HORSE-TAMING AND BREAKING 187 



federate of the Evil One, and how " the whisperer " 

 laid the priest's horse under a spell, and forthwith 

 led him a weary chase among the cross-roads, till he 

 promised in despair to let Sullivan alone for ever. 

 Sullivan left three sons : only one of them practised 

 his art with imperfect success till his death ; neither 

 of the others pretended to any knowledge of it. One 

 of them was till recently a horse-breaker at Mallow.' 



Mr. John S. Earey, who came to this country from 

 America early in 1858, announced that he could not 

 only tame the wildest horses, but could teach others 

 to do so. He was willing to teach his system to five 

 hundred pupils, who were to pay ten guineas each 

 for the knowledge, and at the same time bind them- 

 selves to absolute secrecy as to the means employed. 

 He announced that his system was characterised by 

 a total absence of punishment or violent coercion, 

 neither did he use drugs or instruments ; he did not 

 subdue the spirit of the horse by starvation, but 

 employed only means consistent with the utmost 

 tenderness for the pupil under tuition. Mr. Rarey's 

 list of intending pupils was soon filled, the lessons 

 were given, and the results fully bore out his pro- 

 mises : animals which had been known as very bad 

 characters — stubborn or savage — after a short course 

 of Mr. Rarey's treatment, became perfectly quiet 

 and docile. 



' One of the first horses operated upon by Mr. 

 Eare}^ was Cruiser, the most vicious stallion in 



