SF 287 
 .H92 
 Copy 1 
 
 HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - ANALOGY 
 
 ' 
 
 OF THE 
 
 
 Nature and Life of tie Horse 
 
 
 A COMPLETE EXPOSITION OP THE 
 
 i 
 
 MYSTERIES OF HORSE-TRAmfflG. 
 
 
 By MOSES HUMBER. 
 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 
 1881. 
 
THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 ANALOGY 
 
 Nature and Life of the Horse 
 
 showing the 
 
 Clouded State of His Intellect, His Trains of Thought, 
 His Grievances and the Cause of His Unruli- 
 ness ; ALSO THE Only True Method by 
 which He CAN be Taught ; a Com- 
 plete Exposition of the 
 
 MYSTERIES OF HORSE TRAINING, 
 
 How to Cultivate the Beauty ; Hints to Breeders on the 
 
 Best Kind of Harness adapted to His use, and 
 
 how to Arrange it to Prevent Choking, etc. 
 
 By 
 
 MOSES 
 
 '^H U M B E R. 
 
 UBLISHED BY 
 
 THE 
 
 AUTHOR 
 
 1U tY\ 
 
 1881. 
 
SP 
 
 The Courier Company, 
 
 EUctrotypers, Printers and Binders, 
 
 Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 • Page. 
 
 Preface 5 
 
 Tlie Inflaence of tlie Voice 9 
 
 The Cause of the Balk H 
 
 The Cure of the Balk 18 
 
 Chain-drawing 30 
 
 Stopping Balkers 33 
 
 Seesaw Teams '- 34 
 
 Choking 30 
 
 The Kicker 39 
 
 The Final Secrets of Horse-training 43 
 
 Colt Breaking '"^O 
 
 The Shy 53 
 
 The Horse for General Purposes 55 
 
 On Training the Trotter 56 
 
 Training the Horse to Follow his Trainer 59 
 
 On the Use of the Whip 67 
 
4 CON-TENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Tlie Cultivation of Beauty, or the Beauty of Good 
 
 TreatmeDt 60 
 
 Notes on Breeding 72 
 
 General Remarks 73 
 
 The Stable 84 
 
 On Cleaning 85 
 
 On the Harness 87 
 
 Choking — Cause and Cure 90 
 
 Head Fixings. . . *. *. 93 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 TEIE horse is acknowledged to be one of the 
 noblest members of the animal kingdom. 
 His frame is a perfect model of elegance; a 
 concentrated energy, easily managed if kindly 
 treated; proud, but persevering, he has been 
 one of the most valuable aids to human civili- 
 zation. The power that some individuals pos- 
 sess in promoting obedience and cultivating the 
 most useful qualities of the horse is admitted 
 to be truly surprising; but here the matter 
 usually ends, leaving the remainder enshrouded 
 in traditional mystery. This may be attributa- 
 ble to the fact that the real horseman has but 
 little time to devote, and is ill-prepared in lit- 
 erary accomplishments to remove the veil from 
 such a knotty and entangled question. 
 
 In the preparation of this work, it has been 
 the writer's aim to throw some light on this 
 seemingly impregnable mystery, and, in so doing, 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 I feel confident that I am removing what has 
 long been a perplexing barrier to the progress 
 of horse- training. This work treats mainly with 
 the heavy, or semi-heavy draught team, in the 
 ranks of which all miscalled bad horses usually 
 find their way. Although I have endeavored to 
 throw sufficient light on the nature of the 
 horse, and this so-called obstinacy, to enable 
 the horseman to judge pretty nearly what is 
 best to be done under all modern difficulties, 
 whether heavy draught horse, carriage, saddle, 
 civil or military. Though in reading the se- 
 crecy of the art, the observances may appear 
 many, yet it is only by a detailed explanation 
 the horseman can obtain a satisfactory view of 
 the subject. It is here shown that the secret 
 of horse-training lies in becoming familiar with 
 and working upon the notions, intellect and 
 sensitive feelings, or rather the inner, in place 
 of the outer, horse ; such knowledge places the 
 horseman in a position to be guided by an 
 agent unseen by the ordinary observer; hence 
 the power of some individuals over others ; and 
 for the horseman to reap the benefit of this 
 
^i 
 
 PREFACE. 7 
 
 work, he should read, study and become famil- 
 iar with all of the different forms of training, 
 as herein set forth. This done, he should be 
 competent to train the horse in a short time to 
 any given point, or know the reason why. In 
 bringing this work before the horse-working 
 public, I trust tla,at it will not only prove bene- 
 ficial to man, but shield that noble animal in 
 question from ill-treatment, to which he has 
 been too long a victim; for the person who 
 yields to anger, and vents it upon the horse, 
 will never know his own ability in the horse- 
 training art. 
 
 Therefore it behooves us not to be guided.by 
 our own petty grievances, but act the nobler 
 part, observe laws, and train in an intelligible 
 form, so required by the clouded intellect of 
 this noble, useful and inoffensive animal. 
 
THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR, 
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF THE VOICE. 
 
 In speaking to the horse the horseman is apt 
 to commit himself through the gruff tone of 
 the Yoice, applied with a view to cause fear and 
 more effectually impress his authority; but this 
 is erroneous, for fear lasts but a short time- 
 is at best only a confused interruption, is then 
 superseded by a case-hardened indifference. 
 
 The horse utilizes the voice and finds in it a 
 true indicator of the intentions of the horse- 
 man a forerunner of deeds that are to follow 
 
 —so that if we do not ill-treat physically, the 
 voice indicates it ultimately, so that the horse 
 imagines the horseman is only restrained from 
 violence until his anger becomes more inflamed ; 
 this suspense causes fretting and is deadly poi- 
 son to the nobler, steady, unerring action of the 
 
 horse. 
 
 Take, for example, the horse of a timid 
 
10 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 nature : The horseman may do his utmost in 
 guarding against any ill-treatment for weeks, 
 with a view to promoting a cool, steady action 
 of the horse, but all of no avail — he is still fret- 
 ting ; but if the driver will reflect back a mo- 
 meilt he will remember he has been in the habit 
 of throwing out, now and again, a berating 
 word ; this, then, is the agent that has secretly 
 set all his endeavors at naught, for the horse has 
 been listening to every word that has fallen 
 from his lips, and continues to contemplate, as 
 he has often hitherto read by bitter experience, 
 the dreaded intention of the ulterior. This 
 being the case, it is absolutely necessary that 
 words cease with the deeds. 
 
 There is no denying but man is capable of 
 overcoming all modern unmanageable horses if 
 he will observe laws that lead to that end ; and, 
 whilst pointing out those laws, I am laboring 
 under the unpleasant knowledge that his abili- 
 ties will be materially impaired if the voice is 
 not free from all scolding tendencies. The voice 
 plays strange freaks in its influence over the 
 horse, for although when raised in anger it is 
 very annoying and disturbing, yet it tends only 
 to berate and beat down, and has no power what- 
 
THE CAUSE OP THE BALK. 11 
 
 ever in bringing abont that higher standard of 
 ready compliance. And it should be borne 
 in mind by the horseman that (so peculiar is 
 the nature of the voice that it carries with 
 it no force and falls to the ground unless 
 accompanied by the whip, etc., as herein set 
 forth), though the voice alone would not pro- 
 duce balking or kicking, yet it probably fur- 
 nishes half of the causes from which those 
 habits are engendered. I may mention that in 
 turning either way you will facilitate ready com- 
 prehension and compliance by throwing the 
 voice rather in the direction you wish them to 
 go ; but if you throw it in the opposite direction 
 it is apt to bewilder and mislead the horse in 
 his blindfolded way of working. 
 
 THE CAUSE OF THE BALK. 
 
 Before commencing to cure the balk it is 
 essential that the horseman have some knowl- 
 edge as to its cause. Its chief cause may be 
 said to arise through excitement, from being 
 whipped, clubbed, hallooed at and urged on re- 
 peatedly to draw at immovable objects; or, in 
 other words, vainly endeavoring to accomplish 
 impossibilities. At such times the horseman will 
 
12 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 adopt a blustering course of action. This blus- 
 tering is ^supposed to enhance drawing, but the 
 result of which we shall hereafter see, for the 
 horse, after witnessing a few times the result of 
 the stick, becomes terribly excited to find he is 
 again fastened to the spot; and no matter how 
 crushing may be the ill-treatment, he is invari- 
 ably bound to abide the result and receive the 
 same at the hands of a too often rebellious, un- 
 reasoning driver. When we reflect on how 
 easy our own quietude is affected by the anger 
 of others, with all our intellect, equality of rank 
 and ability, and without the slightest blow being 
 inflicted, we may consider we have but a feeble 
 idea of the magnitude of the horse's feelings 
 when he is subjected to clubbing over his head 
 and ears without reserve; but, on the contrary, 
 with a view to inflict the most bitter and burn- 
 ing pangs of pain and terror possible. With 
 this in view help is sometimes called, and for- 
 midable weapons, snch as handspikes in the 
 lumber woods, and pick-handles on railroads, are 
 frequently brought into use. The horse soon 
 comes to view those stickings to mean nothing 
 more nor less than an onset of harsher treatment, 
 and when stuck, or he has reasons to believe so, 
 
THE CAUSE of THE BALK. 13 
 
 althougli probably it requires but a small effort 
 on his part to overcome the difficulty, he listens 
 to the tone of the driver's voice, and, if angry, 
 he knows too well his fate is sealed. 
 
 Should he find this the case it causes a tremu- 
 lous fear, his thoughts are then riveted on draw- 
 ing this ill-treatment on. In passing through 
 and landing on the other side of it, of course 
 he receives his customary amount of ill-treat- 
 ment ; and, feeling relief from the same, we will 
 suppose him to draw and succeed in removing 
 the load from the difficulty. The driver is 
 then led to suppose that it was this ill-treatment 
 that caused the horse to draw, and by laying it 
 on hot and heavy, grasps the hope that in the 
 near future the animal will not hesitate a mo- 
 ment in complying with his wishes; but how 
 absurd such an idea, for at the next difficulty 
 the same loss of time, the same annoyance and 
 root of all evil, ill-treatment, will have to be 
 repeated again and again ; and as a rule the 
 horseman shuts his eyes to those glaring facts. 
 
 When we see those beatings rivet the horse's 
 attention, and that his whole aim is to draw 
 them on and land on the other side of them, 
 instead of going on with his work, we cannot 
 
14 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 fail to see that the ill-treatment is the sole cause 
 of the difficulty. In short, to control by force, 
 means to force out of control in all cases. 
 
 The value of the horse is frequently impaired 
 in this way ; he will do something wrong and 
 the horseman will give him a whipping. This 
 disturbs his quietude, causing unsteady action ; 
 this brings down more ill-will and he is whipped 
 again for this unsteadiness, the sheer result of 
 former beatings, and, in the near future, if 
 this treatment is not changed, he is pronounced 
 balky, unmanageable, or an animal of little 
 value. Of course the horse is saddled with the 
 cause of the difficulty, when it is shown man is 
 the instigator of it, and the more unsteady he is, 
 the more he is made so, and the more dilapidated 
 he appears, the more he is made to appear, and 
 the more he is held in disfavor, the more reason 
 there appears to be to disfavor him. The 
 horse's case is a hopeless one, for the demands 
 of an ill-disposed horseman have no limits, and 
 under all reverses he is expected to be full of 
 pride and gaiety, so as to show himself o& to 
 the best advantage to attract the eye, which, of 
 course, is an impossibility under existing cir- 
 cumstances, and, altogether his lot in life is 
 
THE CAUSE OF THE BALK. 15 
 
 hard indeed to depict ; and if he could speak 
 and defend himself, we should have ^uch a ter- 
 rible tale of suffering, it would not fail to gain 
 sympathy from a heart harder than stone. 
 
 The horse is a proud, gay, but, in many re- 
 spects, a timid, deer-like animal, and it may be 
 said of him, as it is said of the peacock, he is 
 conscious of his attractive carriage, and let him 
 be ever so lean, in outw^ard appearance, in- 
 wardly he aims to maintain this majestic stand- 
 ard. The horseman is too often ready with 
 the whip, or other means, to disrespectfully im- 
 pair the loftier aims of the animal. 
 
 Should he find this the case, should he find 
 extreme measures adopted, he must adopt ex- 
 treme action; hence the balk, kick, rear, etc. 
 His noble nature will not admit of being so 
 ground down without showing signs of disap- 
 proval. He is willing man should take abso- 
 lute control, if he will learn to effect this by 
 proper and becoming means; then why should 
 man be so oppressive, when to cause so much fear 
 and anxiety, to endeavor to grind and cower him 
 down and place the iron heel of tyranny upon 
 his neck, when this kills all the better appear- 
 ance and quality of the horse, and, at the same 
 
16 THE HOKSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 time, is a great disadvantage to man's own in- 
 terest ? If the driver is puzzled to know 
 what to do, when in difficulty, he should aim 
 to keep on the side of leniency, for by so doing, 
 the better, steady actions of the animal will be 
 maintained, for to treat the horse with harsh- 
 ness is an error of the deepest dye and should 
 be at once discontinued, for it accomplishes 
 nothing, but destroys every particle of the 
 better qualities of the animal. 
 
