(0 > ^^ ^ 
 
 THE ARABIAN ART 
 
 TAMING AND TRAINING 
 
 WILD AND VICIOUS HORSES. 
 
 IBTS- I^. C3-. IS/LJ^SK.^-HLJ^TJLu. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY HENRY G. COOK 
 
 NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 
 1858. 
 
c.<< 
 
 
 fo 
 
 ^-^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The first domestication of the horse, one of the greatest achievements of 
 man in the animal kingdom, was not the work of a day, but like all other great 
 accomplishments, was brought about by a gradual process of discoveries and 
 experiments. He first subdued the more subordinate animals, on account of 
 their being easily caught and tamed, and used for many years the mere drudges, 
 the ox, the ass and the camel, instead of the fleet and elegant horse. This noble 
 animal was the last brought into subjection, owing, perhaps, to man's limited 
 knowledge of his nature, and his consequent inability to control him. This fact 
 alone is sufficient evidence of his superiority over all other animals. 
 
 Man, in all his inventions and discoveries, has almost invariably commenced 
 with some simple principle, and gradually developed it from one degree of per- 
 fection to another. The first hint that we have of the use of electricity, was 
 Franklin's drawing it from the clouds with his kite. Now it is the instrument 
 of conveying thought from mind to mind with a rapidity that surpasses time. 
 The great propelling power that drives the wheel of the engine over our land, 
 and ploughs the ocean with our steamers, was first discovered escaping from a 
 tea-kettle. And so the powers of the horse, second only to the powers of steam, 
 became known to man only as experiments and investigation revealed them. 
 
 The horse, according to the best accounts we can gather, has been the con- 
 stant servant of man for nearly four thousand years, ever rewarding him with 
 his labor and adding to his comfort in proportion to his skill and manner of 
 using him ; but being to tliose who govern him by brute force and know nothing 
 of the beauty and delight to be gained from the cultivation of his finer nature, 
 a fretful, vicious, and often dangerous servant ; whilst to the Arab, whose horse 
 is the pride of his life, and who governs him by the law of kindness, we find 
 him to be quite a diflferent animal. The manner in which he is treated from a 
 foal, gives him an afiection and attachment for his master not known in any 
 other country. The Arab and his children, the mare and her foal, inhabit the 
 tent together ; and although the colt and mare's neck are often pillows for the 
 children to roil upon, no accident ever occurs, the mare being as careful of the 
 children as of the colt. Such is the mutual attachment between the horse and 
 hi^ master, that he will leave his companions at his master's call, ever glad to 
 obey his voice. And wlien tlic Arab falls from his horse and is unable to rise 
 again, he will stand by him .and neigh for assistance ; and if he lays down to 
 sleep, as fatigue sometimes compels him to do in the midst of the desert, his 
 faithful steed will watch over liim, and neigh to arouse him if man or beast 
 approaches. The Arabs frequently teacli their horses secret signs or signals, 
 which they make use of on urgent occasions to call forth their utmost exertions. 
 These are more efficient than the barbarous mode of urging them on with spur 
 and whip, a forcible illustration of which will be foimd in the following anec- 
 dote : — 
 
 A Bedouin, named Jabal, possessed a mare of great celebrity. Hassad 
 Pacha, then Governor of Damascus, wished to buy the animal, and repeatedly 
 
Ill 
 
 made the owner the most liberal offers, which Jabal steadily refused. The 
 Pacha then had recourse to threats, but with no better success. At length, one 
 Gafar, a Bedouin of another tribe, presented himself to the Pacha, and asked 
 what he would give the man who would make him master of Jabal's mare. '' I 
 will fill his horse's nose-bag with gold," replied Hassad. The result of this in- 
 terview having gone abroad, Jabal became more watchful than ever, and always 
 secured his mare at night with an iron chain, one end of which was fastened to 
 her hind fetlock, whilst the other, after passing through the tent cloth, was at- 
 tached to a picket driven in the groimd, under tlie felt that served himself and 
 wife for a bed. But one midnight Gafar crept silently into the tent and suc- 
 ceeded in locsehing the chain. Just before starting otf with his prize, he caught 
 up Jabal's lance, and poking him with the butt end, cried out, " I am Gafar ! I 
 have stolen your noble mare, and will give you notice in time." This warning 
 was in accordance with the customs of the Desert ; for to rob a hostile tribe is 
 considered an honorable exploit, and the man who accomplishes it is desirous of 
 all the glory that may flow from the deed. Poor Jabal, when he heard the 
 words, rushed out of the tent and gave the alarm, then mounting his brother's 
 mare, accompanied by some of the tribe, he pursued the robber for four hours. 
 The brother's mare was of the same stock as Jabal's, but not equal to her ; nev- 
 ertheless, he outstripped those of all the other pursuers, and was even on the 
 point of overtaking the robber, when Jabal shouted to him, " Pinch her right 
 ear, and give her a touch of the heel." Gafar did so, and away went the mare 
 like lightning, speedily rendering further pursuit hopeless. Thepinch in the ear 
 and the touch oj' the heel were the secret signs by which Jabal had been used to 
 urge his mare to her utmost speed. Jabal's companions were amazed and in- 
 dignant at his strange conduct. " 0, thou father of a jackass !" they cried, " thou 
 hast helped the thief to rob thee of thy jewel." But he silenced their upbraid- 
 ings by saying, " I would rather lose her than sully her reputation. Would 
 you have me suffer it to be said among the tribes that another mare had proved 
 fleeter than mine ? I have at least this comfort left me, that I can say she never 
 met with her match." 
 
 Diflerent countries have their diflerent modes of horsemansliip, but amongst 
 all of them its first practice was carried on in but a rude and indifferent way, 
 being hardly a stepping-stone to the comfort and delight gained from the use of 
 the horse at the present day. The polished Greeks, as well as the ruder nations 
 of Northern Africa, for a long while rode without either saddle or bridle, guiding 
 their horses with the voice or the hand, or with a light switch with which 
 they touched the animal on the side of the face to make him turn in the opposite 
 direction. They urged him forward by a touch of the heel, and stopped him by 
 catching him by the muzzle. Bridles and bits were at length iirtroduced, but 
 many centuries elapsed before anything that could be called a saddle, was used. 
 Instead of these, cloths, single or padded, and skins of wild beasts, often richly 
 adorned, were placed beneath the rider, but always without stirrups ; and it is 
 given as an extraordinary fact, that the Romans, even in the times when luxury 
 was carried to excess amongst them, never devised so simple an expedient for 
 assisting the horseman to mount, to lessen his fatigue and aid him in sitting 
 more securely in his saddle. Ancient sculptors prove that the horsemen of almost 
 every country were accustomed to mount their horses from the right side of the 
 animal, that they might the better grasp the mane, which hangs on that side, a 
 practice universally changed in modern times. The ancients generally leaped 
 on their horses' backs, though they sometimes carried a spear with a loop or 
 projection about two feet from the bottom, which served them as a step. In 
 Greece and Rome the local magistracy were bound to see that blocks for mount- 
 ing, (what the Scotch call loupin-on stones,) were placed along the road at con- 
 venient distances. The great, however, thought it more dignified to mount their 
 horses by stepping on the bent backs of their servants or slaves ; and many who 
 could not command such costly, help, used to carry a light ladder about with 
 them. The first distinct notice that we have of the use of the saddle, occurs in 
 the edict of the Emperor Theodosius, (A. D. 385,) from which we also learn that 
 it was usual for those who hired post-horses to provide their own saddles, and 
 that the saddle should not weigh more than sixty pounds, a cumbrous contri- 
 vance, more like the howdahs placed on the backs of elephants, than the light and 
 
IV 
 
 elegant saddle of modern times. Side-saddles for ladies are an invention of 
 comparatively recent date. The first seen in England, was made for Anne, of 
 Bohemia, wife of Richard the II., and was probably more like a pillion than the 
 side-saddle of the present day. A pillion is a sort of a very low backed arm 
 chair, and was fastened on the horse's croup, behind the saddle, on which a man 
 rode who had all the care of managing the horse, while the lady sat at her ease, 
 supporting herself by grasping a belt which he wore, or passing her arm around 
 his body, if the s^cntleman ivas not too ticklish. But the Mexicans manage these 
 things more gallantly than the ancients did. The *' pisanna," or country lady, 
 we are told, is often seen mounted before her " cavalera," who takes the more 
 natural position of being seated behind his fair one, supporting her by throwing 
 his arm around her waist, (a veiy appropriate support if the bent position of 
 the arm does not cause an occasional contraction of the muscles.) These two 
 positions may justly be considered as the first steps taken by the ladies towards 
 their improved and elegant mode of riding at the present day. 
 
 At an early period, when the diversion of hawking was prevalent, they 
 dressed themselves in the costume of the knight, and rode astride. Horses were 
 in general use for many centuries before anything like a protection for the hoof 
 was thought of, and it was introduced, at first, as a matter of course, on a very 
 simple scale. The first foot defense, it is said, which was given to the horse, 
 was on the same principle as that worn by man, which was a sort of a sandal, 
 made of leather, and tied to the horse's foot by means of straps or strings- And 
 finally plates of metal were fastened to the horse's feet by the same simple 
 means. 
 
 Here again, as in the case of the stirrupless saddle, when we reflect that 
 men should, for nearly a thousand years, have gone on fastening plates of metal 
 under horses' hoofs by the clumsy means of straps and strings, without its ever 
 occurring to them to try so simple an improvement as nails, we have another 
 remarkable demonstration of the slow steps by which horsemanship has reached 
 its present state. 
 
 In the foregoing remarks, I have taken the liberty of extracting several 
 facts from a valuable little work by RoUa Springfield. With this short comment 
 on the rise and progress of horsemanship, from its commencement up to the 
 present time, I will proceed to give you the principles of a new theory of taming 
 wild horses, which is the result of many experiments and a thorough investiga- 
 tion and trial of the diflerent methods of horsemanship now in use. 
 
 HOW TO BREAK A HORSE THAT PULLS ON THE HALTER. 
 
 Put the halter strap over a strong pole and bring it between his fore legs, 
 and fasten the end of it to the paster joint of the hind foot and let him pull till 
 he is willing to stand. 
 
THE THIIEE 
 
 FUNDAMENTAL PKINCIPLES OF MY THEORY, 
 
 FOUNDED 
 
 ON THE LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OP THE HORSE. 
 
 First. — That Le is so constituted by nature that he will not 
 oflfer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully com- 
 prehends, if made in a way consistent with the laws of his nature. 
 
 Second. — That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond 
 his experience, and can be handled according to our will, without 
 force. 
 
 Third. — That we can, in compliance with the laws of his na- 
 ture by which he examines all things new to him, take any object, 
 however frightful, around, over or on him, that does not inflict 
 pain, without cavising him to fear. 
 
