dumb Dependents 229
enters his head that he is bound, in all honour, to see that these are of the most sanitary and nourish- ing ; that its ailments are anticipated ; that its future after years of service is provided for; that its caparisons, etc., are of the least irksome; its tasks confined to reasonable limits; that its vacations are enjoyable and wisely ordered. It is idle for him to argue that he " does not know much about horses " (or dogs, etc.), that he " thought Billy was well fed at pasture" (although he returned a walking skeleton), that he "supposed Fanny was protected from flies in the stable," or that he " did not think of White Socks's future when he ordered him docked " ; but these arguments serve neither as excuses nor reasons for his wanton neglect — and he has violated his trust. If he bought an auto- mobile, a bicycle, or a sailboat, he would learn all he could about it before investing, and would be consumed with anxiety lest something might happen to it, or that there was some wrinkle he had not mastered concerning its manipulation. His ani- mals, however, he acquires without previous study,
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acquaintanceship, or knowledge, and forthwith either ignorantly tinkers with thein himself, or consigns them to the tender mercies of others as indifferent. The future of his machine is always — of his pets rarely — of interest.
There are some men to whom the horse does not appeal ; there are others who entertain affection and regard for none of the animal kingdom. Many such are mental or physical weaklings, and lacking in ordinary nerve or courage. It has always seemed, however, that there must be some mental failing in the normal and healthy man who does not desire association with this noblest of animals; who does not exult in managing and directing him ; in foster- ing his energies, and ensuring his welfare ; in loving and admiring him. A something is lacking in such a man's individuality.
All animals are independent of man for food, for shelter, for care, or for protection ; while he, in one way or anothei% must absolutely lean upon them for sustenance, for progress, in labour, or in war. The luxuries of his life come from them ; the essentials
Obligations to Dumb Dependents 231
would be lacking and he would become worse than the aboriginal but for them. Unassisted by them agriculture and commerce would be impossible.
There is a very general reluctance to admit that animals have the power of reasoning, as tending to place the brute upon too hig-h a plane, and to destroy the dominant birthright of man. The same nervous system holds sway, however, in both, whatever may be alleged regarding the spiritual or intellectual faculties.
The organs of sight, smell (or scent), and hearing are far more powerfully developed in the brute than in man, as more essential to his safety and to his sustenance, and as thus preparing him the more per- fectly for our uses. His faculties and powers are exactly graded, and closely limited to the position he must fill, and it is for us to appreciate the fact and recognise the limitations. This very inferiority constitutes their strongest claim to our merciful consideration and patient cultivation. The faculty of concentration — and its preliminary and essential factor, attention — is a most striking attribute of
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the dumb beast. His memory is wonderful, and his association of ideas exact. His imagination is of the strongest — your dreaming dog, your shying horse, prove that.
As the Hon. George B. Loring says of him, " The horse, with all his powers and inclinations, is perfect in the situation in which he is placed. Were his intelligence greater, he might possibly inquire into the right by which we hold the power that we exert over him. Were his courage and spirit higher he might rebel against our cruelties. Were his muscular powers considerably increased he might bid defiance to our attempts to subjugate him. But as our servant he is full of the intelligence and spirit and strength which we require.
" In verse, in prose, in paint, and in marble, from the beginning of all things, the horse has been im- mortalised; throughout all advances in civilisation and Christianity, he has played his important part — humble, patient, enduring. Think of the achieve- ments and progress along all lines — military, agri- cultural, scientific, exploration, travel, communica-
Obligations to Dumb Dependents 233
tion — what you will — and what wondrous abate- ment would be chronicled if accomplishments directly and indirectly due to equine abilities were to be sub- tracted from the sum total.
" As history records, so let posterity receive and uphold him, — the helpmeet of humanity in all emer- gencies, the alleviator of its troubles, the lessener of its toils, the contributor to its enjoyments, the promoter of our health, seeking in return but rational treatment, kindly usage, fostering care in youth and decrepitude, and decent burial. Can we not perform that duty to our animals which we confess we owe to our fellow men and to our God ? "
CHAPTER IV. Homes for Horses
THE writer has always thought that, had he the means, he would construct a home for horses (and for all animals), which should be managed along practical lines, largely self-sup- porting, affording a hospital for the maimed, a rest for the weary and weak, a home for the aged, a refuge for the friendless, a sanctuary for all those pitiful dumb lives about which we talk and write so much, and for which we really do so little. All honour to those who have accomplished the existing good — but think of what remains undone, and the possibilities of such protection, the duties of such provision !
Certain refuges have, up to date, existed as private enterprises, but in too many cases they have continued only during the life of the benefactor,
-34
Homes for Horses 235
or have struggled along under an inadequate pro- vision made by will. Legislative action is what is needed, and these homes should be maintained in every State, and be subjects for support in part from State funds. A portion of the revenues which are now devoted by legal enactment to the interests of State and county fairs might well be diverted to these uses, and a vast amount of benefit thereby accrue, not only from the protection such institutions would afford our dumb animals, but from the object- lessons they would furnish, the practical illustra- tions they would afford, of the care of all creatures in health and sickness, the educational benefits they would provide for the class of people who need it most. Our cattle-shows are for the most part such in name only, and serve but as a mask to levy upon the public coffers for tribute to be expended in offering purses for trials of speed, — a worthy object in its way, but hardly deserving of compulsory support from the taxpayers of the community. Such homes, properly situated, could be made in a large measure self-supporting, w^ere practical methods of manage-
236 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
ment inaugurated. The}^ could afford a resting- place for the horses and other animals, beast or bird, of the rich as of the poor, and the care provided should be so superior to other boarding farms, etc., that extensive revenues would result. The slave of the poor man could be rested and fattened at cost price, another being meanwhile leased to him at a low figure for brief periods, and subject to inspection at suitable intervals, that its welfare might be assured. Horses could be educated, cured of vice or trick, thoroughly trained for different purposes, all at reasonable charges. Dogs could be boarded as well, cured of disease, conditioned, and sold or given away to responsible owners. Cats could be handled in the same way, as could birds or any of the army of pets which are fancied by mankind. Demonstrations could be made of the care appro- priate for every sort of animal in health or disease; for their proper usage by young and old; their acceptable food, etc., and courses of lectures given upon these and kindred subjects in some building in the city, and in various localities adja-
Horses' Homes.
Homes for Horses 237
cent, which should be practical, descriptive, and intelligible, — vastly advancing along common sense lines the appreciation of our duties to our dumb dependents.
Such a place would need plain, inexpensive accom- modations for all the different varieties of boarders and pensioners, together with a certain amount of land for yards and paddocks; better, of course, if it also contain sufficient acreage for the pasturing of horses, etc., at certain seasons, and for the grow- ing of hay and various other useful crops. This is really not vitally important, and could hardly be obtained in a locality which must be as near to the city as this institution should be, in order that ani- mals might be led or cheaply transported to and fro, and that patrons might find it easily, quickly, and cheaply accessible — for this establishment would exist for the poor rather than for the rich.
The procuring of supplies, in such a case, would be as inexpensive by purchase as by production. Nearness to the city would mean that land in any quantity would be expensive to acquire, and forage
238 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
crops cannot cheaply be grown upon such costly fields. A few tons of this, a few bushels of that, would cost far more than they would come to. Feed, fodder, etc., can be purchased cheaply — very cheaply — if one knows where, when, and how to buy and is located near wholesale markets; and this holds true even when prices are highest. A horse can be kept, and well kept, in idleness at such a place for about one dollar per week, or less if pasturage or soiling can be secured for five to six months per year. Not only can he be kept, but he can be fattened as well. Dogs cost but a few cents per day, and if harboured in quantities, so that sup- plies could be bought at wholesale, can be well cared for at about a dollar and a half per month, or fifteen to eighteen dollars per year. The writer has kept them in large quantities, — in packs of fox-hounds of thirty or forty couple, — and that for two years or more at a time, and knows just what the expense is ; just what to buy, and how to buy it ; and his experiences are at the service of any one who cares to ask. In the same way he has had, for years,
Homes for Horses 239
large quantities of horses, etc., in his care, some- times five hundred or more, and the prices named for keep are correct and proven so.
No charge is made for shelter, etc., but the plain, practical, and inexpensive buildings recommended would cost so very little that the expense per head domiciled would be very small, the items of interest and repairs extremely low. For instance, box stalls, etc., and a suitable building can be erected for about ten dollars each head of horses sheltered, — a build- ing that will last without external repairs of any sort for five years, but may then need patching as to roofing; practically arranged, warm, airy, perfectly suitable in every way for the purposes intended. In most cases, of course, there w^ould already exist build- ings of some sort which might need only fitting up.
The large amount of manure obtained upon such a place would quickly raise to a very high state of fertility what few acres might be available for tillage, ensuring a most advantageous and profitable return from the growth of various crops for the provision of sfreen food to be used in " soilinsr " — i. e. feeding
240 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
green, vastly to the benefit of all horses, etc., which could thus in summer be always kept in airy and darkened boxes away from the flies during the day- time and turned out into the paddocks at night, thus gaining in comfort and in flesh. In fact, " soiling " is so thoroughly useful a form of pasturing animals, and so entirely does away with all its usually attend- ant drawbacks, that it is quite sure to advance in favour everywhere, and to receive general commen- dation, as well upon the score of economy as upon that of practical and convenient feeding methods.
Receipts could be augmented by the purchase of thin horses, and their re-sale or leasing for brief periods after they had become again in good condi- tion, — a very profitable proceeding where the requi- site opportunities of purchase offer, as they do in the sale marts of all large cities.
Revenue could be obtained in so many ways from such a place, and its proper supervision is so easy, that it is astounding that, as private individuals ignore them, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has not seen to the establishing
Homes for Horses 241
of such " Snug Harbours " adjacent to all our cities. It is in these practical ways that this society can do much good, and surely it has at its command, or can secure, the needful funds for the purchase, or lease, and maintenance of such places; while its vast connection among the wealthy and the philanthropic should enable it not only to provide such homes, but also to find an immediate clientele of patrons who would be but too glad to avail themselves, either temporarily or permanently, of such boarding-places for their animals.
There are thousands of men to-day who, if they stop to think, have it on their conscience that they have, at the caprice of fashion, docked horses which, when their usefulness was done, passed down to the cab and the peddler's wagon, to suffer that acutest of tortures, — or so^ designated by savage tribes, — un- protected exposure to the attacks of insects. Many a paterfamilias has accepted a mere pittance for the trusted old family horse which for years has never missed a day nor made a mistake in the family's service, but which is ruthlessly allowed to go, decrepit
242 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
as he has become, to the service that has in it only the hardest labour, the barest living, and so down to an ignominious death. The faithful old dog, disfigured by accident or incurable disease, is often given away or heartlessly destroyed, without a thought of the pleasure and the safety he has afforded. The family cat, tenderly nurtured from a kitten, returns some day to find the home empty, the family moved, himself, helpless and enervated by foolish pampering, abandoned to starve, or to shift for himself as best he can.
Can we not afford our animals at least a decent burial, if we are too inconsiderate and too selfish to provide for their declining and enfeebled years that comfort which is their due? Surely we must answer for our crimes of omission and commission in such relations, and w^e certainly cannot take refuge behind the plea of necessity for such thoughtless acts.
The man who becomes, by purchase or gift, the owner of a helpless animal is morally responsible for its future welfare through life; some day per-
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Past Thk.ir Primk. I. Three old pensioners at a horses' home. — 2. Still in service.
Homes for Horses 243
haps he will also be made legally so. If he buy and sell as a business, and animals are in his pos- session only transiently, of course the case is dif- ferent, but still he should use all due care to ensure his property a satisfactory home and a capable owner.
The consumer, so to speak, is, however, in the position of guardian to his defenceless dependent, and surely there must be some reckoning if he fail in his trust; or if he accept a few miserable dollars for a pitiful relic which deserves at his hands at least a painless end.
Men say they cannot bear to kill an animal, and in the same hour condemn one to worse than death, by disposing of him to a heartless brute who finds, as he often acknowledges, that it is " cheaper ter drive a boss day and night until he dies than ter bother ter care for him ; if he costs twenty-five dollars and lives twenty-five days, it's more economical than to hire one at a dollar and a half per day." Nor are such heartless proceedings unknown among the ranks of the users of cheap horses, and many an one
244 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
of their wretched slaves is practically never out of 'harness from the day of purchase until he gasps out his miserable life upon the pavement where he, in exhaustion, falls.
part \D» Ibcaltb anb Comfort
part ID. Ibealtb anb Comfort
CHAPTER I. Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping, Etc.
THE term stable management includes a variety of subjects connected with the man- agement of horses, to discuss all of which in a detailed manner would be impossible.
The most important part of stable management consists in the proper feeding and watering of horses. In fixing the rations the quantity and kind of work must be considered. It will not do to feed all horses alike ; a difiference in the feeding must be made between horses doing slow work, and those which have to perform their tasks at a fast pace.
247
248 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
Again, a horse doing hard work must be fed differ- ently from one doing but Httle. It may seem al- most superfluous to mention this, but mistakes are so frequently made in feeding horses that it may be of use to draw attention to it. Grooms may of them- selves sometimes be unable to apportion the rations in regard to quantity and quality according to the manner of labour the horses in their charge are required to do. Unless, in such cases, the owner himself sees to this and supervises in some degree the feeding of his horses, they will not be as useful and in such good condition as they might be. It must also be borne in mind that improper feeding is frequently the cause of disease and illness.
Especial attention must be paid to the feeding of horses which go out irregularly and get but little exercise. This is frequently the case with carriage- horses in towns and with saddle hacks. Too high feeding in such instances is often the cause of filled lesfs and of turbulent behaviour.
In feeding the horse it should always be remem- bered that his stomach is very small, and that this
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Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 249
is a universal characteristic of his race. The con- stitution and the physical needs differ in each indi- vidual, and to obtain the best results their variations must be recognised and provided for. " Best results " are rarely striven for, however, and " good enough " generally suffice.