 The fifty-dollar horse requires the same treat- 
 ment as the five-hundred dollar horse ; he may 
 require a little more whip, but, if ill-treated, 
 to him it is equally disheartening, and leads to 
 the same erroneous effect. 
 
 With the few foregoing remarks before him, 
 the horseman may see that the horse possesses 
 feelings in this respect similar to those of his 
 own kith and kin, and should be treated accord- 
 ingly. He is proud, gay, high-spirited, posses- 
 sing keen, sensitive feelings, and is so tender- 
 hearted that the voice alone is sufficient to stab 
 him to the core. Although we cannot teach 
 him without the whip, yet it is necessary we 
 proceed with care, or we are producing a rod 
 for our own back, for thoughtless, harsh treat- 
 
THE CAUSE OF THE BALK. IT 
 
 ment causes confusion, and its venomous sting 
 cannot be overcome only by a lengthy course of 
 lenity, namely, until the horse perceives by long 
 experience he need not fear any harsh treatment. 
 Then, and not till then, can he be brought to 
 work with all the steady, determined fire and 
 energy peculiar to his race. And no matter 
 how long the time it may take the horseman, 
 to obtain this quietude, he should proceed with 
 a steady purpose ; improvements are straight 
 ahead of him, and he cannot miss them. 
 Though in commencing to remove the fears of 
 an animal that has long been a victim to ill- 
 treatment, more especially at his own hands, 
 improvements will be slow for the first ten 
 days, or so, but after this the horse's ears will 
 show signs of relief, will occasionally take an 
 observing form ; it is not until after this that 
 the main strides for the better take place. It is 
 just as natural for the horse to jump, kick, rear 
 and balk, whilst undergoing, or under the influ- 
 ence of, ill-treatment, as it is for the pig to 
 squeal whilst under the operation of having a 
 ring put in his nose ; it is simply each one's 
 method of expressing his pain. 
 
 As a rule it is, on the horse's part, erroneously 
 3 
 
18 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 supposed to take the form of a fight ; but sup- 
 pose we class it under that head, we see it is by 
 man forced upon the animal, and if we did not 
 fight him his attitude would be changed ; having 
 nothing to fight with, he would not fight 
 the air and would soon reach the level warranted 
 by surrounding circumstances, but if we con- 
 tinue to fight with him, it is the backbone of 
 the difficulty, and accomplishes nothing as has 
 been clearly shown. Thus we, to a certain de- 
 gree, discern the horse's trains of thought, his 
 grievance and the cause of his unruliness. 
 
 The horseman is now supposed to have read 
 the foregoing part of this work, and the follow- 
 ing instructions are not only for the cure of the 
 balk, but a course of training that should at all 
 times be adopted. 
 
 THE CURE OF THE BALK. 
 
 In removing the balking habits in the horse 
 the first and main thing to be done is to train the 
 horse to obey the starting word. The horseman 
 will accomplish this by giving the starting word 
 and simultaneously allowing the whip to fall on 
 each horse, alternately, if a double team, until 
 both horses show equal signs of readiness to 
 start, no matter if one be balky and the other 
 
THE CURE OF THE BALK. 19 
 
 not, for they should be welded together, so to 
 speak, and both bound by the same 'discipline. 
 The driver's attention to this matter of starting 
 should be as fixed and unvarying as that of the 
 engineer, who has first to turn on the steam to 
 set the machinery in motion. By applying the 
 whip simultaneously with the starting word, in 
 a few days it will be found that as soon as the 
 reins are handled the horses will show wariness 
 and will be ready to go. When this readiness 
 appears the whip should be applied very lightly 
 or withheld altogether for a short time, for it 
 has accomplished its mission, and if persistently 
 continued will drive out of control rather than 
 draw in. By this the horseman will see that 
 the attention only is needed to be permanently 
 fixed, that the whipping is administered on a 
 sliding scale. It is a well-known fact that men 
 are puzzled and wanting in ability to control 
 the actions of the balky horse. At this point 
 this difficulty is overcome by applying the whip 
 simultaneously with the starling word, as it 
 rivets the horse to obedience and teaches him 
 exactly what is wanted and strikes at the root 
 of the evil. The greatest drawback with horse- 
 men in this matter is that they are apt to refrain 
 from lightly whipping an easily excited horse, 
 
20 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 at least until they allow him to start without it, 
 bat this is not properly instructing the animal, 
 although a becoming act, it cannot be denied^ 
 but the nature of the horse does not admit of 
 its adoption ; therefore, the horseman should re- 
 member a faint heart never gained a fair lady, 
 and that it is not the whip when becomingly 
 applied that produces uncontrollable excite- 
 ment, but the anger and cruelty of man as 
 exhibited in hallooing and indulging^ in the use 
 of unlawful weapons. This hesitation to lightly 
 apply the Avhip is fatal to our aims, for inaction 
 of man produces inaction of the horse, and so 
 each one seems to be waiting for the other to 
 lead off, and as the driver is holding back to 
 inflict a severe lash presently if his orders are 
 not obeyed, so is the horse preparing and wait- 
 ing to receive it, rather than going on with his 
 work; wiiereas, by using leniently the whip on 
 each horse alternately, it welds them together, 
 teaching them to be ready and move on as soon as 
 the word is given. This habit once established 
 in the horse, he will unhesitatingly obey, pro- 
 ceed on and set all excitement to naught, it 
 having no chance to edge in as the load is taken 
 from the difficulty before excitement appears on 
 
THE CURE Ot THE BALK. 21 
 
 the scene of action, and will soon become a 
 matter happily forgotten and unknown to the 
 animal. The driver shonld attend to this train- 
 ing, to start off at first, more particularly with 
 a light or no load; but as this training will 
 have no effect for a few days, and excitement is 
 still rife in the horse, do not whip but once or 
 twice, accompanying the starting word, and give 
 the orders to stop in seven seconds after; stand 
 forty seconds and repeat, he will draw after a 
 little while, and the oftener you start him under 
 this system the sooner you will gain complete 
 control over him. 
 
 The horseman will remember it is not the 
 severe lash that will facilitate his aims, but a 
 smooth, lenient and daily returning to the same 
 course of training. The following of these 
 instructions will remove the balk from any 
 horse. But this training should not be ne- 
 glected to-day and to-morrow an effort made to 
 bring up the loss by a severe whipping, for the 
 horse is of a forgetful nature and cannot be 
 effectually trained by starts; knowing nothing 
 of ways and means, his course of life is aimless 
 and unsteady, therefore, he requires the cautious 
 guardianship of man to correct his blunders. 
 
22 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 The word alone so much depended on to be 
 sufficient to instruct the horse to draw, is too 
 yain and weak and falls to the ground; for, as 
 shown, when spoken as is usual to the balker, 
 in a gruff manner, has a tendency to confound 
 and act quite the reverse of what it is meant 
 for. Hence the necessity of practicing the whip 
 to fall with the word, for it supplies the spark 
 necessary to give force and action at that point. 
 
 Thus we see there is no necessity for any of 
 the ill-will or ill-treatment so commonly and 
 erroneously adopted, for there is no denying 
 the willingness of the animal to labor ; all he 
 asks is some steadying, some close mstructions, 
 some definite and standing line of training that 
 lie can comprehend, in place of being whipped 
 to-day for something, to-morrow for something 
 else, and the following day for another grievance, 
 and at the end of a week returning to the origi- 
 nal, and again departing on the same rounds. 
 
 In applying the whip with the starting word, 
 it may be found, in five or six days, that the 
 horses will become restless and want to go before 
 ordered. Should this take place they should 
 receive a moderate pull with the lines, and 
 should this cause a backward move the whip 
 
THE CURE OF THE BALK. 23 
 
 should instantly fall on them whilst in the act 
 of backing; and should the horseS' repeat, the 
 driver must repeat, and meet act for act with 
 lessening force until they stand still. In this 
 way he will gain control over the movements of 
 his team. At that point train to exactness and 
 good order. 
 
 In accomplishing tasks of heavy drawing the 
 starting should vary a little. As it requires a few 
 seconds for the horses to place themselves into 
 position, they should be allowed a little time, 
 and if handled with care they will habitually 
 begin to draw in about five seconds after re- 
 ceiving their orders. In applying the whip 
 with the starting word, until the horses are 
 thoroughly trained, they will make an attempt 
 to start at the first instance where the whip is 
 in the habit of falling, and the next moment 
 they may be seen to hesitate. When this is 
 apparent the whip should be withheld at the 
 first instance and brought to fall immediately 
 on their wavering ; and to meet this difficulty 
 effectually the driver should be prepared at the 
 next start and cause the whip to fall at the 
 exact moment this wavering is in the habit of 
 appearing, without waiting to see if it is being 
 
24 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 carried into effect this time or not, for it is 
 plain that such habits exist and should be re- 
 moved. Or, in a general way, a light and varied 
 whipping should be spread over the five sec- 
 onds allowed between the word and the start in 
 heavy drawing, and even after, to promote the 
 most powerful drawing. 
 
 In those struggles the team should receive no 
 words except to go on or stop, the whip should 
 do the remainder, moderately falling on all 
 flinchings or laggings behind ; and the starting 
 word should be spoken with a double meaning, 
 such as "get up, my boys." In this way we 
 avoid causing any pointed, special probe that 
 may breed fretting and thwarting tendencies; 
 it also should be spoken in one continuous tone 
 of voice (and no secondary utterances), or the 
 horses are apt to suppose their orders are coun- 
 termanded. Finding the driver not firm in his 
 decision will cause them to waver for an expla- 
 nation. And in delivering those orders the 
 driver should not look at the horses' heads, but 
 rather muffle or throw the voice on the ground 
 between the two; in this way he does not draw 
 away the horses' thoughts, but allows them to 
 direct it more on their occupation, w^hich means 
 
THE CURE OF *THE BALK. 25 
 
 energy and a more healthy working inclination. 
 And again, the starting word should 'not be in 
 anywise a squealing cut of nature, and changed 
 to befit the occasion; for instance, if there is 
 no load to start, it may be delivered in a light, 
 mild way, or a chirp will answer tlie purpose 
 here; but, on the other hand, in starting loads, 
 and according to tlie force of the draw required 
 to start them, the power of the voice should be 
 increased in a proper ratio, until the powers of 
 the animal are taxed to their utmost, then 
 slrould the voice assume a full, bass strain ; in 
 this way it is a lead off and quickens the horse. 
 
 The advantage of the rather lengthy, single- 
 tone utterance is, that it seems to somehow de- 
 termine and fortify the horse for a more length}^, 
 conquering draw, and its strong or bass tone 
 points to and tells the horse the power of the 
 draw required for the occasion. And this is of no 
 small advantage, especially in taking the first 
 draw at a strange object, for without some fore- 
 runner the horse is at a disadvantage, knowing 
 nothing of what he is hitched to, and he soon 
 becomes familiar with its changing meaning. 
 
 I have pointed out these simple methods for 
 the driver's observance, but he may, of course. 
 
26 THE HOKSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 practice tliem as time, place and circumstances 
 may offer ; he should bear in mind, however, 
 that to facilitate ready, most powerful and time- 
 saving drawing, we should observe laws which 
 are enticing and invigorating to the animal. 
 Though the voice points to the weight of the 
 draw, yet, unless by a tried, careful and never- 
 deceiving driver, the horse is wary and shy of 
 bringing abruptly into play his full powers, for 
 fear of something giving away and pitching 
 him headlong, and it is probable that not until 
 the third encounter will he apply his full 
 strength. The horseman should allow and 
 wait patiently for those testing preparations. 
 
