242 STALLIONS. 



no chances should be taken. Such a horse will wait until witnin 

 reach, when he will kick, strike, or bite so quickly that no firmness 

 or quickness of, action would save a man. In such a case resort to 

 any means most convenient and safe that will give sufficient control 

 to enable subjecting him to the regular treatment. If no halter or 

 bridle is on, the following course may be adopted : Put on a halter as 

 described in " Colt-Training," tie up the head, put on a bridle, or one 

 or two War Bridles, get him'out on a sodded place, and subject him 

 to treatment. Of course, if the stall or room is large enough, he can 

 be subjected to treatment there. 



The point of making the horse sufficiently gentle to be handled 

 and used while free from rigging or restraint of any kind, must be" 

 thoroughly established as a foundation upon which this after-treat- 

 ment must be based. Unless this can be done, the horse cannot 

 practically be made safe. In my experience with these cases I make 

 the lesson, if I can, a quick, overpowering rush of force, which breaks 

 up all resistance, and makes him submit before he warms up, being 

 careful not to strain, bruise, or overheat the horse. 



Sometimes stallions, especially of this character, are liable to 

 develop very peculiar whims in the way of affection or hatred. I 

 will give ,here a very marked case, formerly owned by me. A ten- 

 year-old Gifford-Morgan stallion, owned in Bath, Steuben Co., N. Y., 

 was of a fine, intelligent, docile disposition naturally, but when 

 excited he showed an undercurrent of great will and courage. He 

 was raised in Gowanda, N. Y. I bought him for the purpose of 

 training him to, drive without reins, and succeeded in making him 

 drive very nicely, holding him gentle. For a stallion, he was sin- 

 gularly free from all inclination to bite, and other habits of vicious- 

 ness. Later, I sold this horse, with another, for breeding purposes, 

 to Fred Arnd, a hotel-keeper, in Bath, N. Y. . Mr. Arnd (who was 

 somewhat intemperate in his habits) one day perceiving the horse 

 acted as though about to bite, whipped him severely. Happening 

 in the stable at the time, I found Arnd in the horse's stall, and 

 greatly excited from the exertion of whipping and kicking. I told 

 him emphatically that he must not whip and abuse the horse in that 

 way. If he did, he would surely in a short time make him so vicious 

 he could do nothing with him. I advised him at once to give the . 

 horse some apples, and handle and caress him until over the excite- 

 ment. But he disregarded the advice, and about a week afterward 

 I again heard a row in this stall. Proceeding to the place, I found 

 Arnd with hat off and face red with passion, in the act of whipping 

 and kicking the horse. I again told him in the most positive terms 



