SF 285 .P62 1913 Copy 1 n Published •The Farm JoiJMn^l Phila.delphia HORSE SECRETS WRITTEN. COMPILED AND NOW DISCLOSED BY A. S. ALEXANDER Profeuor of Veterinary Science, and in charge of the Department of Horse Breeding, College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin. ALAS ! HE CANNOT TALK ! "I don' see much use in de scientis' folks study- ing monkey talk, but a study of hoss talk dat 'ud let de animal tell all about hisse'f befo' a trade comes off 'ud save a heap o' hard feelings." "Uncle Ezra," in Washington Star. PHILADELPHIA— 1913 WILMER ATKINSON COMPANY Price, 25 Cents Q>^ ^^ Copyrisht, 1909 Copyright, 1913 WiLMER Atkinson Co. Tenth Edition Ninety-fifth Thousand / '>^^ ©Cl.A3r)7 96 5 INTRODUCTION Dr. A. S. Alexander, the writer and compiler of ''Horse Secrets," has had upward of 25 years' experience in matters per- taining to agriculture, horse breeding, veterinary science, press writing and teaching. He was the author of the first stallion service legislation and inspection regulation in America, the first law of the kind having been written by him and enacted by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1905. Similar legislation now is in force in si^iinc- iS ntlicr states, and it is accomplishing much for the improvement of horse breeding. Horse trading offers unusual opportunities and temptations for sharp practises. Both buyer and seller equally need to be horsewise and alert. Dishonesty is discountenanced in the great horse markets, but it is common among scalpers, "gyps" and small traders outside of the recognized markets and is likely to be practised by either the buyer or the seller. The items published in these pages disclose many sharp practises which, aside from their interest as facts not generally known, are valuable as information for the man who would engage intelligently in horse buying and selling. The writer and publishers of this book desire to expose these tricks, and to decry their practise in the markets and among outside dealers and breeders. "Forewarned is forearmed," and the information here given will doubtless save many a man from loss, and tend to make dishonesty less rife because less likely to succeed. In mentioning the various (ricks herein disclosed, the exact methods have not been given in detail. We have no desire to instruct readers so that they may "go and dp likewise"; for the same reason, doses have not been given for the administration of the various drugs and "dopes" used by tricksters. The matter relating to the purchase of stallions should prove specially interesting and valuable. It is a matter of general knowledge among the initiated that stallions are frequently sold at excessive prices to companies of farmers, and that "peddlers" of such stallions are unscrupulous in their methods of obtaining signers to the notes taken for the purchase of such horses. The facts published with respect to this fjusiness should serve to warn farmers that they are apt to be cheated in purchasing a stallion on the "company plan," and that it is always best, safest and most profitable to purchase a stallion direct from a reputable breeder or importer, for by so doing much money will be saved and the horse bought will be much more likely to prove sound and suitable and to give satisfaction. Dr. .-Mexander desires in this place to acknowledge his indebt- edness to the publishers of the various farm and stock papers from the pages of which extracts have been taken. Also to his many brethren of the veterinary world who have contributed from their storehouses of information, and particularly to that veteran horseman, Mr. J. H, S. Johnstone, of Chicago, 111. WILMER ATKINSON CO. HORSE SECRETS Contents. Horse Feeding Secrets Secret of Hand Raisine^ a Foal . . . Secret of Feeding Silage to Horses . Secret of Fattening Drafters . . . . Secret of Feeding Molasses ... Secrets of Various Vices . . . . Secret of Stopping Halter Pulling . . Secret of Preventing Mules from Kicking .... Secret of Tying a Mare with a-Foal Secret of Handling a Balky Horse . Secret of Curing a Stall Kicker Stopping Pawing in Stall . Preventing Casting in Stall Curii^ a Knee-Knocker . . Stopping Tongue Lolling . Curing the Stall Squee/^er . Secret of Easy Shoeing . . Making a Horse Lie Down to Sleep Stopping Head Tossing Page 5 5 6 7 7 Page Secret Tricks in Horse Trading Secret of Shutting a Heaver . Secret of Plugging a Roarer .... Diamond Cut Diamond ... Making a Horse Act Mean Blowing Air Under the Skin Stopping a Switcher . . . . , Turpentine