The Horse.

There has been much said and written in regard to the origin and history of the horse. We do not claim to know his origin but we find him recorded in very ancient history, as one of the noblest of domestic animals. We find this most faithful and fleet-footed friend harnessed to the historical war chariot, and in the days of Job we find him mentioned as the most faithful friend of man. And again, we find him mentioned as having his neck clothed in thunder. Why so? Because at his master's bidding he was ready to plunge fearlessly into the thickest and hottest of the deadly fight, carrying death and destruction to the enemy, regardless of any danger whatever.

Now we glance back over the lapse of time and see this noble animal straining every nerve to do his master's will. See him as he scents the battle afar--how impatiently he champs the restraining bit; see the lightening like flashes of defiance of his eyes in the face of danger and presence of death. What cares he for the missiles of death that fall like hail about him? He thinks only of his master's will. Look upon that widely distended nostril; look upon that handsomely rounded crest; look upon the beautiful contour of this noblest of animals, and say you ever looked upon a more beautiful animal, if you can. Let any man look upon him and say in his heart that he ever beheld a more beautiful representation of fidelity and obedience, and we will show you a man who is not capable of appreciating the blessings that an all wise Providence has bestowed upon the human family.

We find this same animal roaming at liberty over the Arabian wilds, undomesticated in his wild and untamed state; but the wild Arab in his ignorance and superstition manages to capture him. Does he abuse and maltreat the poor animal to bring him under subjection? Ah no, he does far more wisely, and if Americans of today, with their boasted intelligence and enlightenment, would only pattern after this poor, ignorant Arab in this particular, they would have far less trouble in commanding perfect obedience from their horses; but we find them as a rule less intelligent in this respect, than the ones to whom we have referred.

But you wish to know their plan of procedure--it is given in every few words; they simply exercise the dominion that is inherent in man--a dominion that was given to man in the very 00032infancy of time: a law that was established by the Author of all things, but we remember the story of the followers of that great and good man, Moses; how they sought after other gods than the true and living God. We see that the result was always evil, and thus it is in this.

Man, in his wisdom and self-conceit, has sought (some) after better methods of controlling the subjects placed under him than those vouchsafed him by his Creator, and what is the consequence? If you will but look about you, the answer is written in characters as indelible and as plain as the living blazonry of God. We find it in the fact that our country is flooded with horses that persistently refuse to work, or be ridden, and what is the cause? In order to answer this question we ask the reader's permission to make a little illustration: We will suppose for instance that the reader has a little child, who has not even the rudiments of an education; he does not understand the alphabet, you send him to school and the teacher concludes to have him commence with mathematics or algebra; the child, of course, cannot comprehend these intricate sciences and the tutor in his ignorance and lack of common sense, abuses and whips the child, and tries to force him to an understanding of the matter under consideration. What is the consequence to the child? It does not require a philosopher to answer the question; the child learns to look upon it's teacher with hatred, and rebellion is at once established in the young heart and he absolutely refuses to try to comply with any of the wishes of this unjust and tyrannical pedagogue. While if he had pursued the proper course toward his pupil he would have engendered in the heart of the child a feeling of gratitude and affection. But again, allow us to ask what would be your opinion of that teacher? We will anticipate your answer; would you not speak the plain, unvarnished truth and say the man is a fool? We are strongly of the opinion that you would, and now we are compelled to tread upon some very delicate ground, but we commenced this work with a determination to be candid and plain, not for our own benefit but for the benefit of our readers and the horse, and if we say anything that in any way wounds the feelings of any, we hope it will be attributed to this desire and not to malice.

But do you not do the very same thing when you take the young horse, that is almost entirely unaccustomed to intimate association with man, and try to force him into something he does not comprehend? You most assuredly do. We will call your attention to the methods generally employed in handling wild horses. The first move is to throw a rope about his neck 00043and choke the frightened creature until it falls to the ground, then put on the halter and allow the animal to get upon its feet. Then it is generally blinded with a cloth placed about its eyes while the saddle is strapped onto the animal's back in a very rough manner; all of which only tends to confirm the poor animal in the belief that it is in the hands of an enemy. Then the rider mounts the horse in his continued cruel manner with a pair of barbarous O. K's. attached to his heels, and a spectacle like this is witnessed.