 The horse is a powerful and a noble animal, 
 full of fire and energy, capable of accomplish- 
 ing great and astonishing feats, and is well 
 adapted to his purpose ; and the horseman that 
 will support and encourage the growth of this 
 fire and agility, is the person he will most readily 
 obey. This means in drawing at an immovable 
 or nearly immovable object, he wishes and should 
 be allowed to start it with a sudden, determined 
 effort. This is reasonable, for how absurd would 
 it be to persuade a man in lifting a heavy article 
 to lift for seven or eight seconds before applying 
 
THE CURE OF THE B 4LK. 47 
 
 his full strength. Therefore, the horse should 
 not he forced into a slow, undecided' move hy 
 tight lines, for it not only dampens his energy 
 but his strength is materially impaired, as the 
 life of the object is wanting. And, moreover, 
 the" horse is wary and shy of displeasing the 
 horseman by advancing ahead and pulling the 
 lines in what appears to be a forbidden direc- 
 tion. Therefore, it is the drivers duty not to 
 deter the horse's movement, bnt to come behind, 
 support, steady and see that the fiery move is 
 backed and maintained. This he will accom- 
 plish by practicing letting the whip fall with 
 reserve along the horse's back, say in two seconds 
 after the encounter — the draught ; or, as already 
 pointed out, at any time any flinchings may be 
 apparent the whip should promptly meet the 
 waver. There is one thing very essential about 
 meeting these waverings, we should endeavor 
 to meet them at the exact moment they are in 
 progress, for this is the sure and only method 
 whereby they can, by its repeated application, 
 be promptly removed. But the horseman should 
 guard against allowing the whip to play against 
 the hind legs, as it is detrimental to good draw- 
 ing; and the team should not be allowed to 
 
28 THE HOKSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 draw at those immovable objects more than 
 about six seconds and receive the word to 
 cease. This will keep good order and they will 
 be more willing to draw again, say in forty sec- 
 onds. We should not excite and confuse the 
 horse by urging him on to struggle and draw 
 more than the above-named time, for the horse, 
 like man, is willing to make a vigorous effort, 
 but becomes disheartened with a useless pro- 
 longation of these distressing attacks, and the 
 horseman may console himself with the fact 
 that the most powerful drawing is accomplished 
 at the moment the attempt is made. And in 
 such cases the word to stop as well as to go on 
 should be of a rather full, say swelled, tone. In 
 this way it imparts a sort of stimulating effect 
 — keeps abreast of the.times, and is a somewhat 
 novel way of congratulating the horse* on his 
 powerful abilities. 
 
 This, in fact, is far more acceptable to his 
 noble nature than any childish patting. The 
 same will apply to the average moveable h^ad, 
 say on the wagon, surmounting a hill, going 
 through soft places in the road, etc. And 
 starts of heavy drawing in general, the driver 
 should offer the horses the lines in a liberal 
 
THE CURE OF THE BALK. 29 
 
 advancing manner, thus encouraging their 
 fiery ambition ; bnt he will again come behind 
 and see that it is backed np, apj)ljing the whip 
 at the moment of any flinchings or stopping 
 before orders. In this way he will weld his 
 team together, bringing about a smooth, on- 
 ward course of proceeding, for each horse re- 
 quires to place confidence in the other; and, 
 in order to keep abreast support, shoulder 
 to shoulder, and never flinch from duty, each 
 horse depends on the driver to so weld them 
 together. And, indeed, it is not far that we 
 have to look to see how powerless they are in 
 this matter themselves; yet it is of vital impor- 
 tance to their burdensome way. 
 
 Horses, when exerting themselves severely, 
 say surmounting a hill, etc., should not go 
 longer than thirty-five seconds, and be stopped 
 two minutes for wind, and, if badly pumped 
 out, a little more ; and in very hot weather, when 
 panting, double that time, at least, for how 
 galling and distressing must it be, when, as is 
 too often the case, he receives a severe lash or 
 domineering growl, while having to struggle 
 on in a weakened state through insufiiciently 
 his wind. Then, again, he should 
 
30 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 not linger longer than to replenish his full 
 requirements of wind, until the summit of the 
 hill is gained, or the termination of similar en- 
 counters, as the horse is then warm, and in a 
 state of elasticity, and his mind is bent on his 
 work, and he is more eager to encounter and 
 combat the difficulty. 
 
 CHAIX-DRAWING. 
 
 Balky horses, when drawing with chains, 
 will, sometimes, suddenly swing around towards 
 the driver, and in so doing will slacken the 
 lines, so that for the moment he has no control. 
 When this takes* place, he should step forward 
 and give the nearest to him a moderate blow 
 across the nose with the whip-stock, causing 
 them to return to their respective positions. 
 
 And should they shy from him, they should 
 receive a sharp pull with the lines, brought 
 back and bound to the head in the required di- 
 rections. Then, again, the balker has a habit 
 of putting his nose over the other's withers. 
 In this again the driver should endeavor to 
 bring the whip-lash or stock to fall across the 
 nose. This difficulty will be removed by 
 smoothly and repeatedly applying these in- 
 
CHAIN-DRAWING. 31 
 
 structioiis. The driver should not stand by 
 a]id negligently witness these unpleasant prac- 
 tices without adopting some known remedy. At 
 the same time we should not hurl spite at the 
 horses for this apparent craft, for they never 
 sought it; this was forced under their notice 
 by a long-standing misrule. I may mention 
 that, excepting the point of the nose, the horse 
 should receive no blows about the head, nor 
 along the neck in front of the collar, for the 
 head should be set aside, as a flower, to be 
 handled only with care, or as the butterfly that 
 loses its beauty at the touch. In drawing with 
 chains, the horseman should bear in mind and 
 lengthen the traces, so that if the chain slips 
 the whiffletrees will clear the heels ; for should 
 they, in flying forward, strike the heels, it may 
 not only cause pain and lame the horse, but it 
 causes a shyness of drawing, but you will 
 lighten the draught again, by shortening, after 
 everything has a firm grip. 
 
 When the horseman has a heavy draught to 
 make, he should start the team forward, tight- 
 ening the chain, so that the horses may have 
 some knowledge where to meet the draught be- 
 fore receiving the final word, and it should not 
 
32 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 escape the driver's notice to see that they both 
 stand prominent and even. In this way he will 
 keep exactness and good order; and the team 
 should have good footing, at least for the first 
 few steps, or otherwise should be exempted, if 
 not willing to draw. As a rule they do not like 
 to draw, heading down hill, as they are con- 
 scious of their great strength, severely trying 
 the tackling, and aware of the danger of being 
 pitched headlong should anything give way. 
 The horse will also flinch from drawing with a 
 high draught, as it tends to rear him up, de- 
 stroying his strength ; and by experience he is 
 unpleasantly conscious of the danger of chok- 
 ing. The driver should keep a lookout for 
 these thwarting tendencies, as to enforce draw- 
 ing causes confusion and breeds erroneous 
 working habits in the horse. Sometimes when 
 receiving orders to stop, one horse will make a 
 step back. This habit should be removed by 
 applying the whip at the time the back-step 
 is made, at the same time give a light pull with 
 the lines to ease the other back a little, stand- 
 ing them even and training to an orderly posi- 
 tion. Eearing balkers need but little comment 
 here, but simply this : they are whipped too 
 
 1 
 
STOPPING BALKERS. 33 
 
 severely; and if applied sufficiently flight and 
 not departed from, it will be the means of 
 preventing it. 
 
 This is rather a shy, reserved, harmless act, far 
 different from the dangerous, wicked kick, and 
 they are probably the very best of horses when 
 cured of this habit. 
 
 STOPPING BALKERS. 
 
 Some horses are in the habit of stopping 
 when their weight of draught is suddenly 
 changed for the heavier. This difficulty will 
 soon be overcome by applying the whip at the 
 moment the halt is being effected ; but if it 
 should require a powerful draw to again start, 
 they should receive the word to stop with the 
 first stroke of the whip ; for as soon as the 
 halt takes place they are out of position to 
 take a heavy draw, but should receive two 
 strokes each after they are stopped, but no 
 more. Those few timely strokes will cause 
 them to continue on to avoid them. The cause 
 of those stoppings probably is that the horse is 
 seized with a sudden fear, thinking the horse- 
 man is about to pounce upon him with vio- 
 lence, so that he becomes in a measure spell- 
 3 
 
34 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 bound ; and, as already shown, his aims, strange 
 to say, are bent on passing through and landing 
 on the other side of this ill-treatment ; so that 
 as long as force is resorted to, the difficulty will 
 never be removed. As this work will show, no 
 transaction can be relied upon in getting them 
 to start again for a few days, until the instruc- 
 tions herein set forth take effect, namely, by 
 applying the whip with the starting word. 
 Train the horse to start when told, and the 
 stopping will disappear. This will also apply 
 to roadsters that are in the habit of refusing 
 to go. 
 
 SEESAW TEAMS. 
 
 We frequently find teams with a habit of see- 
 sawing each other while in the act of drawing. 
 This difficulty VN^ill soon be overcome by bring- 
 ing the whip to fall first on the one then on the 
 other at the moment the backward move is made. 
 
 There is something worth observing about 
 meeting those flinchings: that is, if we meet 
 them with the whip at the exact moment, we 
 impress our alertness, promote caution, and the 
 horse is soon seen to make a desperate effort to 
 avoid carrying them into effect; but if we allow 
 
SEESAW TEAMS. 35 
 
 them to perform these tricks unreljuked, it is 
 no matter how sevei*ely we whip afterwards, it 
 will have no force, whatever, in effecting a cure, 
 for the horse seems to receive it as a small part 
 of such treatment. He is unaccountable, heir to, 
 and there is not a shadow of an indication where- 
 by we may detect that he ever gleans from it 
 any other meaning. We must endeavor to de- 
 bar the act, for all other transactions become 
 null and void. The horseman should avoid or 
 at least guard against endeavoring to hold the 
 horses even by tight lines, for this only cramps 
 and destroys the energetic movement, and has 
 no effect in working a cure. There is no doubt 
 stay-chains should be attached to the wagon, 
 and it would be beneficial in all cases of heavy 
 drawing if something of the kind could be at- 
 tached. The prevailing idea is (but I believe 
 an erroneous one) that it tends to cause balk, 
 but when this difficulty is overcome the case is 
 altered; and, as already pointed out, each horse 
 depends on the other to keep abreast and afford 
 unflinching support to his co- working compan- 
 ion, for it happens that if one ceases drawing it 
 dampens the energy of the other, as it makes 
 him cautious of bringing into play his full 
 
36 THE HORSE OF AN'OTHER COLOR. 
 
 strength, being then off his guard. In meeting 
 these uncertain contingences, the horse is also 
 conscious of his great strength and wishes to 
 take a firm and never-yielding hold of his load. 
 Then again the horse finds difficulty in this 
 way beyond the detection of man, and stay- 
 chains would* prevent this annoyance even at 
 the hands of the most thoughtless young men 
 and boys. 
 
 CHOKING. 
 
 Choking is a frequent and terrible occur- 
 rence with heavy draught teams, and with the 
 majority of drivers the matter is disregarded as 
 though it was only a stumble, and the horse is 
 on some occasions even whipped and held re- 
 sponsible for the mishap, as being brought 
 about through holding his head down and 
 working in a sluggish manner; but if the horse- 
 man would only reflect for a moment, how ter- 
 rible must be the heart-rending pangs of the 
 time present, he would refrain from proving 
 himself such a baneful tyrant. Fancy this 
 struggling animal's thoughts on finding his wind 
 abruptly shut off, and he is striving to gain it, 
 and every second's delay heaps terror upon ter- 
 
CHOKIKG. 37 
 
 ror, pain upon pain ; but alas ! it is too true, the 
 grasp of one of the most dreadful ot deaths can- 
 not be shaken off; his powerful muscles quiver 
 at the felon's grasp until life, in despair, is ex- 
 tinct, and he falls dead at the feet of his driver, 
 a victim of the wanton neglect of man. 
 
 Choking occurs to some horses eight or ten 
 times in the course of the day, and all through 
 harness ill-adapted for them, are even liable to 
 choke at every heavy draw. How this may 
 effect the lungs is not my profession to say, but 
 we may fairly suppose them to be strained and 
 injured far beyond their strength and all rea- 
 sonable imagination. After encountering such 
 anguish a few times, if there was one spark of 
 cowardice in his nature, this alone should be 
 sufficient to cause him to refuse to draw, know- 
 ing, by sad experience, he is open to such calam- 
 ities ; but to the credit of his noble family, he 
 is in position again as soon as he gains his 
 feet, ready to struggle on, and endeavor to avoid 
 the anger and supply the craving demands of 
 his ruler, and ever now and anon to encounter 
 the same distressing pangs over again, and, for 
 all he knows, even unto death. (See remarks 
 on the harness for its prevention.) Yet the 
 
38 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 horseman is too often ready and rife to force his 
 despodc sway to the bitter point, erroneously 
 supposing that the horse has nothing to com- 
 plain of, and that any disobedience of orders is 
 sheer stubbornness. When we look and closely 
 discern the many grievances the horse has to 
 contend with, and scores of others beyond the 
 detection of man, we have some knowledge of 
 the cause of his disobeying orders. When we see 
 the exciting effects of harsh words; when we 
 see the tremulous, unsteady, frightening effects 
 of ill-treatment; when we see that man fails 
 to lightly apply the wh'ip and instruct the horse 
 to obey the starting word ; when we see that 
 man fails to steady and correct by applying the 
 whip at the right moment in all flinchings, 
 wavers, sudden stops, seesawing, etc., allowing his 
 team to indulge in and mature a confusing, dis- 
 orderly habit of working ; when we see they are 
 against drawing, heading down hill, with a high 
 draught, bad footing; when we see the baneful 
 effects of the choking, saying nothing of inter- 
 nal ailments, that may be working their own 
 secret course, we can but conclude that writers 
 must be lamentably at sea in this matter when 
 they try to prove that taking the horse into a 
 
 1 
 
THE KI^CKER. 30 
 
 slied and throwing or teaching him to lie down 
 at will, or fastening np one front Aeg and so 
 driving, will en re the balk. What on earth has 
 this to do with staying the influx of those 
 thwarting tendencies or removing the wounded 
 remembrance they leave in their wake ? This 
 is the reverse of a cure, for it only drives the 
 horse to a more and more aghast position and 
 commit acts he would never think of only in 
 moments of desperation. 
 
