70 HORSE SENSE. 



The horse appreciates kind, intelligent treatment as well as man, and 

 when the horse and his tutor fully understand each other, it is astonish- 

 ing how rapidly the horse acquires his education. 



The domestication and education of the horse was undoubtedly first 

 practiced in Asia, next in Europe and Africa, and afterwards in America, 

 Australia and New Zealand. Even among the natives of the latter 

 country, they practice one of the most humane and absolutely safe 

 methods (though very crude) in training and quieting the wild horse 

 than probably any others in the world, appealing wholly to horse sense 

 and familiarity. 



A HORSE THAT REGULATES HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD. 



My attention was recently called to a case of almost human intelli- 

 gence in a horse. The animal is Trusty Gun, owned by Mr. G. L. 

 Harmon, Machias, Maine. He is a dark bay gelding, 15. i hands, and 

 weighs 1,050 pounds. He was sired by Parker Gun, a son of Jay Bird, 

 by George Wilkes. His dam was Aunt Rhoda, by Trusty Boy, son of 

 Mambrino Patchen. 



When very young this horse showed rare intelligence, and now 

 some of his regular habits are little less than marvelous. He has been 

 furnished two box stalls, one adjoining the other, and connected with 

 a door. One of these rooms has its floor covered with about four inches 

 of mill sawdust, and is used by the animal as a bedroom. The sawdust 

 is renewed but twice a year, and only then because of the dust that is 

 brought in on the colt's feet. 



"The room adjoining this sleeping-room is used as a living-room. 

 In one corner is an iron feed dish, below which is a crib for hay. An- 

 other corner is used by the horse for his excraments. At one side of 

 the room is a box, 20x30 inches, which is used as a urinal, and never 

 since this box was built has the horse used any other part of the room 

 for this purpose. The box is kept filled with sawdust, which is renewed 

 often. The blanket which the colt wore was spotless, and not so much 

 as a stain has ever found its way to either cover or horse. 



THE STOLEN HORSE KNEW HOW TO OPEN HIS STABLE 

 DOOR. 



A gentleman in Vermont had a favorite ]\Iorgan horse stolen, and 

 four years after, he saw, in his native town, a horse that he thought was 

 the one he had lost, and told the man so who had him, but the man as- 

 cured him that he came rightfully by the horse and had paid his hard 

 earned cash for him, and was not willing to hear of another's claim to his 

 favorite animal. The man who had lost the horse said: If you will 

 drive up in the alley back of my barn, and let the horse have his own 

 way, and if he does not go straight to my stable door, pull out the wooden 

 pin that fastens the door, push the door open and go directly to the third 

 stall from the end of the barn and take his place there, I will feel cer- 

 tain that he is not mine, but if he does, then you should be convinced 

 that he has been there before by his own efforts. The man who had 