and Gasoline Tricks Gingering a Show Horse . . . Unner\ing and CocaiTiing Keep an Fye on the Sign Board Secret of Hiding a Spavin Artificially Induced Knee Action Artificial Tail Trick Keeping a Horse *'In the Air" Wedging a Cribber Making an ArtiticJal Star . . The Loose Shoe Trick Wire Marks Over Side-Bones . Black Spots on a White Horse Broken Crest or Wrong Lying Concealing Discharging Sinuses The Galloping Past Dodge . . Keeping a Horse on Edge . . An Eye for an Eye Examine the Ears Bishoping— An Old Trick . . . How Bishoping is Done ... Mane 23 23 2?, 24 24 25 25 z6 26 26 7 27 28 28 29 29 29 A Sharper's Smooth Sayings . The Winter Board Trick . . . How Horses Catch Cold .... Tricks in Measuring Horses . The Twitch and Cording Trick The Secret Formula Swindle . Fooling the Expert Judge . . . A Magic Cure for Cramps . . . Color Secrets Training a Trick Mule .... Secrets About Stallion Selling Palming Of! a Grade Stallion . . Stale Stallion Registration Boards . Stud Books Recognized as Reliable Stuti Book Not Recogni;^ed .... Story of a Company Stallion Deal . Horse Peddlers' Confession . . The Sale of Les Epinards Secrets of Stallion Pedigrees . . . Some Veterinary Secrets .... Secret of Preventing Navel and Join Disease Symptoms of Bad Teeih Remedies for Tail Rubbing . . . A Cruel Cure for Heaves .... An Astringent for Scours .... An Old Operation for Spavin . . Secret of Drenching a Horse . . Facts About Pigment Tumors . Don't be Too Quick to Kill . . . 37 37 38 39 40 4' 41 42 44 44 45 46 46 46 47 47 48 Miscellaneous Secrets . 31 The Widow Trick 31 A Horse That Was Right There ... 32 An Honest "Hoss" Dealer 32 Secrets of Buying and Selling Horses . 49 Auction Sale Rules 49 Reputable Dealers P r o t ec I Their Patrons 50 Two Sides to a Horse 50 A Little HI to Distract Attention from a Big One .51 Beware of Hoof Dressing 51 Buying a Pair . . 51 A High English Guarantee 52 An Unsound Horse Sometimes a Good Bargain . . 5a A Second-Hand Horse . . ■ • - ■ 53 "Protecting" the Buyer 53 Splitting the Profit Three Ways ... 54 The Recent Wound Trick ... 54 Secret of Detecting a Dummy .... 54 Pointers on Buying a Horse ■ ■ . ■ 55 The Break Away Trick 56 Secret of the Auction Ring 56 To Increase the Amount of Bone . . 57 A Glossary of Market Terms . . . - 57 HORSE SECRETS Horse Feeding Secrets. Secret of Hand Raising a Foal. AN orphan foal can be successfully raised on cows' milk if the work is intelfigently and patiently conducted. Mares' milk is sweeter than cows' milk, but less rich in butter fat ; therefore, in using cows' milk for foal feeding, choose that which is poor in butter fat — 3 per cent, or thereabout — and sweeten it with sugar or molasses. The latter sweetening has the advantage of acting as a mild aperient. It should be remembered that the first milk (colostrum) of the mare contains a purgative principle for the removal of the meconium from the intestinal tract of the foal, and as the orphan foal does not receive this natural cathartic it is apt to suffer from constipation, which may prove fatal. To prevent this inject into the rectum of the foal, twice daily from birth, two or three ounces of warm water containing one to two teaspoonfuls of glycerine, and continue this treatment until the bowels have been moved freely, or warm sweet oil or flaxseed tea or slippery elm bark tea may be used. A mixture of equal quantities of cream, molasses and warm water also makes a good injection fluid for a young foal, and some horsemen insert a small, thin tallow-dip candle into the rectum for a like purpose. At first the foal should be fed once an hour, but gradually the times of feeding may be reduced in number. Feed the milk blood warm, giving at first half a cupful at each meal and with it three tablespoonfuls of lime water to the pint of milk. The foal will take the milk readily from a large rubber nipple fitted on the neck of a feeding bottle which must be often well scalded. A kid glove thumb per- forated and fitted over the spout of a small teapot will do almost as well as a rubber nipple and feeding bottle. Hand-fed foals tend to scour. When such trouble starts withhold two or more feeds of milk, and give one to four tablespoonfuls of a mixture of one part sweet oil and two parts castor oil in milk, according to the severity of the attack and the size of the foal, and repeat the dose every time there is any derange- ment of the digestive organs. Castor oil used without the addition of sweet oil is apt to be followed by a costive condition of