1835.] 



F A H M E US' K E G I S T E I? 



101 



Traditions of Ireland, Part II. p. 200, lor the fact 

 seems the work of some elfin sprite, rather than 

 of a rude and ignorant, horse-breaker. 



'He was an awkward, ignorant rustic oHhe 

 lowest class, of the name of Sullivan, but better 

 known by the. appellation of the Whisperer; his 

 occupation was horse-breakine-. The nickname 

 he acquired from the vulgar notion of his being 

 able to communicate to the animal what lie wish- 

 ed by means of a whisper, and the singularity of 

 his method seemed in some degree to justify the 

 attribute. In his own neighborhood, the notoriety 

 of the fact made it seem less remarkable, but I 

 doubt if any instance of similar subjugating talent 

 is to be found on record. As far as the sphere of 

 his control extended, the boast of vcni, vi/li, vici, 

 was more justly claimed by .Sullivan than by 

 Caesar himself. 



'How his art was acquired, and in what it con- 

 sisted, is likely to be for ever unknown, as lie has 

 lately (about 1810) left ihe world without, divulg- 

 ing it. His son, who follows the same trade, pos- 

 sesses but a small portion of the art, having either 

 never learned the true secret, or being incapable of 

 putting it into practice. The wonder of his skill 

 consisted in the celerity of the operation, which 

 was performed in privacy without any apparent 

 means of coercion. Every description of horse, 

 or even mule, whether previously broken or un- 

 handled, whatever their peculiar habits or vices 

 might have been, submitted without show of re- 

 sistance to the magical influence of his art, and in 

 the short space of half an hour became 

 and tractable. This effect, though instantaneous- 

 ly produced, was generally durable. Though 

 more submissive to him than to others, they seem- 

 ed to have acquired a docility unknown before. 



'When sent for to tame a vicious beast, for 

 which he was either paid according to the distance^ 

 or generally two or three guineas, he directed the 

 E-table, in which he and the object of the experi- 

 ment were, to be shut-, with orders not to open the 

 door until a signal was given. After a tele-a-tete 

 of about half an hour, during which little or no 

 bustle was heard, the signal was made, and, upon 

 opening the door, the horse appeared lying down, 

 and the man by his side, playing with him like a 

 child with a puppy dog. From that time he was 

 found perfectly willing to submit to any discipline 

 —however repugnant to his nature before.' 'I 

 once/ continues Mr. Townsend, 'saw his skill 

 tried on a horse, which could never before be 

 brought to stand tor a smith to shoe him. The 

 day after Sullivan's hall' hour's lecture, I went, 

 not. without some incredulity, to the smith's shop, 

 with many other curious spectators, where we 

 were eye-witnesses of the complete success of his 

 art. This, too, had been a troop horse, and it. was 

 supposed, not without reason, that'after regimen- 

 tal discipline had failed, no other would be^found 

 availing. I observed that the animal appeared 

 terrified whenever Sullivan either spoke or looked 

 at him; how that extraordinary ascendancy could 

 have been obtained, is difficult to conjecture. 



In common cases this mysterious preparation 

 was unnecessary. He seemed to possess an in- 

 stinctive power of inspiring awe, the result, per- 

 haps, of natural intrepidity, in which, \ believe, a 

 great part of his art consisted; though the. cir- 

 cumstance of the. tete-a-tete shows that, on partic- 

 ular occasions, something more musl have been 



added to it. A faculty like this would in some 

 hands have made, a fortune, and I understand that 

 great oilers were made to him, for the exercise of 

 his art abroad. But hunting was his passion. He 

 lived at home in the. style most agreeable to bis 

 disposition, and nothing could induce him to quit 

 Duhallow and the fox hounds.' 



Mr. Cast ley witnessed the total failure of the 

 younger Sullivan, lie says, 'we. have in the re- 

 giment a remarkably nice horse, called Lancer, 

 that has always been very difficult to shoe, but 

 seven or eight years ago', when we first got him, 

 he was downright, vicious in that respect. When 

 the regiment was stationed at Cork, the farrier- 

 major sought out the present Sullivan, the son of 

 the celebrated Whisperer, and brought him up to 

 the barracks in order to try his hand upon Lancer, 

 and make him more peaceable to shoe; hut I must 

 say this person did not. appear to possess any par- 

 ticular controlling power over the animal, more 

 than any other man. Lancer seemed to pay no 

 attention whatever to his charm, and, at last fairly 

 beat him out of the forge. Time, however, and a 

 long perseverance in kind and gentle, treatment, 

 have effected what force could not. The horse is 

 now pretty reasonable to shoe.' 



Hacking or gibbj/ng. 



One of the first species of resiiihess, taking 

 them in alphabetical order, is barking or gibbing. 

 These are so closely allied that we hardly know 

 how to separate them. Some horses have the 

 habit of backing at first stash ng, and that more, 

 from playfulness than desire of mischief. A mod- 

 erate application of the whip will usually be eflec- 

 tual. Others, even at starting, exhibit considera- 

 ble obstinacy and vieinusuess. This is frequently 

 the effect of bad breaking. Either Ihe shoulder 

 of the horse had been wrung when he was first 

 put to the collar, or he 1 rad been foolishly accustom- 

 ed to start in the break up hill, and, therefore, all his 

 work coming 'upon him at once, when it being 

 much more difficult to draw the break up-hill, than 

 to back and let it run down-hill, ho gradually ac- 

 quired this dangerous habit. 



A hasty and passionate breaker will often make 

 a really good tempered young horse an inveterate 

 gibber. Every young horse is at first shy of the 

 collar. If he be too quickly forced to it, he Avill 

 possibly take a dislike to it, that will occasionally 

 show itself in the form of gibbing as long as he 

 lives. The judicious horse-breaker will resort to 

 no severity, even if the colt should go out several 

 times without touching collar. The example of his 

 companion will ultimately induce him to take to it 

 voluntarily and effectually. 



A large and heavy stone should be put behind 

 the wheel before starling, when the horse, finding 

 it more difficult to bade than to go forward, will 

 gradually forget this unpleasant trick. It will 

 likewise be of advantage, as often as it can be 

 managed, so to start that the horse shall have to 

 back up-hill. The difficulty of accomplishing this 

 will soon make him readily go forward at once. 

 A little coaxing, or leading, or moderate flagella- 

 tion, will assist in accomplishing the cure. 



When, however, a horse, thinking that he has 

 had enough of work, or has been improperly 

 cheeked or corrected, or beginning to feel the pain- 

 ful pressure of the collar, swerves, and gibs, and 