 To take these assertions in order, I will^r*^ give you some of 
 the reasons why I think he is naturally obedient, and will not offer 
 resistance to any thing fully comprehended. The horse, though 
 possessed of some faculties superior to man's, being deficient of 
 reasoning powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will 
 and independent government, and knows not of any imposition 
 practiced upon him, however unreasonable these impositions may 
 be. Consequently, he cannot come to any decision Avhat he should 
 or should not do, because he has not the reasoning faculties of 
 man to argue the justice of the thing demanded of him. If he had, 
 taking into consideration his superior strength, he would be useless 
 to man as a servant. Give him vi'md in proportion to his strength, 
 and he will demand of us the green fields for an inheritance, where 
 he will roam at leisure, denying the right of servitude at all. God 
 has wisely formed his nature so that it caii be operated upon by 
 the knowledge of man, according to the dictates of his will. And 
 he might well be termed an unconscious, submissive servant. This 
 truth we can see verified in every day's experience by the abuses 
 practised upon him. Any one who chooses to be so cruel, can 
 mount the noble steed and run him till he drops with fatigue, or, 
 as is often the case with the more spirited, falls dead with the rider. 
 If he had the power to reason, would he not vault and pitch his 
 rider, rather than suffer him to rixn him to death ? Or would he 
 condescend to carry at all the vain imposter, who, with but equal 
 intellect, was trying to impose on his equal rights and his equally 
 independent spirit % But happily for us, he has no consciousness 
 
6 
 
 of imposition, no thought of disobedience, except by impulse, 
 caused by the violation of the law of his nature ; consequently, 
 when disobedient it is the fault of man. 
 
 Then, we can but come to the conclusion that if a horse is not 
 taken in a way at variance with the laws of his nature, he will do 
 anything that he fully comprehends, without making any offer of 
 resistance. 
 
 Second. — The fact of the horse being unconscious of the amount 
 of his strength, can be proven to the satisftiction of any one. For 
 instance, such remarks as these are common, and perhaps familiar 
 to your recollection. One person says to another, " If that Avild 
 horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength, his owner 
 would have no business with him in that vehicle ; such light reins 
 and harness, too ; if he knew he could snap them asunder in a 
 minute ahd be as free as the air we breathe ;" and " that horse 
 yonder that is pawing and fretting to follow the company that is 
 fast leaving him, if he knew his strength he would not remain long 
 fastened to that hitching post so much against his will, by a strap 
 that would no more resist his j)owerful weight and strength, than 
 a cotton thread would bind a strong man." Yet these facts, made 
 common by every day occurrence, are not thought of as anything 
 wonderful. Like the ignorant man who looks at the different 
 phases of the moon, you look at these things as he looks at her 
 different changes, Avithout troubling your mind with the question, 
 " Why are these things so ?" What would be the condition of 
 the world if all our minds lay dormant 1 If men did not think, 
 reason and act, our undisturbed, slumbering intellects would not 
 excel the imbecility of the brute ; we would live in chaos, hardly 
 aware of our existence. And yet, with all our activity of mind, 
 we daily pass by unobserved that which would be wonderful if 
 philosophized and reasoned upon, and with the same inconsistency 
 wonder at that Avhich a little consideration, reason and philosophy 
 would make but a simple affair. 
 
 Third. — He would allow any object, however frightful in appear- 
 ance, to come around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain. 
 We know from a natural course of reasoning, that there has never 
 been an effect without a cause, and we infer from this there can be 
 no action, either in animate or inanimate matter, Avithout there 
 Hrst being some cause to produce it. And from this self-evident 
 fact Ave know that there is some cause for every impulse or move- 
 ment of either mind or matter, and that this Liav governs every 
 action or movement of the animal kingdom. Then, according to 
 this theory, there must be some cause before fear can exist ; and, 
 if fear exists from the effect of imagination, and not from the 
 inlliction of real pain, it can be removed by complying with those 
 laAvs of nature by Avhich the horse examines an object, and deter- 
 mines upon its innocence or harm. 
 
 A log or stump by the road-side may be, in the imagination of 
 the horse, some great beast about to pounce upon him ; but after 
 you take him up to it and let him stand by it a little Avhile, and 
 touch it AA'ith his nose, and go through his process of examination, 
 
he will not care anything about it. And the same principle and 
 process will have the same effect with any other object, however 
 frightful in appearance, in which there is no harm. Take a boy 
 that has been frightened by a false face, or any other object, that he 
 could not comprehend at once ; but let him take the face or object 
 in his hands and examine it, and he will care nothing more about 
 it. This is a demonstration of the same principle. 
 
 With this introduction to the principles of my theory, I shall next 
 attempt to teach you how to put it into practice, and whatever 
 instructions may follow, you may rely on as having been proven 
 practically by my own experiments. And knowing from experi- 
 ence just what obstacles I have met with in handling bad horses, 
 shall try to anticipate them for you, and assist yoii in surmounting 
 them, by commencing with the first steps taken with the colt, and 
 accompanying you through the whole task of breaking. * 
 
 HOW TO SUCCEED IN GETTING COLTS FROM PASTURE. 
 
 Go to the pasture and walk around the whole herd quietly, and 
 at such a distance as not to cause them to scare and run. Then ap- 
 proach them very slowly, and if they stick up their heads and seem 
 to be frightened hold on until they become qu.iet, so as not to make 
 them run before you are close enough to drive them in the direc- 
 tion you want to go. And Avlien you begin to drive do not flourish 
 your arms or halloo, but gently follow them off, leaving the direc- 
 tion free for them that you wish them to take. Thus taking advan- 
 tage of their ignorance, you will be able to get them in the pound 
 as easily as the hunter drives the quail into his net. For, if they 
 have always run into the pasture uncared for, (as many horses do 
 in prairie countries and on large plantations,) there is no reason 
 why they should not be as wild as the sportsman's birds, and require 
 the same gentle treatment, if you want to get them without trouble ; 
 for the horse in his natural state is as wild as any of the undo- 
 mestic animals, though more easily tamed than most of them. 
 
 HOW TO STAlBLE A COLT WITHOUT TROUBLE. 
 
 The next step will be to get the horse into a stable or shed. This 
 should be done as quietly as possible, so as not to excite any sus- 
 picion in the horse of any danger befalling him. The best way to 
 do this, is to lead a gentle horse into the stable first and hitch him, 
 then quietly walk around the colt and let him go in of his own 
 accord. It is almost impossible to get men who have never prac- 
 ticed on this principle, to go slow and considerate enough about it. 
 They do not know that in handling a wild horse, above all other 
 things, is that good old adage true, that " haste makes waste ;" 
 that is, waste of time, for the gain of trouble and perplexity. 
 
 One wrong move may frighten your horse, and make him think 
 it necessary to escape at all hazards for the safety of his life, and 
 thus make two hours' work of a ten minutes' job ; and this Avould 
 
8 
 
 be all your own fault, and entirely unnecessary ; for he will not 
 run unless you run after him, and that would not he good policy, 
 unless you knew that you could outrun him ; or you will have to 
 let him stop of his own accord after all. But he will not try to 
 break away, unless you attempt to force him into measures. If he 
 does not see the way at once, and is a little fretful about going in, 
 do not undertake to drive him, but give a little less room outside, 
 by gently closing in around him. Do not raise your arms, but let 
 them hang at your side ; for you might as well raise a club. The 
 horse has never studied anatomy, and does not know but they will 
 unhinge themselves and fly at him. If he attempts to tu.rn back, 
 walk before him, but do not run ; and if he gets past you, encircle 
 him again in the same quiet manner, and he will soon find that you 
 are not gping to hurt him ; and you can soon walk so close around 
 him that he will go into the stable for more room, and to get far- 
 ther from you. As soon as he is in remove the quiet horse and 
 shut the door. This will be his first notion of confinement — not 
 knowing how to get in such a place, nor how to get out of it. That 
 he may take it as quietly as possible, see that the shed is entirely 
 free from dogs, chickens, or anything that would annoy him ; then 
 give him a few ears of corn ; and let him remain alone fifteen or 
 twenty minutes, until he has examined his apartment, and has 
 become reconciled to his confinement. 
 
 TIME TO REFLECT. 
 
 And now while your horse is eating those feAV ears of corn, is 
 the proper time to see that your halter is ready and all right, and 
 to reflect on the best mode of operations ; for in horse-breaking, 
 it is highly important that you should be governed by some system. 
 And you should know before you attempt to do anything, just 
 what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it. And, 
 if you are experienced in the art of taming wild horses, you 
 ought to be able to tell in a few minutes the length of time it 
 would take you to halter the colt, and learn him to lead. 
 
 TI-IE KIND OF HALTER. 
 
 Always use a leather halter, and be sure to have it made so that 
 it will not draw tight around his nose if he pulls on it. It should 
 be of the right size to fit his head easily and nicely ; so that the 
 nooseband will not be too fight or too low. Never put a rope hal- 
 ter on an unbroken colt under any circumstances whatever. They 
 have caused more horses to hurt or kill themselves, than would 
 pay for twice the cost of all the leather halters that have ever been 
 needed for the jjurpose of haltering colts. It is almost impossible 
 to break a colt that is very wild with a rope halter, withoixt having 
 him pull, rear and throw himself, and thus endanger his life ; and 
 I will tell you why. It is just as natural for a horse to try to get 
 his head out of anything that hurts it, or feels unpleasant as it 
 
would be for you to try to get your band out of afire. Tbe cords 
 of tbe rope are hard and cutting ; this makes bim raise bis bead 
 and draw on it, and as soon as be pulls, tbe slip noose (tbe way 
 rope baiters are always made) tightens and pincbes bis nose, and 
 then be will struggle for life, until percbance be throws himself; 
 and who Avould have his horse throw himself, and run the risk of 
 breaking his neck, rather than pay tbe price of a leather halter. 
 But this is not tbe worst. A horse that has once pulled on bis halter 
 can never be as well broke as one that has never pulled at all. 
 
 REMAEKS ON THE HORSE. 
 
 But before we attempt to do anything more with tbe colt, I will 
 give you some of tbe characteristics of his nature, that you may 
 better understand bis emotions. Every one that has ever paid 
 any attention to tbe horse, has noticed bis natural inclination to 
 smell everything which to bim looks new and frightful. This is 
 their strange mode of examining everything. And, when they 
 are frightened at anything, though they look at it sharply, they 
 seem to have no confidence in this optical examination alone, but 
 must touch it with tbe nose before they are entirely satisfied ; and, 
 as soon as this is done, all is right. 
 
 EXPERIMENTS WITH THE ROBE. 
 