He proceeds to recklessly drive them into the tender and quivering flesh of this most obedient servant of man, and what is the result? The animal simply acts upon the first law of nature, namely self-preservation. He considers that he is in the hands of an enemy, and must get away or be killed. He pitches to get rid of the rider, but if unfortunately, he cannot unseat him, he eventually ceases his struggles from sheer exhaustion, and if the rider only exhibited as much sense and judgment as the horse, it would usually end at that, but no; the rider in his ignorance and glory (which should be his shame) over his great conquest for mastery over the dumb brute, drives the murderous spurs again into the already lacerated and bleeding flesh, and compels the animal to pitch. Now let an inquiring mind ask the result of this treatment, the horse had ceased his struggles and was again compelled to resume them, and again the very instant the saddle is placed upon his back he remembers it, and thinks he must do the same thing over again to please his master, as he forced him into it before; he thus 00054virtually trains the animal to do the very thing he wished to avoid.

Then when he is put in harness he is treated in the same manner. He is hitched up without any knowledge of his master, except to fear him as an enemy. He is given no idea of protection, and the driver is ignorant of the means of conveying the idea to his mind and the consequence is that in the majority of cases, he only pulls backward or goes to kicking, and he is either hopelessly balked or he becomes an inveterate and unmanageable kicker, and all because you have worked upon the same principle for which you would denounce the school teacher an idiot. But even after all this occurs, though the animal may have been balking and kicking for years, we can, with proper means and without abuse, reform him and make him a safe and trusty servant. We are aware of the fact that this is disputed by many who claim to be good horsemen, but we are constrained to say that such parties speak incorrectly, for I have been in my present business, that of taming, training and breaking wild, vicious and kicking horses and mules, and have never yet found an animal that I could not handle. This work is all done by a process of reason.

The System of Horse Training as TaughtBy Prof. J. S. CARROLL, the GreatTexas Horse Trainer.

A System by which I readily brake, tame or train the wildest or most vicious horse or mule and subject them to the will of man.

A System by which I can cure the most vicious horses of the habit of balking or kicking; also the habits of shying, running away, pulling at the halter, jumping fences or pitching under the saddle. It will enable anyone to ride any horse or mule without saddle or bridle with perfect safety; also to drive without bridle or lines.

