98 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCT. •*, is'-ty. 



greatest possible distance from liiiu. No rest, uo 

 breathing time was given ; the sweat began to 

 flow, and the mare slower in her movements, ai'id 

 onasionally to turn so us to screen her hind legs 

 frojM the lash. When she tnrned her head to 

 wards liini and approaclied nearest, lie stoppeii 

 ilie whip, stretched out his hand towards her and 

 said ' Come along.' Bnt she was off again in- 

 stanlly, and again the lasli was applied. Present- 

 ly she stojiped, tnrned, looked at him, and inclin- 

 ed slightly towards him. He reached ont his hand, 

 slopped whi) ping, and tonched her neck, saying 

 again, ' Come along.' Bnt there was no come 

 along in her; there she stood sullenly. Away 

 he leaped, and plied the lash and repeated 'Come 

 along.' She soon turned, c.inie towards him, and 

 stopped. He was watching her, and (he moment 

 she began to a<lvance, he ilid iilso, so that now he 

 was near her, he patted her, stopped whipping 

 and as he moved away, said ' come along.' She 

 began to move with him ; but as iC panic struck, 

 a inmiient afterwards, darted off. 'J'|||. (ash was 

 poured into her. She stopped, trembled, and 

 dunged. 



' You'll see now,' saiil Smith to us, 'they gen- 

 erally do this when giving np.' 



She approached ; he patted her neck, stopped 

 whipping, and said 'come along,' moving slowly 

 from her. She now obeyed, fodowiiig him sev- 

 eral times around the room. He patted her neck, 

 and, and as she was following him, lie suddenly 

 darted away and began with the whip, crying 

 'come along.' Instantly she was at his side, and 

 the whip ceased to flash through the air, and he 

 was pattiugher neck as she followed liim around. 

 Whenever she lagged, he was away, and thewhi|) 

 applied. Never after that would she remain two 

 feet from him. 



'You see, gentlemen,' said he, ' the principle. 

 The whip never touches her to hurt, when near 

 me ; nothing near me, or that I bring to her, is 

 to hurt her, so much as her fear of me, or any 

 thing in contact with me.' 



He then took off his glove, thrust his fist into 

 his armpit, and then rubbed it on and in her nos- 

 trils. At'ter walking a. few more times around the 

 room, the mare following close to him, he said 

 ' open the door.' The dour was opened and the 

 mare followed close to hfiii off to the crowd, and 

 through it and back again to the -table. 



He came out, closed the door, and said, ' this, 

 gentlemen, is always the first lesson, and never 

 has to be repeated. After a lior.se follows in the 

 stable, it is but to make him do it in a small lot, 

 where he cannot escape yon. It has taken about 

 thirty minutes. On the whole, it is humane, for 

 it prevents all future coiitention. On enterin" 

 her stable hereafter, she should he reminded bv a 

 single touch of the whip, and 'come along.' She 

 wi.l now follow the sm.ilicst boy, who will go in 

 alone, give her the hint with the whip, and say, 

 ' come along,' for a treaty has been formed with 

 her to this e I'ect, that when near you, she is nev- 

 er to he struck ; but if at u distance and disobs- 

 dient, she sutfers not ufter the fault, but during 

 its commission. Jiy this treatment, her whole 

 nature will he chnnge<l, and she may be taught, 

 by the rational application of the principle, to do 

 any thing that a horse can do. I will now show 

 you that she will let me handle her feet, &c., as 

 soon as I teach her what I want her to do.' 



He went in and closed the door. She came 

 up lo him ; he patted her shoulder, then her arm. 



and carried his hand down the fore leg; she drew 

 hack and trembled. In an instant he was away 

 from her, and the lash ajiplied with 'coyie along.' 

 Up she came, and he began again ; she nosv stood 

 fast, while he ran hia hand over hei leg, patting 

 and soothing her. 



' She is now satisfied, yon see, that she is not 

 to he hurt when I touch her.' 



He then wert from leg to leg, t 11 she stood 

 perfectly ipiiet while he handled them. He then' 

 slightly tapped the inside of the fori! leg, and said 

 ' foot, foot.' She raised it on the toe ; he took 

 hold of it gently, hut firmly, raised it from the 

 ground, and patted her, then stop|)ed a kw mo- 

 ments, and repeated it, till When he tapped it she 

 raised the foot off the ground for him. This he 

 did re[it'atedly to every foot. 



'She now understands,' said he, 'that when I 

 slightly tap her leg, and say 'fool,' I want her to 

 give it to me, and she will do it, for if she does 

 not, she will know the eonscc(uenco. I will be 

 off yonder, and the lash will take my place; I'm 

 the most agreeable of the two. Horses taught 

 this, will neverkick you; they are not only afraid, 

 but from the association of ideas, fake pleasure in 

 your touch ; it is the sign of [leac^. I w-ill now 

 put her confidence iu me to the severest test.' 



He raised the whiji, laiil it on her back, rubbed 

 her with it; she trembled like a leaf till she stood 

 nearer to him, as if for protection. He patted 

 her; shook the whip over Injr, then increased its 

 motion parallel to her back, till it whizzed in the 

 air, wiihout ever touching her; louder aiul louder 

 it sounded, till he began to crack it over her ; — 

 once only did she retire, and back again instantly, 

 for the moment she was ofi', she felt the lash. — 

 After this, he suddenly receded, raised the whip, 

 and said, ' come along.' Up she came ; then he 

 cracked it over her veiy often, and she never 

 moved from him. 