 THE KICKER. 
 
 It is the nature of the horse to kick. This is 
 more especially apparent while in an entire state ; 
 the mare coming under this head, it is her we 
 are mostly troubled with. It is simply absurd 
 and misleading to say that one certain act will 
 cure kicking, for it is, like the habit of balking, 
 engendered by various grievances, headed by 
 the despotic rule of man, so that in curing it 
 the driver should guard against showing any 
 haughty tendencies, adopting a systematical 
 course of training, such as is pointed out in 
 this work. If he has been in the habit of ill- 
 treating and frightening the animal he should 
 reverse this, say for ten days, and bring her 
 
40 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 mind to a more tranquil state, for it is our duty 
 to preserve the plucky nature of the animal ; 
 whereas, if she has reasons to suppose the 
 horseman is prejudiced against her, she is not 
 in a fit state to undergo the operation and ad- 
 mit of a cure with a ready dispatch, as it would 
 have too much the appearance of endeavoring 
 to crush by main force ; would tend to destroy 
 every spark of pride and higher aims she may 
 still possess, leaving tokens of deep, spiritless 
 degradation, and, moreover, the horseman is 
 already aware of the fact that to control by 
 force means to force out of control. This, like 
 all other bad habits, we must catch and debar 
 the act, or no cure. To explain the plan : 
 
 Suppose we fetter and fasten one hind foot to 
 one front foot, so that when she kicked the 
 action of the hind foot would trip the front foot 
 from under her, throwing her headlong with 
 affright. If this could in any way be effected 
 every time she kicked, the habit would decamp 
 in a most hasty fashion, because the thoughts 
 would be drawn from the use of the heels and 
 occupied in what was going to happen the front 
 part, and the outcome of the act would soon 
 work its own downfall. But this class of fet- 
 
THE KtCKER. 41 
 
 tering could not be adopted only when stand- 
 ing; but the horseman when on tlfe wagon at 
 home may adopt a plan to answer this purpose. 
 For example : Take a hame strap ; bnokle it 
 on the inside front leg, just above the knee, 
 with a loop to it ; next fasten a ring to the irons 
 at the end of the wagon pole ; take, say a rope 
 plow line, pass one end through the ring at end 
 of the pole, again through the loop strapped 
 on the knee, and fasten to the end of the pole, 
 leading the opposite end back to be held in the 
 hand with the lines ; this is to trip her if pos- 
 sible whilst the heels are yet off the ground. It 
 is an easy matter to trip in this way and com- 
 pletely debar the act, but this, again, could not 
 be adopted only when on the wagon ; but we 
 may take other steps ; we may have help, and 
 one can drive and do something to cause the 
 kick, while the other is prepared with something 
 to push the knee forward and so effect the fall ; 
 or, if the horseman is in a position, he may push 
 the knee forward with his foot. Should he be 
 so situated, he should act and not hesitate a 
 moment, for hesitation is fatal to good horse- 
 training, and the horseman may console him- 
 self by the fact that he is acting on a proper. 
 
42 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 most sure and ready cure. I may mention it is 
 beneficial to vary the knee operated on. 
 
 The horseman should not become impatient 
 at tha slow progress of improvement, for this 
 habit, once established, cannot be thoroughly 
 uprooted by an expert using ordinary means, 
 in less tlian six or eight weeks. Give her several 
 falls daily and she will become more and more 
 afraid to kick, and finally the habit will dwindle 
 out and disappear; but you should have some- 
 thing on the knees to save them in falling. 
 
 Though the nature of the habit ' causes it 
 difficult to cope with, yet when the nature of 
 the animal becomes thoroughly understood, it 
 will be found that there is no effectual cure for 
 those habits equal to meeting and debarring the 
 act, so prominently alluded to in this work. 
 
 It should be the horseman's aim at all times 
 to draw her thoughts away from the use of the 
 heels. With this in view, tapping the front leg 
 or the nose would be beneficial ; or, for the sake 
 of illustration, while going through one of her 
 kicking spells, throw suddenly down in front of 
 her a buffalo robe, or something to cause af- 
 fright. The kicking would cease for the pres- 
 ent with surprising abruptness. 
 
FIIN-AL SECRETS. 43 
 
 Wlien I say that one certain act will not re- 
 move the kick, it means that we mnst not shut 
 our eyes to the fact that this is her way of 
 showing there is something unbearable, headed 
 by the haughtiness of man, so that if we con- 
 tinue to govern by the harsh word and severe 
 lash, we are only clashing the cause and the 
 cure together, making matters worse instead of 
 better. 
 
 THE FINAL SECRETS OF HORSE-TRAINING. 
 
 In perusing this work the horseman will see 
 laid out before him a systematical course of 
 training, where he, in removing bad habits of 
 the horse, is to cope with and apply the whip, 
 etc., in the act. Carry this out according to 
 instructions, and it is no matter how bad the 
 balk, or how bad the sudden stopping without 
 orders, or how bad the seesawing, waver, flinch- 
 ing, or faltering in any way (where the horse is 
 not out of position) ; it is no matter how wicked 
 the kick, those instructions will be found to be 
 a never-failing remedy. It is impossible for the 
 horse to nullify or heedlessly disregard this 
 alert course of action ; so to speak, he is com- 
 pelled to bow to the superior abilities of man. 
 
44 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 This, then, is the final secret and science of 
 horse-training, and the only true method by 
 which the horse can be minutely corrected and 
 taught. It is from men holding such knowledge 
 springs all the traditional accounts of the art, 
 for it is no matter what we wish to teach the 
 horse, it can be accomplished by keeping down 
 confusion and keeping those facts in view. This 
 being the case, I believe I have fulfilled my 
 promise, namely, to throw some light on the 
 semi-impregnable mysteries of horse-training. 
 
 I would wish to impress upon the horseman's 
 mind that he adopt this course of training, for 
 in this way he can, in a few weeks, train the 
 horse to serve all modern tastes and require- 
 ments, and that he give up the idle hope of 
 obtaining information whereby he may immedi- 
 ately control the movements of an excited, un- 
 manageable horse. With all my close study 
 and experience in his nature, notions and hab- 
 its, I candidly have to confess I fail to discover 
 such a method, and I do not believe it could 
 escape my knowledge and lie concealed in the 
 background. To support these views, we find 
 the intellectual faculties of the horse so clouded 
 that he sees no motive for what he is doing; 
 he works according to his accustomed habit ; 
 
FINAL SECRETS. 45 
 
 whether this habit is with or against men's 
 wishes he sees no interest and gives no thought 
 of ascertaining ; neither has he the power to re- 
 move those habits, so that if changed, it must 
 be done by some outside agency. To bring 
 about a reformation of those habits, requires a 
 lengthy course of instruction. We must get 
 him to perform again and again, until the 
 habit becomes an established fact ; then smoothly 
 keep it alive. Thus we see the monstrous folly 
 of endeavoring to turn the course of nature by 
 violence. The success of horse-training de- 
 pends on whipping and acting at the right mo- 
 ment, and not the severe lash. If we allow the 
 child, in endeavoring to count a hundred, to 
 continue on and get mixed up with his twenty- 
 ten, twenty-eleven, twenty-twelve, and then 
 whip him for his inability, it has nothing to do 
 with teaching; we must point out the exact 
 place where the numbers have to be changed. 
 
 I will here mention a few of the transactions 
 adopted to cause the horse to draw. Probably 
 one of the best plans is to throw a coat over his 
 head, or, in other words, blindfold him. This 
 seems to allay his fears, as, likely, he finds 
 some relief, being shut out from the target-gaze 
 
46 THE HORSE OF AN"OTHER COLOR. 
 
 of man; then, againj if we cover his body it 
 seems to allay his fears as though he supposes 
 it will screen him from violent attacks; then, 
 again, take a small stick and tap him on the 
 inside of the front leg below the knee ; this odd 
 act probably unhinges his aghast thoughts for a 
 moment, and having to move his legs to avoid 
 the taps that are falling on them, will some- 
 sometimes suddenly start off; or giving the 
 true one a light touch, instructing him to lead 
 off, enticing the other on, is beneficial ; or giv- 
 ing the reins to a stranger to drive; or throw- 
 ing the voice from, in place of towards, the 
 horses in giving orders ; these transactions may 
 promote the horse to draw; then, again, no re- 
 liance can be placed in any of them ; it is only 
 done to trick, with no certainty of success. 
 When we see the horse is relieved by being 
 shut out from the gaze of man, we can but see 
 that patting is rather injurious to an excited 
 horse, for by this he detects man's attention is 
 fixed on him. (Never pat the horse but little, 
 for by nature he is inclined to be let alone.) It 
 would be more beneficial to turn from him and 
 speak to a person at a distance, or hammering 
 
FINAL SECEETS. 47 
 
 at the wagon, etc.; his burning brain would 
 then find a moment's relief. 
 
 I scarcely need mention that the horseman 
 will see by this work that severely beating the 
 horse is quite the reverse to our aim ; but to 
 abruptly withhold all weapons is not the best 
 course to adopt, for the horse imagines formid- 
 able weapons are still lying about handy for use 
 at any moment ; this is still firing excitement. 
 The best thing to be done at this stage is to 
 take a piece of brushwood, and, better still, if 
 full of green leaves; use this freely with every 
 starting word, etc.; this is to allow the horse to 
 detect to his entire satisfaction that the weapon 
 in use is harmless. This piece of brushwood, 
 if convenient, should never be dispensed with 
 in driving a bad balker, for its influence over an 
 excited horse is something wonderful, and it is 
 to be regretted its powers are so little known 
 among horsemen, because it is opposite to the 
 course they are in the habit of steering. By 
 the use of this, and whistling and singing to 
 show good humor, I have known the very 
 worst cases of balk removed in one day. I con- 
 tend that a horse laboring under a tremulous 
 excitement cannot be brought immediately to 
 
48 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 work in a tranquil, collected, determined man- 
 ner; or, in other words, no immediate control. 
 For fear there may still be any doubt on this 
 point, we have it on record and by tradition, 
 that some men will enter a stable, closing the 
 doors after them, and in the short space of a 
 half hour, may be seen with the most vicious 
 animals, quite subdued and lying at their feet, 
 fondling them like a puppy-dog. 
 
 This sounds very well on paper, but the suf- 
 ferings and anguish of that inoffensive animal 
 is something appalling, for he, as it were, is put 
 through an operation nearly depriving him of 
 life, and falls exhausted to the floor. This is 
 repeated, again and again, until the horse be- 
 comes so weak he cannot rise, or have the good 
 sense to lie still rather than again face his doom. 
 To subdue the horse in this way is held up as 
 something surprising, but with close observa- 
 tion, we see that the animal does not fulfill any 
 useful orders ; neither has this anything to do 
 with quenching the venomous effects of a trem- 
 ulous excitement. It is nothing more nor less 
 than a forced inaction, something the horse has 
 no power to avoid. There is no science in this ; 
 there is no cultivation of energy, beauty and 
 
Fli^AL SECRETS. 49 
 
 the higher stages of usefulness, and moreover a 
 half hour is not immediate control ; it is abso- 
 lute brute-overpowering, destruction and death, 
 and I decline to expose the methods adopted 
 to effect it, it being of no use whatever to the 
 horseman. 
 
 It frequently happens we find one horse more 
 balky than the other. I will make a few remarks 
 on this query. The driver is familiar with the 
 main cause of the balk, namely, ill-treatment ; 
 he is also instructed to impart equality, to avoid 
 inflicting any pointed special probe, for should 
 he drift into the habit of concentrating his at- 
 tention and whipping the one, he is still driving 
 the balking one more and more into the mire. 
 The true horse, finding the driver has something 
 to call his attention and vent his anger on, feels 
 himself exempted from the exciting situation. 
 He remains collected and prepared to draw 
 when required, and the driver, in his erroneous 
 endeavor to bring about a unanimous move- 
 ment, is widening the breach between them, if 
 such is possible. Now if the horseman were to 
 reverse this treatment, center his attention and 
 use violence on the true one, and holding out 
 leniency to the balker, the upshot would be the 
 4 
 
50 THE HORSE OF AXOTHEE COLOR. 
 
 true one would soon become balky and the 
 balker by degrees would become true, though 
 there is probably not a horseman in civilization 
 but would abhor such a change, yet he would 
 be equally as well justified in the one as the 
 other. This will bear out the instructions that 
 the horseman, in training his team to obey the 
 starting word, is to apply the whip to each 
 horse alternately until each appears equally 
 ready to go as soon as the lines are handled, or 
 other signs are made, no matter if one be balky 
 and the other not, for they must be welded to- 
 gether and both brought under the same disci- 
 plinary rules. 
 
 COLT BREAKING. 
 