How to manage the wild or vicious horse. This is a question of much importance to the people generally, as there are such vast numbers of horses sold throughout the country that have been raised on the range. There are many of them getting quite old before the arc handled, and they are of course, very wild, and unless properly handled they exhibit such a degree of viciousness that they are seldom made trust-worthy, but if properly managed are perfectly kind and tractable. If we have such an animal to contend with, we place him in an enclosure, say twenty-four feet wide by thirty-six feet long, 00065and of course, when we enter it with him he is almost wild with fright, and we must be very quiet with him or he will do just what a great many suppose he will do under nearly any circumstances, but tap him gently with your whip around the hind legs, and when he turns his head to you, step gently toward him with one hand extended, always remembering to keep the hand perfectly quiet, so as to avoid frightening him any more more than you are compelled to do. If he turns away do not fail to use the whip as directed, and he very soon turns back. Now, attempt to again approach him, and when you once get the hand on him, rub him gently until he will submit to it quietly, then pat him gently with quick, light strokes, when he is quiet under these circumstances, rub gently from the shoulder down on the front leg, and if he cannot bear this, return to the neck or shoulder and work back gently; keep repeating this quietly till you can rub him clear down to his foot. Do not be impatient, but continue your caresses until he is perfectly easy in your presence, and the eyes lose their look of excitement. Now step away from him and tell him to come to you, and at the same time touch him lightly with the whip behind, and should he make a move toward you, command him to stop and go up to him quietly and repeat your caresses. Then repeat the operation till he will follow you in any direction. Always be very careful to avoid striking the animal about the head, as that would repel him and he would never comprehend your wish toward him. The next step is to learn him the meaning of the command to stop, and at the same time to learn him that he must obey that command, and the latter you cannot teach him in many days with any other means than the bridle or halter, as he can go either ahead or sideways; consequently we must have a mechanical advantage whereby we can compel him to stop instantly when he is commanded, and for this purpose we have a leather belt made in one piece, six and a half feet long and three inches wide, with a buckle attached to one end. Now attach a ring, two or three inches in diameter, twenty inches from the buckle end and crosswise of the belt, and on what will be the outside then placed on the horse. Now secure one ring of the same size, eight inches distant on each side of the first ring, but place them lengthwise of the belt. Buckle the belt around the horse's girth, letting the rings come under the belly. Have two small straps long enough to go around the front limb between the hoof and fetlock joint; put them quietly in place and buckle them; pass a small rope through one of the outside rings in the belt and down and through the ring at the foot on the same side; bring 00076it up and pass through center ring, now down through ring at the other foot, then through and tie in the outside ring in the belt. It now assumes the shape of the letter "W." Now, by taking hold of the loose end of the rope, you can stop him immediately by bringing a few pounds of pressure on the rope. Always give him the command to stop and at the same time pull the rope, and if he does not immediately obey, his feet are taken up and he falls on his knees, but the feet being pulled straight up, there is no danger of straining the animal in any way. Hold him till he becomes quiet, then go to him and caress and reassure him, so that he will understand when you command him to stop he must do so, and keep quiet, and when he does he will be protected and kindly treated; when he is in this condition handle him all over but do it quietly and gently; should be make any vicious movements pull the rope and let him fall, and he soon sees that the only danger he incurs is by trying to get away and he is soon perfectly quiet; wrap the rope all about the hind legs, and if he resists it in any way, pull the rope and let him fall to his knees; keep repeating this till he will stand it, and perfectly quiet, and you can now safely mount him, but always keep a firm hold of the rope. Jump on to him quietly, then get down: repeat this two or three times for the purpose of getting him accustomed to your motion and appearance on his back should he move, command him to stop, and at the same time pull the rope and compel him to do so. Now have an assistant to take the whip and step in front of him and tell him to come, and he will start off to follow the assistant, and when he gots to moving quietly you can safely get down and take off all the hampers and ride him without anything on him whatever.

He is now perfectly gentle in the enclosure, but if you take him outside to ride he may conclude he is at liberty and try to get away, and it should be the object of the trainer never to allow the animal to gain a point, and for this reason it is always advisable to have the belt and foot ropes on him when first taken out. Ride him a short distance with this on, and if he shows any disposition whatever to pitch, remember to command him to stop, and at the same time pull the rope and compel him to obey the command, and he soon understands that you control him as well outside as in and he will not attempt to do so again. When you harness an and harness and hitch him to a buggy or wagon he is more than likely to become frightened at the rattle of the vehicle and if he attemp's to get away, control him just as you do in riding, but never fail to go to him and reassure him when he becomes quiet, and he will soon be so 00087you can take all off but his harness and drive him with safety; he has come to the conclusion that while you are his master in all respects, you are his protector in all things.

But if you have hitched him alone he will not know what you expect, of him, and we must show him. In order to do this, step up to his shoulders and take hold of the collar and push him from you and then pull him toward you; get him to move in this way, then step out in front of him and tell him to come, and he will follow you and when he sees that you wish him to go and pull he is willing to do so, and you may gradually drop back and at the same time guide him with the lines. Should he attempt to turn around, do not try to hold him by steady pulling on the line, for if you do he will simply turn his head and go the way he first started, in spite of all your efforts to the contrary, but if you will pull the line with a quick, light jerk and let it slack, he will almost invariably obey it. Should you hitch hitch him by the side of another horse (which is always advisable?) be very quiet in starting him off for he is unaccustomed to leading, and if the collar should be pulled suedenly upon his neck he is more than likely to resist it and pull backward and upon his neck he is more then likely to resist it and pull backward and throw himself: should be do this do not try to force him to get up while he is hitched, for if he finds himself hampered he will not try to get up. Go quietly and unhitch the traces, breast-yoke and lines so that there will be nothing to bother him, now command him to get up and if he does not to so strike him on the end of the nose with a light keen whip, and he will jump to his feet, now fasten lines, breast-yoke and traces and then start the gentle horse toward the young one, and get him on a circle then turn them first one way and then the other, and if the young horse does not move fast enough, tap him lightly with the whip till you can move him in any direction without any trouble.