 If you want to satisfy yourself of this characteristic of tbe horse 
 and learn something of the importance concerning tbe peculiarities 
 of his nature, turn him into the barn-yard, or a large stable will 
 do, and then gather up something that you know will frighten him ; 
 a red blanket, bufi'alo robe, or something of that kind. Hold it ixp 
 so that be can see it ; he will stick up his head and snort. Then 
 throw it down somewhere in the center of the lot or barn, and 
 walk ofi" to one side. Watch his motions, and study bis nature. 
 If he is frightened at tbe object, be will not rest until be has 
 touched it with bis nose. You will see him soon begin to walk 
 around tbe robe and snort, all tbe time getting a little closer, as if 
 drawn up by some magic spell, until be finally gets within tbe 
 reach of it. He will then very cautiously stretch out bis neck as 
 far as be can reach, merely touching it with his nose, as though bo 
 thought it was ready to tly at bim. But after he has repeated 
 these touches a few times, for tbe first (though he has been looking 
 at it all the time) be seems to have an idea what it is. But now 
 he has found, by tbe sense of feeling, that it is nothing that will 
 do him any harm, and be is ready to play with it with bis teeth, 
 aud raise it up, and pull at it. And in a few minutes you can see 
 that be has not that same wild look about his eye, but stands like 
 a horse biting at some familiar stump. 
 
 Yet the horse is never so well satisfied when about anything 
 that has frightened bim as when he is standing with bis nose to k. 
 And, in nine cases out of ten, yon will see some of that same wild 
 
10 
 
 look about him again, as he turns to walk from it. And you will 
 probably see him look back very suspiciously as he walks away, as 
 though he thought it might come after him yet. And, in all pro- 
 bability, he will have to go back and make another examination, 
 before he is satisfied. But he will familiarize himself with it, and 
 if he should run in that lot a few days, the robe that frightened 
 him so much at first, will be no more than some familiar stump. 
 
 SUPPOSITION ON THE SENSE OF SMELLING. 
 
 We might very naturally suppose, from the fact of the horse's 
 applying his nose to everything new to him, that he always does 
 so for the purpose of smelling these objects. But I believe that it is 
 as much or more for the purpose of feeling ; and that he makes 
 use of his nose or muzzle (as it is sometimes called), as we would 
 of our hands ; because it is the only organ by which he can touch 
 or feel anything with much susceptibility. 
 
 I believe that he invariably makes use of the four senses, seeing, 
 hearing, smelling and feeling, in all of his examinations, of which 
 the sense of feeling is, perhaps, the most important. And I think 
 that in the experiment with the robe — his gradual approach and 
 final touch with the nose, was as much for the purpose of feeling 
 as anything else, his sense of smell being so keen, that it would not 
 be necessary for him to touch his nose against anything in order 
 to get the proper scent ; for it is said that a horse can smell a man 
 the distance of a mile. And, if the scent of the robe was all that 
 was necessary, he could get it several rods off. But we know 
 from experience, that if a horse sees and smells a robe a short dis- 
 tance from him, he is very much frightened (unless he is used to it,) 
 until he touches or feels it with his nose ; which is a positive pi-oof 
 that feeling is the controlling sense in this case. 
 
 PREVAILING OPINION OF HORSEMEN. 
 
 It is a prevailing opinion among horsemen generally, that the sense 
 of smell is the governing sense of the horse. And Faucher, as well 
 as others, have with that view, got up receipts of strong smelling 
 oils, etc., to tame the horse, sometimes using the chestnut of his 
 leg, which they dry, grind into powder and blow into his nostrils. 
 Sometimes using the oil of rhodium, organum, etc., that are noted 
 for their strong smell. And sometimes they scent the hands with 
 the sweat from under their arms, and blow their breath into his 
 nostrils, etc., etc. All of which, as far as the scent goes, have no 
 effect whatever in gentling the horse, or conveying any idea to his 
 mind ; though the works that accompany these efforts, handling 
 him, touching him about the nose and head, and patting him, as 
 they direct you should, after administering the articles, may have 
 a very great effect, which they mistake to be the effects of the in- 
 gredients used. And Faucher, in his work entitled, " The Arabian 
 art of taming Horses," page 17, tells us how to accustom a horse 
 
11 
 
 to a robe, by administering certain articles to his nose ; and goes 
 on to say, that these articles must first be applied to the horse's nose 
 before you attempt to break him, in order to operate successfully. 
 
 Now, reader, can you, or any one else give one single reason how 
 scent can convey any idea to the horse's mind of what we want 
 him to do ? If not, then, of course, strong scents of any kind are 
 of no account in taming the unbroken horse. For everything that 
 we get him to do of his own accord, without force, must be accom- 
 plished by some means of conveying our ideas to his mind. I say 
 to my horse " go 'long !" and he goes ; " ho !" and he stops ; be- 
 cause these two words, of which he has learned the meaning by 
 the tap of the whip and the pull of the rein that first accompanied 
 them convey the two ideas to his mind of go and stop. 
 
 Faucher, or no one else, can ever learn the horse a single thing 
 by the means of a scent alone. 
 
 How long do you suppose a horse would have to stand and smell 
 of a bottle of oil, before he would learn to bend the knee, and make 
 a bow at your bidding, " go yonder and bring your hat," or, 
 " come here and lay down." Thus you see the absurdity of trying 
 to break or tame the horse by the means of receipts for articles to 
 smell of, or medicines to give him, of any kind whatever. 
 
 The only science that has ever existed in the world, relative to 
 the breaking of horses, that has been of any account, is that true 
 method which takes them in their native state, and improves their 
 intelligence. 
 
 POWEL'S SYSTEM OF APPROACHING THE COLT. 
 
 But before we go further, I will give you Willis J. Powel's system 
 of approaching a wild colt, as given by him in a work published in 
 Europe, about the year 1814, on the "Art of taming wild Horses." 
 he says, "A horse is gentled by my secret, in from two to sixteen 
 hours. The time I have most commonly employed has been from 
 four to six hours." He goes on to say ; " Cause your horse to be 
 put in a small yard, stable, or room. If in a stable or room, it 
 ought to be large in order to give him some exercise with the halter 
 before you lead him out. If the horse belongs to that class which 
 appears only to fear man, you must introduce yourself gently into 
 the stable, room, or yard, where the horse is. He will naturally 
 run from you and frequently turn his head from you ; but you 
 must walk about extremely slow and softly, so that he can see 
 you whenever he turns his head toward you, which he never fails 
 to do in a short time, say in a quarter or half an hour. I never 
 knew one to be much longer without turning toward me. 
 
 "At the very moment he turns his head, hold out your left hand 
 toward him, and stand perfectly still, keeping your eyes upon the 
 horse, watching his motions if he makes any. If the horse does 
 not stir for ten or fifteen minutes, advance as slowly as possible, 
 and without making the least noise, always holding out your left 
 hand, without any other ingredient in it than that which nature 
 
12 
 
 put in it." He says : "I have made use of certain ingredients 
 before people, such as the sweat under my arms, etc., to disguise 
 the real secret, and many believed that the docility to which the 
 horse arrived in so short a time was owing to these ingredients ; 
 but you see from this explanation, that they were of no use what- 
 ever. The implicit faith placed in these ingredients, though inno- 
 cent in themselves, become 'faith without works.' And thus men 
 remained always in doubt concerning this secret. If the horse 
 makes the least motion when you advance toward him, stop, and 
 remain perfectly still until he is quiet. Eemain a few moments in 
 this condition, and then advance again in the same slow and im- 
 perceptible manner. Take notice ; if the horse stirs, stop without 
 changing your position. It is very uncommon for the horse to stir 
 more than once after you begin to advance, yet there are exceptions. 
 He generally keeps his eyes steadfast on you until you get near 
 enough to touch him on the forehead. When you are thus near 
 him, raise slowly and by degrees your hand, and let it come in 
 contact with that part just above the nostrils as lightly as possible. 
 If the horse flinches (as many will) repeat with great rapidity these 
 light strokes upon the forehead, going a little farther up towards 
 his ears by degrees and descending with the same rapidity until 
 he Avill let you handle his forehead all over. Now let the strokes 
 be repeated with more force over all his forehead, descending by 
 lighter strokes to each side of his head, until you can handle that 
 part with eq^ual facility, then touch in the same light manner, 
 making your hands and fingers play round the lower part of the 
 horse's ears, coming down now and then to his forehead, which 
 may be looked upon as the helm that governs all the rest. 
 
 " Having succeeded in handling his ears advance toward the 
 neck, with the same precautions and in the same manner; observing 
 always to augment the force of the strokes whenever the horse 
 will permit it. Perform the same on both sides of the neck, iintil 
 he lets you take it in your arms without flinching. 
 
 " Proceed in the same progressive manner to the sides, and then to 
 the back of the horse. Every time the horse shows any nervousness 
 return immediately to the forehead as the true standard, patting 
 him with your hands, and from thence rapidly to where you had 
 already arrived, always gaining ground a considerable distance 
 further on every time this happens. The head, ears, neck and body 
 being thus gentled, proceed from the back to the root of the tail. 
 
 " This must be managed with dexterity, as a horse is never to be 
 depended on that is skittish about the tail. Let your hand fall 
 lightly and rapidly on that part next to the body a minute or two, 
 and then you will begin to give it a slight pull upward every quarter 
 of a minute. At the same time you continue this handling of him 
 augment the force of the strokes, as Avell as the raising of the tail, 
 until you can raise it and handle it with the greatest ease, which 
 commonly happens in a quarter of an hour in most horses ; in 
 others almost immediately, and in some much longer. It now 
 remains to handle all his legs. From the tail come back again to 
 the head, handle it well, as likewise the ears, breast, neck, etc., 
 
13 
 
 speaking now and then to the horse. Begin by degrees to descend 
 to the legs, always ascending and descending, gaining ground every 
 time you descend until you get to his feet. 
 
 " Talk to the horse in Latin, Greek, French, English or Spanish, 
 or in any other language you please ; but let him hear the sound 
 of your voice, which at the beginning of the operation is not quite 
 so necessary, but which I have always done in making him lift up 
 his feet. Hold up your feet — ' Live la pied' — 'Alza el pie' — 'Arou 
 ton poda,' etc., at the same time lift his foot with your hand. He 
 soon becomes familiar with the sounds, and will hold up his foot 
 at command. Then proceed with the feet in the same manner, 
 and in a short time the horse will let you lift them and even take 
 them in your arms. 
 
 "All this operation is no magnetism, no galvanism ; it is merely 
 taking away the fear a horse generally has of a man, and familiar- 
 izing the animal with his master ; as the horse doubtless experi- 
 ences a certain pleasure from this handling, he will soon become 
 gentle under it, and show a very marked attachment to his keeper." 
 
 REMAEKS ON POWEL'S TREATMENT HOW TO 
 GOVERN HORSES OF ANY KIND. 
 
 These instructions are very good, but not quite sufficient for 
 horses of all kinds, and for haltering and leading the colt, but I 
 have inserted it here, because it gives some of the true philosophy of 
 approaching the horse, and of establishing confidence between man 
 and horse. He speaks of the kind that fear man. 
 