If food could be given often and in small quan- tities, the animal would thrive better — thus four or five periods are better than three. Still he does fairly well upon the usual number of meals.
Hay, oats, and bran — oats, bran, and hay — the majority of our humble servants rarely know the taste of the dozens of other appropriate and cheap foods which their owners neither trouble to provide nor to investigate. Suppose we imagine a weekly bill of fare (susceptible of endless changes) which will be as gratifying to the horse as economical to the master — and therefore advantageous to both.
Monday. Breakfast — hay, oats ; dinner — corn on the ear; supper — hay (sprinkled with brine), stale bread, and roots (carrots, etc.).
Tuesday. Breakfast — cut feed (chaff, meal, and
250 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
bran) ; dinner — oats ; supper — hay, cracked corn, and oats mixed.
Wednesday. Breakfast — stale bread and oats, hay; dinner — cut-feed (oat-meal); supper — hay (sprinkled with sweetened water), oats with carrots or apples.
Thursday. Breakfast — hay, stale bread, and molasses ; dinner — oats and double handful of grass (if obtainable); supper — hay (sprinkled with brine), cracked corn.
Friday. Breakfast — cut-feed (corn-meal and bran) ; dinner — carrots and bread ; supper — hay and oats.
Saturday. Breakfast — hay, cracked corn; dinner — oats ; supper — hay and bran-mash, with half-pint flaxseed jelly (made by pouring boiling water on handful flaxseed and letting it " jell ").
Sunday. Breakfast — stale bread, hay; dinner, oats and molasses ; supper — hay and cracked corn.
Cheap molasses and salt are valuable condiments, if diluted with water, and make a most useful addi- tion, as flavouring extracts, to any meals. Raw mo-
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 251
lasses is an excellent and very fattening food in itself, and the writer knew a pair of nearly toothless old horses which, for years, lived upon twelve quarts of molasses per day, and what juice they extracted from the hay and grass which they could mumble and crush, but could not chew.
Stale bread (cake, etc.) may be bought of the bakeries at about fifty cents a sugar (not flour) barrel, broken up with a sharp spade or axe, and fed dry, or moistened, or sprinkled with sweetened water, or with a few chopped carrots, apples, turnips, beets, etc. Where this can be obtained in quantity it is wonderfully satisfactory and very cheap.
Whole corn on the ear (and cracked corn) should be, of course, winter foods, if used; but the ear corn is especially tempting to Western horses, and they will eat it gladly when all else is refused.
Linseed meal is nearly valueless, as modern proc- esses extract all the oil. The whole flaxseed is most valuable, and should be regularly used in mashes, etc. Its jelly (made as described) is capital for pro- ducing a shining smooth coat, for regulating the
252 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
bowels, and for adding to a repast a savoury fra- grance which few horses can resist.
Corn-meal, oat-meal, bran, etc., are capital as change foods, and should always be fed mixed with hay (or straw), which has been cut short and moistened, thus affording the gastric juices a chance to promptly .ensure digestion. Cut feed should not be fed in large quantity — about four quarts of the mixture is enough — and the chaff should be very short. If fed regularly it ensures, from fermentation, sooner or later, an acid stomach and colic. To pre- vent these results, a tablespoonful of the following should be mixed with each feed :
Bicarbonate of Soda Gentian (powdered) Ginger (powdered)
Equal parts ; mix.
The coarse and strawlike timothy hay which is in such demand is never needful for ordinary feeding — nor has it the nourishment nor varying flavours of the cheaper mixed grades, while it is vastly more expensive. Clover-mixed hay, fine hay (including
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 253
red-top, June grass, etc.), if of good quality, sells from $5 to $10 per ton cheaper, and if always sprinkled to allay any dust, and flavoured with various acceptable condiments, even the cheapest grades prove wholesome and satisfactory, as do corn- fodder (or blades), and bright sweet oat or wheat straw. Of course, if the animal is to be hunted, or raced, or put to any use when hay is regarded as but " roughage," to healthfully distend the stomach and intestines, the best timothy is demanded.
One will find, if he cares to try, various grains (rye, barley, etc.) that are not quite up to the market requirements, and therefore sold very cheap. These if cooked (covered with boiling water, and allowed to stand), mixed with bran, etc., and (possibly) flavoured in various ways, make excel- lent foods, and will all be relished, and devoured eagerly.
Grass is necessary, and should be in the season grazed for a few minutes daily if attainable, or cut and fed. It will (as will any green food, roots, etc.)
254 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
prove laxative until the system adapts itself to it — but not afterward. A sod, earth and all, is greatly relished.
'' Hay tea " is excellent for nourishing and fat- tening a " shy " feeder, or a horse that is wanted to make flesh quickly. It is made by cutting fine sufficient hay, when pressed down firmly, to half fill a bucket ; covering this hay with boiling water, and the bucket with a blanket or two; and leaving the liquid to steep for an hour or so. The resulting fluid has all the strength of the hay, and either alone or mixed with a little molasses or flaxseed jelly, will be greedily taken and prove most nourishing. Noth- ing is better for any animal that is feverish and will not eat ; and these will always drink.
Occasionally one will come across a horse which, otherwise suitable, has proven almost impossible to keep in good flesh, or one that needs only this addi- tion to round out and symmetrically expand an attenuated frame to develop into an animal as ornamental as useful ; or, still more practi- cally, one may make it a practice to seek for
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 255
the horses which are always to be found in auction marts, at sales stables, or in private hands, which have through hard usage or long-continued sick- ness so shrunk in condition as to become hide-bound, thin, and unsalable at anything approaching their actual value. Such horses prove the best purchases possible for the man of moderate means, and if they have youth on their side and are nearly sound, he cannot do better than to make a practice of buying one or more of them, according to his needs ; using them for a time in his family work, and then dis- posing of them either at auction or by private treaty for the advance that a fat horse always brings over one that is thin, be the salesman never so indif- ferent a hand at negotiating such bargains.
By following this plan a man gains two very practical ends, — he gets his work done for nothing, or next to it, since the advance received will wholly or partially repay the outlay for food, etc., leaving him the work performed as an unassailable and most valuable asset; and by thus constantly chang- ing his horses, he is saved those twinges at the
256 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
heart-strings, and the possible remorse which fol- lows the disposal of some family pet endeared to all by labours patiently performed, activity displayed, and enjoyment promoted. Nor is this the least advantage to be gained from this method of pro- cedure, since while we should care for our old friend to the end, and ensure him not only comfort in his age, but burial at his end, it is always incon- venient and frequently nearly impossible to do so; nor can such an one, in his declining years, render the service which we demand, or should exact, were he able to respond. Therefore, sentiment goes as ever but ill hand in hand with utility, and we shall do well not to allowl " Fannie " or " Charley " to entwine themselves too closely in our lives and hearts, but sternly treat them as but the means to temporary usefulness, maintaining their health and augmenting their vigour while in our charge, and quickly passing them on thence to other ownerships in first-class condition to continue to earn actively that honourable livelihood which is their right to demand and our duty tO' promote. It is perhaps a
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 257
rather callous view of the matter, and quite gen- uinely a selfish one, but if we get our work for a brief period capably performed at no expense to us, and provide the market with an animal of good character, able at once to perform the same satis- factory work for another owner, perhaps after all we " build better than we know."
The thin horse's digestion is generally weakened, and what he needs is nutritious and easily assimi- lated food given frequently and in small quantities. The animal's stomach is very small in proportion to his size, and he will almost surely overload it if given the chance. Therefore frequent feedings are necessary, and cooked food is generally most useful, such as boiled oats, linseed mashes, etc., as recom- mended in this chapter. Milk may often be obtained at a reasonable price, and horses will soon learn to drink it.
A supply of salt should be found in all stables. This is best provided in the shape of a lump of rock salt, to which every horse should have access. Horses doing little work are more in need of salt,
258 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
or — to put it more accurately — require a larger amount of it than do horses doing hard work. It is well to bear this in mind.
Cleanliness, plenty, and regularity in feeding and watering, are the all-important details, and nothing should be left under a horse's nose to sour and thus nauseate him. If all feed-boxes, etc., are removable, as recommended in the chapter on stable fittings, etc., this will be assured; and never doubt the benefit to yourself or your steed.
Reverting to the question of whether straw or peat-moss is preferable for bedding, this is difficult to decide, as both have their advantages. In the country straw will be the cheaper material, while in the towns peat-moss litter may be more economi- cal. Where expense is an object, considerations of economy will influence the choice of the one or the other material. Straw undoubtedly looks best and most comfortable. On the other hand, peat- moss ranks first in regard to absorptive power. A combination of it and straw, putting the latter on
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 259
top, of course, might answer all requirements very satisfactorily.
In some instances sawdust is used for litter, and serves the purpose of absorbing moisture very well, provided it is itself dry. As a rule, it is not as useful as straw or peat-moss, and its use is not advisable except w^here it is at hand, and for horses on whose appearance little stress is laid.
No animal can fatten and thrive, none can eat well and prove really rugged and healthy, if he is not a frequent and a deep drinker. This essential in the fattening steer, bog, or sheep is vitally necessary to the horse ; and he who is dainty about his drink, or who takes it in small quantities, is delicate some- where in his make-up, as hard work will prove. The old drovers would always select, as likely to fatten quickly, the cattle which drank and returned again to the trough — let their bodily condition be at the time what it might. The amount of fluid consumed, even though they are all eating the same amount of dry food, will vary greatly among individuals, and watering with buckets, instead of from a trough,
26o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
will afford opportunity to learn each animal's neces- sities, and to appreciate how vastly they vary in amount.
Buckets intended for drinking should never under any pretext be used for other purposes. Such ves- sels should be sweet, clean, and not offensive to the creature's delicate scent, as they will be if used to contain dirty, soapy water, etc.
Water should always stand in the horse's stall, and an iron crescent (falling flat against the wall when not in use) will fit nicely round the bucket and keep it secure in its place upon the floor. The animal is not necessarily thirsty at six, twelve, and six any more than we are ourselves; and his great- est drought comes to him late at night when he has consumed a large amount oi dry provender. If water is always at hand, horses will never drink too much and suffer possibly from colic, etc., in conse- quence.
Water may be given at any time — immediately after exercise if desired — provided it be warmed to nearly the temperature of the body; nor will any
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 261
evil results follow, if this precaution is taken, and if the circidation, pulsation, and respiration are tran- quil and normal. You take water freely yourself — even ice-water — and escape all harm. In what does your horse differ from you that he must be left to suffer ?
Moderately " soft " water is best and most appe- tising and favourable to condition; still the system will adapt itself to the " hardest." Water should not be made zcar/zi in taking the " chill off," as that is not tempting, but merely raised to a reasonable temperature, as that of the stable.
In any case, a horse should never be stinted in his w^ater-supply, and always have as much as he wants, unless he is under the care of a veteri- nary who may have given orders to the contrary. Too many people still cling to that old cruel and senseless practice of keeping a horse short in his water-supply, as they think it is beneficial to hard condition. It is, of course, true that an unseasoned horse drinks considerably more water than one that is in hard condition and more or less in training,
262 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
when both do an equal amount of work. The reason for this is that a horse in hard condition and used to work requires less water, as he does not get so tired, and perspires and sweats less than a horse which is not in training. But this is no reason why a horse should be allowed less water than he requires to drink.
Grooming is, properly performed, a regular mas- sage to the entire body. The currycomb should be used only to clear the body-brush, and all cleansing accomplished with " dandy-brush," body-brush, cloth and sponge, or damp wisp of straw. Grooms are fond of banging away at horses with their wisps, rub cloths, etc., but there is no sense in it. Clean the body, etc., thoroughly, but quickly, quietly, and gently ; nor fear to use water, always providing that bandages are loosely rolled upon the legs (and down to the hoofs) to ensure quick and thorough drying. Washing may be employed regularly. In the proper seasons, and if quickly scraped and thoroughly blan- keted, the subject is all the cleaner for the process. A horse at grass is washed by every shower, and as
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 263
water does not hurt him there, neither will it in the stable, due precautions being taken. The same sponge should never be used for the face and mouth as for the rest of the body. Treat the animal decently and with respect.
A tired, wet, and muddy horse should be covered warmly, bandaged comfortably (over mud and all) and left alone until next day. You don't w^ant to be fussed over for an hour or two yourself in such cases. Of course his blanket should be changed, when he has " steamed out," but that is all.
Reasonable precautions, however, consist not in warding off every draught, etc.. of fresh air and keeping him muffled to the eyes in clothing (ensur- ing the insensible perspiration which may lead to seri- ous results, if he gets a chill), but the providing for an existence that is rational and as nearly natural as may be. The animal was meant to withstand ordi- nary exposure — see that he gets it. Insist upon his being thoroughly cool, inside and out. before he is put away, and then let the air have full chance at him ; nor clothe him, save in the coldest weather, or
264 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
when wet, etc., or if he has been dipped. Your stable temperature should be right (about sixty degrees or as near it as may be), and kept at that as you keep your house. Thus no clothing, or only the lightest, will suffice.
The obtaining of a good gloss on the coat of a horse is one of the chief cares of the stable. The means employed for this purpose are frequently objectionable and even harmful to his health and usefulness. A glossy and short coat in horses doing work, and particularly fast work, is, of course, greatly to be desired, and, if it has been obtained by legitimate means, increases the capacity of the animal for labour and exertion. The principal factor in producing a polish on the coat is plenty of groom- ing. To ensure glossy and short coats by keeping the temperature of the stable at too high a point is eminently bad and must be severely condemned. Yet some are addicted to this practice. Too much clothing has also a prejudicial effect on horses, though a sufficiency of it is to be recommended. It is much better to ensure the horses being properly
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 265
warm by allowing them an adequate amount of clothing than by keeping the stable too warm. In many cases the temperature of the stable is not only too high, but the clothing also is too heavy. In deciding as to the amount of clothing necessary, the warmth of the stable will, of course, have to be taken into consideration. It must be remembered that the proper amount of clothing is not a fixed quantity, but depends upon circumstances. Two thin rugs are warmer than one thick one of weight equal to the thin ones together. A rug made of porous wool is best, and it is to be preferred to any other kind. Some food stuffs have a beneficial effect on the gloss of the coat of a horse, especially those con- taining much oil or fats, such as flaxseed, etc. With proper grooming and clothing nothing more is required to ensure a good glossy coat. Keeping the hair short depends on having the horse sufficiently clothed and on grooming him properly; while an adequate supply of food is also necessary. It would be wrong, however, to attempt to obtain shortness of coat by too high a temperature of the stable.