Never load too heavily when your animal is unaccustomed to work. If you are in no hurry for the use of your horse, a good plan to accustom him to pulling, is to put the harness on and place him in a stall where he cannot turn around, with a post set in the ground directly behind him, with an open pulley about three feet from the ground; now attach a single-tree to the traces, have a rope attached to the center, now run the rope over the pulley and fasten to two or three hundred pounds of weight, tie the horse to the manger with halter long enough to allow him to step back till the weight on the end of the rope will touch the ground: now place his feed and water in the manger and go away and leave him alone, and after a while he gets to reaching for his feed, and he finds he can 00098move the weight, and he raises it and stands and holds it while he eats, thus gradually becoming use to the pressure of the collar, and when you see he has lifted this weight easily, keep adding more from time to time, until at the end of a few days your horse has learned it so gradually and quietly he does not realize that he was working, and when you hitch him up he does not chafe and fret about the pressure of the collar on the shoulders, and if you wish to stop him in going up hill with a load he will stand and hold it, something he learned white holding the weight in the stall.

How to manage the runaway: We handle him just as we do the wild horse in the first place. We then put our belt and foot rope on him and hitch him, and when we tell him to stop we compel him to do so, or fall, until no difference how fast his speed he will stop instantly at the command and stand perfectly quiet until commanded to go again.

The horse that is inclined to shy and become frightened at every object he sees is treated in the same manner and we frighten him with anything that will accomplish the purpose, but we keep hold of the rope, and if he tries to run, command him to stop, and at the same time pull the rope and let him fall, and when he becomes quiet caress him and keep on repeating these maneuvers until he learns that the only danger to him is in trying to get away, and that when he keeps quiet you always protect him and treat him kindly. You thus gain the confidence of the horse and as long as you are with him he feels no fear. Sometimes we have a horse that is a good saddle animal, if we can mount rim, but the moment we attempt this he springs away and it is almost impossible to get into the saddle. For such a horse, we simply put the belt and foot rope on him and hold the rope when we wish to mount, and when he makes a spring we drop him to his knees. Repeat this a few times and he will never try it again.

How to manage the kicking horse: Handle the animal in the first place as we do the wild or runaway horse. When you have the belt and foot-rope on him, place strap with ring on each hind foot in the same manner as directed for casting; now have half-inch rope, twenty-five feet long, double in the middle and tie a square knot to form a loop eight or ten inches long; now tie another knot sixteen or eighteen inches from the other knot, according to the length of the horse's head; slip the first loop into the mouth and around the upper jaw, so that the square knot will rest against the front of the nose; bring the rope up between the ears and let the other knot rest on top of 00109the head just behind the ears; now bring one end of the rope down on each side of the head and twist them two or three times together under the horse's throat, now bring one end of the rope through the loop that goes into the mouth, then the other end the same way; always bring them through from the back side of the loop. This is what we call our kicking bridle. Now pass the ends of the rope back through the outside ring of the belt and fasten back into the ring at the hind foot, now arrange the rope on the opposite side in the same manner; it is now the object to compel the animal to kick and let him see the evil of it, and the surest way to accomplish this is to pass a rope around his flank in a noose and pull it quickly, which will cause the animal to kick violently, and every time he does he gets the effect on the front of the nose; it does not hurt the mouth as the rope runs straight through, thus throwing the pressure on the nose. When he ceases to kick at this, pass the rope between his hind legs and pull it about the legs. Continue this treatment until he will not kick at anything, then remove the kicking bridle, but retain the belt and front foot rope and allow him to walk about and at the same time draw the rope about the flank and hind legs, and should be attempt to kick pull the belt rope and let him fall; continue this until he will not attempt it again, then when he has ceased kicking go to him and caress and treat him kindly, thus making him understand that when he kicks he is always punished by his own actions, and when he does not he is protected, and there is hardly any horse that will ever again attempt to kick under any circumstances; but should the animal be extraordinarily vicious, it is advisable to repeat the process in a day or two, after that he is safe anywhere, but always in the case of the wild horse, hitch him up at the commencement with the belt and foot rope, as he is liable to think he is at liberty when you take him out of the enclosure, and it is our object to never allow him to gain a single point in disobedience to our wishes, and should be possibly make an effort to kick, pull the foot-rope and let him fall, and he at once sees that it is worse than folly to try to kick. But this is not always convenient, and we must have a means of preventing the animal from kicking, so I will give you the process I use on all kind of kickers. Secure a good sized ring to the crupper strap, just where the hip straps come across the hips, put on what is called a gagring bridle, now take a small rope or strong leather strap, secure one end to ring of bridle bit, pass the other end through the loop at top of bridle and back through the line ring of back-band, then through the ring on the crupper strap, now 001110put another rope or strap on the other side in the same manner, now bring these down to the shafts, one on each side, with these ropes or straps draw the animal's head as high as he carries it to travel conveniently, and secure the ropes or straps to the shafts, being careful to have the shafts well fastened down in front, and it is impossible for the animal to kick up and hit the vehicle, as it is absolutely necessary for the animal to be able to throw the head down in order to raise the hind parts, and the ropes or straps running from the bit up through the loops at the top of the bridle and back through the stationary ring at the hips, and the shafts being well fastened down so they cannot raise, as a matter of course, if the animal attempts to raise the hind parts, the ropes or straps are pulled right through the ring and the result is that the head must raise up instead of down, and the animal finds it impossible to raise up to kick. He can kick with one foot at a time, but he cannot kick high enough to hit the vehicle or do any damage whatever.

