79 



Ho^v to Catcli a Horse in I^astttrc. 



The prevailing opinion of horsemen generally is, 

 that the sense of smell is the governing sense of the 

 horse, and that no means can be employed by which 

 to catch a wild horse in pasture without the use of 

 strong smelling oils. Sullivan, Faucher, as well as 

 others, have got up receipts of strong smelling oils, to 

 catch and tame a wild horse — sometimes using the 

 castor of his leg, which they dry, grind into a powder, 

 and blow into his nostrils, sometimes using the oil of 

 rhodium, cummin, and organum, that are noted for 

 their strong smell, and sometimes they scent the 

 hands with the sweat from under the arms, and blow 

 their breath into his nostrils ; all of which, as far as 

 the scent goes, have no efiect whatever in gentling 

 or subduing the horse, or conveying any idea to his 

 mind, though the work that accompany these efforts 

 — handling him, touching him about the nose and 

 head, and patting him, as they direct you should 

 after administering the article — will have a very great 

 effect, which they mistake for the effect of the ingre- 

 dients used. By using the oils, you can approach a 

 wild horse in pasture, and, after caressing him for a 

 length of time, get your halter on his head, but when 

 you attempt to lead him, he is off as wild as ever. 



Faucher, in his work entitled The Arabian Art of 

 Taming Horses^ page 17, tells us how to accustom a 

 horse to a robe by administering certain articles to 

 his nose, and goes on to say, that these articles must 

 first be applied to the horse's nose before you attempt 

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