the bowels. Soon the foal may be fed but six times a day, then four times, and in a few weeks it will freely take milk and lime water from a clean pail. At this stage sugar may be omitted and the lime water be given only once a day. The secret of success is to feed a little milk often and to keep all utensils scrupulously sweet and clean. As soon as he will take to it, the foal may be allowed to lick oatmeal in small quantities; gradually increase the amount and add wheat bran. After six weeks give a little sweet skim- milk in place of a part of the new milk, and by increasing the amount day by day the foal may at three months old take skim-milk entirely and continue to drink it freely three or four times daily while eating grass, grain and bran. O HORSE SECRETS Secret of Feeding Silage to Horses. It is commonly believed that corn silage cannot safely or profitably be fed to horses. Investigation shows that this belief is ill advised, for some horsemen feed silage successfully. A noted Wisconsin breeder has used corn silage extensively as a feed for horses as a part of the winter ration during the past eighteen years. The number wintered each year averages about lOO. His method is as follows : In making silage for horses the corn is allowed to grow until nearly out of the milk, as better results have thus been obtained than when it is cut greener. The silo is filled as rapidly as possible, and when full is allowed to settle for four or five days, when it is agaip filled. Care is taken to pack the silage tightly around the walls. The silo is opened about November 15th, when the herds have been brought in from the pastures. Care is taken to feed the horses lightly at first so that they may become accustomed to the new food. A large bin has been built, connecting with a room below the doors of the silo. This bin is filled from time to time with a mixture of four parts of hay and one of straw, cut about 3 inches long, by being run through a silage machine. The silage is always mixed with this cut hay and straw before feeding. The proportions are about one to five of silage by weight. By cutting the hay and straw, the amount wasted is reduced to a minimum. The corn is never taken out of the silo before it is ready to be used. The entire top is removed each day to a depth of about two inches. Any silage that is spoilt is thrown away. The silage and hay-straw are mixed thoroughly by forking over several times in the room, already referred to. By doing this the horses do not obtain all the silage at one time. Any grain that is fed is put in the manger with the silage. The amount of ensilage fed to different horses varies with the animal. It is found that no two horses eat the same amount and they are never given more than they will eat. The average amount fed will be stated in each case below. Aged stallions, used for breeding purposes, receive during the winter season about 24 pounds of silage per day. This is divided into three feeds, morning, noon and night. Besides this they are fed long hay and grain. During the breeding season they do not get any silage, as it has been found that if it is fed at that time there is difficulty in getting mares in foal and in raising a large percentage of colts. The reason for this is not known. Two-year old stallions receive about 20 pounds of silage per day with their other feed. Yearling stallions receive about 15 pounds, with grain and hay. Mares with foals receive about 20 pounds, and also grain and hay while the colts are sucking. This is reduced to about 15 pounds, fed twice a day in the stable, after the colts are weaned. Mares and geldings, from one year up, run in a herd together. They are fed morning and night about 15 pounds per day. During the day, if weather permits, they are turned out in a pasture and fed hay upon the ground. Colts, soon after they have learned to eat grain, are fed a little silage in the box stalls with their mothers. For this purpose small feed boxes are put in each stall near the mangers, where the mares eat. After being weaned the colts are fed about 7 pounds of silage a day with the grain. Alfalfa hay also is put in a rack in the yard, in which the colts are turned out each day, and they eat as much of this as they care for. The ration fed is higher than a balanced ration. There has never been any sickness resulting (roni the use of silage. The animals always come through the winter in good breeding condition and in proper shape to be turned on to pasture in the spring. These desirable results