Originality of Horse Taming Methods. 109 



method, in a manner which leads me to believe that it was 

 ancient nearly thirty years ago. Referring to the Indian war 

 bridle, he says : 'It is mentioned in The Veterinarian of 

 London in 1828 as used by the North American Indians in 

 subduing their horses ; hence it is known as the Indian war 

 bridle.' The Irish breaker Fallon used the long reins in the 

 eighteenth century. Galvayne evidently did not know these 

 facts, or he thought it advisable to conceal them. Though I 

 have not the books by me to give chapter and verse, I believe 

 that Rockwell, Magner, Dudley, Hurlbert, and other tamers 

 who performed prior to the appearance of Jenning's book, 

 were acquainted with all the foregoing methods, which in 1885 

 constituted Sample's secret system. As to Rarey, we have 

 historical proof that his ' original ' system was practised long 

 before the Christian era. The fact of my doubting the just- 

 ness of Sample's claim to originality, in no way lessens the 

 admiration with which I have always regarded the manner in 

 which he handles horses and reduces unruly animals to 

 obedience. I might as well — if I may be allowed to employ 

 the same simile twice — try to depreciate the merits of an able 

 and successful doctor, because he had not invented or dis- 

 covered any of the surgical instruments or medicines he is 

 accustomed to employ. A doctor or breaker is not clever, 

 because he has invented remedial agents, but because he is 

 able to intelligently apply those with which he is acquainted. 



Besides Galvayne alias Osborn, who soon left him, 

 Sample's personnel consisted of a clerk who called himself 

 Franklin, but whose real name was Sexton, and who, later 

 on, endeavoured to burst on the world as ' Professor Leon the 

 celebrated Mexican Horse Tamer ; ' Frank, an Australian 

 rough rider ; and Joe, who had been a sailor. Sexton, who 

 is a brother-in-law of Galvayne, acted, I believe, as his 

 advance agent while Osborn was running his show in the 

 north of England before Sample's arrival in this country. It 

 appears that during that time Franklin learned ' the system ' 

 from Galvayne. Subsequently Osborn and Leon ' fell out,' 



