CHAPTER XXII 

 STABLEMEN 



T?VEN from a mere dollar-and-cents point of view, it 

 ■^^ is well worth while to employ sober, competent, and 

 good-tempered men in a stable. No man with a loud 

 voice or rough manner is fit to take care of a horse. 

 "An hostler's angry tone," says an old trainer, "will 

 send a quiver of fear down a whole barnful of stalls. 

 I have seen it scores of times." 



There are certain men who have an extraordinary 

 power over horses. One such man called "The Whis- 

 perer," was famous in Ireland in the last century. 

 Another such was well known around the race tracks 

 in the western states some thirty years ago. This 

 man, like "The Whisperer," was noted for his ability 

 in reforming vicious horses. Neither of them used 

 any medicines, drugs, or paraphernalia of any kind. 

 All that they did was to talk to the horse in a low, 

 insinuating, and monotonous tone, and it was never very 

 long before the most vicious animal would yield to this 

 mesmeric treatment. Sometimes there was a relapse, 

 but a few hours' renewed treatment would restore the 

 patient to quietness and sound temper. 



It must be remembered that the horse is at the 

 mercy not only of his driver, but also of the man who 

 takes care of him, when they are not one and the 

 same. All the feed that he receives, all the water that 



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