will not be obtained if moldy silage is fed. HORS2 SECRETS 7 Such damaged silage is highly injurious to horses. It frequently has caused fatal attacks of cerebrospinal meningitis or "forage poisoning." Even if but slightly affected with mold it acts injuriously upon the kid- neys and horses consequently fail to thrive. Moldy silage also is a fertile cause of abortion in mares and other animals. For pregnant animals moldy silage is absolutely unfit for use, and even when in perfect condition it is recommended not to feed silage heavily to mares when well along in pregnancy. Secret of Fattening Drafters. The business of buying young draft horses and feeding them off for the market has been profitably followed by many farmers during the past ten years. The work requires skill and experience and is thus described by Prof. W. J. Kennedy, of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station: "In one of the large horse-feeding establishments of the West the follow- ing method is practised: The horses are purchased, their teeth are floated and they are all put in the barn and their feed increased gradu- ally, as great care must be taken for a few days to avoid colic. It seems preferable to feed them grain about five times per day, due to the fact that as the stomach of the horse is proportionately smaller than the stomach of a cow, he needs his feed in smaller quantities and more often. The hay is placed in racks so that access may be had to it at all times. The horses are given all the water they will drink twice a day. The daily practise is as follows: Corn is given at 5 o'clock in the morning; water at 7; the hay racks are filled at 9 o'clock, when the horses are also given oats and bran, the proportion being two-thirds bran and one-third oats. At 12 o'clock they are fed corn again; at 3 in the afternoon oats and bran are given and the hay racks are refilled; at 4 they are given a second watering, and at 6 the final feed of corn is given. The proportion for each horse when upon full feed is as follows: Corn from 10 to 14 ears to each feed; oats and bran, about 3 quarts per feed, making in all from 30 to 40 ears of corn and 6 quarts of oats and bran per horse per day. The horses are not given any exercise from the time they are put in the barn until a few days before they are to be shipped. As a substitute for exercise, and in order to keep the blood in good order, thus preventing stocked legs, Glauber's salt is used. In some instances horses fed in this manner have made a gain of 5% pounds a day for a period of 50 to 100 days. One horse gained 550 pounds in 100 days. In many instances from 12 to 20 horses have made an average daily gain of 3% pounds per day each for a period of 90 days. Prof. R. C. Obrecht, Kansas, suggests in this connection that colic, which is apt to occur among fattening horses, may generally be prevent- ed by taking care to prevent constipation by the feeding of succulent and laxative foods. He also considers it important to see to the shoeing of the horses as their feet may otherwise not grow out properly. It is also necessary to prevent the feet from becoming hard and dry thus in- ducing lameness. Among feeders it is a practise to frequently clip and singe the hair short over a curb, splint or spavin and so make the unsoundness less apparent; the hair may also be clipped from the coronets (hoof-heads) to make the feet look larger. Secret of Feeding Molasses. The feeding of black strap molasses came into vogue when the United States artillery and cavalry horses in Porto Rico required "plumping up." By free use of this readily assimilated fattening food mixed with cut hay or grass, horses that had run down to skin and bone and become covered with harness sores quickly gained flesh and acquired sleek, polished, sound hides so that their former drivers or 8 HORSE SECRETS riders failed to recognize them. Although large quantities of molasses were fed to each horse daily, neither colic nor scouring was caused. Dr. W. H. Dalrymple, veterinarian of the Louisiana Experiment Station, says that the amount of molasses fed to the large sugar-mules of 42 plantations in his state is from 8 to 12 pounds per head per diem, or an average of about 9.5 pounds; a gallon of black strap molasses weighing 12 pounds. He advises that less than this should be given at first and gradually increased as the animals get used to it, though he adds: ''We have not experienced any ill eflfects from feeding the amounts alluded to." In fact, as high as 21 pounds per