 To those who understand the philosophy of horsemanship, these 
 are the easiest trained ; for when we have a horse that is wild and 
 lively, we can train him to our Avill in a very short time ; for they 
 are generally quick to learn, and always ready to obey. But there 
 is another kind, that are of a stubborn or vicious disposition, and, 
 although they are not wild, and do not require taming, in the sense 
 it is generally understood, they are just as ignorant as a wild horse, 
 if not more so, and need to be learned just as much, and in order 
 to have them obey quickly, it is very necessarj'- that they should 
 be made to fear their masters ; for in order to obtain perfect obedi- 
 ence from any horse, we must first have him fear us, for our motto 
 is fear, love and ohcrj. And Ave must have the fulfilment of the 
 first two before we can expect the latter, and it is by our philoso- 
 phy of creating fear, love and confidence, that we govern to our 
 will every kind of a horse whatever. 
 
 Then, in order to take horses as we find them, or all kinds, and 
 to train them to our likings, we will always take with us, when 
 we go into a stable to train a colt, a long switch Avhip, (whalebone 
 buggy whips are best,) with a good silk cracker, so as to cut keen 
 and make a sharp report, which, if handled with dexterity, and 
 rightly applied, accompanied Avith a sharp fierce word, will be 
 sufficient to enliven the spirits of any horse. With this whip in 
 your right hand, with the lash pointing backwards, enter the stable 
 
14 
 
 alone. It is a great disadvautage in trainiug a horse, to have any 
 one in the stable with ;jou ; you should be entirely alone, so as 
 to have nothing but yourself to attract his attention. If he is 
 wild, you see him in the opposite side of the stable from you. ; and 
 now is the time to use a little judgment. I would not want for 
 myself more than half or three quarters of an hour to handle any 
 kind of a colt, and have hhn running about the stable after me, 
 though I would advise a new beginner to take more time, and not 
 be in too much of a hurry. If you have but one colt to gentle, 
 and are not particular about the length of time spent, and have 
 not had any experience in handling colts, I would advise you to 
 take Mr. Powel's method at first, till you gentle him, which he 
 says takes from two to six hours. But, as I want to accomplish 
 the same, and, what is much more, learn the horse to lead, in less 
 than an hour, I shall give you a much quicker method of accom- 
 plishing the same end. Accordingly, when you have entered the 
 stable, stand still and let your horse look at you a minute or two, 
 and as soon as he has settled in one place, approach him slowly, 
 with both arms stationary, your right hanging by your side, hold- 
 ing the whip as directed, and the left bent at the elbow, with your 
 hand projecting. As you approach him, go not too much towards 
 his head, or croop, so as not to make him move either forward or 
 backward, thus keeping your horse stationary ; if he does move a 
 little forward or backward, step a little to the right or left, very 
 cautiously ; this will keep him in one place. As you get very 
 near him, draw a little to his shoulder and stop a few seconds. If 
 you are in his reach, he will turn his head and smell your hand, 
 not that he has any preference for your hand, but because it is 
 projecting and is the nearest portion of your body to the horse. 
 This all colts will do, and they will smell of your naked hand just 
 as quick as they will of anything you can put in it, and with just 
 as good an effect, however much some men have preached the 
 doctrine of taming horses by giving them the scent of articles from 
 the hand. I have already proved that to be a mistake. As soon 
 as he touches his nose to your hand, caress him as before directed, 
 always using a very light, soft hand, merely touching the horse, 
 always rubbing the way the hair lays, so that your hand Avill pass 
 along as smoothly as possible. As you stand by his side, you may 
 find it more convenient to rub his neck, or the side of his head, 
 which will answer the same purpose as rubbing his forehead. Favor 
 every inclination of the horse to smell or touch you with his nose. 
 Always follow each touch or communication of this kind with most 
 tender and afi'ectionate caresses, accompanied with a kind look and 
 pleasant words of some sort, such as " Ho ! my little boy, ho ! my 
 little boy," " pretty boy," " nice lady," or something of that kind, 
 constantly repeating the same words, with the same kind, steady 
 tone of voice ; for the horse soon learns to read the expression of 
 the face and voice, and will know as well when fear, love or anger 
 prevails, as you know your own feelings ; two of which, year and 
 anger, a good horseman should never feel. 
 
HOW TO PROCEED IF YOUR HORSE IS OF A 
 STUBBORN DISPOSITION. 
 
 If your horse, instead of being wild, seems to be of a stubborn 
 or mulish disposition, if he lays back his ears as you ajjproach him, 
 or turns his heels to kick you, he has not that regard or fear of man 
 that he should have to enable you to handle him quickly and 
 easily, and it might be well to give him a few sharp cuts with the 
 whip, about the legs, pretty close to the body. It will crack keen 
 as it plies around his legs, and the crack of the whip will affect 
 him as much as the stroke ; besides, one sharp cut about the legs 
 will affect him more than two or' three over the back, the skin on 
 the inner part of his legs or about his flank being thinner and more 
 tender than on his back. But do not whip him much, just enough 
 to scare him ; it is not because we want to hurt the horse that we 
 whip him, we only do it to scare the bad disposition out of him. 
 But whatever you do, do quickly, sharply, and with a good deal 
 of fire, but always without anger. If you are going to scare him 
 at all you must do it at once. Never go into a pitch battle with 
 your horse, and whip him until he is mad and will fight you. You 
 had better not touch him at all, for you will establish, instead of 
 • fear and regard, feelings of resentment, hatred and ill-will. It will 
 do him no good, but an injury, to strike a blow unless you can 
 scare him ; but if you succeed in scaring him, you can whip him 
 without making him mad, for fear and anger never exist together 
 in a horse, and as soon as one is visible you will find that the 
 other has disappeared. As soon as you have frightened him so 
 that he will stand up straight and pay some attention to you, 
 approach him again, and caress him a good deal more than you 
 have whipped him, then you will excite two controlling passions 
 of his nature, love and fear, and then he will fear and love you 
 too, and, as soon as he learns what to do, will quickly obey. 
 
 HOW TO HALTER AND LEAD THE COLT. 
 
 As soon as you have gentled the colt a little, take the halter in 
 your left hand and approach him as before, and on the same side 
 that you have gentled him. If he is very timid about your ap- 
 proaching closely to him, you can get up to him quicker by making 
 the whip a part of your arm, and reaching out very gently with 
 the butt end of it, rubbing him lightly on the neck, all the time 
 getting a little closer, shortening the whip by taking it up in your 
 hand, until you finally get close enough to put your hands on him. 
 If he is inclined to hold his head from you, put the end of the 
 halter strap around his neck, drop your whip and draw very gently ; 
 he will let his neck give, and you can pull his head to you. Then 
 take hold of that part of the halter which buckles over the top of 
 his head, and pass the long side, or that part which goes into the 
 buckle, under his neck, grasping it on the opposite side with your 
 right hand, letting the first strap loose — the latter will be sufficient 
 to hold his head to you. Lower the halter a little, just enough to 
 
16 
 
 get his uose into tliat part which goes arouud it, then raise it some- 
 what and fasten the top buckle, and you will have it all right. 
 The first time you halter a colt you should stand on the left side, 
 pretty well back to his shoulder, only taking hold of that part of 
 the halter that goes around his neck, then with your hands about 
 his neck, you can hold his head to you and raise the halter on it 
 without making him dodge by putting your hands about his nose. 
 You should have a long rope or strap ready, and as soon as you 
 have the halter on attach this to it, so that you can let him walk 
 the length of the stable without letting go of the strap, or without 
 making him pull on the halter, for if you only let him feel the 
 weight of your hand on the halter, and give him rope when he 
 runs from you, he will never rear, pull, or throw himself, yet you 
 will be holding him all the time, and doing more towards gentling 
 him than if you had the power to snub him right up and hold him 
 to one spot ; because he does not know any thing about his 
 strength, and if you do not do anything to make him pull he will 
 never know that he can. In a few minutes you can begin to con- 
 trol him with the halter, then shorten the distance between your- 
 self and the horse, by taking up the strap in your ha*id. 
 
 As soon as he v/ill allow you to hold him by a tolerably short 
 strap and step up to him without flying back, you can begin to give 
 him some idea about leading. But to do this, do not go before and 
 attempt to pull him after you, but commence by pulling him very 
 quickly to one side. He has nothing to brace either side of his 
 neck, and will soon yield to a steady, gradual pull of the halter ; 
 and as soon as you have pulled him a step or two to one side, step 
 up to him and caress him, and then pull him again, repeating this 
 operation until you can pull him around in every direction, and 
 walk about the stable with him, which you can do in a few minutes, 
 for he will soon think, when you have made him step to the right or 
 left a few times, that he is compelled to follow the pull of the hal- 
 ter, not knowing that he has the power to resist your pulling ; be- 
 sides, you have handled him so gently that he is not afraid of you, 
 and you always caress him when he comes up to you, and he likes 
 that, and would just as leave follow you as not. And after he has 
 had a few lessons of that kind, if you turn him out in a lot he will 
 come up to you every opportunity he gets. You should lead him 
 about in the stable some time before you take him out, leading him 
 up to it and back again, and past it. See that there is nothing on 
 the outside to make him jump when you take him out, and as you 
 go out with him, try to make him go very slowly, catching hold of 
 the halter close to the jaw with your left hand, Avhile the right is 
 resting on the top of his neck, holding to his mane. After you are 
 out with him a little Avhile, you can lead him about as you please. 
 Don't let any second person come up to you when you first take 
 him out ; a stranger taking hold of the halter would frighten him 
 and make him run. There should not even be any one standing- 
 near him to attract his attention or scare liim. If you are alone 
 and manage him right, it will not require any more force to lead 
 or hold him than it would to manage a broke horse. 
 
17 
 
 HOW TO LEAD A OOLT BY THE SIDE OF A 
 BROKEN HORSE. 
 
 If you sliould want to lead your colt by the side of* another 
 horse, as is often the case, I would advise you to take your horse 
 into the stable, attach a second strap to the colt's halter, and lead 
 your horse up along side of him. Then get on the broke horse 
 and take one strap around his breast, under his martingale, (if he 
 has any on,) holding it in your left hand. This will prevent the 
 colt from getting back too far ; besides, you will have more power 
 to hold him, with the strap pulling against the horse's breast. The 
 other strap take up in your right hand, to prevent him from run- 
 ning ahead, then turn him about a few times in the stable, and if 
 the door is wide enough, ride out with him in that position ; if not, 
 take the broke horse out first, and stand his breast up against the 
 door, then lead the colt to the same spot, and take the straps as 
 before directed, one on each side of his neck, then let some one 
 start the colt out, and as he comes out turn your horse to the left, 
 and you will have them all right. This is the best way to lead a colt ; 
 you can man'age any kind of a colt in this way without any trouble ; 
 for if he tries to run ahead or pull back, the two straps will bring 
 the horses facing each other, so that you can easily follow up his 
 movements without doing much holding, and as soon as he stops 
 running backward you are right with him, and all ready to go ahead. 
 And if he gets stubborn and does not want to go, you can remove 
 all his stubbornness by riding your horse against his neck, thus 
 compelling him to turn to the right, and as soon as you have turned 
 him about a few times, he will be willing to go along. The next 
 thing after you are through leading him, will be to take him into the 
 stable, and hitch him in such a way as not to have him pull on the 
 halter. As they are often troublesome to get into a stalble the first 
 few times, I will give you some instructions about getting him in. 
 