 In regard to colt breaking, I do not propose to 
 dwell on it at length. It has been my aim to 
 throw sufficient light on his nature and mental 
 faculties to enable the horseman to overcome 
 all modern difficulties. The colt, as a rule, is 
 an inoffensive know-nothing beast ; he may 
 jump, rear, sit down on his haunches, etc., but 
 the horseman should endeavor to pursue steadily 
 on and tire him out. This does not arise, as is 
 often supposed, from stubbornness, for as yet 
 
COLT BREAKING. 51 
 
 he knows nothing of stubbornness,^ but it solely 
 arises from being hampered, tied and jumbled 
 up in such a fashion ; in fact stubbornness is a 
 feature that has no existence in the horse family, 
 until it is forced by the poisonous effects of bad 
 management. The colt should never be un- 
 hitched when he becomes rather unpleasant to 
 work with, for there is no better way of quiet- 
 ing him down to work and harness than fatigue; 
 and .should it pass from weeks to months to 
 train him to work properly, he should never 
 receive a harsh word or a severe lash, and in 
 return he is sure to become a true, faithful 
 working animal. The driver's first aim should 
 be to teach him by a light touch to start at the 
 word; the same should he stop before orders. 
 By being tied to the other horse, he will soon 
 learn to stop, but do not tie him by the bit, or 
 you will hurt him, make him afraid, and cause 
 pain without profit. See that the trained horse 
 leads off in every way. Never attempt to drive 
 the colt ahead, or it will cause fretting and con- 
 fusion, as he knows nothing of what he is doing. 
 A colt, when driven on the land or near side at 
 plowing, when stopped, will hug his head into 
 the furrow-horse's side, at the same time turn- 
 
52 THE HOESE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 ing his hind part out and crosswise of his work, 
 which places him in an awkward position to 
 start again. This will be averted by throwing 
 little lumps of dirt and catching him about the 
 off or inside fore-arm, or take a little switch and 
 touch him along the off or inside whilst in the 
 act of placing himself in that crossed position. 
 This transaction will make him believe that 
 by backing ont he leaves this inside open for 
 attack. In this way the difficulty will soon dis- 
 appear, but if you strike on the out or near side, 
 it would be difficult to cure, as the colt would 
 endeavor to turn that side more and more from 
 you. As has already been pointed out, it is the 
 mare that mostly kicks, enhanced by her entire 
 state. This being the case, we cannot fail to 
 observe that breaking fillies in the spring of the 
 year, and in their season, would be liable to set 
 the kicking habit afloat. This is quite possible, 
 for I believe,' by investigation, it would be found 
 that in nine cases out of ten it is spring-broke 
 mares that kick, especially in being driven with 
 a horse, for sometimes she shows fondness for 
 her companion, at other times she is quite the 
 reverse. Either of those spells may promote 
 kicking. Then again there is no doubt that 
 
THir SHY. 53 
 
 other causes help it, such as the rattling and 
 entanglement of the harness, etc.,'and as soon 
 as she begins to kick is very apt to receive harsh 
 treatment for the act, which, by the way, is all 
 that is wanted to frame it into an established 
 success. Should the filly commence to kick 
 with one leg, it is probably caused by the plow- 
 lines striking or working in the vicinity of the 
 flank. Should this be apparent, drive her on 
 the other side for a time, and^ with care, it will 
 disappear. 
 
 THE SHY. 
 It is somewhat amusing to see how effectu- 
 ally the shying horse has been cured on paper, 
 but somehow it cannot be effectually done out- 
 side the pages of a book, and when that day 
 comes we shall have a woful change in the 
 horse to that beautifully adapted animal we 
 have to-day. To effectually cure the shy, we 
 should have an animal something after the na- 
 ture of a huge tortoise, that shrinks into his 
 shell and defys injury by any modern attack, or 
 as the beast clothed with a skin that a musket- 
 ball cannot penetrate ; then we should have a 
 horse with nothing to fear. But so long as we 
 
54 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 have that thin-skinned, glossy-coated animal, 
 so open to injury, so obedient, so tender- 
 hearted, that he starts and trembles at the mere 
 voice of man, so long shall we have a timid, 
 shying horse. There is one thing that will 
 abate the shy, that is if the horse is subject to 
 ill-treatment ; for instance, the balker, being 
 subject to this, in him we have not a shying 
 horse, because he is cowered down to a stolid 
 indifference to all around him ; but if we liber- 
 ate and cultivate the better qualities of the 
 horse, all his life and spirits are preserved, and 
 the life is the shy, and the shy is the life, and 
 cannot in no way be separated. I do not be- 
 lieve there is any benefit derived in driving him 
 up to a roadside object that he is afraid of, as, 
 probably, the next time he is more inclined to 
 give such objects a wide berth. When the 
 horse is afraid, the driver should, if convenient, 
 stand between him and the object of his fear ; 
 and, should he take fright and endeavor to 
 break away, the driver should be cold, collected 
 and confident, and no matter how near the an- 
 ticipated danger, the same quiet, commanding 
 tone of voice should be maintained, for should 
 the driver become alarmed, the horse knows it 
 
THE HORSE FOR GENERAL PURPOSES. 55 
 
 in a moment by the faltering change of the 
 voice, be it ever so slight, and sheuld he find 
 this the case, he is stricken with a double shock 
 of alarm and will run panic-stricken. 
 
 Many a life and limb would be saved, if 
 women and children could be kept from squeal- 
 ing and aggravating excitement. I have stopped 
 horses abruptly after running a couple of hun- 
 dred yards, solely through maintaining a cold, 
 steady tone of voice. The driver should be well 
 supplied with good bits and lines, and never 
 leave his team without both being tied, for one 
 should not be called upon to hold by the head 
 the sudden move of his own body and also 
 that of his companion. 
 
 THE HORSE FOR GENERAL PURPOSES. 
 I contend we have no horse to answer this 
 purpose effectually, for, in supporting the higher 
 life and better appearance of the animal, it is 
 necessary we be guided by the requirements of 
 his nature. We see that smooth uninterrup- 
 tion promotes this end, not to force the horse to 
 depart unexpectedly and abruptly from any ac- 
 customed course of proceeding, as it disturbs 
 his quietr^de. We find the liorse for general 
 
56 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 purposes a victim to this changing system 
 which is a galling destruction to both willing- 
 ness and attraction, for to-day he is trained to 
 slow and muscular trying ability, and to-mor- 
 row this is abruptly set aside and he is called 
 upon suddenly to adapt himself for a high 
 speed of travel. The horse, in his more or less 
 stiffened state, finds it an unpleasant duty and 
 degrading to his noble nature nnless handled 
 with care. Men, at those times, are apt to 
 drive too fast, whipping too severely, and on 
 one certain j^art of the body or legs, forcing 
 him into an ill-shaped sort of a shuffling gait, 
 destroying that beautiful, liberated all-fours 
 move, fostering that disfiguring, pointing-back 
 position of the ears. These unhorsemanship 
 traits will be removed if you whip on different 
 parts of the back, with a view rather to entice 
 than to force, and the horse will uphold speed 
 almost equal to being driven by force, for there 
 is nothing that can compete with the will. 
 
 ON TRAINING THE TROTTER. 
 
 In training the trotter, endeavor to mature 
 self-energy in the horse. This you will accom- 
 plish if you pull up in your training spins, so 
 
ON trai:ning the trotter. 57 
 
 that he has still plenty of fire in hand. Never 
 over-drive the horse, or in a short tiftie you will 
 injure his abilities rather than otherwise con- 
 vince him that he can satisfy yonr aims by a 
 fair and vigorous exertion. Whip smooth in 
 your training spins, say every fifteen or twenty 
 seconds. Never draw a severe lash ; if so, it 
 sort of passes ahead of the horse, and he will 
 despair of ever keeping pace ahead and avoid- 
 ing it. Never whip only in such a way that it 
 causes a little more pain than the present ex- 
 ertion of the body; but, if to increase speed, 
 whip in quick succession ; in this way he will 
 move in a graceful, uninterrupted form, center- 
 ing his attentions on, and working his all-fours 
 in a clean, dexterous style. Never allow the 
 whip to strike the legs, or the horse will become 
 conscious of its severity, increasing with the 
 swifter move of the leg, and, moreover, he is 
 inclined to shorten them up. Nothing what- 
 ever should touch the legs ; allow him to 
 stretch them with all confidential freedom; 
 apply the whip on various parts of the back ; 
 never use a Dutch collar; it is too loose, is det- 
 rimental to a fine, polished move, as it saws 
 across the points of the shoulders ; use a nice. 
 
58 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 narrow bearing collar, pinching close in, down 
 along the sides of the neck, with the draught 
 about six-tenths up from the points of the 
 shoulders to the withers, free from all encum- 
 brance; the outer sides, and more especially 
 the points of the shoulders, should have unlim- 
 ited scope. A blind-bridle is preferable to an 
 open one, because the trotter is apt to get into 
 difficulty when going at the top of his speed 
 through his all-fours mode of locomotion. We 
 should endeavor to center his whole attention 
 to the working of his feet, and glancing for- 
 ward down to where he is going to step; this can- 
 not be done to perfection while an open bridle 
 is worn, for, in spite of all that may be done, 
 his attention will be cast over his back to the mo- 
 tion of the whip and the driver, the reverse of 
 where it should be. By observing these rules 
 you will cultivate a willing energy and attain the 
 extreme highest point of speed, causing the horse 
 to be a dangerous and respected antagonist on 
 the race-course. 
 
TO FOLLOW THE TRAINER. 59 
 
 TRAINING THE HORSE TO FOLLOW HIS 
 TRAINER. 
 
 To teach the horse to instantly leave his grain 
 and follow his trainer out of the stable, across 
 fields, along the road, around the yard, etc., by 
 the mere word, is the masterpiece of all horse- 
 training, for it should be borne in mind that the 
 horse is as free as the bird in the air to depart 
 if so inclined, and it requires the most masterly 
 control to restrain him, yet by an expert it can 
 be brought to such a state of perfection that 
 the horseman may, so to speak, almost forfeit 
 his life should the horse refuse to follow or dis- 
 obey his orders in any way. To accomplish this 
 difficult feat, it is necessary that we dispense 
 with the lines, as it were, turning the horse 
 adrift, for this necessitates purely a vocal com- 
 mand; and have but one horse to drive, say one 
 horse and cart, and walk or stand on the near 
 side ; say you order the horse to stop or back 
 lip, the whip-stock is instantly with those orders 
 brought to tap him on the front leg below the 
 knee, and if to cease backing or go ahead, the 
 whip accompanies each word in like manner and 
 is instantly brought to fall across the rump; 
 then comes the order to ''gee off;" he again, 
 
60 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 simultaneously with the word, receives a push 
 on the shoulder-blade or a little poke in the 
 nose with the whip-stock, and should this cause 
 the horse to increase his steps, he is steadied 
 and held to a proper gait and position by the 
 check-rein or other means for that purpose ; and 
 if required to *'haw to," the horse is taught to 
 obey by the whip-lash falling over the withers 
 and down the oif shoulder-blade, and if this is 
 not sufficient, is again directed by the check-rein. 
 Follow these instructions, and frequently step- 
 ping out and walking in front of him, you 
 will in time train him to follow you. 
 
 This, then, is the outline of the most difficult 
 feats of all horse-trainiug. The horseman will 
 now be familiar with the instructions in driving 
 with the lines to apply the whip with the start- 
 ing word, as otherwise the word alone is null. 
 This word, under the system of driving with 
 the lines, is the main word that takes the form 
 of a vocal system of control. The horse is 
 taught to obey the move of the lines mainly for 
 the remainder, but in driving without lines all 
 these words, namely, ''go on," ''stop," "back 
 up," "cease backing," "gee," or "haw," have 
 to be accompanied with a similiar application 
 
TO FOLLOW THE TRAINER. 61 
 
 of the whip to sanction, bind, govern and teach. 
 The outcome of a lengthy course of this train- 
 ing is first by the tapping of the leg ; with the 
 word ''back," he is riveted to obey and backs 
 out of the stall, etc., unhesitatingly when or- 
 dered, and should he blunder, the word " whoa'* 
 is responded to in like manner, and finally to 
 "haw " or "gee " towards his trainer, as the case 
 may be. The horse thoroughly trained in this 
 way all stubbornness vanishes in thin air, and he 
 will obey those words hundreds of yards away 
 if he can hear and comprehend their meaning. 
 It is seen there is no special effort made tg train 
 to follow, but to gain a varied and sweeping 
 command. 
 
 It is erroneously supposed that the horse can 
 be taught and trained to follow by leading, and 
 having a long whip, now and again throwing it 
 around his hind-quarters, making him follow 
 close up, but this is child's play and has noth- 
 ing to do with explaining the science of horse- 
 training. The science of horse-training lies in 
 striking at the right moment and finding out, 
 to a nicety, how much force is best adapted for 
 the occasion, to rivet, bind and draw in, not to 
 frighten and drive out, or our authority is lost. 
 
