56 THE ART OF TRAINING ANIMALS. 



courted night after night, but it is certainly this possihilif^ 

 which renders the performance so attractive. Playing Mazeppa 

 is not always the hight of felicity. 



There is a story told of a horse" who probably never had the 

 honor of figuring on either posters or play bills, which we think 

 may be appropriately recorded here. A traveler on a dark 

 night presented himself at the door of a country inn, and 

 demanded lodgmg. The landlord, after some general remarks, 

 suddenly turned pale and asked his guest by what road he had 

 come. Upon being informed he almost fainted with terror. On 

 examination in the morning it was found that the horse ridden by 

 the traveler had walked with safety the strmg piece of a long 

 bridge, and maintained his footing on the smgle extended tim- 

 ber, scarcely a foot wide. The planks of the bridge had been 

 torn up for repairs the day previous j a misstep of the sure 

 footed animal would have precipitated himself and rider into a 

 chasm a hundred feet below. 



In Mazeppa and similar plays the horse is " worked ■ ' by his 

 trainer or master who comes on the stage attired as one of the 

 retinue or attendants. In other pieces the rider himself manages 

 the horse. These horses are seldom used for any other purpose, 

 as ordinary riding or driving would make their mouths hard 

 and render them less easily controlled upon \\\q stage. In the 

 summer their shoes are taken ofi* and they are allowed a holiday 

 in the country pastures. Mr. Collins, an actor of considerable 

 celebrity who played successfully all the range of equestrian 

 characters, and who trained several of the most popular " star " 

 horses, had a magnificent stallion of large size which was pro- 

 bably the handsomest horse in the profession. He was a trifle 

 too large to display his speed to the b'est advantage in the thea- 

 ter, but on the road, where Mr. 0. occasionally displayed his 

 points, there were few animals who could contest the palm with 

 him for speed. He was a fiery fellow, and if annoyed would bite 

 his tormentor fiercely, and few cared to excite his anger. This 

 was made a "point" of on the stage, Mr. C. plaguing him a 

 little unnoticed by the public, and the spirit the horse displayed 

 always " took " with the audience. Mr. C, however, found it 

 necessary to keep out of reach of the animal's teeth, or even Ms 

 influence over the horse might not have preserved him from an 

 uncomfortable nip. 



Years ago when horse dramas reigned in the Broadway thea- 

 ters, as well as in the less aristocratic locality of the Bowery, 

 an enterprising manager determined to bring out Heme the 

 Hunter, " in the highest style of the art." A number of horses, 

 circus men and innumerable supernumeraries were engaged, and 