266 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
The effects of a hot stable are most to be apprehended in carriage-horses, which are left standing out in the cold for a longer or shorter period, when, of course, they are most liable to catch cold. It would be advisable to throw a rug over them, though with harness horses in cities this is not possible in many cases.
It would require too much space to go here into the question of clipping. It will suffice to say that it is necessary to remove the coat if it is long and the horse has to do fast work. Clipping is not an unmixed blessing, however, and when it is possible to keep the coat short by legitimate means it is advisable to do so and to dispense with it. To some extent the question of the thickness of the coat depends on the individual horse, some horses having heavier coats than others. Thoroughbred and well-bred horses have a shorter coat as a rule than underbred horses, and young horses than old horses.
The practice is quite universal, but it is carried to extremes, and the horse for family use, etc., if
Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 267
not cursed with a heavy coat, is as well or better without it, if assured, as he should be, of adequate stable care; or his body may be clipped, and the legs, chest, etc., left covered, presenting possibly an odd appearance, but not more so than the docked and " hog-maned " horse of fashion. This method protects the extremities and the vital points of the lungs, etc.; the blood returns from the legs at a reasonable temperature; and a single blanket will prove as warm to a horse thus treated as two or more to the creature denuded of all his hair. If in vigorous health the coat will be short and glossy, if the horse is fairly well-bred, and a little trimming about the fetlocks will make everything shipshape. The coat of such a one will also shed very early — and, by the way, when this is taking place do not expect too much of him, for he will probably be sympathetically out of sorts.
Gray and white horses must be washed, at least about the joints and quarters, with soap and water ; a little blueing (washerwoman's) will remove any stains; white stockings, etc., must be similarly
268 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
treated. If a gray horse is wiped over before going out, with the hands (upon which rosin has been rubbed), all the loose hairs will corner way, and will not defile the coat, dress, etc.
If a horse is tired and wet, a brisk shampoo of alcohol and water, followed by a good scraping and proper clothing, will close the pores and prevent risk of colds, etc.
Do not allow the surcingle to be buckled too tightly. Blankets are made nowadays with straps, which keep them in place and cause no painful pres- sure anywhere. Many a horse is prevented from lying down, or resting easily if he does, because the surcingle is drawn so tight that the chest is uncom- fortably compressed and the backbone painfully pinched — even badly bruised. So common is this error, that of one hundred horses, you will find seventy-five too tightly girthed by from one to three holes.
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CHAPTER II. Shoeing and the Feet
SOONER or later, either through one of those temporary indispositions which so frequently place animals on the retired list, or because you are developing that interest in horses in general, and your own in particular, which should be a cause of so much self-congratulation, you begin to " take notice," as we say of the children, and before you are really aware, have fallen a victim to some special opinions regarding shoeing and the treatment of the feet.
Well for yourself and for your property, if such is the case; because what a foundation is to a house are his feet to a horse, and, as you would not occupy the one if defectively underpinned, so the other can- not long satisfactorily serve you if his shoes do not fit; his feet get out of plumb and his joints fail, in
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consequence, to work easily, and free from undue friction.
When you have talked over the matter with all and sundry; invested in and completely absorbed the pabulum afforded by the various treatises on these subjects, you will probably arrive at the writer's conclusion — and practice will surely confirm your opinion that, first, any system of shoe- ing which does more than simply to protect the ex- posed hoof from wear is, in the long run, unneces- sary ; second, that, as to its ground surface, at least, the normal foot must be maintained in its original shape and development ; third, that, save for special purposes (as balancing the trotter, governing high action for the carriage-horse or securing foothold for the draught-horse), this protection should be oi the lightest and narrowest ; fourth, that, given a normal foot, the ordinary conditions of private usage preclude the necessity of any protection whatever; fifth, that the saving of expense resulting from such a system is very considerable — at least twenty- five dollars per year per horse; so that in a period
Shoeing and the Feet 271
of, say, ten years, the mere reduction of the black- smith's bills amoimts to what your horse cost; and that in addition you then have an animal uninjured as to legs and feet, and able so to continue until inca- pacitated by disease or accident.
There exists the necessity always (given a sub- ject that has worn shoes for years) to allow time for nature to reach the point where the vessels are stimulated to produce, in sufficient quantity to repair waste, the new material of the foot, to replace satis- factorily the wear which the horn is, at first, too ten- der to adequately resist. The foot must be tough- ened, and be encouraged by proper moisture to rapid growth ; and time must at first be frequently allowed for rest, that this renewal may be commensurate with wear.
The all important point in using a barefooted horse is to keep his feet growing, properly balanced, and level. Wet swabs, etc., around the coronet should be used nightly (at first) in order to stimulate growth, etc., but after a few weeks nO' moisture should be applied, save the ordinary washing, as it
272 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
makes the horn too soft, and the consequent wear too rapid. Never touch the surface of the foot, more than to run a rasp over the edges of the quarters and toes to level the tread. No horn must be cut away anywhere; ordinary usage will attend to all that. Some horses wear the toes faster than the heels, and vice versa ; others wear one quarter lower than the other.
No horse, if left barefoot, interferes, overreaches (for long), " speedy cuts," has corns, thrush, or shoe boils; he neither stumbles or slips on ice or snow; he hurts but little if he kicks you ; he grows a foot that is like a big lump of india-rubber, with its great wedge-shaped frog and powerful quarters and bars. No quarter cracks, seedy toe, quittor, etc., for him; no shortened action, laminitis, navicular disease, etc.
The same advantages accrue from the use of tips, save that, as the wear at the toe is protected, the toe must be shortened and lowered, and the tips reset or renewed at least every month. Otherwise the toe insidiously lengthens, the eye becomes accus- tomed to ensuing false proportions, and the strain,
Shoeing and the Feet 273
thrown by this false balance upon the joints and back tendons, is very severe — harmfully so.
The " tip '' proper is a narrow semicircle of steel or iron which fits into a groove drawn with a knife (equipped with a proper guard to ensure equal depth) around the toe. and just inside the wall of the foot. This is just wide and deep enough to re- ceive the very narrow " tip," and to allow it, con- fined by three nails, to come just below the surface of the toe, and thus receive the wear. It extends round the toe to the beginning of the widest part of the hoof (about the middle). A level foot is neces- sary, as, if pressure is uneven, a weak quarter may crack.
No grease should be ever applied to any foot. All dust and dirt adhere to the greasy blacking so generally used, and a wipe over with a damp sponge affords the most presentable, and the only necessary, dressing. The equine foot perspires, and is full of minute pores upon its surface, as is your own, and any application of grease, etc., serves but to clog these, and to prevent moisture being absorbed by
274 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
them, as it must to preserve health in the horny structures.
If a horse has never been shod, it is astonishing what an amount of steady wear the hoof will stand ; but if he has worn shoes for years, he must take up his changed conditions gradually. Any civilised being who has worn boots during his lifetime can go as barefooted as any savage, and that regularly, and over the roughest ground if he will but begin gradually, and progress carefully. It is thus also with the horse, and the tip ensures the advantages of the bare foot, yet prevents excessive wear at the essential point, the toe.
The trotter, pacer, and the fast road-horse must be shod more or less elaborately ; the park and show horse will not display his brilliant action without suitable balancing, as by abnormally long toes, heavy shoes, or both. The draught and work horse, the express and car horse, need, as a general thing, pro*- tection of the most enduring. The writer has had sometimes as many as thirty thoroughbred yearlings in his care for breaking and for training for their
Shoeing and the Feet 275
trials of speed, in the late fall of their yearling form. These were ridden daily two hours or more over the race-track and roads, carrying about 125 pounds each ; and although in work from June until the end of October, were never shod ( save in one or two cases where the feet proved weak in the quarters). A smith levelled the feet every month — that was all. The general prophecy was that this practice would work ruin to them, but on the contrary their feet continued perfectly proportioned, and their legs remained clean and cool even in the hardest work. A saddle-hack was kept barefooted for eight years ; hacked hard all winter and hunted in summer, yet never wore a shoe. Road-horses have been used thus for months, and horses of all kinds tested thor- oughly under these systems. The saving in expense by these methods applied to numbers of horses is very handsome. Smiths, professionals, grooms, etc.. will frown it down because bills and various perquisites are thus materially lessened. Try it, however, and be satisfied with no one's recommen- dation or discouragement; if not on the front feet,
276 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
then the hind ; if not all the year round, then in winter at least, when the barefooted horse goes so safely, and the shod and sharpened is so dangerous not only to himself but to other animals, and to all persons who have to do with him. Do not simply remove the shoes from a ten or twelve year old horse, then use him doubly hard to prove that the plan is wrong; and when you have burst his quarters, worn ofif his feet, and wrecked him gen- erally, lay it at the writer's door; but try it intelli- gently, and with the idea that it is a good thing, and therefore to be encouraged, if fair chance will ensure it.
We apply vastly expensive india-rubber pads to the bottoms of our horses' feet nowadays, and they are acknowledged to be the only perfect means to prevent a horse's falling when travelling over slip- pery pavement, asphalt, ice, snow, etc. ; and so they are. Yet these effective pads are nothing but an imitation of the healthy and normal surface of a horse's hoof. Any horse will provide his own pads if you will but give him a chance.
Shoeing and the Feet 277
If you must use a full shoe, be sure that you employ a narrow one, flat on the foot, and convex on the ground surface, thin at the heels, and be certain that it is fitted to the foot, not the hoof to it. Never allow a knife or a buttress to touch the horn ; the sur- plus will flake away as it grows too old and drop off ; simply shorten the toe, and level with the foot rasp ; never allow rasping outside, nor excessive " draw- ing " of the nails in clinching ; turn clinches well down and hammer flat, just smoothing them (not the horn) with the rasp. A narrow shoe guarantees a good foothold, and a great big frog, that takes the pressure, and meets the concussion as nature meant, prevents slipping in ordinary travel. Remember the walls are meant to take the pressure, not the sole. If the ground surface of the shoe be convex it will further imitate the shape of the foot ; and its flat sur- face, next the horn, should be rasped as smooth as possible. The toe should always be bevelled to imi- tate the shape which wear has caused the old one to assume; this is very important. Six nails are enough, and no shoe needs more; five will often
2/8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
answer, and the proper hoof expansion under the tread is thus better secured.
Never let the nails take more than a " short hold " of the horn; slant them well, that they may cross the grain of the horn and ensure enough of it un- der them to clinch nicely; these holes must grow down — they cannot disappear otherwise — there- fore nearness of the clinches to the ground surface helps that result. Spread the nail holes well, that too much strain may not come upon any one part. The shoe should always be easy at the quarters and heels, thus preventing quarter-crack throug'h improper pressure at the quarters. If there is room to slip a penknife blade freely between hoof and shoe at these points, it will be all the better. Gentle and repeated taps of the hammer are advisable rather than the few violent blows that most smiths strike; wrong direction is thus checked in time, and pos- sible pricking avoided. Never allow " cold fitting " ; few men can do it properly, and those few will not take the trouble; on the other hand, never permit
Shoeing and the Feet 279
too much heat, so that the horn is needlessly burned in fitting- the shoe.
The various shapes of shoes suitable to certain diseased conditions will not be touched upon here, for the reason that the writer knows that, if his methods are followed, these conditions will be re- lieved as quickly as by the application oi the differ- ent special fashionings, so common, and which ably serve their purpose if they imitate nature closely and assist her processes.
The care of horse's hoofs is in recent years much simplified because of the advances in common sense methods which have been so generally recognised and improved upon by horseshoers. Twenty years ago one had literally to stand over the smith to en- sure one's directions being obeyed, and even then they were avoided if possible. Ample discussion by the sporting press, numerous works on the subject, increased intelligence among the classes of workmen, have all helped to bring about this result ; so that to- day a badly formed, diseased, or abused foot is be- coming fairly uncommon. No details of this sort
28o Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
should prove uninteresting to any one who owns or uses horses, and as his moral and personal obligation is to afford them adequate food, care, and shelter, so it is to ensure their fitness to work, and to so labour in comfort.
To this end nothing is so important as a normal and healthy foot and its proper care.
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CHAPTER III. The Horse's Clothes
UNDER this head may reasonably be included not only the blankets, hoods, and so forth, usually thus designated, but every article worn at any time by the animal, such as harness, saddle and bridle, boots or bandages. And it is astounding how very generally these latter articles of raiment are ill-fitting and inartistically donned. Yet harness is as important an article of horse clothing as are blankets.
