REVENGE IN A HORSE. 
WILL DOBBIN CARRY A C+RUDGE ? 
Does He Remember His Injuries ? 
Several weeks ago we told how one of the horses at 
Hope Farm kicked the other. Would this injured 
horse remember the act and await his chance to obtain 
his revenge ? Our horsemen have taken an interest 
in the matter, and we print what some of them report: 
Some Curious Cases Cited. 
I am of the opinion that some horses manifest genu¬ 
ine revenge. Here is an instance : A horse standing 
in a stall was bitten by a colt, and although very 
gentle, this horse, for years afterward, would always 
bite and kick this colt, not alone every chance it got, 
but would, with some cunning, put itself in a way to 
do so. It certainly seemed positive that this horse 
did not do this in self-defense, but in retaliation. 
I ride a mare that is called all right. She is as 
elegant and gentle as can be. No 
one rides or handles her, outside 
of the barn, but myself. If I 
whip her, she will become first 
lazy and then she will shy at all 
she sees, ride hard, etc. But 
with some petting, she will do 
anything. So if horses retaliate 
for an injury done them by man, 
they certainly will do so toward 
their own kind. Here is a very 
plain instance I remember of my 
boyhood days. We had a big car¬ 
riage horse called Bill; he was as 
gentle as could be, but large, and 
so powerfully built that he was 
master in the pasture. As there 
was no water in the pasture, it 
was my duty to water him twice 
a day. I had to beware when I 
was on his back, lest the horses 
would kick him. He was so 
gentle that he would not kick 
back at a horse when I was on his 
back. One day I remember, a 
colt kicked him twice, and when 
I took him back to the pasture, 
he made straight for the colt, 
and to my satisfaction and his, 
Bill kicked and bit this colt un¬ 
mercifully. GEORGE KLEIN. 
Fort Atkinson, Wis. 
had hurt the other. The injured one was kept stabled 
for some time. The first time it was turned into the 
field where the other horse was grazing, it made 
straight at him. They were separated and kept apart 
for several months, and at the first opportunity, the 
injured horse renewed the combat, and continued to 
do so until the other horse was completely conquered, 
and would run at the sight of him. sam’l b. woods. 
Charlottesville, Va. 
Horses Have Not Much Intelligence. 
I do not think, as a general thing, that horses carry 
the spirit of revenge, although I have seen some in¬ 
stances where one horse would seem to get angry 
with another, and never fail to kick or bite at him 
whenever he got a chance. Very often the horse that 
is kicked at is so frightened by its opponent that he 
dare not show any resistance, or try to get out of the 
way. Some horses are of very high mettle, and will 
resent any appearance of injury from any other horse, 
A GROUP OF SKIM-MILK JERSEYS FROM OHIO. Fig. 325. See Page 722. 
Horses Hate Some Men. 
I cannot say that any instance 
of a horse remembering an injury 
inflicted by another horse, and 
awaiting an opportunity for vengeance, has ever come 
under my own observation. I can, however, give an 
instance in which a horse took vengeance on a man 
who had tormented him. A team of horses were 
hitched to an old-fashioned sawmill, and the man who 
drove them daily was in the habit of teasing one of 
them. The horse was perfectly good-natured to every 
one, and had never shown his dislike for this man. 
One day on which the driver had not been teasing the 
animal, the mill stopped for some reason. Just be¬ 
fore starting up, the driver, who was on the wrong side, 
stooped under a rope and passed with his body bent 
just before this horse. Immediately the animal, see¬ 
ing his opportunity, seized him by the arm and in¬ 
flicted serious injuries upon him before he could be 
rescued. 
I asked my manager whether he thought horses re¬ 
membered injuries : “ Yes, sir ”, he answered, “ just 
as easily as they remember what whoa means ”, He 
mentioned two his father once owned, one of which 
and go at him with all vengeance ; it is very quickly 
decided which is the master, and after that, the 
weaker horse is in fear, and always keeps out of the 
way as much as possible. But I do not think that I 
have ever seen the real spirit of revenge, as in a case 
like this ; where the weaker one had any revenge, he 
would try to get even, and if conquered after that, 
always submit to the superior. At the same time, I 
have seen instances where a horse would avail him¬ 
self of the first opportunity, and give his opponent 
the same medicine, only in a more severe way; then 
the horse that is overpowered becomes the whipped 
party, and will usually try to keep out of the way of 
the other ; this battle would usually settle all contests. 
I do not think that horses, as a general thing, show 
a revengeful disposition. Some show a masterful dis¬ 
position, and want to bite and fight everything that 
comes in their way. They sometimes find their match, 
and the thing is then settled. Horses have very 
strong instincts, but I think that they possess very 
little intelligence. They do a great many marvelous 
and wonderful things through the force of habit, and 
people give them the credit of having great intel¬ 
ligence. There is something wonderful about it, but 
I have my doubts about its being their intelligence. 
For instance, a horse can go a long journey, and the 
driver, on returning, will forget the way, but the 
horse, in most all cases, will take the right path. 
There are many other things that a horse will do still 
more wonderful than this, but as to a horse having 
much of a mind, I have my doubts, though it is true 
horses possess very fine instincts, and they will develop 
many things that one can hardly account for. 
Chicago, Ill. K. J. BERRY. 
No Question About It. 
I can say decidedly that such a spirit of revenge does 
exist with some horses. Horses are much like human 
beings in many ways, and temper and feeling are 
among them. Some horses, like good-natured men, 
easily forgive, while others never 
forget an injury done to them, 
or an undue advantage taken of 
them. I will quote one instance. 
I once had a young stallion which 
I had broken in so that he obeyed 
in everything I ordered; he was 
kind, good-natured, and as gentle 
as one could wish. But as he grew 
older, he developed stubborn¬ 
ness, and was inclined to want 
to have his own way. This did 
not suit me, and I was determined 
to conquer him and make him 
know me as his master. To do 
this, entailed a severe punish¬ 
ment, for which he never forgave 
me. He went away for about 
two years, and then returned to 
me. The revengeful feeling and 
spirit showed strong in him then. 
He would not allow me to go near 
him, and tried in every way and 
manner to do me an injury, 
watching his chance as a revenge¬ 
ful man would do. I had him a 
year, but he would not make 
friends. Any of the men could 
go to him, and he never showed 
temper, but so soon as he saw me, 
he became ungovernable. 
I could mention several other 
such cases that have come under 
my notice, showing the revenge¬ 
ful and unforgiving spirit from 
horse to man. I have seen, and 
in fact, right here, are many 
cases of the same spirit evinced between horse and 
horse. I have horses that I dare not put together in 
the same paddock. They would, probably, inflict 
mortal injury on one another. Even among the 
youngsters, it crops up. I have a two-year-old that, 
when a yearling among a number of others, seemed to 
be an outcast, but since he has grown larger and 
stronger, he never forgets to let any of the others 
know that he remembers the slights put upon him by 
the crowd when he was unable to resent them. 
Supt. Florham Stud Farm, N. J. wm. carxwright. 
Four Short Notes. 
Speaking from a varied experience with both western 
and eastern horses, I would say that I have never 
noticed an act on the part of a horse that I construed 
as emanating from a spirit of revenge. Horses have 
fairly good memories and a large amount of instinct, 
but you must admit that they cannot reason, which 
they would have to do to entertain thoughts of re- 
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