day has been fed in Louisiana without any untoward results. The molasses is mixed with concentrates and cut hay. Here is a recommended formula for molasses feeding on a lesser scale to working draft horses: Molasses, i quart; water, 3 quarts; cut hay, 5 pounds; corn-meal, 4 quarts; coarse bran, 2 pints. Feed morning and night. Give usual quantity of oats at noon, and add long hay at night. The Department of Agriculture, in Farmer's Bulletin No. 107, states that molasses is an excellent food for hor.ses and cattle. It produces energy, maintains the vital heat, stimulates the appetite and increases the digestibility of the other constituents of the ration. That cane molasses is a satisfactory substitute for starchy foods, being readily digested and transformed into work: that 5 quarts of molasses can be given daily to a 1,270 pound horse with advantage to its health and the efficiency ot its work. HORSE SECRETS Secrets of Various Vices. Secret of Stopping Halter Pulling. There are many different ways of managing halter pullers and of these the following methods seem most effective: Take a strong but thin rope about 20 feet long. Put the middle of it under the horse's tail like a crupper. Bring the two ends forward-along the back, knotting them together at the loins and withers. Then pass one on each side of the neck, through the ring of the halter and tie to the manger along with the halter shank. Pass the end of tie rope or halter over the manger and tie it to one fore foot, so that the pull is equal on the head and foot. This is simple, safe and efficient. Put a good strong halter on the horse with a rope that he cannot break; then put him either on a plank floor that is about 4 inches higher behind than in front, or on a hard earth floor of the same slope. Have the floor very smooth, and wet it a little to make it slippery, if he is a bad one, and pad the sides of the stall with old sacks or blankets, tying them on with binder twine. As soon as the horse finds that he cannot keep his feet he will give up the pulling. Use a good halter and lo or 12 feet of strong rope or strap. Tie one end of the rope around the pastern of a front foot and pass the other end through the halter ring and fasten to a stout post or manger and let the horse pull. This will cure an ordinary case. If it does not cure a bad one, tie the rope to a hind leg, passing it through the halter ring and between the fore legs to the hind pastern. Tie a rope around the hind leg at the pastern and pass the rope to the opposite side of the body; run it around the neck where the collar rests and tie the foot up so that it will not touch the floor. Put a good halter on the horse and he will not pull very hard. Dr. F. A. Crandall, Jr., V. S., now curator of the Zoological Garden at Buflfalo, N. Y., and at one time assistant to Prof. Oscar Gleason, the horse breaker, says that he never found anything in the halter pulling line that could not be broken of the habit by using a good half inch manila rope in a running noose around the belly, with end through the halter and tied firmly to post or manger He adds "barrels, tin cans or any old thing may be thrown down and the animal will soon stand and the lesson will be remembered. This method does not dislocate tail or injure fetlock or in any way hurt the animal, although in some cases I have seen hair burnt off belly by broncho fighting the rope hard and long, but never saw it fail to land them." Mr. J. S. Teesdale, of Multnomah County, Oregon, contributed the following amusing account of the curing of a halter puller to the Breeder's Gazette: "I owned a horse that pulled back every time he was tied up in or out of his stable. I got very tired of it. I took him one day to a wharf over a river. There was, as is usual, a wall on the dock a few feet frorn its edge. I led him on so that his face was near the wall and his tail toward the water; and I stood him with his right side lO HORSE SECRETS close up to a partition that ran from the wall to the edge of the wharf, I stood with my body close to his left eye, hiding the river from his view, so that he could not see the water from either side. The river was a very silent one. I held him in that position almost an hour until I thought he had forgotten the river entirely, then I tied him to a ring in the wall, holding a sharp knife in my teeth as I did so. As soon as I had tied him he hung back as badly as ever. I cut the rope. He turned a back somersault and dropped 10 feet into the river. When he came to