62 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 By this leading, like the lines, he is taught to 
 obey the move of the halter-strap, and when 
 the halter is removed he is lost, having nothing 
 to steady him ; but if we turn him adrift and 
 teach him to look solely to the word for his 
 guidance, his guidance becomes the same, har- 
 ness or no harness. 
 
 Strictly speaking, there is no doubt this fol- 
 lowing notion is brought from the Old World. 
 Take, for example, the system of working the 
 horse in many parts of England, namely, driv- 
 ing in long strings ; the colt is broke to follow 
 the leading horse to and from his work, and 
 from the leading horse to the driller. Thus we 
 see the following system forms one of the prin- 
 cipal branches of his early training; then again 
 he is broke solely to obey vocal command, so 
 that an expert horseman, following the avoca- 
 tion of working with one horse and cart, can in 
 a short time train any of those horses to follow 
 him, without departing in any way from their 
 early training. Hence we see there is great 
 difficulty in teaching to follow under the Amer- 
 ican fashion of driving the horse with reins, as 
 he knows nothing of this following system. 
 
 In endeavoring to throw all the light possible 
 
TO FOLLOW THE TRAINER. 63 
 
 on the art of liorse-training, I have a few more 
 remarks to make connected with this following 
 system that may be useful to the horseman. I 
 have pointed out that this is the most difficult 
 and highest point of control man can obtain. 
 The outcome of this masterly command is that 
 it is no matter hoAv balky or unmanageable the 
 horse may be at the start, at the winding up he 
 will draw at an immovable object at intervals 
 of once a minute for the whole of the day. In 
 explanation to this, it is in this work shown 
 that the horse's way is aimless. Knowing noth- 
 ing of ways and means, he looks to man to 
 guide and steady him, and when we reach this 
 masterly control required for the horse to follow, 
 we also stand in this masterly position of guid- 
 ing and steadying, for the horse has become 
 to know that he is guided with such judgment, 
 such, care, such fine discipline, that he seems to 
 renounce all self-claims to the will of man and 
 obeys his orders in every way. Now there is 
 every reason to believe that if the horse could 
 be surrounded or cased in, so that he could not 
 twist or turn either way, that this would have 
 such an effect on pacifying or removing the un- 
 steady fears of the horse that balking would 
 
64 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 almost, if not totally, vanish. But as this wall- 
 ing-in support cannot be adopted, we have to 
 work on some artificial means which is obtained 
 in this way: The horseman seeing the horse 
 a little agitated at not being able to proceed on 
 and fulfill his orders, touches him with the 
 whip-stock first on the front side of the front 
 leg, below the knee, the same on the Jiind leg at 
 the back of the hock, giving the word " whoa" in 
 a mild tone with each touch ; repeat this three 
 times on the near side legs, pass by the head, 
 drawing the whip-stock lightly across each front 
 leg as you pass ; apply the same instructions on 
 the off legs, and return by the head, touching 
 again the front legs as you pass ; j^erform this 
 every time any uneasiness is apparent, and the 
 animal will draw, cold and collected, as long as 
 he is told. I may mention it usually takes at 
 least three months to obtain this control, be- 
 cause all habits must be reformed, all disobedi- 
 ence must be completely uprooted and unknown 
 to the horse, and once thoroughly trained he 
 will obey and follow a child or any one just the 
 same as the ordinary horse will obey the word 
 " whoa " or " back," etc. This being the case, 
 it will set at rest the supposition that it is ac- 
 
TO FOLLOW THE TRAINER. 65 
 
 complished by drugs. Some advocate teaching 
 the horse to lie down at our bidding and remind 
 him of his subdued situation, but this is errone- 
 ous, for in building up vigor and willing com- 
 pliance we cannot afford to kill all this by such 
 conflicting, confusing, enforced inaction to the 
 working horse. This becomes at once a dead 
 letter, and should not be indulged in.^ T main- 
 tain that to train the horse to follow his trainer 
 is the most difficult of all horse-training. For 
 example, here is a simple circus trick recorded 
 and held up as a leading specimen of some men's 
 ability: Form a- circle, put a bridle on the horse, 
 with a strap or rope fastened to it, sufficient in 
 length to fasten around your body ; take a stick 
 in your left hand and a whip in your right, walk 
 on the near side, circling the horse to the left, 
 and every time he puts his left front foot to the 
 ground give it a tap with the stick you have in 
 your left hand, keeping him in motion with 
 the whip ; in this way you will cause him to 
 catch up and appear lame on this leg. Now 
 comes the final trick : the horse enters the cir- 
 cle and is sent jumping poles, circling to the 
 right ; after awhile is stopped and turned, the 
 poles are removed, and he commences circling 
 5 
 
66 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 to the left ; he now astonishes the assembly by 
 his sudden and pretended lameness, as if to say, 
 " Look here, 1 cannot perform any more to- 
 night ; see how lame I am." Presently he is 
 again stopped and turned ; his leg is examined, 
 and found to be perfectly sound ; with this the 
 trainer remarks, "Ah ! yoa dog, you are trying 
 to get a sell on me," at the same time throwing 
 the whip over his rump, sending him circling 
 to the right, and jumping the poles with no 
 longer any signs of lameness. Now this is 
 supposed to be sagaciousness on the horse's part, 
 matured by some unknown, ingenious plan of 
 the trainer's, but, as seen, it is simply done by 
 training to go lame whilst circling to the left. 
 In training to this, tap the horse very light and 
 await the result of time ; thus you will preserve 
 all the gay, cheerful attractions of the horse. 
 By this we see that training the horse in a circle 
 is quite inferior to commanding the horse to 
 follow in an open field, because the circle, etc., 
 compels the horse to keep in close proximity, 
 relieving the trainer of the most difficult part of 
 all horse-training. I do not propose to dwell 
 on circus horse-training ; my subject is the use- 
 ful working-horse. 
 
USE OF the; whip. 67 
 
 OX THE USE OF THE WlIIP. 
 
 In whipping the horse the horseman should 
 guard against allowing the whip to play around 
 the vicinity of the flank, flaying the sheath or 
 other private appendage, for, as an hereditary 
 right, he claims protection of those parts, and 
 it is dispiriting if he finds the horseman so 
 wanting in knowledge and feeling as becomes 
 his high intellectual standard. 
 
 The balky horse should not be whipped on 
 the hind legs, as it causes them to become ham- 
 pered and forced too far forward to control the 
 action of the body in drawing; and again, while 
 drawing, the muscles are then hard, which 
 means increased pain. The most honorable 
 way to strike the horse is on the back, and this 
 is undoubtedly the place where he should re- 
 ceive his whipping. I cannot, in writing, point 
 out the force of the whip best suited under 
 various circumstances, but I trust this work 
 will throw sufficient light on the sensitive feel- 
 ing and nature of the animal to enable the 
 horseman to judge for himself. 
 
 I have prominently shown that the whip 
 should, at all times, be applied with care and 
 reserve, and by adopting this course you will 
 
68 THE HOKSE OF Ai^OTHER COLOR. 
 
 find that it will greatly enhance the accomplish- 
 ment of heavy draws with punctuality and dis- 
 patch. Some companies forbid the carrying of 
 the whip, but this does not accomplish all that 
 is aimed at, namely, to procure good treatment 
 for the animal, from the fact that the driver who 
 cannot be trusted with the whip is scarcely 
 competent to handle a team without one, for, 
 not being able to enforce observation of his 
 orders, he becomes angry, will halloo and pull 
 the lines, which means disturbance and ill-will ; 
 his team will bear enmity toward him, will ap- 
 pear sour and discouraged. The driver will 
 also seek revenge at set times and in out-of-the- 
 way places, which is here shown is completely 
 at sea in the way of instructing the animal. 
 This work will bear me out that the whip can 
 in no way be dispensed with in driving the 
 horse, because, as shown, the word to the horse 
 becomes completely null, carrying with it no 
 force whatever; consequently, he can receive no 
 instructions except from the whip ; it is only by 
 the whip we can brace, steady and weld them 
 together, smoothing their burdensome way. 
 I have proven to my satisfaction that the horse 
 is not averse to the whip when becomingly ap- 
 
THE CULTIVATIOl^ OF BEAUTY. 69 
 
 plied. I will here mention that after the team 
 is started and traveling along the road, etc., you 
 should keep their minds bent to their work by 
 lightly applying the whip every few minutes. 
 You should as carefully watch the movements 
 of your team as the fireman watches his steam- 
 gauge. 
 
 THE CULTIVATIOX OF BEAUTY, OR THE 
 BEAUTY OF GOOD TREATMENT. 
 
 The many difficulties that may be avoided by 
 having a knowledge of the art of horse-training 
 are beyond estimation, for by knowledge and 
 care we prevent restiveness, plunging and de- 
 structiveness, causing unnecessary expense, or 
 prevent, as is too often the case, the horse lam- 
 ing or otherwise injuring himself; we prevent 
 loss of time, annoyance; we prevent all those 
 little tricks, such as seesawing, wavering, etc.; 
 teaching the horse to work in orderly, horse- 
 manship style, aud the horseman maintains his 
 reputation as a driver. Then comes on the 
 better appearance of the horse, which the ears 
 may be said to take the leading part, although 
 the graceful, attractive or unattractive move- 
 ments of the horse accompany the ears respect- 
 
70 THE HOKSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 ively. These features appear according to the 
 treatment the horse at such times is subject to ; 
 in the ears is found a true indicator of his men- 
 tal sufferings, for if the ears are carried pointed 
 back he is being ill-treated, is subject to a sud- 
 den severe lash, or has recently been a victim to 
 such treatment; and it is to be regretted we 
 may daily see a large percentage of horses labor- 
 ing under this gnawing, cankering, and never- 
 abating disease ; and while this is apparent we 
 find that the graceful curve of the neck is lost, 
 as his thoughts and glances are then aiming 
 over his back on the whip and the driver. In 
 this way the forward part ftf the neck and crown 
 of the head is carried too high. This beautiful 
 accomplishment, tlie curve of the neck, can 
 only be formed to perfection when the thoughts 
 are at liberty and he glances rather down in 
 front of him, though many horses do not pos- 
 sess that admirable set-off, yet, if handled to 
 the best advantage, the outlines will frequently 
 appear on almost any horse in company with 
 the better move of the animal, for with care his 
 aim is elevated and he advances with a relieved, 
 bold, observing front. 
 
 There is, no doubt, room for vast imj^rove- 
 
THE CULTIVATION^ OF BEAUTY. 71 
 
 merit in the art of cultivating the 'attractions 
 of the horse, and by becoming masters of the 
 art of training, we become competent to mature 
 the beauty also, for a knowledge of the art 
 means better treatment of the horse, and better 
 treatment and beauty accompany •each other as 
 light accompanies day. Beauty is maintained 
 in many ways, such as being regularly fed and 
 watered, warm stables in winter, good bedding, 
 and surrounded by men whose dispositions are 
 of a lenient tendency; and the improvement in 
 his condition is very remarkable, if his mind is 
 kept tranquil and easy. How graceful the un- 
 interrupted, natural move; how all this mis- 
 called stubbornness vanishes ; how willingly he 
 obeys the demands of his master, when by care 
 and ability we recall to real life features that 
 may have long vanished from the scene ; when 
 we blend together usefulness and attractiveness 
 in all its various forms. As simple as it may 
 appear on paper, can the well-finished touch of 
 the painter be more gratifying or conducted 
 with more care and skill, spreading as it does 
 over a varied field of transactions in connection 
 with the horse ? How if well-treated and rest- 
 ive, being led to water, he will jump, rear, break 
 
72 THE HORSE OF AiTOTHER COLOR. 
 
 away, and scamper off around the yard. The 
 cultivation of these features does not lie in al- 
 lowing the horse to move lazily, or working in 
 his own blundering form, but by being guided 
 and steadied by a masterly hand, and is carried 
 out on altogether a different scale than mere 
 feeding and fattening, polished harness, tearing 
 the hide from him with an iron curry-comb, or 
 whipped, with the erroneous endeavor to force 
 life and action. 
 
 NOTES OX BREEDING. 
 