 HOW TO LEAD A COLT INTO THE STABLE AND HITCH 
 HIM WITHOUT HAVING HIM PULL ON THE HALTER. 
 
 Yon should lead the broke horse into the stable first, and get the 
 colt, if you can, to follow in after him. If he refuses to go, step up 
 to him, taking a little stick or switch in your right hand ; then take 
 hold of the halter close to his head with your left hand, at the same 
 time reaching over his back with your right arm, so that you can 
 tap him on the opposite side with your switch ; bring him up facing 
 the door, tap him lightly with your switch, reaching as far back 
 with it as you can. This tapping, by being pretty well back, and 
 on the opposite side, will drive him ahead and keep him close to 
 you, then by giving him the right direction with your left hand, you 
 can walk into the stable with him. I have walked colts into the 
 stable in this way in less than a miuvite, after men had worked at 
 them half an hour, trying to pull them in. If you cannot walk him 
 in at once this way, turn him about and walk him round in every 
 direction, until you can get him up to the door without pulling at 
 
18 
 
 him. Then let him stand a few minutes, keeping his head in the 
 right direction with the halter, and he will walk in in less than ten 
 minutes. Never attempt to pull the colt into the stable ; that would 
 makjj him think at once that it was a dangerous place, and if he 
 was not afrai4 of it before, he would be then. Besides, we don't 
 want him to know anything about pulling on the halter. Colts 
 are often hurt, and sometimes killed, by trying to force them into 
 the stable ; and those who attempt to do it in that Avay, go into 
 an up-hill business, when a plain, smooth road is before them. 
 
 If you want to hitch your colt, put him in a tolerably wide stall, 
 which should not be too long, and should be connected by a bar, or 
 something of that kind, to the partition behind it ; so that, after the 
 colt is in, he cannot get far enough back to take a straight, back- 
 ward pull on the halter, then by hitching him into the center of the 
 stall would be impossible for him to pull on the halter, the parti- 
 tion behind preventing him from going back, and the halter in the 
 center checking him every time he turns to the left or right. In 
 a state of this kind you can break every horse to stand hitched by 
 a light strap, anywhere, without his ever knowing anything about 
 pulling. But if you have broke your horse to lead, and have 
 learned him the use of the halter (which you should always do 
 before you hitch him to anything,) you. can hitch him in any kind 
 of a stall, and give him something to eat to keep him up to his 
 place for a few minutes at first, and there is not one colt in fifty 
 that will pull on his halter. 
 
 THE KIND OF BIT, AND HOW TO ACCUSTOM A 
 HOUSE TO IT. 
 
 You should use a large, smooth, snaffle bit, so as not to hurt his 
 mouth, with a bar to each side, to prevent the bit from pulling 
 through either way. This you should attach to the head-stall of 
 your bridle, and put it on your colt Avithout any reins to it, and let 
 him run loose in a large stable or shed, some time, until he becomes 
 a little used to the bit, and will bear it without trying to get it out 
 of his mouth. It would be well if convenient, to repeat this sev- 
 eral times before you do anything more with the colt ; as soon as 
 he will bear the bit, attach a single rein to it without any mar- 
 tingale. You should also have a halter on your colt, or a bridle 
 made after the fashion of a halter, with a straj) to it, so that you 
 can hold or lead him about without pulling on the bit much. He 
 is now ready for the saddle. 
 
 HOW TO SADDLE A COLT. 
 
 Any one man, who has this theory, can put a saddle on the 
 wildest colt that ever grew, without any help, and without scaring 
 him. The first thing will be to tie each stirrxip strap into a loose 
 knot to make them short, and to prevent the stirrups from Hying 
 about and hitting him. Then double up the skirts and take the 
 
19 
 
 saddle under your right arm, so as not to frighten him with it as 
 you approach. When you get to him, rub him gently a few times 
 with your hand, and then raise the saddle very slowly until he 
 can see it, and smell, and feel it with his nose. Then 1^ the 
 skirts loose, and rub it very gently against his necjc the way the 
 hair lays, letting him hear the rattle of the skirts as lae feels them 
 against him ; each time getting a little further backward, and 
 finally slip it over his shoulders on his back. Shake it a little 
 with your hand, and in less than five minutes you can rattle it 
 about over his back as much as you please, and pull it off and 
 throw it on again, without his paying much attention to it. 
 
 As soon as you have accustomed him to the saddle, fasten the 
 girth. Be careful how you do this. It often frightens a colt when 
 he feels the girth binding him, and making the saddle fit tight on 
 his back, ^ou should bring up the girth very gently, and not 
 draw it too tight at first, just enough to hold the saddle on. Move 
 him a little, and then girt it up as tight as you choose, and he will 
 not mind it. 
 
 You should see that the pad of your saddle is all right before 
 you put it on, and that there is nothing to make it hurt him, or 
 feel unpleasant to his back. It should not have any loose straps 
 on the back part of it to flap about and scare him. After you 
 have saddled him in this way, take a switch in your right hand to 
 tap him up with, and walk about in the stable a few times, with 
 your right arm over the saddle, taking hold of the reins on each 
 side of his neck, with your right and left hands. Thus marching 
 him about in the stable until you learn him the use of the bridle, 
 and can turn him about in any direction, and stop him by a gentle 
 pull of the rein. Always caress and loose the reins a little every 
 time you. stop him. 
 
 You should always be alone, and have your colt in some tight 
 stable or shed, the first time you ride him ; the loft should be high, 
 so that you can sit on his back without endangering your head. 
 You can learn him more in two hours time in a stable of this kind, 
 than you could in two weeks in the common way of breaking 
 colts, out in an open place. If you follow my coiirse of treatment, 
 you need not run any risk, or have any trouble in riding the worst 
 kind of a horse. You take him a step at a time, until you get up 
 a mutual confidence and trust between yourself and horse. First 
 learn him to lead and stand hitched, next acquaint him with the 
 saddle, and the use of the bit ; and then all that remains, is to get 
 on him without scaring him, and you can ride him as well as any 
 horse. 
 
 HOW TO MOUNT THE COLT. 
 
 First gentle him well on both sides, about the saddle, and all 
 ovei-, until he will stand without holding, and is not afraid to see 
 you anywhere about him. 
 
 As soon as you have him thus gentled, get a small block, about 
 one foot or eighteen inches in height, and set it down by the side 
 
20 
 
 of bim, about where you Avant to stand to mount bira ; step up on 
 tbis, raising yourself very gently ; borses notice every cbange of 
 position very closely, and if you Avere to step up suddenly on tbe 
 block, it would be very apt to scare bim ; but by raising yourself 
 gradually on it, be will see you, witbout being frigbtened, in a po- 
 sition very near tbe same as wbeu you are on bis back. 
 
 As soon as be will bear tbis witbout alarm, untie tbe stirrup 
 strap next to you, and put your left foot into tbe stirrup, and 
 stand square over it, holding your knee against tbe horse, and 
 your toe out, so as to touch bim under tbe shoulder Avith tbe toe 
 of your boot. Place your right band on the front of tbe saddle, 
 and on the opposite side of you. Taking bold of a portion of tbe 
 mane and the reins as they hang loosely over his neck Avith your 
 left band ; then gradually bear your weight on tbe stirrup, and on 
 your right band, until the horse feels your Avbole Aveight on tbe 
 saddle ; repeat tbis several times, each time raising yourself a 
 little higher from tbe block, until he will allow you to raise your 
 leg oA^er his croop, and place yourself in tbe saddle. 
 
 There are three great advantages in baA'ing a block to mount 
 from. First, a sudden change of position is very apt to frighten 
 a young horse, that has never been bandied ; be Avill alloAv you 
 to Avalk up to bim, and stand by bis side Avitbout scaring at you, 
 because you have gentled him to that position, but if you get 
 down on your hands and knees and crawl towards bim, he Avill be 
 very much frigbtened, and upon tbe same principle be would 
 frighten at your new position if you had tbe power to hold your- 
 self over his back Avitbout touching him. Then the first great ad- 
 A'antage of tbe block is to gradually gentle him to that new po- 
 sition in Avhicb he aauII see you when you ride bim. 
 
 Secondly, by tbe process of leaning your Aveight in tbe stirrups, 
 and on your hand, you can gradually accustom bim to your Aveight, 
 so as not to frighten bim by having him to feel it all at once. And 
 in the third place the block elevates you so that you aa'HI not have 
 to make a spring in order to get on tbe horse's back, but from it 
 you can gradually raise yourself into the saddle. When you take 
 these precautions, there is no horse so Avild but Avbat you can 
 mount him Avithout making him jump. I have tried it on the 
 Avorst horses that could be found, and have never failed in any 
 case. When mounting, your horse should ahvays stand Avitbout 
 being held. A horse is never Avell broke when be has to be held 
 Avith a tight rein Avbile mounting ; and a colt is never so safe to 
 mount, as when you see that assurance of confidence, and absence 
 of fear, which causes him to stand AA'itbout boldine;. 
 
 HOW TO RIDE THE COLT. 
 
 When you want him to start, do not toucli him on the side Avith 
 your heel, or do anything to frighten him to make him jump. 
 But speak to bim kindly, and if he does not start, pull him a little 
 to the left until he starts, and then let bim Avalk off sloAvly Avith 
 
21 
 
 the reins loose. Walk him around in the stable a few times until 
 he gets used to the hit, and you can turn him about in every 
 direction and stop him as you please. It would be well to get 
 on and off a good many times until he gets perfectly used to it 
 before you take him out of the stable. 
 
 After you have trained him in this way,which shou.ld not take you 
 more than one or two hours, you can ride him anywhere you choose 
 without ever having him jump or make any effort to throw you. 
 
 When you first take him out of the stable be very gentle with 
 him, as he will feel a little more at liberty to jump or run, and be 
 a little easier frightened than he was while in the stable. But after 
 handling him so much in the stable he will be pretty v^ell broke, 
 and you will be able to manage him without trouble or danger. 
 