Beginning, then, with the halter, as most fre- quently in use, it should fit loosely about the ears and jaws, but closely around the throat itself. Horses vary very much in breadth of brow and situation of ears, and the brow-band which is amply large for one may be far too small, or much too
large, for another animal of the same size and ap-
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parent shape. A Roman nose or heavy jaw will necessitate extra length of nose-band and throat- latch, yet the halter will often be left as originally buckled, and even as the vain and giddy try to jam a number eight foot into a number six shoe, so will any such article of equine equipment be supposed to fit, provided the sufferer can wink his eyes, wag his ears, and move his jaws to masticate his food. The cheek-straps not unusually draw forward against, or into, the edges of the eyelid, and the tie-rope does not play freely and loosely from side to side under the chin as it should ; while, as often, the leather of the brow-band (if one is needlessly worn) is hard and sharp on its edges, and uncomfortably irritates the thin skin at the base of the ears. The animal will always demonstrate 'how sensitive he is just here, especially when heated, by rubbing his head against you, and imploring you, by every art at his command, to allay the irritation of his uncomfortable head accoutrements, and remove those terribly hot and uncomfortable blinkers, that the air may have a chance at the sensitive surfaces, and by increasing
The Horse's Clothes 283
evaporation allay irritation. There should never be any mark of the halter nose-band on the face, nor any chafing of the jaws by its too narrow restric- tion, yet many a horse displays these evidences of neglect. The halter should fit in every part as care- fully as the bridle, and should be kept always well oiled (if of leather), and as soft and pliable as a glove. Web is as good and durable as leather, but it must fit as smoothly and be of good strength.
Blankets are almost invariably cut too small in the neck, put on too far back, and girthed too tightly. Watch a horse feeding from the floor, and see how the blanket draws across the windpipe. Notice how the edges of the shoulder-blades show, through abrasions of the hair, that the covering is drawn back too far before the surcingle is imposed. See how many people throw the article on to a horse, and, let it fall as it will, draw it forward, against the " lay " of the hair, into place before fastening it. To put a blanket on properly, throw it high up and \\e\] forw^ard, so that it falls upon the neck. Then buckle the breast-straps, and carefully draw
284 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
it back, the centre over the backbone, until the bind- ing is about six inches above the root of the tail; or, as some horses are longer than others, until the breast part is fully a foot clear of the brisket. This leaves ample freedom at shoulder and windpipe, and the animal can lie down and get up, feed, etc., without any uncomfortable binding sensations across the chest. Now put on the surcingle, well back of the withers, and draw only so tightly that the whole hand can easily pass between it and the ribs, or about two holes looser than usually drawn. This should always be thickly padded, or a folded rub-cloth, or even a double hand- ful of straw, put under it upon the backbone, to ensure more or less '* give." One strap is as good as two, and if the horse is light-waisted, a breast- plate around the chest will keep the surcingle in place better and more properly than any tight girth- ing. Many horses are so drawn up by their care- takers ( ?) that they will not lie down, as the tightening of the muscles causes acute pain. Ex- cellent blankets are made nowadays — and none are
The Horse's Clothes 285
better for either night or day use — which need no surcingle, but carry their own body fastenings, which hold them very fairly in place. Night clothing for gray or white horses should be long, come well down the sides, and be lined for two feet along the edges with canvas or oilskin, that the wearers may not be stained when lying down. Street blankets should be square, very large and long, lapping far over the chest, and should be caught together under- neath the wearers that extra warmth may be af- forded. Every horse compelled to stand about in winter should wear a chest protector of carpet or canvas, and it should fit him neatly.
Bandages are usually rolled much too tight, and it must be remembered that each fold binds the others tighter, and may interfere with or stop cir- culation. Let the average groom bandage your horse, and you will find that in twenty minutes you may stick a pin in his coronet and he will not feel it, so completely is all sensation destroyed. If you must bandage tightly, always wrap the legs in cotton
286 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
batting first, as its elasticity will prevent the evil effects named.
As to the harness, we begin with the saddle, which is always put on first. It is a curious instance of our stereotyped and unreasoning manner of performing all work about horses that we allow our grooms, almost invariably, to approach the animal from the near side, and to throw the girths over the back, instead O'f placing the pad in place from the off side, which is much more practical, since the man can at once arrange the girths for buckling on the near side, and then go round and draw them up. He usu- ally, however, throws the pad on the back from the near side, pushes the girths over, thereby rumpling the hair, goes round the horse, arranges the girths, and after putting on the crupper, goes back again to buckle up the straps on the near side. The pad should be gently put in place, not hurled roughly; the tail grasped firmly, and after the hair has been carefully arranged in place, it should be lifted high, and the crupper drawn over it and snugly up under the root. Thence the right hand slides along the
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The Horse's Clothes 287
back-strap to the pad, which it seizes and arranges carefully in place just in the swell of the withers; and when so placed, the left hand seeks the girth, and it is buckled just tightly enough to keep the pad in place. Great care must always be taken that the back-strap is loose, and it should always lie easily along the backbone, and never be strained tightly under the tail. More accidents from horses thus tor- tured come to pass than from any other cause, be- cause even the most gentle will kick if thus painfully accoutred, and especially going down hill. The crupper itself must always be large, thick, and well- padded ; the pad girth broad, and also better if padded ; and the belly-band should always be con- fined by loops placed upon this pad girth, that it may not pinch the horse, as it will if separate. The crupper is really unnecessary, and serves no purpose at all, save that if the animal gets the tail over the reins the thick crupper prevents that appendage from shutting down upon them too firmly. This, however, no horse would do did we take the trouble to edu- cate him to allow his tail to be quietly lifted by the
288 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
rein and slid from under it. but this we are in too much of a hurry to attempt. The breeching answers every purpose for holding back a load, and for keep- ing the back-strap in place, and the crupper is as useless on the single (or double) harness as upon the riding saddle, where, thirty years ago, it was also deemed essential. The pad must be thickly stuffed, and never allowed to rest upon the top of the backbone, and its stuffing should not be per- mitted to become thoroughly caked and inelastic, but dried and worked up soft every week or so.
The breeching should, as a rule, hang about upon a level with the stifles, and should allow ample play for the quarters at any pace. There is no excuse for any abrasion of the hair upon the quarters, and, if any is evident, it is plain that the owner is careless and indifferent, and that his man does not know the merest rudiments of his business.
If collar and hames are worn, they should never be donned as one piece, but the hames taken off, the collar well sprung by pressure acixiss the knee, and then placed gently over the head and ears, not
The Horse's Clothes 289
roughly jammed down upon sensitive brows and ears by " main strength and stupidity," as Paddy sawed the wood. Once over them, it is to be quietly turned, placed in position, the mane carefully drawn from beneath it (a few locks should always be cut away just where its top rests upon the neck), and the hames replaced and buckled snugly. Be sure that the collar is close fitting, thickly padded, and true shaped. A new collar should be soaked in a tub for a few minutes before putting it on for the first time, and then the strain at work, and the pres- sure of the shoulders will cause it to yield and to dry into an exact fit. Every horse should have his own collar, and no other should ever wear it. The outlay is trifling, and the practical results worth many times the cost. Many collars are made shaped with a curve at the top, but there are but few ani- mals good-shouldered enough to wear them, and the nearly straight pattern is the most generally useful. The fingers of the hames, /. e. the brass arms to which the traces attach, must spring well, that the traces may not chafe the shoulders and sides, and
290 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
the position of these fingers must be carefully regu- lated by taking up or letting out the straps (or chain) at bottom and top of hames, according to the shape of the shoulder, and to whether the animal is naturally low or high headed. If low-headed, and not checked, the neck will almost surely chafe at the points of the shoulders, and such subjects need checking for their own welfare, the S. P. C. A. to the contrary. It will be found by those who care to investigate that the majority of animals showing raw places on the lower part of the shoulder are thus formed, and not properly safeguarded by ac- curate fitting collars, properly placed drafts, and more or less tight check-reins.
If the breast collar is worn, it should hang well clear of the windpipe, yet not so loose that it works below the shoulder points. It should be broad and softly padded where it crosses the breast, and kept soft and pliant.
The bridle should fit accurately at every point, and be long enough to allow the bit to hang in place, and not to wrinkle the edges of the month ; while
The Horse's Clothes 291
the bit must be wide enough and as large of mouth- piece as possible commensurate with proper control. The brow-band must be long enough, yet not too long, so as to project away from the forehead. Its edges must be soft and pliant.
The blinkers should be taken up so that two-thirds of their surface is above the lower line of the eye, being thus more becoming, while at the same time preventing the animal from seeing over them. They should flare widely, and most of them are far too closely confined.
The bridle, when it is to be put on, should be quietly held up by the right hand, and the bit taken in the left fingers. The insertion of the left thumb at the mouth angle will induce the horse to open his moiuth, and the bit is quietly slipped in, after which the ears are gently inserted in the brow-band, and the foretop laid smoothly in place. The mane should be cut away for an inch just where the bridle lies, and be kept cut short. The average groom is very rough about these operations, and jams the bit against the teeth until, through pain, the mouth
292 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
opens, when he rams the steel into place, and rubs the bridle over the crown, drag'ging the ears through very harshly, and leaving the foretop straggling about anyhow.
Harness should be removed in the same gentle way : the bridle carefully taken off, after loosening curb-chain, etc., the hames removed, and the collar stretched a little before displacing, the saddle un- girthed, the tail lifted, and the crupper gently drawn over it, and not, as too often seen, roughly dragged away by hauling at the pad. A horse's valet should be as gentle-handed as though he were garbing a most particiilarly irascible master.
The operations of saddling and bridling the rid- ing horse are accomplished as quietly. The groom approaches from the off side, the girths folded under the saddle skirt, or over the seat, the stirrups run up on their leathers. He lays the saddle quietly in place, well back of the shoulder — about a hand's length — and, drawing down the girths, goes round to the near side to buckle them in place, leaving them a hole or two looser than their " working point " if
The Horse's Clothes 293
the horse is not to be immediately used. Horses of a thin skin are better saddled some time before being called for. that the saddle may warm to the back, as otherwise the weight of the rider may so press the cold and possibly damp surface into the sensitive skin that they will buck and plunge from sheer discomfort.
The padding should, of course, be well dried and beaten after use, and kept soft. Every saddle should fit like a glove, and it is perfectly easy to ride upon such a one without girths or stirrups, for it will retain its position almost exactly.
The bridle-bits should be large, and both bit and bridoon cannot be of too great circumference as to mouthpieces, the so-called " Dexter snaffle," used for driving the light harness horse, making the best possible bridoon.
The bit is usually placed too low, the bridoon much too high — frequently six holes too short — while the curb-chain is generally very narrow and sharp of link. This should be broad, and lie easily in the chin curve.
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Boots, whether knee, ankle, or shin, will be needed by some horses of untrue action. They should all fit perfectly, and be well oiled, sO' that pliability may continue. The properly fitting boot will stay in place if quite loosely buckled, while no precaution will hold the badly made boot in place. If a horse inter- feres, a piece of thick leather cut in a shape like saw teeth and placed between shoe and foot will prove an incessant reminder, and probably prevent the fault, while at the same time it is not as noticeable as is a boot. It extends from about one-third around toe to the heel, beginning flush with the foot, and grad- ually increasing to one inch at the heel, and is cut into teeth or angles all the way.
Your horse's caparisons are his clothes, and, as you are particular about your own, do him the same honour, for both your sakes.
Photographs by T. E. Marr, Boston.
A Glorious Quartette.
Oivned by Thomas W. Laivson.
I. Glorious Red Cloud and Glorious Thunder Cloud. — 2. Glorious Whirling Cloud and Glorious Flving Cloud.
CHAPTER IV.
Preventable Hardships Due to Our Climate and Environments
THE American climate is liable to so many and to such sudden and violent fluctuations, that the careless, ignorant, or unaccustomed horse- keeper is apt to inflict much needless discomfort and suffering upon his horses, and this in the most unintentional way. While the trying period of summer affords especial occasion for negligence, the sterner time of winter is no less prolific of such incidents.
Beginning with the trials common to the winter solstice, one finds that inattention to clipped horses, or to those wearing coats of undipped hair is very common; as is the fashion of clipping many animals which, being used at slow work, should never have been thus operated upon at all. The carriage-horse
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of fashion is condemned to spend many hours wait- ing about the windy streets while madame is shop- ping, or at the theatre or other entertainment. His vital organs, wholly denuded of their natural cover- ing of long hair, are totally unprotected from the rigours of the climate, unless the absurd and insuffi- cient little loin-cloth which is sometimes worn under the harness may be dignified by the title of blanket. This article, usually of leather or waterproof, covers the loins only, from the saddle back, and extends but a little way down the sides. This handbreadth it protects from rain, but it also, from its texture, induces an insensible perspiration which renders its wearer afterward very prone to be chilled, and to take cold across the loin and " small of the back," imless he is properly shampooed with alcohol upon his return to the stable, for the purpose of closing the pores. Every city should pass an ordinance requiring all horse owners to blanket fully, warmly, and dryly any horse which stands about the streets for more than ten minutes in any one place. The delivery wagon and truck-horses are blanketed
Preventable Hardships 297
warmly and suitably in dry cold weather, as a general thing, and their waterproof covers are all that could be desired, protecting them from ears to tail. The Vv^oollen blankets which are worn by many truck- horses become sopping wet in rainy weather, and teamsters have a fashion which is most pernicious, of folding them forward, so as to impose five or six thicknesses over the animal's shoulders while he is actively at work, and as soon as he stops, by pulling the blanket back over the body, greatly expose the lungs to chill. Such blankets should never be used in wet weather, and the authorities should compel the substitution of waterproofs. The breastplate of carpet or other heavy material should always be worn by such horses, as it protects directly the lungs, and affords a great safeguard in high winds, cover- ing the chest as a blanket rarely does. No blanket at all is better than a heavy wet one, and the drain made upon the bodily heat by such an incumbrance is very severe, and likely to result in injury to the tired or exhausted horse. It is true that exposure seems often to do the animal no harm, provided he is
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in a robust, rugged state of health, and working every day — as witness all our cab and express and other slaves, but there is no need to subject them to unnecessary hardships.
If such horses must be clipped they should not be touched over the chest nor legs, but these parts left protected by their natural covering, that the extremities may be w^arm, the circulation thus equal- ised, and the seat of life protected. Horses clipped in this way (over the body, neck, and head only) look rather odd until one becomes accustomed to it, but it is a thoroughly practical proceeding, and one that affords much satisfaction to those who follow it.