 Horse raising at the present day is probably 
 the most uncertain and unsatisfactory of all 
 live stock raising. How seldom do we obtain 
 a type of the sire. How is this ? There must 
 be some interruption. By experience, I am led 
 to believe that the American system of working 
 the horse is, as a whole, detrimental to breed- 
 ing, for the driver may jump into the wagon 
 or sleigh with the reins and drive at a head- 
 long speed without any inconvenience ; and 
 will thoughtlessly drive long journeys with a 
 mare probably in an advanced state of carriage. 
 This is not only occasionally, but a mode of 
 travel the mare is daily called upon to en- 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. iO 
 
 counter, cramping and hindering 'expansion. 
 How the horse is developed in England is a 
 question it would be well for the horse-breeder 
 to pry into. If we look at their mode of work- 
 ing the horse, we find it quite different from 
 that in America. There probably the mare, in 
 her whole life, is never once driven out of a 
 brisk walk. I have had some experience in that 
 country, and I may safely say that those mares, 
 otherwise properly cared for and sound, never 
 •fail, but bring about the very best breeding re- 
 sults. It is a regular occurrence for them to 
 raise foals that will outgrow the parental stock 
 in mere weight and bulk. If this be the real 
 state of affairs, and there is every reason to be- 
 lieve so, then it looks as though it is through 
 their system of working the horse, being more 
 favorable to breeding mares, that stocks their 
 markets with a developed assortment of heavy 
 draught horses. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 We frequently find writers waiving the ability 
 of the lady in quieting down a restive horse, but 
 it must have escaped their knowledge not to 
 know that the fair sex, after the first few drives, 
 
74 THE HORSFJ OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 stand in the very first ranks of society to effect 
 that end, and they obtain their control simply 
 in this way : the horse finds that extreme meas- 
 ures are not resorted to, he is not driven to ex- 
 treme action ; and it is quite possible that if all 
 horses could be worked by small boys, balky and 
 unmanageable horses would soon vanish from 
 the land from the same simple reason. Here 
 again we are face to face with the fact that leni- 
 ency is the best policy. 
 
 As a rule, heavy draught teams should not be 
 forced to do much trotting, unless restive and 
 that way inclined, but you will cultiA^ate energy 
 and activity by training them to walk lively, 
 that is, in cold weather, with a light or no load 
 and the horses not tired. This will be accom- 
 plished by bracing them up together by a fre- 
 quent light touch of the whip. Never allow 
 the horses to indulge in a spiritless, slovenly 
 move, except in the heat of summer. At those 
 times the life and energy of the horse vanishes, 
 and he will lag through as best he can. In 
 warm weather do not endeavor to force life by 
 severe whijoping, because it cannot be effected ; 
 if he is panting give him time or you may cause 
 the death of the horse. 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. T5 
 
 Many drivers are in the habit of' stinting 
 their horses in the use of water with a view to 
 keeping them commonly called tucked up, or, 
 in other words, to prevent bellying down. This 
 must be painful and grievous to the animal and 
 probably injurious to health, and, moreover, 
 privation is as poison to the gay, cheerful feat- 
 ures of the animal. It is frequently found that 
 one horse will not keep even with the other. 
 This scarcely admits of a cure, for if we Avhip 
 him severely the leader, finding himself out of 
 position, is stealthily endeavoring to keep the 
 lead. The diffictilty will be materially dimin- 
 ished by whipping the slow one often and light, 
 with a view to cheer and encourage him to 
 close up to his companion ; shortening the slow 
 one's traces will be an improvement. This case 
 is like two men working together ; one will take 
 a leading part in everything, and his companion 
 will, as a rule, give way to it; so we see it is 
 rather the horse's own affair than ours. In 
 traveling along the road the lines should be 
 held in the hand, and not hung on the wagon- 
 rack, just sufficiently tight so that the horses 
 are aware of the fact, for in this way we rivet 
 their attention to their work. Do not, by all 
 
76 THE HORSE OF Ais^OTHER COLOR. 
 
 means, use that aggravating, probing word " get 
 np," or singling out by the name. Keep silent, 
 and you will promote attraction and willing 
 contentment. You may give a chirp, but no 
 more. 
 
 In descending a hill, if the team cannot stop 
 the wagon, if convenient, cramping them around 
 the crossed position of the front wheels will 
 stop almost any load. Hasty backing of the 
 wagon is another grievance that can scarcely 
 be cured. This habit is probably aggravated by 
 the martingale sawing across the breast, and, 
 moreover, by going slow their strength is re- 
 tarded and the horse is unpleasantly aware of 
 the danger of sitting down on his haunches, and 
 if we whip him it has no good effect in the way 
 of a cure, for it appears as though the horse 
 recieves it in such a light that he thinks it 
 means to back, and do what we may, the next 
 time he is required to back, the same hasty 
 move is made, and by no ordinary means can 
 we reach the intellect to teach him that the 
 whipping is to prevent hasty backing. In 
 stamping our authority on the horse's memory 
 the starting and stopping words are two promi- 
 nent commands the horse should be particu- 
 
GENERAL EEMAEKS. 77 
 
 larly taught to obey. Give the worcL to stop 
 and then pull the lines, holding them tight 
 until they stop ; thus you will weld the horses 
 to take the breeching together, keeping good 
 order, making their way more pleasant, but do 
 not use that menacing word "back" after the 
 word " whoa," or, for example, "whoa, back." 
 The horse is subject at times to untold-of suf- 
 fering in the blacksmith shop, more especially 
 at the hands of a journeyman smith employed 
 by companies, and caring but little for the 
 presence of the driver ; for it is a common oc- 
 currence to cut the chnches, take off the shoe, 
 pick and hammer out the stubs, clean and pare 
 the foot, whilst the helper is preparing nails, 
 heating and fetching on tiie shoe. If it does 
 not fit, it is a Godsend for the horse, for he 
 would be expected to stand on one fore or hind 
 leg, with httle or no intermission, until the new 
 shoe is on and every thing is complete, which is 
 far too long, and to relieve his aching limb will 
 lean on the smith, for which he is apt to recieve 
 the hammer on his ribs with a sound equal to 
 that produced by striking an empty flour barrel. 
 The horse suffers the most in this way when be- 
 ing shod foreward, especially if the front feet 
 
78 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 stand an inch or two lower than the hind ones, 
 as there is far more weight on the front than on 
 the hind legs. It would be of great service, and 
 more in accordance with the age, if something 
 could be attached to the beams overhead in the 
 smith's shop to receive part of the weight of a 
 tired, tender-footed horse. It is a common oc- 
 currence to see the horse so dread the smith 
 and the shop that he cannot be induced to face 
 his doom and has to be backed into the 
 smithery. 
 
 When one horse is weaker than the other, 
 through being wind-broken, foundered, or by 
 other causes, we should endeavor to equalize 
 the draught according to their capacities, by 
 giving the weaker the longer end of the evener, 
 for the sufferings of an ailing horse cannot be 
 ascertained. This being the case, we should 
 remember that if our own sufferings and allot- 
 ted task of labor, under all shades of circum- 
 stances, were at the disposal of another, we 
 should not un frequently find ourselves in a 
 very depressed predicament. " Imagine the suf- 
 ferings of this noble and faithful animal, as he 
 toils on," says Chambers, ^^ until he frequently 
 drops down dead through sheer exhaustion, 
 
GEN-ERAL REMARKS. 79 
 
 urged on by the anger of man and the. terrible 
 scourge of the whip." As a rule, it is thought 
 the horse knows what he is being whipped for, 
 but we should bear in mind that the average 
 horse has but little more forecast, has but little 
 more knowledge of ways and means, or how to 
 guard against difficulties, than the wheel of the 
 wagon that he is drawing. As shown, he works 
 according to his accustomed habit, and this is 
 probably all that he knows about work. He is 
 just as liable to take the very worst places in 
 the road for his own advantage as any other ; 
 he is as liable, as not, to run the wheel over a 
 precipice and dash himself and wagon to pieces 
 at the bottom. So narrow is the limit of the 
 horse's knowledge, that in fighting flies, etc., he 
 may hook his head by the check-rein to the 
 other's hames a hundred times daily, but, as a 
 rule, he will never learn the simple trick of un- 
 hooking it again ; or, feed him with oats, in a 
 box out of doors,, and he may turn it over, hav- 
 ing to grovel his grain up from the dirt and 
 stones every time, yet he will never have the 
 sagacity to prevent it ; in like, manner, he will 
 spill and lose his water. Seeing this, we may 
 
80 THE HORSE OF Aiq^OTHER COLOR. 
 
 conclude, upon good grounds, that his intellect 
 is in a very foggy state. 
 
 The horse does, certainly, appear somewhat 
 sagacious in many little ways; but this is, as a 
 rule, only a flickering deception. For instance, 
 in surmounting a hill, he will encounter the 
 difficulty with all the vigor peculiar to his race, 
 as though his aim is for some distant accom- 
 plishment, but this ambition does not pass 
 farther than his immediate surroundings, pro- 
 duced by the present pinch of the collar. For 
 one minute he may be seen struggling with all 
 his might, and the next he may be seen with 
 one hind leg hanging lazily by the side of the 
 other, remaining inactive for hours, and show- 
 ing no signs of any impatience. His principal 
 sagacity is found in the way he detects the na- 
 ture of the voice, whether angry or otherwise; 
 but it is not far to look to find some clue to his 
 knowledge in this matter, for, probably, he is 
 not long in the world before he finds man hold- 
 ing a despotic sway over the animal world, and, 
 as we see, his timid nature causes him a contin- 
 uous fear when man is nigh. Through this 
 continuous fear, from his early days onward, he 
 becomes thoroughly schooled in detecting the 
 
GEN^ERAL REMARKS. 81 
 
 humor of man by tlie tone of the voice ; but 
 wlien we put the harness on and endeavor to 
 teach him to work, we take him into a new 
 field of labor, something that his clouded intel- 
 lect cannot rightly fathom ; and, moreover, if 
 not handled with great care, his thoughts are 
 still groping through its old channels, marring 
 all other learning. Thus again we see the ne- 
 cessity of using leniency. Having nothing to 
 fear from man, his thoughts would be at liberty 
 to dwell on his occupation. I may mention 
 here that there is gvery reason to believe that 
 the horse, through harsh treatment, becomes so 
 uneasy at the presence of man that he nibbles 
 the manger, etc., for relief; hence the crib- 
 biter. 
 
 We frequently find teams that move in a 
 stolid, begrudging manner ; this is through 
 being hallooed at and severely whipped on one 
 certain part of the body or legs. It is said that 
 the garroter, after once being sentenced and re- 
 ceiving forty or fifty lashes, will scarcely attempt 
 the crime again, and undergo a repetition, such 
 is the terrible efiect. If this be the case, what 
 a life of suffering the horse must be passing 
 through, when, probably, he receives a thou- 
 6 
 
83 THE HORSE OF AI^OTHER COLOR. 
 
 sand or more lashes daily. Some may suppose 
 it is not so severe with the horse as with man, 
 but we should remember blood is frequently 
 drawn, and that is equal to flogging, saying 
 nothing of the vast quantity given ; and how 
 are those animals to rest at night and be pre- 
 pared for the morrow, moaning and groaning 
 under a partly-flayed body in their dark, 
 gloomy stalls, aching out the time and the 
 dreaded approach of day, to be dragged forth 
 only to undergo a repetition of this terrible 
 infliction ? The cure : Do not speak to the 
 horses only in turning, and then, in a mild, un- 
 prejudiced manner ; whip light, smooth and 
 often on varied parts of the back, avoiding that 
 part you have been in the habit of whipping. 
 Following this and instructions elsewhere found, 
 and you will produce a good team out of the 
 remains of a bad one. 
 
 There is pointed out in this work much suf- 
 fering in the horse family, but this is only a 
 part of the misery they are heir to, for we fre- 
 quently find them doomed to linger out long 
 winters, with its biting spells of frost, in stables 
 so open that they aff*ord no warmth whatever ; 
 added to this, he is too often badly fed and 
 
CTEi^rERAL REMARKS. 83 
 
 irregularly watered. Work he is bound to, if 
 required, sick or sore; he must go so long as he 
 keeps his feet ; in short, he is compelled to en- 
 dure a host of grievances that beggar all de- 
 scription, of which legislation is powerless to 
 avert, for probably not more than one suffering 
 animal in ten thousand comes under the notice 
 of the proper authorities ; and this one, could 
 he speak, would probably say that the sore they 
 were healing was only a drop in the bucket in 
 comparison with his long years of suffering and 
 torture, of which he has no hope of escape un- 
 til old age steals upon him, and his once power- 
 ful muscles grow feeble. He is now turned out 
 to shift for himself, to be caught up on busy 
 days; and some stormy night in autumn, in 
 seeking shelter, he mires and dies a martyr's 
 death after long years of toil. Late and early, 
 through fair and foul weather, he has carried 
 his end of the yoke through the battles of life, 
 but, alas! this is his reward. Better, far better, 
 for him had this so-called civilization never 
 been born. After all his endeavors to satisfy 
 the never-ending demands of man, he, in a 
 great measure, denies his own sufferings. To 
 obey the will of man he delivers up his whole 
 
84 THE HORSE. OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 powers, he reserves nothing, and often dies 
 rather than disobey the requests of his master. 
 If such be the sufferings and principal features 
 in the character of the horse, the feelings of that 
 person are not to be envied whoever utters a 
 harsh tone, draws a severe lash, or urges beyond 
 his strength or speed an animal so willing and so 
 obedient, and whose powers have been so essen-" 
 tial to human progress. 
 
 THE STABLE. 
 