 When you first mount him take a little the shortest hold on the 
 left rein, so that if anything frightens him you can prevent him 
 jumping by pulling his head around to you. This operation of 
 pulling a horse's head around against his side will prevent any 
 horse from jumping ahead, rearing up, or running away. If he is 
 stubborn and will not go, you can make him move by pulling his 
 head around to one side, when whipping would have no effect. 
 xVnd turning him around a few times will make him dizzy, and 
 then by letting him have his head straight, giving him a little 
 touch with the whip he will go along without any trouble. 
 
 Never use martingales on a colt when you first ride him ; every 
 movement of the hand should go right to the bit in the direction 
 in which it is applied to the reins, without a martingale to change 
 the direction of the force applied. You can guide the colt much 
 better without them, and learn him the use of the bit in much 
 less time. Besides, martingales would prevent you from pulling 
 his head around if he should try to jump. 
 
 After your colt has been rode until he is gentle and well accus- 
 tomed to the bit, you may find it an advantage, if he carries his 
 head too high, or his nose too far out, to put martingales on him. 
 
 You should be careful not to ride your colt so far at first as to 
 heat, worry or tire him. Get off as soon as you see he is a little 
 fatigued ; gentle him and let him rest, this will make him kind to 
 you and prevent him from getting stubborn and mad. 
 
 THE PROPER WAY TO BIT A COLT. 
 
 Farmers often put bitting harness on a colt the first thing they 
 do, buckling up the bitting as tight as they can draw it to make 
 him carry his head high, and then turn him out in a lot to run a 
 half day at a time. This is one of the worst punishments that they 
 could inflict on the colt, and very injurious to a young horse that 
 has been used to running in pasture with his head down. I have 
 seen colts so injured in this way that they never got over it. 
 
 A horse should be well accustomed to the bit before you put on 
 the bitting harness, and when you first bit. him you should only 
 rein his head up to that point where he naturally holds it, let that 
 
^2 
 
 be high or low ; he will soon learn that he cannot lower his head, 
 and that raising it a little will loosen the bit in his mouth. This 
 will give him the idea of raising his head to loosen the bit, and 
 then you can draw the bitting a little tighter every time you put 
 it on, and he will still raise his head to loosen it ; by this means you 
 will gradually get his head and neck in the position you want him 
 to carry it, and give him a nice and graceful carriage without 
 hurting him, making him mad, or causing his mouth to get sore. 
 If you put the bitting on very tight the first time, he cannot 
 raise his head enough to loosen it, but will bear on it all the time, 
 and paw, sweat, and throw himself. Many horses have been 
 killed by falling backward with the bitting on, their heads being 
 drawn up, strike the ground with the whole weight of the body. 
 Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly should not have 
 the bitting on more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. 
 
 HOW TO DRIVE A HORSE THAT IS VERY WILD' 
 AND HAS ANY OTHER VICIOUS HABITS. 
 
 Take up one fore foot and bend his knee till his hoof is bottom 
 upward, and merely touching his body, then slip a loop over his 
 knee, and up until it comes above the pasture joint to keep it up, 
 being careful to draw the loop together between the hoof and 
 pasture joint with a second strap of some kind, to prevent the loop 
 from slipping down and coming off. This will leave the horse 
 standing on three legs ; you can now handle him as you wish, for 
 it is utterly impossible for him to kick in this position. There 
 is something in this operation of taking up one foot that conquers 
 a horse quicker and better than any thing else you can do to him. 
 There is no process in the world equal to it to break a kicking 
 horse, for several reasons. First, there is a principle of this kind 
 in the nature of the horse ; that by conquering one member, you 
 conquer, to a great extent, the whole horse. 
 
 You have perhaps seen men operate on this principle by sewing 
 a horse's ears together to prevent him from kicking. I once saw 
 a plan given in a newspaper to make a bad horse stand to be shod, 
 which was to fasten down one ear. There were no reasons given 
 why you should do so ; but I tried it several times, and thought 
 it had a good effect — though I would not recommend its use, 
 especially stitching his ears together. The only benefit arising 
 from this process is, that by disarranging his ears we draw his 
 attention to them, and he is not so apt to resist the shoeing. By 
 tying up one foot we operate on the same principle to a much 
 better effect. When you first fasten up a horse's foot he will some- 
 times get very mad, and strike with his knee, and try every possible 
 way to get it down but he cannot do that, and will give it up. 
 
 This will conquer him better than anything you could do, and 
 without any possible danger of hurting himself or you either, for 
 j'-ou can tie up his foot and sit down and look at him until he gives 
 up. When you find that he is conquered, go to him, let down his 
 
23 
 
 foot, rub his leg with your hand, caress and let him rest a little, 
 then put it up again. Repeat this a few times, always putting up 
 the same foot, and he will soon learn to travel on three legs so that 
 you can drive him some distance. As soon as he gets a little used 
 to this way of traveling, put on your harness and hitch him to a 
 sulky. If he is the worst kicking horse that ever raised a foot, 
 you need not be fearful of his doing any damage Avhile he Jias one 
 foot up, for he cannot kick, neither can he run fast enough to do 
 any harm. And if he is the wildest horse that ever had harness 
 on, and has run away every time he has been hitched, you can 
 now hitch him in a sulky and drive him as you please. And if he 
 wants to run you can let him have the lines, and the whip too, 
 with perfect safety, for he cannot go but a slow gait on three legs, 
 and will soon be tired and willing to stop ; only hold him enough 
 to guide him in the right direction, and he will soon be tired and 
 willing to stop at the word. Thus you will effectually cure him 
 at once of any further notion of running off. Kicking horses have 
 always been the dread of every body ; you always hear men say, 
 when they speak about a bad horse, " I don't care what he does, 
 so he don't kick." This new method is an effectual cure for this 
 worst of all habits. There are plenty of ways by which you can 
 hitch a kicking horse and force him to go, though he kicks all the 
 time ; but this don't have any good effect towards breaking him, 
 for we know that horses kick because they are afraid of what is 
 behind them, and when they kick against it and it hurts them, 
 they will only kick the harder, and this will hurt them still more, 
 and make them remember the scrape much longer, and make it 
 still more difficult to persvxade them to have any confidence in 
 anything dragging behind them ever after. 
 
 But by this new method you can hitch them to a rattling sulky, 
 plow, wagon, or anything else in its worst shape. They may be 
 frightened at first, but cannot kick or do anything to hurt them- 
 selves, and will soon find that you do not intend to hurt them, 
 and then they will not care anything more about it. You can then 
 let down the leg and drive along gently without any further 
 trouble. By this new process a bad kicking horse can be learned 
 to go getitle in harness in a few hours' time. 
 
 ON BALKING. 
 
 Horses knoAv nothing about balking, only as they are brought 
 into it by improper management, and when a horse balks in har- 
 ness, it is generally from some mismanagement, excitement, con- 
 fusion, or from not knowing how to pull, but seldom from any un- 
 willingness to perform all that he understands. High-spirited, 
 free going horses are the most subject to balking, and only so be- 
 cause drivers do not properly understand how to manage this kind. 
 A free horse in a team may be so anxious to go, that when he 
 hears the word he will start with a jump, which will not move the 
 load, but give him such a severe jerk on the shoulders that he will 
 
24 
 
 fly back and stop the other horse ; the teamster will continue his 
 driving Avithout any cessation, and by the time he has the slow 
 horse started again, he Avill find that the free horse has made 
 another jump, and again flew back, and now he has them both 
 badly balked, and so confused that neither of them knows what 
 is the matter, or how to start the load. Next will come the slash- 
 ing and cracking of the whip, and hallooing of the driver, till 
 something is broken, or he is through with his course of treatment. 
 But Avhat a mistake the driver commits by Avhipping his horse for 
 this act. Reason and common sense shoiild teach him that the 
 horse was willing and anxious to go, but did not know how to start 
 the load. And should he whip him for that ? If so, he should 
 whip him again for not knowing how to talk. A man that wants 
 to act with any rationality or reason, should not fly into a passion, 
 but should always think before he strikes. It takes a steady 
 pressure against the collar to move a load, and you cannot expect 
 him to act with a steady determined purpose while you are whip- 
 ping him. There is hardly one balking horse in five hundred 
 that will pull true from whipping ; it is only adding fuel to fire, 
 and will make them more liable to balk another time. You always 
 see horses that have been balked a few times, turn their heads 
 and look back, as soon as they are a little frustrated. This is 
 because they have been Avhipped and are afraid of what is behind 
 them. This is an invariable rule with balked horses, just as much 
 as it is for them to look around at their sides when they have the 
 bots ; in either case they are deserving of the same sympathy and 
 the same kind, rational treatment. 
 
 When your horse balks, or is a little excited, if he Avants to 
 start quickly, or looks around and don't vrant to go, there is some- 
 thing Avrong, and he needs kind treatment immediately. Caress 
 him kindly, and if he don't understand at once what you want 
 him to do, ho Avill not be so much excited as to jump and break 
 things, and do everything wrong through fear. As long as you 
 are calm, and can keep down the excitement of the horse, there 
 are ten chances to have him understand you, Avhere there would 
 not be one under harsh treatment, and then the little jlare up 
 would not carry with it any unfavorable recollections, and he 
 would soon forget all about it, and learn to pull true. Almost 
 every wrong act the horse commits is from mismanagement, fear 
 or excitement ; one harsh Avord Avill so excite a nervous horse as 
 to increase his pulse ten beats in a minute. 
 
 When Ave remember that Ave are dealing Avith dumb brutes, and 
 reflect how difiicultitmust be for them to understand our motions, 
 signs and language, avc should never get oiat of patience with them 
 because they don't understand us, or wonder at their doing things 
 Avrong. With all our intellect, if avc Avere placed in the horse's 
 situation, it Avould be diflicult for us to stand the driving of some 
 foreigner, or foreign Avays and foreign language. We should 
 always recollect that our Avays and language are just as foreign 
 and unknoAvn to the horse, as any language in the world is to us, 
 and should try to practice what Ave could understand, Avere we the 
 
25 
 
 horse, endeavoring by some means to work on his understanding 
 rather than on the different parts of his body. All balked horses 
 can be started true and steady in a few minutes' time ; they are 
 all willing to pull as soon as they know how, and I never yet 
 found a balked horse that I could not teach him to start his load 
 in fifteen, and often less than three minutes' time. 
 