Too few drivers are careful to turn their horses' tails to a driving wind, snow, or rain, but you may see them facing a howling gale all day on many of the public streets. Not only is it the creature's instinct to turn his back to a storm, but, when in harness, the vehicle affords a partial screen and windbreak. The private carriage-horse, checked high and staring up into a gale which a man cannot face, presents a pitiful sight.
Preventable Hardships 299
The use qf fly-nets and of sponges and hats upon the tops of the bridles of working horses should, in this countr}', be compulsory. The nets should cover the neck as well as the body, and l>e worn from June to September at least, not only in harness, but upon saddle-horses as well. They are very inexpensive, not unornamental, and an imperative need.
Watering-places, for winter as for summer uses, are not half plentiful enough. Thirst is as torment- ing in the cold season as in the warm, if the tempera- ture of the water be reasonably moderate, and every few blocks should provide plentiful fluid for man, horse, dog. etc.. at all periods of the year. Nor is this all — such places should be provided with hose or buckets in hot weather, and with a placard teach- ing how to cool a horse quickly and thoroughly. This is best done by dashing water between the hind and front legs, over the head, and down the full length of the spine. Such a bath will make a new creature of the panting, exhausted slave which stag- gers up to the trough apparently ready to drop. If nothing else can be done, the city fire hydrants should
300 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
surely be at the service of all during those dreadful periods of heat which visit all our cities every year. A large percentage of the drivers of our wagons, cabs, etc., are utterly ignorant of the needs of their charges, and very careless as well. If they will not be merciful, they should be made, and it is in these cases that the S. P. C. A. agents fail most signally — for the reason that they are rarely them- selves horsemen.
Many horses may be noticed working every day and all day, which are most improperly and un- comfortably harnessed, — breeching too tight, traces too short, collar too big or too small, saddle too narrow, or not properly padded, or shifting about on the back, bridle too short, blinkers too close, brow- band too narrow, girths too loose, giving too much swing to the shafts, pole-straps too tight or too loose, etc. The S. P. C. A. cannot do a better and more necessary thing than to employ a few ex- perts to patrol the cities, rectifying such mistakes, and explaining to the stupid drivers the proper methods and the reasons for them. It is not enough
Preventable Hardships 301
to " call a man down," and possibly arrest him for a cruelty of which he was guilty through ignorance. Show him kindly what is right, and get his reasons (for he may have some) for his apparent careless- ness. Such reforms are much more imperative than hysterics over the use of " burr bits."
The use of salt mixed with the sand which the street railroad companies strew upon their tracks in winter is productive of suffering to horses, in that it produces cracked heels and a slush and mud of a very cold quality, while the brine produced tends to render the hoofs very brittle. There is a pious pre- varication to the effect that salt is no longer used for such purposes, but any one who uses his eyes knows better.
This same beautiful toleration applies to the matter of the sand with which the asphalt paving concerns are supposed to sprinkle their pavement during a certain term of years after its completion. This clause is evident in all the contracts — but nowhere else, alas ! and it is a lasting reproach to our civilisa- tion and enlightenment that this is the case. The
302 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
scenes to be witnessed upon streets paved with this material are, after a sharp frost or icy spell, enough to make one ashamed of his kind. Nothins: is actively done to better matters, and the outrage is unchecked. This pavement is in itself a good thing, and has come to stay, yet neither the authorities, the horsemen, nor the S. P. C. A. make any concerted efforts to render it safely navigable in all weathers and under all conditions. The rubber pads which are now so generally used afford a fairly secure footing, but they are, in price, cjuite beyond the reach of the poor man, and no satisfactory substitutes for them have been discovered. Toe and heel calks will not remain sharp for any length of time upon the asphalt and cobblestone surfaces. Sand boxes should be placed upon every city block, kept filled by the authorities, and the material scattered daily by the street-sweepers; nor will sand of too fine a sort answer, as traffic soon reduces it to dust. A very little of this material, evenly and lightly distributed, will render the pavement safe for the length of the block and for a period of twenty-four hours.
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Two Jumpers.
I. Jumping at the Bay Shore Horse Show. — 2. Heatherpi.oom jumping 7 feet, 2 inches at the Atlantic City Horse Show.
I I
CHAPTER V. The Horse at Pasture
WE are accustomed to speak of the turning out of our horses to pasture as if we had thereby conferred upon them the greatest boon imaginable, and consigned them to a sort of " promised land," where all deserving animals may meet their just reward for constant and patient ser- vice by wandering at will through flowery meadows and beside loitering brooks, feasting upon the lus- cious grasses and resting at ease beneath the grateful shade of sheltering trees ; finding there a haven for rest, and for recuperation of the most revivifying character, and returning thence, as autumn's chill begins to render the nights too cold and the grasses less succulent, to a thoughtful master's stable, brim- ming over with thankfulness to him for his merciful kindness, and well furnished as to ribs and carcass
303
304 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
generally with abundant flesh, certain quickly to harden through judicious exercise into the massive muscles so admirable to the eye, and so useful in the subsequent tasks imposed.
This is probably the sort of halcyon view of the matter taken by the heedless owner who consigns his animals to the tender thoughtfulness of the average farmer or horse-boarding establishment for a season's run at grass ; and probably he mentally pats himself on the back as he reclines at ease in hammock or on easy-chair, and pictures " Daisy " and " Dandy '' and all the rest of them fairly wal- lowing in the fatness of the land. This is his mental photograph, but he rarely or never takes the pains to " verify his suspicions " and see that his depend- ents are daily receiving the care and attention which he should ensure them.
The truth of the matter is that few pastures are thoroughly satisfactory; and none are during the superheated and insect-swarming periods of June, July, and August, at least, unless the occupants are kept up during the day and turned out only at
The Horse at Pasture 305
nig-ht and in the early morning and late evening. Horses cannot eat well and gain flesh as they should if obliged to fight swarms of flies and mosquitoes all the time, while any scratches or abrasions to the skin are immediately' fastened upon by the insects for feeding and for egg-laying locations, to the ensuing risk of festering sores, painful wounds, and permanent scars. Horses cursed with the thin skin and nervous irritability of the well-bred animal will grow frantic from these annoyances, and will race and gallop about so much in their desperation that the " soft '" flesh, such as grass builds up, not only itself melts away, but, as all the tissues are interlaid and overlaid with it, they also waste away until finally the poor beast is nothing but a hidebound skeleton, and reduced to a condition of physical dis- ability from which it will take him months to recuperate.
As the season advances and drought prevails, the grasses grow hard, wiry, and innutritions, and, as the horse is a dainty feeder, he will not touch any portion which has been defiled by the breath of other
3o6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
animals, or by their lying upon it ; nor does he fancy many of the apparently attractive forms of herbage which will be noticed growing in profusion, possibly, while all else is gnawed clean, and yet the animals are manifestly shrinking in flesh. We might, if we would, gain valuable information as to the values of certain grasses by investigation along the lines of equine and bovine preferences as evidenced by the state of their pastures.
The horse has a small stomach, and must fill it frequently with a reasonable amount of easily digested food if he is to do well. The scanty feed- ing-ground which keeps him perpetually on the move to find sustenance, and obliges him to wander over extensive areas for that purpose, can but prove prejudicial to his condition. He makes a " close bite," and prefers the short, young, and therefore sweet and juicy herbage to the heaviest and longest luxuriance which fertility can afford.
Another drawback to the average pasture is the scarcity, at certain periods, of water, and its conse- quent distastefulness. A horse is a dainty drinker.
The Horse at Pasture 307
and while he may be seen to prefer the muddy pool or even puddle to the clearest spring, he does so for two perfectly intelligent reasons, — the puddle, or pond, is " soft " water, the spring or well is " hard " ; the muddy quality of the puddle provides an earthy taste most grateful to his palate — and particularly so if he is not allowed, as a stable inmate, a chance to lick over and gnaw at a good big sod, dirt, roots, and all, every now and then. Pasture water, when low, usually grows stagnant and filthy, and will be used only when the pangs of thirst compel. As already stated in these pages, no horse will do well which does not drink deeply and often, and none can either make or hold flesh unless he absorbs great quantities of fluid.
Therefore the resting horse would do much better, and be far more happy were he not " pastured " at all. A darkened, airy box stall is his proper abiding- place in the daytime, and it is but little trouble to provide it with fly-screens over windows and door, and to freely use one of the various " shoo-fly " compositions prepared ior the purpose of driving
3o8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
away insects. These preparations are of rather a sticky character, but will not adhere to the hair of the coat for any length of time, and are very effi- cacious in keeping away these nuisances.
During the day, therefore, the animals may rest quietly, and be fed at regular intervals, either with green food cut and carried to them, or with rations of hay and grain, or a combination of all. After sunset they may be turned out for the night, for grazing and what slight exercise they care to take — which will be very little ; water being plenti- fully provided in the stalls regardless of what is to be found in the fields.
Grain to some extent should be an invariable portion of the ration, especially if the animal is upward of seven or eight years. Constant years of service have, if this is the case, rendered these horses very dependent upon such nutriment, and their reversion to a grass diet has upon them much the same effect as if one were to condemn a high liver of fifty to rations of bread and water for a season. The few coppers extra per week necessary to provide
The Horse at Pasture 309
five or six quarts of grain daily ought not to be considered by any thoughtful owner; but it is a regrettable fact that, even by the very wealthy, this picayune economy is practised, and a rate is ac- cepted of one to two dollars per week for pasture only, when all the comforts of shelter, deep beds, and grain food could be secured for a dollar or so more — and this in the case of horses costing originally many hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars.
Feet need regular attention when these vacations are in progress, and the average foot will be the better preserved if "tips" are worn — certainly if horses are to run out in the daytime when the incessant stamping to drive away flies, etc., greatly wears the horn, and that probably in an uneven manner.
To accustom a horse by years of careful care and housing to the refinements of civilisation; to remove all means of defence against insect tormentors, by docking his tail, pulling his mane and foretop (pos- sibly cutting the latter away entirely) and by trim-
310 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
ming short his fetlocks, etc. ; and then suddenly to turn this mutilated and effeminate creature out from his accustomed haven to* shift for himself, and to submit to the vicissitudes of the weather as best he may, is surely the refinement of cruelty, and the fact that it is the result of thoiightfulness or of mistaken ideas of kindness render it no more excus- able than if the outcome of a deliberate intention to torture; while the difference in cost between tiie bare necessities of existence, as furnished by the overstocked, ill-watered, and poorly shaded pasture- field, and the provision of comfortable box stall, ample food and drink, and protection during the daytime is too immaterial to merit consideration.
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CHAPTER VI.
The Horse in Sickness
HORSES are very poor patients as a rule, and frequently possess but feeble resistive powers. Even the game and robust thoroughbred, the most courageous and enduring of all, succumbs to ailments apparently inconsequential, — the fact seeming to be that not only have they a " faint " heart, but often a really weak heart, sometimes fail- ing totally in most inexplicable fashion. Perhaps such untimely demises are due to the fact that treat- ment has been faulty and nursing poor, and very probably their disease had made more serious in- roads upon vitality than was appreciated ; but the end often comes when, to the inexperienced, all signs are favourable, and it is a curious fact that the haggard countenance and anxious eye which are symptomatic of some trifling ailments, are in not a few extremely
3"
312 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
critical diseases — as for instance, pneumonia — quite frequently not observed. These symptoms are the accompaniment usually only of such disorders as impose acute and incessant discomfort or pain.
If it is difficult to diagnose the ailments of the human patient, who can freely describe symptoms and aid in. explaining conditions, how much more arduous is it successfully to locate and combat the troubles of the equine subject, which can neither describe feelings nor relate possible causes. All treatment must be speculative, and. although certain evidences betray the presence of special troubles, one can only experiment more or less vaguely until suc- cess or failure is assured. Nature is the best veter- inary, and if the strength is kept up, her indicated prescriptions of rest ("quantum suf."), and light feeding ("as directed"), air and warmth ("ad lib.") will usually result favourably. Slowly made physical repairs are the more enduring. We kill more horses by mistaken kindness than we do by abuse, and perhaps If we were content to adopt the treatment accorded to mules in the South not so
The Horse in Sickness 313
many years ago, we should save more sick animals than we do.
The estabHshed treatment for a sick or lame mule used to be to bleed him from the roof of the mouth and turn him out in the pasture lot, there to stay until he either recovered or passed on to wherever mules go. This Spartan treatment at least gave nature a chance! but we so seldom do that! Your horse refuses his feed and seems dull ; forthwith you or the groom strive in every way to tempt back his vanished appetite, and to coax him to overload his failing stomach, and further to upset his probably fevered system. You remit all exercise, you close all windows, you bother him to distraction with your fussy attentions, and from being merely dull he grows really sick, and probably dies offhand. Did it ever occur to you that in not taking the time to inform yourself as to his nee-ds. symptoms, etc., you were culpably negligent? and that if you will not learn to care for him you ought not to own him? He showed you by his actions what was necessary in his case, but you blindly refused his
314 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
advice, persisted in your erratic course, and poor Billy was converted into fertiliser and knife-handles long before his time.
A sick horse is generally rather nasty, at least so far as head and lung troubles go, and rigid clean- liness must be enforced. The nose, eyes, the manger, etc., must be daily cleaned and disinfected, as to the surrounding woodwork, the head being, if the throat is sore or if there is heavy accumulation of mucus, steamed — vinegar and hot water being as good as anything. The head and neck must be pro- tected by a hood, after being carefully dried. Good nursing consists as much in knowing what to let alone as in what to do. Do not " get on " your patient's nerves by fussing about him. A clean, tempting bed. a darkened stall, suitable clothing, bandaging if necessary, plenty of air, his nourish- ment in small quantity and tempting in form — and then leave him in peace.
The amateur and a thermometer make a " pan- icky " combination, and this useful instrument causes to such a one more anxiety than relief, for the reason
The Horse in Sickness 315
that the animal's temperature constantly varies, and an odd degree or so of change from normal has very probably no alarming significance. The tem- perature, about ninety-eight degrees in health, may be approximated by placing the fingers under the tongue, upon the bars of the lower jaw.