 When you enter the stable give the horses 
 their feed, and if you keep them waiting do not 
 whip them if they become impatient and paw 
 the floor or kick the partition, or they will bear 
 ill-will towards you. Some horsemen are in the 
 habit of teasing their horses to an exceeding 
 high pitch and then claim that a stranger can- 
 not approach them only at the risk of a kick or 
 bite. The reason of this is the horse makes 
 more bold with a stranger, but to come to the 
 point, he has far more hatred for the person 
 who first teases him and then turns around and 
 resorts to the fiendish act of whipping him 
 should he make too bold in pursuing the very 
 identical course he is taught and it is intended 
 
ON CLEANIifG. 85 
 
 he should do. This teasing is thought to be 
 play for the horse, but we should remember his 
 play consists in galloping, rearing, jumping and 
 kicking, and is altogether of a more developed, 
 grander scale, and such petty, insignificant 
 folly he detests. Treat the horse in a proper 
 manner, and as he turns his head around to 
 bite you, give him a moderate, straight poke in 
 the nose and debar the act, but do not do this 
 if you still continue to tease him, for, finding 
 he cannot use his mouth with safety, he will 
 become more exasperated and adopt the use of 
 his heels. 
 
 ON CLEANING. 
 
 Tradition has it that cleaning is half feed for 
 the horse, but this is all moonshine, for no 
 amount of cleaning will ever fill the animal's 
 belly. A clean horse, like a man with a clean 
 face, appears more respectable, but, in either 
 case, the benefit is about on a par. There is no 
 doubt but all clotted dirt should be removed, 
 accompanying a brush-down, but after this I 
 believe man's time could be occupied in far 
 more remunerative occupation in the heat of 
 summer, when the horse is sweating profusely 
 
86 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 and cannot be cleaned in the usual way with 
 brush and comb. There is no doubt that wash- 
 ing, especially the shoulders, in moderately cool 
 water is very refreshing after you allow him to 
 cool off somewhat from the heat of his labors, 
 but if the coat is dry it would be very annoying 
 and unpleasant, the horse being in nowise a 
 water animal. Whale-oil soap is said to be the 
 best, and a lather of it left on the coat will 
 keep off the flies for the night. Dust will sli^- 
 pear in chilly fall weather, and the horse's coat 
 will stand on end ; as this can scarcely be avoided, 
 wiping with a damp sponge or cloth will be 
 beneficial. 
 
 Do not whip the horse if he does not like the 
 curry-comb, for you are hurting him, or have 
 been in the habit of so doing. The comb, to 
 some horses, is very annoying, and to use it on 
 such horses any length of time, morning and 
 night, is, I believe, far more injurious than 
 otherwise, having to gobble their feed under a 
 tormenting interruption. Strong-fed horses, in 
 hot weather, will become scaly under the belly, 
 followed by at least an itching annoyance, 
 caused mainly by the curry-comb repeatedly 
 tearing the surface of the skin. To such horses 
 
ON THE HxlRNESS. 87 
 
 it would be a happy relief if a cuny-comb were 
 never brought into the stable. The comb is 
 ill-adapted, and should not be allowed to go 
 near this thin-skinned part of the body. 
 
 There is reason to believe that separate stalls 
 and plenty of bedding will help to improve the 
 condition of the horse, for double stalls, as a 
 rule, are not roomy enough to admit of both 
 lying stretched out together; consequently, one 
 has to stand ; he cannot rest properly in this 
 way, will go to sleep and fall, and, in saving 
 himself, will trample on the other's feet, legs, 
 etc.; the lying one, after experiencing this a 
 few times, will probably refuse to lie down again, 
 or, at least, he cannot rest properly, as he has 
 to keep one eye open for these mishaps, so that 
 both are cramped into a position that forbids 
 proper and refreshing rest. Many timid horses 
 will never lie down while in close proximity to 
 another horse, but will immediately accept the 
 offer when the difficulty is removed. 
 
 ON THE HARNESS. 
 
 If there is anything to impair the adaptabil- 
 ity of the horse, it is found in the construction 
 of the shoulder, for there is where all of his 
 
88 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 great strength and weight of draught is brought 
 to bear. We find in a continuous slip-slide, 
 galling commotion and the wholesale suffering 
 daily going on around us in this respect is enough 
 to invite the attention of all who have a feeling 
 for the sufferings of the animal world, and there 
 are reasons to fear that this state of affairs will 
 long exist, unless some important change is 
 made in the shape and the material now in use 
 for the construction of horse-collars ; for the 
 present collar is too voluptuous, causing heat 
 and preventing the free working of the shoulder- 
 blade. But how this is to be remedied is a 
 question difficult to answer. It seems we are 
 compelled to have a collar sufficiently bulky, so 
 as to spread the draught out from the horse's 
 sides, but I contend, above and below this, we 
 conld dispense with a great deal of the present 
 encumbrance. There are many reasons for con- 
 demning the collars now in use, for, with little 
 observation, it is seen that the main work is in 
 the outer shoulder, or that farthest from the 
 neck, where the present voluptuous collar now 
 bears, making it altogether ill-adapted for its 
 use. The present collar fits all right while 
 standing, but all wrong when in motion, the 
 
01^ THE HARNESS. 89 
 
 beiiring being too wide. I contend tlnit three 
 inches of a soft-bearing, pinching close into the 
 sides of the neck, and np and down the depth 
 of the shoulder, would be ample for all modern 
 requirements. Added to this, bulky hair pad- 
 ding is in use ; soft it is, no doubt, but in re- 
 gard to heat it is only adding fuel to the fire, 
 and if any galling takes place, extra padding is 
 added and placed crosswise at the shoulder- 
 blade, whereas it should be placed up and 
 down, but not to bear on the sore. Our har- 
 ness will never be in a satisfactory state, until 
 material is found to prevent galling in any way. 
 Put on in the most hurried fashion, next 
 comes the hames, which are, in adaptability, but 
 little better than the collar. As a rule, they 
 are made with the draught far too low, for, 
 along with what has already been pointed out, 
 we find that the working scope of the shoulder 
 materially increases down to the point near 
 which the draught now bears, caused by the 
 present shape of the hames. Thus it appears 
 that the draught cannot be reasonably too high; 
 for heavy work it is quite likely the better place 
 for the draught to come would be in the vicin- 
 ity or extreme hollow of the neck, and by 
 
90 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 having tlie draught high, another important 
 benefit is gained. The bnlkiness of the collar 
 is not required to bolster out the traces, as the 
 shoulders become more narrow upwards. 
 
 CHOKING— CAUSE AND CURE. 
 
 Choking arises from two causes : either the 
 collar is not deep enough to clear and prevent 
 pressing against the wind-pipe and stopping 
 the wind, or else the belly-band is allowed to 
 remain too slack, allowing the traces to rise in 
 drawing, causing the collar to rise also and 
 press against the wind-pipe and so produce 
 choking. The horse is very apt to choke, un- 
 less great care is taken to prevent it, as the 
 sloping shape of the shoulder facilitates tlie 
 rising and pressing of the collar against the 
 wind-pipe. Our ancestors invented the belly- 
 band, no doubt, for the sole purpose to prevent 
 choking, but their children to-day are sadly 
 wanting in knowledge as to its real value. It 
 would be an improvement for heavy work to 
 have the belly-band four or five inches wide, 
 made of one strong piece of pliable leather, 
 and not the hard, narrow, hurtful kind now 
 used. Thus we see the horse requires a deep, 
 
CHOKING— CAUSE AND CURE. 91 
 
 narrow collfir-draiight, bearing l-atlier high, 
 and the belly-band arranged so as to check the 
 collar from rising with the draft, and the chok- 
 ing will be cured. 
 
 Hames, as a rule, are worn too wide at the 
 top, allowing the whole weight of the pole to 
 sag down and bear on the top of the neck, 
 whereas they should be more tight and snug, 
 preventing mash' and galling. As stated else- 
 where, the horse wishes to attack his load with 
 a sudden vigor. This is usually forbidden him, 
 for fear of breaking the tackling, but his har- 
 ness should be sufficient, and more than suffi- 
 ciently strong to withstand his most determined 
 efforts. The horse will not injure himself in 
 drawing, if sound and he has good footing, but 
 if anything gives way, in floundering to save 
 himself, he shakes his whole frame and he prob- 
 ably receives more injury than is at the time 
 detected. For various reasons, the harness 
 should be all kept in good repair, for if one 
 part gives way it is apt to carry something else 
 with it, as the horse frequently becomes fright- 
 ened and unmanageable. 
 
92 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 HEAD FIXINGS. 
 As this work shows, the horse requires some 
 steadiness, and, with this in view, check-reins 
 are beneficial, as it steadies and prevents a 
 gidd^ maneuvering of the head, but it should 
 not be drawn up too tight, or it destroys the 
 spirited movement of the horse. If the horse 
 twitches his head, or paws the ground when 
 standing, he is checked too tight, still he may 
 be suffering somewhat without either being de- 
 tected. Blind-bridles should be at all times 
 worn, for otherwise we cannot fasten the horse's 
 attention to his work, for it will be on the mo- 
 tion of the whip and the driver, in spite of all 
 that can be done to prevent it; and, moreover, 
 we have altogether too slippery a hold, the 
 horse having things too much his own way, 
 shooting ahead when the whip is coming, 
 and abruptly slackening again the moment it is 
 withheld, defying a smooth, orderly gait of 
 travel. Open-bridles are injurious, and a nui- 
 sance to both horse and man. Some claim that 
 open-bridles prevent the shy, but when the na- 
 ture of the animal is taken into account, such 
 assertions are altogether wanting a fundamental 
 support, for, destroy the shy and we destroy the 
 
HEAD FIXINGS. 93 
 
 pith of the animal, and if the 'shy is cured 
 by wearing open-bridles, it is brought about 
 through a grinding hatred that is most sure to 
 exist while they are used, and this hatred means 
 hard knocks, and hard knocks rivets the horse's 
 attention on the driver in place of being at lib- 
 erty to boldly observe his surroundings. And 
 even should it prevent the shy, the shy is only 
 occasional, whereas the blind-bridle is a contin- 
 uous necessity. With open-bridles we disfigure 
 and destroy the usefulness of the horse, lessen 
 our authority, breed disorder and tend largely 
 to produce balk ; therefore they should not be 
 used. 
 
 The bridle-head is often sadly neglected, is 
 thoughtlessly worn too short, being pushed over 
 the ears, drawing up the lips ; and being worn 
 in this distressing manner continually, is both 
 painful and destructive to a spirited movement, 
 causing sore and tender mouth. The bridle- 
 head should be sufficiently long for the bit to 
 clear the connection of the lips, a half an inch. 
 If the horse be one of those not inclined to 
 shy, use a common or straight smooth snaffle- 
 bit ; in this way you will enhance the horse's 
 pulling on the lines, so much admired and a 
 
94 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 real necessity in the way of a set-oif in a drive. 
 All the harness should be arranged so as to fit 
 snug and close ; this will enhance a gay, grace- 
 ful move. The breechings should cross just 
 below the points of the hind-quarters, and no 
 longer than to allow the traces to hook with 
 convenience. This gives the horse more power 
 to hold back and catch his load with precision 
 and adaptness, and prevents the neck-yoke from 
 slipping off the end of the wagon-pole. Our 
 arrangements for holding and backing at pres- 
 ent are far from what could be desired ; the 
 horse abominably hates the martingale sawing 
 and pressing against his breast, a place alto- 
 gether too tender to receive the full force of the 
 horse's powers in holding or backing a load; 
 and, to make matters worse, our martingale is 
 too narrow and hard. The horse in backing 
 shows he is being hurt, for in backing he is 
 seen to half rear, which throws the greater part 
 of his weight on the hind legs, quite the re- 
 verse of where it should be. When hitched to 
 the cart and no martingale is used, this rearing 
 disappears. Breechings should be at all times 
 supplied when harnessed to the wagon, for it is 
 
HEAD FIXINGS. 95 
 
 terribly pestering to the horse to have to hold 
 or back the wagon, for the belly-band cuts in 
 through the cavities of the fore-arms, and there 
 is reason to believe the horse frequently receives 
 injury from this cause. Again we find reasons 
 for condemning our present backing apparatus. 
 In descending a hill, if the neck-yoke should 
 break, rings draw or break, or breast-straps 
 break, etc., we at once lose all power in steer- 
 ing or controlling the wagon. For many rea- 
 sons there is no doubt shafts would be an im- 
 provement, for with them the horse could not 
 only steer the wagon, but most, if not all, of 
 the above-mentioned grievances would be re- 
 moved; and, again, the shafts would be carried 
 by the back, whereas the pole is now carried by 
 the neck, where it ought not to be, as it tends 
 to bend the animal down, imj^airing an upright, 
 attractive carriage. 
 
 Flies in the summer season are no doubt very 
 annoying to the horse. Do not whip him 
 harshly for any act he may do in fighting them, 
 or it will impair the confidence he should have 
 in you ; and free all entanglements without a 
 murmur, for we should remember the horse has 
 
96 THE HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR. 
 
 not the means or the knowledge to lift the re- 
 motest article. Some protection from the flies 
 should be provided on the forward part of the 
 body where the tail cannot reach, more espe- 
 cially just at the back of the fore-arms, for here 
 he is likely to receive the main attack. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 lllllliliii 
 
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