INTRODUCTION. 17 



knew if I approached Cruiser with a stick, he would fight me, as 

 he had fought others who came to whip him. In the box was a 

 double door, so that I could open the upper half. I went quietly, 

 opened the door noiselessly. Cruiser turned round, saw me, 

 started back frightfully, but did not attempt to come at me. He 

 came slowly up to smell of me after a while, and in spite of Lord 

 Dorchester's entreaties, I stood still. Presently, when I saw 

 that he stood naturally, I began to fondle him. Lord Dorchester 

 begged me to tie his head, and I did so, but you never saw such 

 fighting. Finding that he would either kill himself or tear down 

 the box, I released him and began all over again. After he 

 allowed me to fondle him, I took him into the straw-yard, and 

 proceeded as with any other horse, until at last he would let me 

 take any liberty with him, and Lord Dorchester mounted him 

 with impunity.' Mr. Rarey declared that Cruiser was about as 

 celebrated for his viciousness as he himself was for taming him. 



" Appealing to the intellect and affections of the horse, as the 

 basis of his system of treatment, Mr. Rarey was enabled to say to 

 his vast audience at Niblo's Garden, New York : ' I never had an 

 accident since I became perfect in my system, and I don't fear 

 any. I have been among horses since I was twelve years old, 

 and at first had a great many accidents. Every limb has been 

 broken but my right arm ; but being young when these accidents 

 happened, the bones naturally healed strongly. Now I know 

 horses' every thought, and can break any animal of whatever age 

 and habits in the world. I can make any animal sensible of my 

 power make him gentle and even affectionate.' " 



According to these statements, Rarey was able to exhibit a de- 

 gree of power over vicious horses that had never before or since 

 been attained or even approached, making himself a landmark of 

 genius and skill that could not be equalled, and that all this was 

 accomplished by the use of two ordinary straps. 



The boldness of his claims, as thus set forth, deepens into 

 audacity when they are examined in the light of the facts which 

 I have been enabled to demonstrate, the full particulars of which 

 will be found on pages 368-384 of this work. Much as I dislike 

 to mar the posthumous reputation of any man, and especially one 

 whose fame has been won in a field similar to that occupied by 

 myself, I deem it an act of simple justice not only to myself and 

 my many thousands of pupils in fifteen different States, but to my 

 system of treatment, to expose the fallacy of Rarey 's pretensions, 

 especially in reference to Cruiser, on whoso subjection more than 



anv or all other of his feats his reputation was made. In the first 

 * i 