The pulse, running at about forty degrees in health, and then pliant and full, not hard and wiry, may be found below the jaw.
The kidneys and bowels should be watched and kept active; the strength must be maintained, if food is refused, by drenches of " hay tea," eggs, and milk ; in desperate cases, whiskey, or whiskey and eggs, etc. The veterinary is everywhere resident nowadays, and the telephone is so universal that no time need elapse before help is at hand. The nurs- ing, however, is the caretaker's and the owner's task, and upon them falls the burden of intelligently carry- ing out the directions given.
Sooner or later we all of us are probably fated to purchase a " green " or unacclimated horse, and the fatalities attending this condition are astonishingly frequent.
31 6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
This acclimation trouble is rarely other than a more or less severe attack of influenza, broug-ht on by the transfer from the airy country barns or pastures to hot and ill-ventilated dealers' — or pri- vate — stables in town or city.
In the former case the animal is not improbably dosed with drugs to resist the approach of the dis- ease; and, when removed to the normal environ- ments of the private stable, his ensuing condition is the more liable to render him not only ill, but seriously so. As the Esquimaux succumb under the restrictions of civilisation; as you yourself, after weeks spent in camping out, and in enduring ex- posure of all sorts, immediately become ill with a cold on taking up your usual habits of indoor life; so is your horse upset by changed air, food, water, and surroundings, while probably the mental de- pression and despondency caused by his homesick- ness for familiar scenes, play their important part in reaching this result.
Sooner or later, then, you will find your " green " horse running a little at the nose, possibly at the
The Horse in Sickness 317
eyes, refusing his feed, and probably coughing and sneezing a Httle. If yoii will forthwith stop his grain; feed him only a little hay (or a mash if his throat is sore, as probable), never more than he will eat clean in thirty minutes or so, and all rem- nants cleared away at once ; all the water he will drink, with a dose (at once) of powdered nitre or one ounce of saltpetre in it to keep his kidneys active; clothe him warmly and ensure fresh air, but no draug-'ht ; bandaging his extremities well, then leaving him alone till he gets better, it will generally be but a few days before he is all right again; nor, beyond a simple febrifuge and a liniment for the sore throat, could the most skilled veterinarian do anything further.
Three or four times a day the following may be smeared upon the tongue :
Extract belladonna Powdered opium . Powdered camphor Powdered licorice . Molasses
^ ounce
2 drams
3 drams 2 ounces I pint
31 8 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
The throat may be smeared, not rubbed, or it will cause a blister, with —
Lard i pound
Turpentine . . . . i pint
Melt lard and mix turps.
When the " pink-eye," as it is called from the tendency of the eyes to close and be weak (needing a darkish stable when this occurs), has passed its worst, there is often a dropsical tendency of the legs ensuing or remaining, which may hugely swell them, giving them the appearance of having been tied with strings ; this will help toward cure :
Iodide of potassium . . i ounce Carbonate of ammonia . . i ounce Powdered gentian . . i ounce
Eight balls (or drench if throat is still sore) ; two each day for four days.
Soft food is indicated, but very little of anything will be eaten.
If weakness accompanies, the strength may be maintained and heart stimulated by doses of whiskey
The Horse in Sickness 319
and quinine at frequent intervals, or this treatment may begin at the first indication of the disease.
Soft and easily digested food should be the rule for some weeks after recovery ; for a latent weak- ness, a sort of low fever, remains, and any over- exertion may cause a relapse. Exercise must gradu- ally increase.
Of course few or none of these occurrences may result. The horse may escape with a trifling dulness for a few days that will hardly be noticeable, and not even affect his ability for light labour. If this fresh, or " green," horse had been put directly to gentle steady work whereby he got regularly into the open air, if he had been neither overheated nor allowed to chill when warm, if kidneys and bowels were kept active that feverish tendencies might be corrected, if in short he were used like any other horse, only not quite so hard, he would have had little trouble, as proved by the thousands of express, car, and cab horses, which are always put at once to work, and. keeping on, are rarely sick.
Remember that your country horse will probably
320 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
suffer from homesickness, and try to alleviate this by ensuring him equine companionship, by little attentions and delicacies, by regular exercise, etc. As you would in similar circumstances brood over your condition if left in solitary confinement, so will he; as your depression would be increased by over- feeding and lack of exercise, so is liis ; as wholesome fatigue ensures the kindly oblivion of sleep to you, so it will to him.
Colic is a more common trouble than it should be, and of ten cases eight are the fault of the groom or owner. Spasmodic colic is the only form which appears suddenly, the other form — tympanitis — being sometimes chronic, and usually accompanying some other disease. For spasmodic colic, then, first relieve pain by an opiate, and then clear the intes- tines by mild physic. An excellent mixture is —
|
Chloroform . |
• • |
I ounce |
|
Laudanum . |
• • |
I ounce |
|
Sulphuric ether |
. . |
I ounce |
|
Linseed oil |
. |
8 ounces |
|
Drench - |
- One dose. |
The Horse in Sickness 321
Bicarbonate of soda is always at hand. A quarter pound of this in a quart of water will arrest fermen- tation. Two ounces of sweet spirits of nitre in a pint of w^ater is excellent. Whiskey, a pint ; lauda- num, one ounce ; soda, one-quarter pound ; water, one pint, is always to be had.
Inflammation of the bowels may be a sequel to colic, or may be mistaken for it. It is, however, gradual in approach ; the legs and ears are very cold ; the pulse very rapid, and hard to find ; the pain constant, and not intermittent ; the belly tender ; motion increases pain.
Two drams of opium should be given at once, and repeated every hour until pain is deadened. Injec- tions and " back-raking " are valuable in both dis- eases. Tincture aconite twenty drops, laudanum one-half ounce, given in a pint of lime water every hour (to four doses), is excellent. Foment the bowels well with hot water externally.
Chronic cough may follow a neglected cold. A capital mixture is —
322 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
|
Fowler's solution of arsenic . |
I ounce |
|
Chlorate of potash |
I ounce |
|
Extract belladonna |
I dram |
|
Water |
I pint |
Makes one dose — Give daily.
Rub throat with mixture recommended in this chapter.
Haematuria or azoturia, or " Black Water," a disease of the system, attacks suddenly, as during a drive, and is signalled by loss of power in hind quarters, violent muscular spasms, rapid pulse and respiration. Obtain, at once, by injection, free action of bowels, and give as a drench —
|
Aloes |
6 drams |
|
Cream of tartar |
2 ounces |
|
Water |
I pint |
|
Makes one dose. |
Soap and warm water clysters are used. Get the patient to a stable somehow — drags or ambulances are always at hand.
For acute founder place large hot poultices at once on the fore feet, and keep them hot until the doctor comes.
The Horse in Sickness 323
For acute dysentery give —
|
Castor oil |
. |
. |
4 ounces |
|
Laudanum |
• • • |
. |
2 ounces |
|
Linseed oil |
• |
. |
I pint |
|
Makes one |
dose. |
Inject copiously warm water to cleanse the lower bowel.
For sunstroke throw buckets of cold water over whole body, using force, or play a hose from a dis- tance, especially on head and neck ; shampoo well ; repeat water treatment. Give at once sulphuric ether, two ounces, water one pint ; or aromatic spirits am- monia one ounce, whiskey two ounces, water half- pint every hour until relieved.
No attempt is made to give extended treatment or prescriptions, and only a few of the troubles likely to occur imthout warning are mentioned. Veterinaries are everywhere, and excellent medical text-books are easily procurable. Obtain one or more of the best, and familiarise yourself with symptoms and treat- ment of such troubles as occur with frequency, that you may lose no time and help the doctor just so much the more.
324 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
To give a ball to a horse, back him into a stall, lay hold of the tongue with the fingers of the left hand, and draw it out of the mouth on the right side with a downward sideways movement; holding the ball between the middle finger (on top) and the first and third fingers below, place it on the root of the horse's tongue, and quickly withdrawing the hand, let the tongue go. Hold the head well up by placing the hand under the jaw, and if the mass is not swallowed in a moment or two, a slight slap on the jaw or a motion to do so will accomplish the object. Be careful not to let the tongue go until the right hand is clear, and always protect it with an old glove, or one of the rubber gloves made for the purpose.
To give a drench, back the horse into the stall, as before, and placing a loop made of strong cord over the upper jaw, have an assistant slip the tines of a stable fork into it, and elevate the head. The operator then standing on the animal's right side pours the drench down the throat. A cow-horn, a rubber bottle, or a long-necked strong glass bottle,
The Horse in Sickness
325
like a hock or champagne bottle, are the best recep- tacles for the fluid.
Some useful receipts are appended.
COLIC MEDICINE
Sweet spirits nitre ... i ounce
Laudanum ..... i ounce
Linseed oil 8 ounces
Mix — Makes one dose.
ALTERATIVE BALL
Powdered nitre .... 4 drams
Tartarised antimony ... i dram
Linseed meal .... i dram
Mix — Makes one dose — One each day for week.
TONIC BALL
Powdered sulphate of iron . 4 drams
Camphor i dram
Gentian i dram
Mix — Makes one dose — One a day for ten days.
|
COUGH BALL |
|
|
Powdered digitalis |
Yi dram |
|
camphor |
I dram |
|
Tartarised antimony . |
I dram |
|
Nitre |
3 drams |
|
Linseed meal .... |
Yi dram |
Mix — Makes one dose — One a day.
326 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
|
LAXATIVE BALL |
|
|
Powdered aloes .... |
4 drams |
|
" nitre .... |
2 drams |
|
" ginger |
I dram |
Mix — Makes one dose.
FEVER BALL
Powdered nitre .... 4 drams
Tartarised antimony ... i dram
Camphor 2 drams
Mix — Makes one dose — One a day.
CATHARTIC BALL
Powdered aloes .... 6 drams
" ginger ... 2 drams
Mix — Makes one dose — Give fasting. -
FOR SPRAINS
Alcohol 2 ounces
Acetic acid 2 ounces
Oil of Origanum ... 2 drams
Armenian Bole .... 4 drams
Water 6 ounces
Mix — Apply once daily.
WORM BALL
Powdered gentian
" quassia
" camphor
Sulphate of iron .
2 drams 2 drams 2 drams 2 drams
Mix — Makes one dose — One each day, fasting, for three days.
The Horse in Sickness 327
|
COOLING LOTION |
|
|
Sal ammoniac |
I ounce |
|
Vinegar |
I ounce |
|
Spirits of wine .... |
2 ounces |
|
Water |
V2 pint |
|
Mix — Use twice daily. |
MIXTURE FOR WORMS
Oil of turpentine ... 2 ounces
" " linseed . . . . lo ounces
Mix — Makes one dose — Give fasting.
ALTERATIVE POWDERS
Nitre 4 ounces
Sulphur 4 ounces
Black antimony .... 4 ounces
Powdered resin .... 4 ounces
Mix — Dessert-spoonful daily in feed.
SOAP LINIMENT
Camphor 4 drams
Soft soap 4 ounces
Alcohol i'/4 pints
Mix well — Use once daily.
MANGE OINTMENT
Iodide of mercury ointment . i dram
Lard 2 ounces
Mix — Apply carefully.
328 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
WHITE LOTION. (SORE BACKSj ETC.)
Sugar of lead .... 2 ounces
Sulphate of zinc ... 2 ounces
Water i pint
Mix — Apply several times daily.
TAIL RUBBING
Boil quassia chips in water to strong solution, and apply two or three times daily.
CARRON OIL. (physic, OR FOR BURNS, ETC.)
Linseed oil . .... i pint
Lime water .... i pint
Makes one dose.
DIABETES
Iodide of potassium ... i dram
Iodine i scruple
Carbonate of soda ... 4 drams
Water 8 ounces
Mix — Makes one dose — Once daily.
HOOF DRESSING
Tar yi pound
Beeswax % pound
Lard iVz pounds
Glycerine 3 ounces
Melt and mix carefully.
The Horse in Sickness
329
GOULARD LOTION
Sugar of lead ..... ^ ounce
Vinegar 2 ounces
Soft water 2 pints
Mix — Use twice daily.
|
DIARRHOEA MIXTURE |
||
|
Powdered |
opium |
I dram |
|
Chalk . |
■ • / • ■ • |
2 drams |
|
Catechu |
2 drams |
|
|
Ginger |
I dram |
|
|
Mix — |
Makes one dose — Once |
daily. |
INDIGESTION POWDERS
Arsenic 40 grains
Sulphur 6 ounces
Cantharides Yz dram
Coriander seed .... 4 ounces
Aniseed 4 ounces
Sulphate of quinine ... 6 drams
Mix — Makes eighteen powders — Daily in feed.
LINIMENT FOR CUTS, ETC.
Sweet oil i pint
Acetate of lead .... i ounce
Carbolic acid . . . . J/2 dram
Tincture of opium ... i ounce
Mix — Use as needed.
330 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
LOTION
Tincture of arnica ... 2 ounces
" " aconite . . 2 ounces
" " opium ... 2 ounces
Fluid extract belladonna . . 2 ounces
Water i quart
Mix — Use as needed.
INDIGESTION POWDERS
Arsenic
Sulphate of iron Nux vomica Bicarbonate of soda Nitrate of potash
5 grains 2 drams 10 grains I dram I dram
Mix — As one powder, morning and evening, for ten days.
TONIC BALL
Sulphate of quinine ... 20 grains " iron ... I dram
Powdered gentian ... 2 drams
Mix — Makes one dose — One daily for two weeks.
|
COLIC DRENCH |
||
|
Nitre (spirits) |
6 ounces |
|
|
Assafoetida . |
2 ounces |
|
|
Laudanum |
I ounce |
|
|
Whiskey |
I pint |
|
|
Warm water |
I pint |
Mix — Makes one dose.
part IDIf. Z\)c Stable
part m. Zhc Stable
CHAPTER I.