 Almost any ^eam, when first balked, will start kindly, if you let 
 them stand five or ten minutes, as though there was notliing Avrong, 
 and then speak to them with a steady voice, and turn them a little 
 to the right or left, so as to get them both in motion before they 
 feel the pinch of the load. But if you want to start a team that 
 you are not driving yourself, that has been balked, fooled, and 
 whipped for some time, go to them and hang the lines on their 
 hames, or fasten them to the wagon, so that they will be perfectly 
 loose ; make the driver and spectators (if there are any) stand 
 off some distance to one side, so as not to attract the attention of 
 the horses ; unloose their checkreins, so that they can get their 
 heads down, if they choose ; let them stand a few minutes in this 
 condition, until you can see that they are a little composed. 
 While they are standing, you should be about their heads, gentling 
 them ; it will make them a little more kind, and the spectators 
 will think that you are doing something that they do not under- 
 stand, and Avill not learn the secret. When you have them ready 
 to start, stand before them, and as you seldom have but one balky 
 horse in a team, get as near in front of him as you. can, and if lie 
 is too fast for the other horse, let his nose come against his breast ; 
 this will keep him steady, for he will go slow rather than run on 
 you ; turn them gently to the right, without letting them pull on 
 the traces, as far as the tongue will let them go ; stop them with 
 a kind word, gentle them a little, and then turn them back to the 
 left, by the same process. You will have them under your con- 
 trol by this time, and as you turn them again to the right, steady 
 them in the collar, and you can take them where you please. 
 
 There is a quicker process that will generally start a balky 
 horse, but not so sure. Stand him a little ahead, so that his shoul- 
 ders will be against the collar, and then take up one of his fore 
 feet in your hand, and let the driver start them, and when the 
 weight comes against his shoulders, he will try to step ; then let 
 him have his foot, and he will go right along. If you want to break 
 a horse from balking that has long been in that habit, you ought 
 to set apart a half day for that purpose. Put him by the side of 
 some steady horse ; have check lines on them ; tie up all the tra- 
 ces and straps, so that there will be nothing to excite them ; do 
 not rein them up, but let them have their heads loose. Walk 
 them about together for some time as slowly and lazily as pos- 
 sible ; stop often, and go up to your balky horse and gentle him. 
 Do not take any whip about him, or do anything to excite him, 
 but keep him just as quiet as you can. He will soon learn to start 
 off at the word, and stop whenever you tell him. 
 
 As soon as he performs right, hitch him in an empty wagon ; 
 have it stand in a favorable position for starting. It would be 
 
26 
 
 well to shorten the stay chain behind the steady horse, so that if 
 it is necessary, he can take the weight of the wagon the first time 
 you start them. Do not drive but a few rods at first ; watch your 
 balky horse closely, and if you see that he is getting excited, stop 
 him before he stops of his own accord, caress him a little, and 
 start again. As soon as they go well, drive them over a small 
 hill a few times, and then over a large one, occasionally adding a 
 little load. This process Avill make any horse true to pull. 
 
 TO BREAK A HORSE TO HARNESS. 
 
 Take him in a tight stable, as you did to ride him ; take the 
 harness and go through the same process that you did with the 
 saddle, until you get him ftimiliar Avith them, so that you can put 
 them on him and rattle them about without his caring for them . 
 As soon as he will bear this, put on the lines, caress him as you 
 draw them over him, and drive him about in the stable till he will 
 bear them over his hips. The lines are a great aggravation to 
 some colts, and often frighten them as much as if you were to 
 raise a whip over them. As soon as he is familiar with the har- 
 ness and line, take him out and put him by the side of a gentle 
 horse, and go through the same process that you did with the 
 balking horse. Always use a bridle without blinds when you are 
 breaking a horse to harness. 
 
 HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY. 
 
 Lead him to and around it ; let him look at it, touch it with his 
 nose, and stand by it till he does not care for it ; then pull the 
 shafts a little to the left, and stand by your horse in front of the 
 off wheel. Let some one stand on the right side of the horse and 
 hold him by the bit while you stand on the left side, facing the 
 sulky. This will keep him straight. Run your left hand back 
 and let it rest on his h.\]), and lay hold of the shafts with your 
 right, bringing them up very gently to the left hand, which still 
 remains stationary. Do not let anything but your arm touch his 
 back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him, let the 
 person on the opposite side take hold of one of them and lower 
 them very gently on the shaft bearers. Be very slow and delib- 
 erate about hitching ; the longer time you take the better, as a 
 general thing. When you have the shafts placed, shake them 
 slightly, so that he will feel them against each side. As soon as 
 ho will bear them without scaring, fasten your braces, etc., and 
 start him along very slovdy. Let one man lead the horse to keep 
 him gentle, wliile the other gradually works back with the lines 
 till he can get behind and drive him. After you have driven hira 
 in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all 
 will go right. It is very important to have j'our horse go gentle 
 when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, 
 there is not half so much danger of his scaring. Men do very 
 
wrong to jump up beliincl a horse to drive him as soon as they 
 have him hitched. There are too many things for him to compre- 
 hend all at once. The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the rattling 
 of the sulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made familiar 
 with them by degrees. If your horse is very wild, I would advise 
 you to put up one foot the first time you drive him. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN. 
 
 Everything that we want to learn the horse must be com- 
 menced in some way to give him an idea of what you want him to 
 do, and then be repeated until he learns it perfectly. To make a 
 horse lie down, bend his fore left leg,, and slip a loop over it so that 
 he cannot get it down. Then put a circingle around his body, and 
 fasten one end of a long strap around the other fore leg, just above 
 the hoof. Place the other end under the circingle, so as to keep 
 the strap in the right hand ; stand on the left side of the horse, 
 grasp the bit in your left hand, pull steadily on the strap with 
 your right ; bear against his shoulder till you cause him to move. 
 As soon as he lifts his weight, your pulling will raise his other 
 foot, and he will have to come on his knees. Keep the strap 
 tight in your hand, so that he cannot straighten his leg if he 
 raises up. Hold him in this position and turn his head toward 
 you ; bear against his side with your shoulder, not hard, but with 
 a steady, equal pressure, and in about ten minutes he will lie down. 
 As soon as he lies down he will be completely conquered, and you 
 can handle him as you please. Take off the straps and straighten 
 out his legs ; rub him lightly about the face and neck with your 
 hand the way the hair lays ; handle all his legs, and after he has 
 lain ten or twenty minutes, let him get up again. After resting 
 him a short time, make him lie down as before. Repeat the 
 operation three or four times, which will be sufficient for one 
 lesson. Give him two lessons a day, and when you have given 
 him four lessons he will lie down by taking hold of one foot. As 
 soon as he is well broken to lie down in this way, tap him on the 
 opposite leg with a stick when you have hold of his foot, and in a 
 few days he will lie down from the mere motion of the stick. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU. 
 
 Turn him into a large stable or shed, where there is no chance 
 to get out, with a halter or bridle on. Go to him and gentle him 
 a little, take hold of his halter and turn him toward you, at the 
 same time touching him lightly over the hips with a long whip. 
 Lead him the length of the stable, rubbing him on the neck, 
 saying in a steady tone of voice as you lead him. Come along, 
 boy ! or use his name, instead of boy, if you choose. Every time 
 you turn touch him slightly with the whip, to make him step up 
 close to you, and then caress him with your hand. He will soon 
 
28 
 
 learu to lumy up to escape the whip and be caressed, and you can 
 make him follow you around without taking hold of the halter. 
 If he should stop and turn from you, give him a few cuts about 
 the hind legs, and he will soon turn his head toward you, when 
 you must always caress him. A few lessons of this kind will make 
 him run after you when he sees the motion of the whip — in twenty 
 or thirty minutes he will follow you about the stable. After you 
 have given him two or three lessons in the stable, take him out 
 into a small lot and train him ; and from thence you can take him 
 into the road and make him follow you anywhere and run after 
 you. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A HORSE STAND WITHOUT HOLDING- 
 
 After you have him well broken to follow you, stand him in the 
 center of the stable — begin at his head to caress him, gradually 
 working backward. If he moves, give him a cut with the whip 
 and put him back in the same spot from which he started. If he 
 stands, caress hira as before, and continue gentling him in this 
 wa}^ until you can get around him without making him move. 
 Keep walking around him, increasing your pace, and only touch 
 him occasionally. Enlarge your circle as you walk around, and 
 if he then moves, give him another cut with the whip and put him 
 back to his place. If he stands, go to him frequently and caress 
 him, and then walk around him again. Do not keep in one posi- 
 tion too long at a time, but make him come to you occasionally 
 and follow you round in the stable. Then stand him in another 
 place and proceed as before. You should not train your horse 
 more than half an hour at a time. 
 
THE HORSEMAN'S GUIDE AND FARRIER. 
 
 BY JOHN J. STUTZMAN, West RushvUlo, Fairfield Co., Ohio. 
 
 I will here insert some of the most efficient cures of diseases to which the 
 horse is subject. I have practiced them for many years with unparalleled suc- 
 cess. I have cured horses with the following remedies, which (in many cases) 
 have been given up in despair, and I never had a case in which I did not effect 
 a cure. 
 
 Cure for Colic. — Take one gill of turpeiatine, one gill of opium dissolved in 
 whisky ; one quart of water, milk warm. Drench the horse and move him 
 about slowly. If there is no relief in fifteen minutes, take a piece of chalk, 
 about the size of an egg, powder it, and put it into a pint of cider vinegar, which 
 should be blood vvarm, give that and then move him as before. 
 
 Another. — Take one ounce laudanum, one ounce of ether, one ounce of tinc- 
 ture of assafcEtida, two ounces tincture of peppermint, half pint of whisky ; put 
 it all in a quart bottle, shake it well and drench the horse. 
 
 Cure for the Bolts. — Take one and a half pints of fresh milk (just from the 
 cow) one pint of molasses. Drench the horse and bleed him in the mouth ; 
 then give him one pint of linseed oil to remove them. 
 
 For Distemper. — Take mustard seed ground fine, tar and rye chop, make 
 pills about the size of a hen's egg. Give him six pills every six hours, until 
 they physic him ; then give him one tablespoonful of the horse powder men- 
 tioned before, once a day until cured. Keep him from cold water for six hours 
 after iising the powder. 
 
 Lung Fever. — In the first place bleed the horse severely. Give him spirits 
 of nitre, in water which should not be too cold, for it would chill him. Keep 
 him well covered with blankets, and rub his legs and body well ; blister him 
 around the chest with mustard seed, nnd be sure to give him no cold water, 
 unless there is spirits of nitre in it. 
 
 Rheumatic Liniment. — Take croton oil, aqua ammonia, f . f. f.; oil of cajuput, 
 oil of origanum, in equal parts. Rub well. It is good for spinal diseases and 
 Aveak back. 
 
 Cuts and Womids of all kinds. — One pint of alcohol, half ounce of gum of 
 myrrh, half ounce aloes ; wash once a day. 
 
 Sprains and Swellings. — Take one and a half ounces of hartshorn, one ounce 
 camphor, two ounces spirits of turpentine, four ounces sweet oil, eight ounces 
 alcohol. Anoint twice a day. 
 
 For Glanders. — Take of burnt buck's horn a tablespoonful, every three days 
 for nine days. If there is no relief in that time, continue the powder until there 
 is relief. 
 
 Saddle or Collar Liniment. — One ounce of spirits of turpentine, half ounce 
 of oil of spike, half ounce essence of wormwood, haU" ounce castile soap, half 
 ounce glim camphor, half ounce sulphuric ether, half pint alcohol, and wash 
 freely. 
 