the surface and recovered from his daze, he swam down stream to the end of the dock and landed. He never hung back again so far as I know, although he was tied a thousand times." Prof. Obrecht suggests that wherever it is advised, in the foregoing hints, to tie a rope around a pastern, it would be wise to substitute a strap, as this will be less likely to "burn" the skin. The habit may be caused by the stall flour being too high in front. Make the floor level; also make all of the stall partition high. •SO that the horse will not bark up to look over a lower i)art toward the rear nf the stall. Secret of Preventing Mules from Kicking. Dr. E. L. Quitman, V. S., of Chicago, originated a novel method of preventing mules from kicking. His plan is especially useful when some treatment has to be applied to the hind parts of the animal, or to other parts where a mule can reach with one of its celebrated straight- forward kicks. It consists in simply throwing a good strong halter rope over a beam or rafter and thereby elevating the mule's head as high as possible. The apparatus described elsewhere as suitable for use in drenching horses may be employed for this head raising act. The moral is that the mule cannot have both ends up at the same time; consequently he cannot kick. A man told the writer that if the tail of a mule is elevated and bent back over its spine the animal is unable to kick. We asked him to demonstrate and he did so. If the stable ceiling had not been there he would maybe have gone through the roof. Anyhow the elevating act wa'; a double stunt and the man will not be likely to advise or try it again. Mr. V. 'M. Walker, of Vernon County. Missouri, contributed the following to the cohmins of the Breeder's Gazette: "Take two straps 1V2 inches wide with a good ring: have the straps long enough to buckle around the hind legs, one above the hock and one below. First buckU the ring in both straps; then take a stout rope, put a ring in the rope, and tie it around the breast of the collar so that the double will come back behind the bcllyband and make the ruig slay. Now lake another piece of stout rope, tie in the ring on the hind leg. bring it up through ring :it the bellvband and back to HORSE SECRETS II the other ring on the hind leg. Do not leave any slack tor the horse or mule to get his feet over. An animal can walk or trot in this rigging, hnt he cannot kick. I have brnkon several nuilcs in this way." Tying a Mare With a Foal. To tie a mare so that her foal will not get hung I in the halter strap, use a ring in the manger instead of a hole. Thirty inches is plenty long enough for the stale. Put a weight on end of the stale — an old bar shoe will do all right. All good horses in Great Britain are tied in this way, except that the chain is used. Secret of Handling a Balky Horse. A tired, balky horse is less apt to balk than one fresh from the stable, and such horses are oftentimes kept in harness right up to the time of sale. Also, when a horse balks, be careful to examine his shoulders. Soreness of the skin may be the cause. It is a trick of the "gyps" secretly to bathe the shoulders of a horse with an irritating solu- tion which in 12 hours or less makes the animal refuse to pull in harness. They do this with horses on which they purpose making a bid the following day in the hope that when the victim balks the owner will become disgusted and discount the price. Some horses balk when worked in single harness but go all right when hitched double. Chloro- form is sometimes used to make a balky horse stupid, so that he will forget to balk. The day before selling a balky horse thin glue or mucilage some- times is applied to mat the hair at places where the harness would make marks on a hard working horse. Artificial harness marks are needed as the chronic balker has not been worked by the seller. Kindness, petting, coaxing with a lump of sugar, carrot, apple or other dainty sometimes succeeds with a balky horse when harsh meas- ures fail. Cruel procedures should be discountenanced and punished and among these the worst trick, perhaps, is to start a fire of paper, straw or brush under the balker. Sometimes all that is necessary is to distract the animal's attention by pounding lightly with a stone on the shoe of a fore lout, by tying a cord around the leg under the knee, or by holding up one foot for a few minutes. When a horse balks, one way of curing him is to remove the harness, put on a halter, pull his head around, to his side and tie the halter rope