Stabling Arrangements Appropriate to American Climate
THE essential features of any stable, and the only details worth general consideration are freedom from damp ; airiness and even temperature ; roominess in the equine living and sleeping de- partment ; convenience and simplicity of fitting, or- namentation and arrangement. The rich man may, of course, expend huge sums upon external decora- lions or internal niceties, but with these we have nothing to do — only the vitally necessary items and those which should be a part of every building
333
334 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
for the accommodation of horses are really impor- tant.
Any exposure is good except a southern, although this is contrary to general opinion and arrangement. Of course the stable may face south if preferred, but the horses should never be stabled upon that side. The heat of the sun in our climate, whether in winter or summer, ensures a temperature varying greatly in degree; and in winter this is especially true, be- cause the heat generated during the day may raise the temperature to a very high degree, and the ensu- ing depression, during the night, is likely to be keenly felt at a period when the constitution is least able to resist, and consequent chills and colds may be at- tended with most serious results. Thawing and freezing, which take place upon the south side of a building, can but engender damp. In summer, of course, the case is even worse, as the heat then is doubly irksome upon that side, and even if protec- tion is afforded from the direct rays by a shed or veranda, this objection is only modified. It matters little how low the temperature of a stable is main-
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Stabling Arrangements 335
tained, if only it be not subject to violent variations, and if the apartment itself be dry and free from damp, as properly arranged walls will ensure.
More stables are damp — dangerously so — than we at all realise, and many a horse which has seemed all " out of sorts " with staring coat, dull eye, and lifeless at work, has responded magically to better- ment of accommodations, although full feeding and ample care had produced no beneficial effect. If nothing else will ensure freedom from damp, a stove should be used. This, with ample extra ventilation upon all days, when the external air is dry, will, with adequate drainage and attention to it, ensure the proper condition in the atmosphere of any stable.
There is little to be said as to the best means of ventilation and drainage. Modern methods are nearly perfect, but the best have no advantage over the very worst, if carelessly or improperly managed. Avoid direct draft; allow no regular ventilation di- rectly over the head ; ensure thorough airing at least twice daily in the winter; do not keep too many horses in any one compartment ; place windows be-
336 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
hind them, or at the sides of the building; or (if in front) very high up and small ; an air shaft over the gangway of diameter commensurate with the number of horses stabled will carry off the foul air at night, and if the stable is not overcrowded, and if the ceil- ing is reasonably high, the air will not become impure to a serious extent. Sudden changes come at night, and grooms are not to be trusted to arise and close windows, etc. The keeping of a large number of horses in one stable, undivided by partitions, is sure to cause violent variations of temperature ; as, for instance, when many go out at once and when their egress has admitted cold air on several different oc- casions, the ensuing fall in the thermometer is aston- ishing and not inapt to cause a chill and consequent illness for those remaining.
Whatever the drainage system, it should admit of copious flushing with water and disinfectants, and should receive it as a part of the daily stable tasks. The various traps, etc., are all good — if attended to frequently.
Every one has his special fancies regarding such
Stabling Arrangements 337
accommodations, and the writer may perhaps be ex- cused for describing briefly the arrangements he has used many times, always with utmost satisfaction and consequent good results ; and although these were country stables, where space was of no special value, the extra room occupied in some ways was economised in others. For floors, of course, in the city one must generally depend upon plank for pref- erence or some of the brick and stone arrangements which are very expensive, damp, slippery, and treach- erous.
Such a " horse boarding-house" contained no part- titions whatever — everything hung up, hooked to- gether, or rested upon the ground, allowing a free internal space, capable of subdivision in many ways, easy to clean thoroughly, inexpensive tO' construct and to maintain, dry, airy, and, through the sociabil- ity it allowed, most enjoyable to its equine inhab- itants. The floor was always earth (overlaid with an inch or two of sand, if procurable) and under this ten inches of earth was a substratum of coarse gravel or broken stone about six inches deep; below this
338 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
again six inches of larger stones, or about two feet in all of various materials, which afforded a prompt and perfect filter and a drain that never choked and kept dry every inch of surface. The beds were made all in one, so to speak, for there were no stall partitions, and the whole place was turned out, " mucked," and set fair in no time, while every nook and corner could be kept sweet and clean. The boxes and single stall partitions, when they were used, hooked together and framed with light scant- ling at top and bottom. Any piece fitted anywhere, there was no skill required to set them up, and they could be erected in ten minutes at any point desired. All the box partitions, doors, etc., were slatted from top to bottom, and a horse could thus not only see upon all sides of him, but (a vitally impor- tant point in a hot climate) received the full benefit of all the air that stirred, a point that is worth pounds in flesh and dollars in food to any one who will adopt the plan, as, if he will go to his own stable some hot night, lie down in the stall of one of his pet horses, and remain there until morning, he will surely do.
Stabling Arrangements 339
We wonder that stabled horses do not lie down more ; it is a wonder the poor brutes do so at all in their stifling pens and upon their reeking bedding. This plan ensures the benefit of all the ventilation that can be arranged, and also its equal benefit to all. But these partitions must be slatted right down to the ground or floor.
For the same reason — and for many others as good — there are no regular stall partitions, but " bails" are swung from wall at head, and from ceil- ing at heel. These are simply two planks tongued and grooved together; braced (painted, brass- mxOunted, or ornamented, if you like) ; and hung by brass chains or pipe-clayed cords if preferred from the ceiling at heel ; attached to the wall with a hook and eye, or with a cross-piece (as on the end of a dog-chain) which slips through the eye. The bottom of the lower plank hangs about eighteen inches from the floor, and the top is about four feet six inches from the same point. These " bails " are hung about five feet apart (although horses do well in three feet six inches, if needful, so elastic is this accommoda-
340 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
tion, from its freedom to swing and push aside). No horse can get cast in them, and they also freely see each other, doing better in consequence, and get all the air that stirs. A bad kicker will give up when he finds that the partition not only swings away from his blows and will not splinter, but also that it "cross- counters " him on the recoil. The writer has had thirty horses or more standing in very narrow " bails " all one winter, — all of them wearing calked shoes, — and not one was kicked, scratched, or stepped upon, nor did they fret and paw at feeding time, because each could clearly see what was going on.
There were no mangers nor hay-racks — an additional measure of economy, cleanliness, and healthfulness, and a great preventive of cribbing, etc., if any horse has such habits. The hay was fed upon the ground ; the grain was given in boxes, about eighteen inches square and twelve inches deep; and these boxes were filled in the feed-room, brought in on a long barrow, and the food set before the animals with no preliminary rattling of grain, slamming of
Stabling Arrangements 341
feed-bin lids, etc., which is so irritating to horses. A certain time was allowed for feeding, and then all boxes were removed, cleaned, and set in the sun to air and sweeten. By this means a " shy feeder " could have his extra pints or quarts put before him, and not a horse but his two immediate neighbours be any the wiser.
The horses were each confined by a rope eighteen inches long, which was spliced into a ring which ran upon a " traveller " — like that for a jib or main sheet on a vessel, only running up and down the wall and not across its surface ; the other end of the rope was provided with a hook, which snapped into the headstall ring, the regular halter-shank, which also snapped on when wanted, hanging in readiness for use at the heel of the " bail." The lower end of this " traveller " came about a foot above the ground, and the top about four feet six inches, so that, while a horse had ample room to eat, lie down, etc., he could neither bite his neighbour, nor could he get cast by getting his feet over the slack. This rope can be made longer or shorter, according to necessities, or
342 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
the possible width of the divisions (which should not be too wide, or the animals may stand across them).
The feed and hay room should be upon the ground floor if space allows. Great economy in framing the building is thus possible, and the food materials are much more easily handled, while every foot of room to the rafters is thus available for circulation of air and ensuing comfort to the helpless tenants. The men are better off if sleeping upon the ground floor, and they will not disturb the animals by trampling over their heads, either at feeding times or during the night. Carriage room is simply a matter of space and may be arranged to suit personal fancy, and such a stable is so inexpensive to build and to m.aintain that practically all the sum allotted to the purpose may be expended in external ornamentation, for the internal system advised will not cost $5 per horse to arrange.
America is unique in its combinations of climate, its extreme heat and cold in one and the same locality, and its sudden changes from one to the other. We have adopted the stabling systems of other countries,
Stabling Arrangements 343
and have never stopped to investigate their short- comings, or to consider possible and appropriate im- provements. A trial of this system will convince any one of its economical and practical features.
CHAPTER 11. Stable Conveniences
CONVENIENCE is an essential to the satis- factory management and prompt perform- •ance of all stable work — and by this is meant not only consecutiveness of all arrangements, but the presence in exactly the right places of all the little necessities to the work which has, in the performance of it every day, year in and year out, so much to do with its accurate and speedy accomplishment. If this is true of the average stable, it is absolutely imperative that in the establishment of the " little man," presided over possibly by himself and one or more of his boys, everything should be at hand so that not a moment need be lost.
Beginning with the door or doors through which egress is gained, they should be amply wide, and roll or swing upon their hinges easily and freely;
344
Photographs hy T. E. M;irr, Boston.
The Extreme ok Luxury and Comfort. Two views of Mr. Thomas W. Lawsoii's celebrated show barn.
Stable Conveniences 345
should be so arranged that they may be closed with- out the necessity of locking them to make them remain so; should betray no projecting hasps, or locks, or sharp door or jamb-edges to cut or scrape the exposed side or hip, or to bruise the passing animal; approached not by abrupt, or twisting run-ways, but by those gradually elevated; padded as to such edges as are unavoidably sharp, and high enough to ensure free passage, and to prevent injury should a horse chance to throw up his head. Many an animal has been badly and perma- nently injured, and others have received a frig'ht from which they have never recovered through the accidents which have occurred to them because of the improper construction, or careless management of the entrances, not only to their stables, but to their boxes and stalls.
Safely inside the building, the floors demand attention, and they should be carefully laid, easily swept, of a material that will not, under any condi- tions, prove slippery, and one that is easy and inex- pensive to repair. Wood is the best for wash-stand
34^ Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
and all, but it should be soft, and not of a material easy to split or splinter. A very little slope in the whole floor toward the wash-stand will be an advan- tage in washing down, as the water will then run off of itself, and unaided reach the drain.
The wash-stand should not, as is toO' often the case, be placed in a corner to which every vehicle must be backed, turned, and twisted, and in the small stable its appropriate location is directly in front of the main door, so that it is a part of the floor itself, and upon it the vehicle upon entrance may be at once washed. Its arrangements should always include a hose if the water-power is suffi- cient, and this hose should hang from above, upon one of the very practical patented " circles " which are now common, and which admit not only of washing a carriage quickly and completely, but pre- vent all wear and tear on the hose itself, swinging back, on its arm, against the wall when not in use. Tliis arrangement, or some modification of it, is so convenient that it may be included among the essen- tials. The pails should be close at hand, and several
Stable Conveniences 347
in number; inexpensive iron-slatted receptacles or boxes for sponges, soap, chamois, etc., hang upon the walls ; wrenches, grease, etc., are on a shelf.
All stable tools, etc., should be kept upon open shelves, and not shut away in cupboards and closets where dirt and dust is sure to accumulate. Nothing should be locked up, except the closet or chest for storing robes, blankets, etc., but every nook and corner should be open for inspection, and regularly and carefully cleansed.
The smaller doors, leading externally, should be provided with extra slatted doors for summer, and these covered with a stout and fine wire mesh that flies may be kept out — the same attention being paid to the windows. It is not an expensive ar- rangement, and will greatly add to the comfort of the occupants.
Proceeding on across the carriage floor, we gen- erally find that the horse apartments and the harness- room are separated by permanent partitions from it and from each other. There has never seemed, in the small stable, any good reason for this, but on
348 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
the contrary it interferes with ventilation, and need- lessly occupies valuable room. Partitions, framed as in Japanese houses and covered with canvas, stained or varnished if preferred, afford all adequate separation, and, sliding freely in their grooves past each other, may be entirely removed, or all pushed back against the wall, or all closed tight according to requirements. Naturally nothing can be hung upon them, but in the small building the walls accommodate all the hooks, etc., that it is necessary to employ.
The harness-hooks may properly be fastened upon a frame which, by means of an easily running pulley, etc., can be elevated out of the way, either high up the wall to the ceiling, or through the floor up into a tightly boarded apartment in the loft, just large enough to admit, through an automatic trap-door in the floor, which opens and closes as the frame is hauled up or down, not only this frame, but all the harness, etc., used in the small establishment — per- haps two or three sets, riding-saddle, etc. Nothing is more convenient, and, your equipment once cleaned,
Stable Conveniences 349
it disappears by a pull or two on the rope to a dust- proof cupboard overhead and out of sight — thence to emerge clean and fresh when wanted. This " vanishing harness-room " is not only vastly eco- nomical of space, but is eminently satisfactory in every way, as the writer has proved by personal trial. The cleaning tools, etc., all have their shelves, etc., on this frame, and the " whole business " is out of sight, avoiding the necessity of looking after and sweeping a harness-room, and keeping in repair its door, partitions, floor, window, etc.
The harness-room thus disposed of, one comes next to the stable proper, — the horse department, — and the arrangements described in the chapter on stabling are as suitable for him who keeps one, as for the place which accommodates an hundred horses. Generally in the small stables it is a part of the carriage-room — or at least not separated from it ; provided, of course, with a box, or at least with a very wide space for stall room. As the wash- stand is near the door, the faucet or pump will be adjacent to it, and thus, on entering in the morning,
350 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
one arrives at the horse's head with the bucket of water ready for him to drink, or for filHng his own receptacle, the faucet being en route. In the same way the feed-bins or barrels should be directly on the way to the animal, and the hay-chute, if hay is kept overhead, should be both very wide and as long as possible, that one may throw into it at one trip enough hay to last for two or three days ; the contents not interfering with ventilation in the least — and this characteristic is the hay-chute's principal advantage. This should deliver close to the heel- post, so that the hay may be at once carried into the stall.