Balking and how to cure: In the first place we handle him just the same as the wild one or the kicker: that is learn him to follow at our bidding, and to do it promptly with no hesitation whatever, and when this is accomplished we must place him under difficulties and learn him prompt obedience. In order to do this we put the kicking bridle on him in the same manner we do the kicker, only we tie the head back very close and make it almost impossible to travel at all; we now step in front of him with the whip and command him to come, and if he refuses, throw the whip back around the hind parts till he will come and come promptly without the aid of the whip. You may now remove all the rigs and hitch him up and he is ready to obey any command you may give him that he understands, and this one he does understand and did not wish to obey it.

There is not one case in a hundred where he will again refuse to pull, unless he is abused and forced into it, but we can not always have the means at our command to do this, as we are liable to buy or trade for a balky horse or mule at any time, and we must be able to work or drive him home, and unless we are able to convince him that we are able to compel him to move without any exertion upon our part, we fail to drive him, and all we have to do is to unhitch and take to a level piece of ground, tie a knot in the tail, run the bridle rein through the knot and draw the head around to one side and fasten there, then cause him to travel, which will be in a circle, drive him up in a good fast walk and he will probably fall, 001211but he will not hurt himself as he will fail opposite the way his head is turned, and will do him no injury. He knew what you wished him to do, but he did not wish to do it, and thought you were unable to compel him to move, but you have shown him conclusively that you can compel him to do so, and he would rather move in any other way than the one you made him move in and when you unfasten him and allow him to move again, he is more than willing to go and pull in any direction you may wish, rather than submit to the same process again. You may have to repeat this process once or twice, but the animal soon sees that it will not do to refuse to pull.

Another process I use for horses balking in double harness is to take a three-sixteenth inch rope, double it in the middle and place it under the tail as you would a crupper, cross it on the loins and bring the ends through the breast-strap rings of the hames, bring the balky horse twelve or eighteen inches ahead of the other horse, and tie the ropes to the end of the tongue and when the other horse starts it will bring the pressure under the tail and the animal cannot stand the pressure of this small cord, and he will start and keep going to prevent the pressure, and being ahead of course is compelled to pull, and if you will work him a day or two in this way it will effectually cure any horse of this vexatious habit, and he will in the future invariably be found in the lead if he is able to get there, as he is afraid to lag back for fear of the rope; there is however, one objection to this method, it will cause some horses to kick a few times but they will not continue it for any considerable length of time, as they are compelled to stop to kick and this they find too painful and soon cease kicking and keep going to relieve the pressure.