in a slip-knot to a strand or two of the tail hair, so as to keep the head well toward the tail. Then he is forced to run around in a circle until he staggers and is ready to drop, when the rope may be loosed and the horse will be likely to behave and remember the lesson for some time. Some horses balk by lying down and refusing to budge. If the four feet of such 12 HORSE SECRETS a siilker are "hog-tied" together and he is abandoned and allowed to remain tied for an hour or two, he will usually be thankful to get up and go on when set at liberty. One owner broke a balker by working him on a mower for a few days with his tail tied to the singletree tight enough to take part of the strain. After that he would pull by the tugs without having his tail tied. The "guy rope" plan is sometimes effective. A small rope is tied around the horse's neck and a half hitch taken with it on his lower jaw. A husky man then pulls steadily upon the rope and the horse will usually start forward with a lunge. If not a confirmed old balker he may give up the standing habit if treated in this way a few times. Light, rapid switching across the nose with a light whip sometimes starts a balker, but severe whipping has an opposite effect. The writer once was called to see a draft work-mare that was "down" in an Irish teamster's yard and refused to get up. The poor brute' was surrounded with whips and sticks that had been broken over her back, and her body was covered with welts from the whipping. The neighbors thronged around to see what would happen when the "Doctor" tried his hand at a job which had baffled their attempts. Examination of the pulse showed a normal condition and the mem- branes of the eyes gave no indication of sickness. After the mare's head and neck had been patted and stroked for a few minutes, and she had been spoken- to kindly and gently, she got up at once when the halter was pulled upon and the word of command given. Then she followed the veterinarian about the yard like a dog, recognizing him as her only friend, and ever since, that teamster has said, "Sure that mon has the power iv healin' in his hands!" Whereas, the abused mare only needed and wanted a little kindness and coaxing. Here is a cure for balking recommended by E. A. Gerrard: "In order to break a balky horse it is necessary to have the appliances, though the first requirement is a cool head. Next you will want a steady horse to hitch with the balky one, together with a strong hopple strap, a rope and a covered swivel pulley, and a good harness and wagon with a long tongue, though one of ordinary length will do. Fasten your pulley on the end of the tongue so that it will work free; put the hopple on the balky horse's hind ankle, next to the tongue, and tie the rope in the hopple ring. Now run it through the belly-band, up through the pulley and back to the end of the doubletree on the side of the balky horse, and tie it fast. See that your horses are standing even, making the rope snug, so that the horse can stand easy. Take off your stay chains, sever the line from the terrets on the balky horse, get mto the wagon, gather your lines so that you can have control, keep cool, and wait half a minute; then speak to the team and start the steady horse. As he starts he pulls his end of the doubletree forward and draws on the wagon, the other end of the doubletree going back, pulling the rope through the pulley and lifting the balky horse's foot. He tries to put his foot down and in doing so he takes a step. Say, 'Whoa!' and stop your steady horse. Do not let the balky horse make more than one step. Now sit still for half a minute, then start again, stopping as soon as the first step is made, by the same process. Sit still for another half minute, then repeat. Each time you will have taught your horse that when you told him to go he had to step. Now if you are a horseman get down, go to your horse's head, pat his neck, tell him he is doing well and that he will be the best pulling horse on the place. Then try him again. If he is very anxious to go at the word, let him make six or eight steps, then stop and sit quiet for half a minute. Gradually increase the distance you allow 'them to go each time, not forgetting to stop long enough to allay any excitement before starting again. When you have driven half a mile be sure you 1 1 HORSE SECRETS 13 are back at the stable, take your horse out, have a bottle of strong borax water at hand and bathe his ankle for five minutes where the hopple rubbed it. On the next