The manure-chute must be close at hand, and if a cellar is underneath, a trap-door in the wall should allow of all refuse being promptly swept down. This door should be hinged at the top, and close tight, that no draft may draw through and over the animal's back and loins when lying down. Other- wise a barrow will remove all refuse to the manure- pile.
It is a very handy and necessary thing in any
Stable Conveniences 35 1
stable, where gas is not available, to arrange an overhead wire running through the stable at a height that may be easily reached, and yet be out of the way of heads, etc., bearing one or two S-shaped wire hooks, upon which a lantern may be hung, and freely pushed along as required. This takes care at once of the gravest danger that threatens all small stables, and puts the light and its inflammable oil safely out of harm's way.
As a general rule, these small stables should pro- vide for hay and straw below stairs — rendering their construction much less expensive if as lightly framed as they then may be, and saving many steps to the owner who does his own work, who is possi- bly not young and active, and who can nowadays, in every town and city, secure such materials baled as he needs them, the few cents extra per ton which bis small retail buying compels being not worth con- sideration in comparison with the ease of access to it, and the saving in the cost of the building.
CHAPTER III. Care of Vehicles and Horses
CONSTANT attention to the little details have all to do with economy and success in caring for carriages, etc. Two men will buy at the same builders two carriages of the same make and shape; they use them identically to all external appearances ; yet one is worn out in a year, the other lasts almost indefinitely; one appears shabby a month after purchase, the other always looks fresh and well-preserved, as indeed it is. In the former case the actual depreciation is far greater than appears, in the latter it is almost insignificant.
The careful owner sees to it, when his new carriage comes home, that it is, before being used at all, washed thoroughly three or four times to harden the varnish; carefully dried, that the var- nish may not spot, and never allowed to stand in
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Care of Vehicles and Horses 353
the sun when wet, lest the same result obtain; he always has it washed, after using, as soon as possi- ble — at all events, before the mud dries, it is well sluiced down, that the dirt may not harden,- and, after the horse is attended to, it is at once carefully cleaned — not by smearing over with a dirty sponge full of grit and grease, and then a rinse-ofT with a few pails of water flung at (and frecjuently into) it, but well-sprinkled by playing the hose or watering- pot gently over it to float away all the particles possible to thus remove, and by then cleansing the the body with a large soft sponge, and the under carriage and v/heels with another — the two never being interchangeable; a chamois carefully drying all parts thereafter; and the wheel-hubs and circle being cleansed wiith plenty of soap and water, or a little turpentine, to remove any grease. The car- riage floor has previously been swept out and washed; the linings, seats, and carpet dusted and swept clean; and pains taken that the window- wells, etc., are not filled with water, lest panels swell and crack. Now, and only now, is the vehicle, after
354 ^^^ Noblest Friend, The Horse
polishing any window glass and brass work with whiting, and metal polish and a black chamois, actually and thoroughly clean.
The leather dash will need an occasional dress- ing, as will all leather tops, side curtains, aprons, etc., with an application of neats-foot-oil. Curtains should be frequently unfolded, cleaned, and aired, if kept under the seats, and, if rolled up on the sides, should be lowered. The top (as of buggies, etc.) should always be kept up in the coach-house, lest the bows warp and the leather crack. Sun and air are always available, and should be freely resorted to, not only in the care of vehicles in active service, but with those laid by, and summer or winter, at least once weekly, all carriages, har- nesses, blankets, robes, etc., should be placed where the air and sun can have full sweep at them ; thus counteracting any tendency to mouldiness, musty or stable odours, or the inroads of moths, which find sunlight fully as distasteful as the usual sparsely scattered camphor balls.
Two-wheeled vehicles should be supported as to
Care of Vehicles and Horses 355
their shafts by neat little stands, that the shafts may not warp; or these may be tipped up against the ceiling if the structure of the building allows.
Harnesses should be invariably taken apart once a week at least, and thoroughly cleaned, oiled, and blackened or dressed over with the " CompO' " easily obtainable at all harness-stores. Six times a week it will be sufficient if the strap ends are all pulled out of their billets, and the whole cleaned as well as may be — and this is about all that is usually done — but once weekly, anyhow, everything must be thoroughly inspected, stitching and all. All metal mountings should receive prompt attention, and he who has but an unpretentious establishment w'ill find silver furniture much easier to care for than the easily tarnished brass — while it will also be to his advantage to have as little metal finish, and as much leather covering to buckles, etc., as possible, on the score of labour-saving if of no other. It will be found very handy to have in the harness- room a pail of air-slacked lime into w4iich, after just wiping them dry, all bits, stirrups, etc., may
356 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
be thrown and buried, to be taken out and polished at leisure. A full list of harness-room essentials will be found in another chapter — the long array of materials usually insisted upon being — half of them — totally unnecessary.
A wrench should at regular intervals be placed on every nut and bolt in a vehicle, and all spots on robes or lining promptly removed. A little japan blacking should always be at hand, and with it steps, bolt heads, etc., regularly kept freshly painted. The linen covers so generally in use appear to be but a lazy man's disguise for a carriage which he is neglecting, and if it is properly kept clean, and well dusted, no need for any such covering exists — nor does it protect, save in a superficial way.
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CHAPTER IV. Outfit for One Horse
THE bare essentials are all that any beginner should, at the outset of his horse-keeping experiences, attempt to provide; nor should he be led along by the advice of well-meaning friends, or loquacious dealers in such commodities, to invest in any articles of which he is reasonably certain that, whatever the future may have in store, he has no present need. Countless accessories in the way of " compositions," polishes, brushes for all pur- poses, etc., are mere catchpenny inventions, and in no way make up for the application of that honest and persistent muscular effort which their acquisition is intended to supersede; while, save in oiling the carriage wheels, " elbow* grease " is the best lubri- cant and scintillant known to stable lore.
Locality also is an important factor in determining
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the necessities of outlay, and the standard of the country or suburban outfit need be by no means that of the urban, either in original proportion, or in prompt restoration to pristine freshness. This econ- omy, however, should not be carried to unwise ex- tremes, and carriages, etc., allowed, for the lack of a little attention and a trifling outlay for paint and var- nish, to lapse into a condition of premature decrep- itude. Many articles may be bought in quantity to great economy, and neighbours should always com- bine to get such things as forks, pails, brooms, brushes, sponges, combs, etc., at wholesale rates, and in wholesale quantities, subdividing them later; while, in the same fashion, feed can most advan- tageously be bought, for cash if necessary, in large quantities, and distributed among the members of this local grange, so to speak, as individual require- ments demand. Suc^h methods are so eminently practical that it is extraordinary they are never fol- lowed — and they will afford a saving of at least twenty-five per cent., a rather handsome retrench- ment upon any enterprise; nor will this wise fore-
Outfit for One Horse 359
sight entail any personal hardship or trouble to any one, but each may alternate in the position of caterer and general purveyor.
Of course your outfit may be kept at a boarding- stable at an outlay of about seven dollars per week ; no allowance being made for the work your coach- man, if you have one, does in relation to extra attentions. If you have a small stable, the cost for feed, etc., for a similar period will run to about three dollars, taking one year with another, and the private stable, however diminutive, has many advantages which the public cannot offer.
Such a stable will originally need an equipment about as follows for the necessities — the luxuries may be added from time to time as opportunity arises :
FOR THE HORSE
Halter — leather or web $i-50
Blankets — day, $2.50; night, $1.50; sheet, $1.50;
cooler, $3.00; roller, $1.50 10.00
Hood 1.50
Bandages — two sets 2.00
$15.00
360 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
FOR THE CARRIAGE
Iron pails (2) @ $4 per doz. .
Carriage jack
Sponges (2), $2; chamois (2), $1 Duster, $1.50; whisk, 30c. .
Steps
Hose
Rubber boots, $2; apron, $1 .
FOR GROOMING
Curry comb, 50c. ; body brush, $3 Dandy brush .... Mane comb, 30c. ; rub cloths, 50c. Sponge, 50c. ; scraper, 25c. . Scissors, $1 ; hoof-pick, 25c.
$0.67 2.00 3.00 1.80 1. 00 3-00 3.00
$14.47
$3-50 •SO .80
.75
1.25
$6.80
A scraper may be whittled out of a barrel-stave.
FEEDING, CLEANING, ETC.
Two-quart measure $0.25
Pails @ 40c .80
Two forks, $1 ; broom, soc. ; shovel, 50c. ; stall
cleaner, 50c. ; basket, 50c 3.00
Soap .50
$4-55
Outfit for One Horse 361
FOR HARNESS-ROOM
Mirror, $i ; two chairs, $i $2.00
Sponges, $1; chamois (2), $1; Compo brushes,
$1 ; Compo, 30C 3.30
Harness dye, 40c. ; neats-foot-oil, 50c. . . . .90
Metal polish, 25c. ; brush, 50c .75
Silver sand ; harness hook, 25c. ; brackets, 25c.
eacli .50
Harness punch .75
$8.20
Hay averages in price for prime at $18.50 per ton in bales, or $20 in bulk, the former being prefer- able as more easily handled and not bought in large quantities, as in the latter case, and from a trades- man who can be made to replace any inferior material. Rye straw averages about like hay for the best, although the tangled rye, so called, is just as good to all intents, and comes as low as $9. Prime oats average $0.35 per bushel; bran $16 per ton ; corn $0.68 per bushel. At these figures the horse's keep costs about $0.25 per day.
The animal will probably need — although horses
362 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
vary — a new set of shoes each three weeks, depend- ent largely upon the amount of use given him. Even if the shoes are not worn they should be at least reset, at similar intervals.
I
I
CHAPTER V. Keeping One Horse
THE individual whose modest establishment comprises, either from choice or necessity, but a single animal and its accoutrements, will perforce restrict his undertakings to narrow limits, and his outfit will be cared for either by a man- of-all-work, who like most " Jacks-of-all-trades " is especially expert at none; or at a livery stable; or be looked after by himself or those adolescent members of his family responsible enough to be depended upon to feed the horse thrice daily, to grease the carriage wheels when necessary, and to give to the vehicles and harness generally that care which they must receive if they are to be satisfactorily usable, and to retain their freshness of appearance and soundness of repair for a reason- able period. Of these, of course, the choice of most
3^3
364 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
" little " owners will fall upon the livery stable, and those of the cities provide, for about one dollar per day, very excellent attention to all details. The same can hardly be said of the public establishments of suburban localities, and they are quite frequently slovenly to a degree, and given to supplying a poor quality of hay and grain to make up for the reduced rate of board which they usually accept — eighty- five cents per day being about the average rate in such stables. The odd fifteen cents is, however, usually dearly saved, and the care given is of the most haphazard description.
In many places the " club stable " finds abundant patronage, and is by far the most practical arrange- ment for suburban use, provided some one or more of the committee in charge are practical horsemen, take an active interest, and give matters their per- sonal attention. Such service averages its members a cost of about four dollars per week per horse, and the attention is — or at least may be — fully as good as that of the usual private stable, main- tained by the keeper of the single horse; while if
Keeping One Horse 365
active business supervision is maintained by the committee or a superintendent, results may be even more advantageous.
Failing these forms of stabling, our friend is apt, next in order, to keep a man of his own, who for a wage of about twenty to twenty-five dollars monthly and board — or ten dollars weekly without — undertakes to care for the horse, etc., milk the cow, run the garden, rake the drive, black the boots, tend the furnace, and do other odd jobs. This " hand " — for we can hardly call him coachman — is usually about one remove from a day labourer both in ap- pearance and in ability — and, as the man said who fell out of the balloon, he " does the best he can." That his best is not very good, the seedy appearance of the family outfit proves, as does the fact that Billy neither holds the flesh nor bears the blooming coat which the size of the feed-bills should seem to en- sure, — the fact being that Patrick, among his other failings, doesn't know how to feed. A modification of this plan is in popular use, whereby the man-of- all-work attends to all the general " chores," includ-
366 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
ing the rough cleaning in the morning of stable and horse, and feeding him the morning meal at least, all other stable work being done by the owner, or one of his boys.
The " boy plan " is, after all, where the raw juvenile material is to be had, by far the best; not only on the score of general results, but because it places the lad in line to assume larger responsi- bilities, to develop his energy and stability of char- acter, to bring to his realisation the fact that certain duties must be performed at certain times, and that personal pleasures must be made subservient to them, and to advance practically his useful education in the knowledge of the care of animals, etc., which will be vastly useful to him in all his after life, be his associations what they may. Every boy in the family — and in every family — should take these duties in turn; should be instructed in and held responsible for* their first-class performance; and should receive a salary or wage commensurate with his ability, thus enabling him to become a money- earner, and to learn not only the value in labour of
Keeping One Horse 367
a dollar, but the time it requires to return an equiva- lent for it. Any sound lad of fourteen is perfectly able to care for the horse, two or three carriages, etc., which comprise the average stable of the man of moderate means, and he will be all the better, physically, and more capable, mentally, for the chance. The writer, as a lad, for several years, cared for the family stable during all the time its horses were in use — about six months annually — and although he had generally four horses, as many carriages, harnesses, saddles, etc., in daily use, he found it no task to keep them in first-class condition, and the stable, etc., always neat and clean. It seems hard sometimes to miss a baseball game, or a fishing or swimming expedition, but this is true only at first, and the discipline is wholesome.
Of course all reasonable conveniences will be pro- vided in such a stable, as detailed in the chapter on stable outfit, and ordinary ingenuity will suggest many labour-saving devices not usually found in such establishinents. -Handiness of necessities
368 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse
renders any task less irksome, and that which was regarded as labour becomes, if one has any love for animals, a pleasure which also furnishes many a pleasant recollection in later days.
THE END
Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings School of Veterinary iVledicine at Tufts University 200 Westboro Road Nortli Grafton, MA 01 536