Halter pulling: For this annoying habit we use the same rig as on the balky horse, we put the rope on like the crupper and cross it on his loins and then pass the ends through the ring of the halter or bridle bit to hold in position, then tie the animal in his stall or to hitch post with the ends of ropes instead of halter rein, and when he pulls back the pressure is so painful that a horse will seldom try this more than two or three times.

Jumping and fence-breaking: This habit is easily cured by placing a surcingle around the body at the girth, with ring attached underneath, then place a strap, with ring attached, around each limb, between fetlock joint and hoof, then take a small rope or strong leather strap and secure to the ring at the front foot, pass up through ring in surcingle and back and tie to ring at hind foot, then take another rope or cord and attach 001312to the feet on the other side in the same manner, take up all slack rope when the animal stands natural, then these ropes or straps will not prevent the animal from walking or trotting for in these gates the animal moves the front and hind feet on the same side at the same time, but he cannot run as he moves both front feet at the same time, and the ropes will prevent him from doing this, and if he rears up to jump, the hind feet are thrown at an angle backward and this pulls the front feet upward and backward, and in order to make his leap he must be able to throw the front feet forward: the result is that instead of going over the fence as he intended, he falls on his knees; he will try it a few times, but no consideration would induce him to do it again; allow him to wear the ropes a few days and he will stay in almost any kind of an enclosure.

Cure for pawing in the Stable: Fasten a short piece of log chain--five or six links, by means of a light strap, to his leg, just above the knee--in the stable of course, so the chain stays in front of the leg, and see how quick the pawing horse will leave off the habit. In most cases a few days will be sufficient to effect a cure.

How to locate a strange horse: Take the horse castor, (which you will find to grow on the inner part of the horse's leg, in the form of a scab) and grate it fine and rub it on the horse's nose and allow him to eat some of it. Also rub some of the castor over the horse from which it was taken, and place the two horses in a lot or stable together until they have time to become acquainted with each other, when you can turn them out and the new or strange horse will follow the other. Repeat this a few days and your horse is located.

Eleven Valuable Ways to Jockey A Horse.How to turn a horse blind. Take Jimson weed leaves, pound them into a fine powder and place a little powder in his eyes. He will stay blind about forty-eight hours, and his eyes will clear up uninjured.

How to make him lame. Take your knife and slit the frog of his foot (just under the side of the "V" in the foot) to the quick, which is a very short distance, and now take a short hair from his mane and place in this slit, and he is lame, and will remain so until you remove the hair.

How to give him distemper. This is done by pouring warm lard in his ears, which will cause him to cough and run 001413at the nose. You can give him glanders in the same way, by using old butter and common snuff instead of lard. Both diseases will get well in a few days, when given in this way.

How to fix him so he will not eat or drink. Take a small piece of beeswax about the size and thickness of a 25 cent piece and place in the roof of the mouth, which will stick very tight, and will not come out until you take it out. A little turpentine on your finger will enable you to remove it at once.

How to give fistula, pull-evil, spavin, ring-bone, in a short time and cure them at once. Take a little Croton oil and place on the horse where you wish him to be affected, and the parts will swell at once. Take salt and water and rub the swelling off at once.

How to teach him pitch. Take a pair of old pants and shirt, stuff with hay to resemble a man, place tacks or pins in the pants so that when you place the dummy on his back they will stick in his back and cause him to jump and pitch.

Before placing the dummy on his back, always hold him by the bit, and when the dummy strikes his back turn him loose and jump back, and in this way you will soon have him so when you hold his head and a man gets on his back he will pitch, and if you do not hold his head, he will go off quiet and gentle.

To remove brands. Take Croton oil and apply to bread lightly with something like a feather, and not allow the oil to run about over the other surface. Repeat this application every seven days for twenty-one days, then after this keep the place well greased with old bacon grease and this will cause the hair to shed off and come out natural, and the brand will then be gone.

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I hereby bind myself by my signature that I will not let anyone use or read this book except myself, and to use all reasonable caution in keeping this book a private matter, and I do hereby bind myself not to teach anyone this method of handling horses for any less than the regular price of tuition, which is $2.

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