 Liniment to set the Slifte Joint on a Horse. — One oimce oil of spike, half 
 ounce origanum, half ounce oil amber. Shake it well and rub the joints twice 
 a day until cured, which will be in two or three days. 
 
30 
 
 £ye Water. — I have tried the following and found it an efficient remedy. I 
 have tried it on my own eyes and those of others. Take bolus muna one ounce, 
 white vitriol one ounce, alum half ounce, with one pint clear rain water ; shake 
 it well before using. If too strong, weaken it with rainwater. 
 
 Liniment for Windgalls, Strains and Growth of Lumps on Man or Horse. — 
 One ounce oil of spike, half ounce origanum, half ounce amber, aqua fortis and 
 sal ammoniac one drachm, spirits of salts one drachm, oil of sassafras half 
 ounce, hartshorn half ounce. Bathe once or twice a day. 
 
 Horse Powder. — This powder will cure more diseases than any other medi- 
 cine known ; such as Distemper, Fersey, Hidebound, Colds, and all lingering 
 diseases which may arise from impurity of the blood or lungs. Take one pound 
 comfrey root, half pound antimony, half pound sulphur, three ounces of saltpe- 
 tre, half pound laurel berries, half pound juniper berries, half pound angetice 
 seed, half pound rosin, three ounces alum, half pound copperas, half pound 
 master wort, half pound gun powder. Mix all to a powder and give in the most 
 cases, one tablespoonful in mash feed once a day until cured. Keep the horse 
 dry, and keep him from cold water six hours after using it. 
 
 For Cuts or Wounds on Horse or Man. — Take lish-worms mashed up with 
 old bacon oil, and tie on the wound, which is the surest and safest cure. 
 
 Oil for Collars. — This oil will also cure bruises, sores, swellings, strains or 
 galls. Take fish-worms and put them in a crock or other vessel twenty-four 
 hours, till they become clean ; then put them in a bottle and throw plenty of 
 salt upon them, place them near a stove and they will turn to oil ; rub the parts 
 affected freely. I have cured knee-sprung horses with this oil frequently. 
 
 Sore and Scummed Eyes on Horses. — Take fresh butter, or rabbit's fat, 
 honey and the white of three eggs, well stirred up with salt and black pepper, 
 ground to a fine powder ; mix it well and apply to the eye with a feather. Also 
 rub above the eye (in the hollow) with the salve. Wash freely with cold spring 
 water. 
 
 For a Bruised Eye. — Take rabbit's fat, and use as above directed. Bathe 
 freely with fresh spring water. I have cured many bloodshot eyes with this 
 simple remedy. 
 
 Poll-Evil or Fistula. — Take of Spanish flies one ounce, gum euphorbium 
 three drachms, tartar emetic one ounce, rosin three ounces ; mix and pulverize, 
 and then mix them with a half pound of lard. Anoint every three days for 
 three weeks ; grease the parts affected with lard every four days. Wash with 
 soap and water before using the salve. In poll-evil, if open, pulverize black 
 bottle glass, put as much in each ear as will lay on a dime. The above is 
 recommended in outside callouses, such as spavin, ringbone, curbs, windgalls, 
 etc., etc. 
 
 For the Fersey. — Take one quart of sassafras root bark, one quart burdock 
 root, spice wood broke fine, one pint rattle weed root. Boil in one and a half 
 gallons of water; scald bran; wlien cool give it to the horse once a day for 
 three or four days. Then bleed him in the neck and give him the horse powder 
 as directed. In extreme cases, I also rowel in the breast and hind legs, to 
 extract the corruption and remove the swelling. This is also an efficient remedy 
 for blood diseases, etc., etc. 
 
 To make the Hair Grow on Man or Beast. — Take milk of sulphur half drachm, 
 sugar of lead half drachm, rose water half gill, mix and bathe well twice a day 
 for ten day.s. 
 
 Cholera or Diarrhaia Tincture. — One ounce of laudanum, one ounce of spirits 
 of camphor, one ounce of spirits of nitre, half ounce essence of peppermint, 
 twenty drops of chloroform ; put all in a bottle, shake well, and take half tea- 
 spoonful in cold water once every six, twelve and twenty-four hours, according 
 to the nature of the case. 
 
 Cure for the Heaves. — Give thirty grains of tartar ttmetic every week until 
 cured. 
 
OF 
 
 SUBDUING WILD HORSES 
 
 AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS. 
 
 This wonderful art, founded upon a system of philosophy, is infallible and 
 universal in its application, and extends to all the animal kingdom. In regard 
 to the horse, it consists in convincing him that you are his superior, and you 
 have absolute power over him. The system is somewhat akin to animal mag- 
 netism in its effect, but the process is widely different. 
 
 The Process of Taming a very Wild Horse, which was never 
 handled. — This consists, first by charming him by a powder, which is obtained 
 by taking the button from the horse's knee ; by which I mean the homy sub- 
 stance growing on the inside, or rather on the back part of a horse's legs, below 
 the knee, behind and above it before. Dry this substance and pulverize it ; put 
 a small quantity into a quill and blow it into his nostrils ; in a few minutes it 
 will operate, and cause him to follow you, or permit you to handle his feet, or 
 get upon his back. Thus, with perfect ease, may a wild and vicious animal 
 become gentle and harmless. 
 
 Process of Causing a Horse to lay down. — Approach him gently upon 
 the left side, fasten a strap around the ankle of his fore foot ; then raise the foot 
 gently, so as to bring the knee against the breast and the foot against the belly. 
 The leg being in this position, fasten the strap around his arm, which will effec- 
 tually prevent him from putting that foot to the ground again. Then fasten a 
 strap around the opposite leg, and bring it over his shoulder, on the left side, so 
 that you can catch hold of it ; then push these gently, and when he goes to fall, 
 pull the strap which will bring him on his knees. 
 
 Now commence patting him under the belly ; by continuing your gentle 
 strokes upon the belly, you will, in a few minutes, bring him to his knees be- 
 hind. Continue the process, and he will lie entirely down, and submit himself 
 wholly to your treatment. By thus proceeding gently, you may handle his feet 
 and legs in any way you choose. 
 
 However wild and fractious a horse may be naturally, after practising this 
 process a few times, you will find him perfectly gentle and submissive, and even 
 disposed to follow you anywhere, and unwilling to leave you on any occasion. 
 
 Unless the horse be wild, the first treatment will be all sufficient ; but should 
 he be too fractiou.s to be approached in a manner necessary to perform the first 
 named operation, you must contrive to get the powder into his nostrils, this you 
 will find effectual, and you may then train your horse to harness or anything 
 else with the utmost ease. 
 
 In breaking horses for harness, after giving the powders, put the harness on 
 gently, without starting him, and pat him gently, then fasten the chain to a log, 
 which he will draw for an indefinite length of time. When you find him suffi- 
 ciently gentle, place him to a wagon or other vehicle. 
 
 Note. — Be extremely careful in catching a horse, not to affright him. After 
 he is caught and the powders given, rub him gently on the head, neck, back and 
 legs, and on each side of the eyes, the way the hair lies, but be very careful not 
 to whip, for a young horse is equally passionate with yourself, and this perni- 
 
32 
 
 cious practice has ruined many fine and valuable horses. When you are riding 
 a colt, (or even an old horse,) do not whip him if he scares, but draw the bridle, 
 so that his eyes may rest upon the object which has aflFrighted him, and pat him 
 upon the neck as you approach it ; by this means you will pacify him, and ren- 
 der him less liable to start in future. 
 
 Means of Learning a Horse to Pace. — Buckle a four pound weight 
 around the ankles of his hind legs, (lead is preferable,) ride your horse briskly 
 with those weights upon his ankles, at the same time twitching each rein alter- 
 nately, by this means you will immediately thro^\- him into a pace. After you 
 have trained him in this way to some extent, change your leaded weights for 
 something lighter ; leather padding or something equal to it will answer the 
 purpose ; let him wear these light weights until he is perfectly trained. This 
 process will make a smooth and easy pacer of any horse. 
 
 Horsemanship. — The rider should, in the first place, let the horse know 
 that he is not afraid of him. Before mounting a horse, take the rein into the 
 left hand, draw it tightly, put the left foot into the stirrup, and raise quickly. 
 When you are seated, press your knees to the saddle, let your leg, from the knee 
 stand out ; turn your toe in and heel out ; sit upright in your saddle, throv/ 
 your weight forward — one-third of it in the stirrups — and hold your rein tight. 
 Should your horse scare, you are braced in your saddle and he cannot throw you . 
 
 Indication of a Horse's Disposition. — A long thin neck indicates a good 
 disposition, contrariwise if it be short and thick. A broad forehead, high be- 
 tween the ears, indicates a very vicious disposition. 
 
 CureSj &c. — Cure for the Founder. — Let one and a half gallons of blood 
 from the neck vein, make frequent applications of hot water to his fore legs ; 
 after which, bathe them in wet cloths, then give one quart of linseed oil. The 
 horse will be ready for service the next day. 
 
 BoTS. — Mix one pint honey with one pint sweet milk, give as a drench, one 
 hour after, dissolve one ounce pulverized copperas in a pint of water, use like- 
 wise, then give one quart of linseed oil. Cure effectual. 
 
 Colic. — After bleeding copiously in the mouth, take a half pound of raw cot- 
 ton, wrap it around a coal of fire in such a way as to exclude the air ; when it 
 begins to smoke, hold it under the liorse's nose until he becomes easy. Cure 
 certain in ten minutes. 
 
 Distemper. — Take one and a half gallons of blood from the neck vein ; then 
 give a dose of sassafras oil ; one and a half ounces is sufficient. Cure speedy 
 and certain. 
 
 Fistula. — When it makes its appearance, rowel both sides of the shoulder : 
 if it should break, take one ounce virdigris, one ounce oil rosin, one oimce cop- 
 peras, pulverize and mix together. Use it as a salvo. 
 
 Receipt for Bone Spavin or Ring-Bone. — Take a tablespoonful of cor- 
 rosive sublimate ; quicksilver about the size of a bean ; three or four drops of 
 muriatic acid ; iodine about the size of a pea, and lard enough to form a paste ; 
 grind the iodine and .sublimate as fine as flour, and put altogether in a cup, mix 
 well, then shear the hair all off the size you want ; wash clean with soapsuds, 
 rub dry, then apply the medicine. — Let it stay on five days ; if it does not take 
 effect, take it off, mix it over with a little more lard, and add some fresh medi- 
 cine. When the lump oomes out, wash it clean in soapsuds, then apply a poul- 
 tice of cow-dung, leave it on twelve hours, then apply healing medicine. 
 
 HoLBBOOK, Prirtter, No. 3 Mechanic-st., Newark, N.J. 
 
<i> o « o 
 
O <'^ c " ° ♦ <*■ <