'You see now, gentlemen, that the cracking the 

 whip is also a sign of peace. She will come to 

 it if he sees me, although a quarter of a mile off". 

 Suppose your horse is afraid of an umbrella, or 

 any thing Wse ; take it to the stable, make him 

 follow you with it on your arm ; then touch him, 

 ihen hold it over it over his head, then on his 

 back, and then take him into a lot so small that 

 he cannot escape you, and make him follow there, 

 in like manner. He will soon cease to fear any 

 thing, when you thus prove to him that it will 

 not hurt biin ; or if he is afraid, the great fear of 

 distance, and the lash will cast out the least fear 

 of any thing in contact with you. Break your 

 colls and fillies in accordance with these princi- 

 ples, applied by common sense, and they will play 

 no tricks. Give your colt a first lesson ; at the 

 next, make him come up, lay the bridle on bis 

 head ; when used to it, put it on, make him fol- 

 low with the bridle on, without holding it, then 

 lead him. Handle his logs, and feel as yon have 

 seen done to <lay. Teach him also to bear the 

 crack of the whip near him, and over his back. 

 These several teachings should occupy filteen or 

 twenty minutes, twice a day, for three or four 

 days, then you may bring your blanket and cir- 

 cingle to him ; go on as with the umbrella. When 

 he is used to them, girt the blanket on ; make 

 him follow with it on ; do this several times ; af- 

 ter that, bring in your sa<ldle, use him to it in the 

 same m.innm-. Put it on, and make him follow ; 

 after he is used to it, lay over it a long, narrow- 

 bag, with thirty ])ound8 in each end, and let him 



follow with these on in the stable, and in the lot, 

 with the briille drawn as tigl't as when in the 

 hands of a rider. Repent this several times, r.nd 

 you may put np your boy in the stable; still let 

 him follow you ; then in the lot several times. — 

 After a day or two you may increase your dis- 

 tance from him, towards the centre of the circle 

 in which he walks. He will soon walk around 

 the lot, obeying the bridle of the boy. You may 

 now bring in another gentle horse, with a lider 

 on, to walk with him, but before him at first. — 

 After a few walks thus in the lot, you may take 

 them out, and with ordinary care, your colt is 

 broken and gentle, without having injured him- 

 self or his rider. To teach him to lie down is 

 quite easy, after the foot lesson. Take a fore foo; 

 from the ground, hold it fiimly ; ta;! the other fore' 

 leg, and ask for it. He will necessarily come on 

 his knees. Perhaps he will bounce uj), alarmed 

 at his new position. But you must have patience 

 to teach a horse what you "ant hiui to do. Be- 

 gin again ; bring him iu the same manner as at 

 first, on ids knees, till he will remain quiet in that 

 attitude, permitting you to walk round him with- 

 out attempting to rise. Do this till he is used to 

 it ; then, when he is on his knees, go to a hind 

 foot, and make him give that to yon. When in 

 that position, a^k for the other hind foot ; and 

 down he comes on his side. Perhaps (if he is a 

 timid animal) he will he alarmed at his new po- 

 sition, and rise u[i instantly; but take care to pat 

 him as he goes down, and while he is on the 

 ground ; but as he rises, and is firmly on his feet, 

 you must retire, and gi\e him a slight admonition 

 with the lash, that he is doing wrong to get up 

 so soon. Go again and again through the same 

 routine, he will soon understand what you want 

 him to do. And a horse taught thus, will do for 

 you any thing that he can do when he understands 

 you ; and, gentlemen, he is not slow of under- 

 standing. The horse is naturally a very observ- 

 ing, sagacious, and sensible animal, docile and 

 obedient, when once thoroughly convinced of the 

 superior jowcrs of man. .'Vnd his intellectual 

 powers, if J may say so without offence, are like 

 those of man, much improved by ju'o]ier exer- 

 cise or education, with this remarkable differ- 

 ence : ^f 



' A man convinced against his will, 



Is of the same opinion still.' 

 Not so with the horse. He ni:ver is of the same 

 opinion, after agutnentitrn ad equum has once con- 

 vinced him. The lesson of punishment at a dis- 

 tance from you, and teaching that near you is the 

 place of saliity and peace, with the consequent 

 following you in the stable and ont of if, is the . 

 first step always, <uid the key of the whole sys- 

 tem. This first hsson must be i.iore effectual, by 

 perseverance and courage. I say courage, for 

 some horses fight bravely in the first lesson; nev- 

 er afterwards, if subibjod. If tiiey merely kick 

 and back towards you, the size of the- room ena- 

 bles you, by keeping your eye constantly on them, 

 and sideling round, to avoid their heels, as you ' 

 apply the lash. The horse will soon be tired of 

 presenting his hind legs to you. But if the horse 

 be a strong, bigh-s;iirited stallion of some age, 

 who, badly managed by a tiiuid groom, has had 

 his own way, when he turns his head towards 

 you, then comes the tug of war. In such cases, 

 gentlemen, ] make myself a litile ugly and out 

 iandish in my appearance, bef ire I enter his pres- . 

 ence ; and I do enter in a very bold, and dashin 