day hitch up with the balker on the other side of the tongue. With most balky horses two lessons will prove enough; often one will answer. But if the horse is old he may forget in two or three weeks, if rested much, so you will need to keep your appliances ready and put them on at the first sign of balking. There is little danger of a horse forgetting if he is worked with the same mate and driver; therefore, if you want a perfect job you will do well to change the driver and the mate while the lesson is fresh." Mr. F. H. Osburn, of Benton County, Indiana, is the author of the following method of handling a balky mare: "I had a good, true horse to put beside this mare, one which I knew could pull two such as she. Then instead of putting a stay chain to my true horse, I put on what I call a stay rope, looping it around the balky mare's tail, drawing it up short and tying it to the other horse's hame ring. Whenever I spoke to my true puller, some.thing else had to come, although the balky mare was not very hasty to respond for the first few lessons. We now have her convinced and I drive her single, ride her when driving cattle, can use the cattle-whip over her, and she pays no attention to it. At times she runs idle for a week or ten days, but she never gives me a minute's bother when I use her again." Secret of Curing & Stall Kicker. Various methods have been proposed from time to time for stopping a horse from kicking in the stall. Here are several gleaned from various sources: Strap a piece of chain, about eighteen inches to two feet in length, to the horse's pastern so that it will fly back and hit him each time he kicks. The objection to this plan is that the blows from the chain may injure the leg. A trace or stay chain will do. Another plan is suggested by Prof. Obrecht, viz., strap each end of a twelve-to sixteen-inch-long chain to each hind cannon just above the fetlocks. Some horsemen hobble the kicking horse with a single shackle, made of heavy leather and fitted with a buckle and keeper at each end. It is made sufficiently long to allow the horse to stand naturally, when buckled about each hind pastern just above the fetlock joints. I'ad the sides of the stall thickly with hay or straw kept in place by sacking. When the horse kicks at this and does not hear the sound of his foot strik- ing the boards, he will be scared and quit kicking. Buckle a leather surcingle around the horse's body back of the forelegs and to it fasten a small double puMey placed under the belly. 14 HORSE SECRETS Now place straps with buckles on them on each of his legs below the fetlock joint, having a ring in each strap. Take one-half inch rope, tie to the ring on one front foot, run it up through the pulley, back to the hind foot on the opposite side and, tie, then do the same with the opposite feet. Leave the rope long enough for the animal to step. When an attempt is made to kick, the pulley raises the front feet. Use this in the stable until the kicking habit is cured. lo cure a stable kicker, pack an ordinary grain bag tight with hay or straw and suspend it from top of the stall by a rope or strap, so" that it will swing free from the side of the stall and near the place the horse strikes the boards when he kicks. When kicked the bag will swing back and hit the horse on its return trip, and he will climb into the haymow, if he can. If the horse kicks with both feet, hang a bag on each side. Tie the kicking horse between swinging partitions, whether in a single or box stall. The parti- tion kicks back each time it is kicked by the horse. Prof. Harper suggests plac- ing an elastic band around the liorse's leg just above the hock joint. The band presses when the leg is lifted to kick, and this diverts attention from the act. An "Old Timer," writing in the Breeder's Gazette, sug- gests the following plan for a pregnant mare that is a bad kicker: "Have a collar made of i% inch, first-class, heavy harness leather, long enough to go around the mare's neck at the point where the collar fits, with i% inch ring at the breast, then get a strap i% inches wide, the full length of a side of harness leather, cut tapering to I inch or less at the tip of the light end, with 1% inch ring in the other. Then get 2V2 inch strap, just long enough to go around the pastern of the hind foot with % inch ring in each end. Have the edges of this strap slightly champered. Slip the collar on the mare's neck, put the short strap around the pastern of the left hind foot, the thin long strap through the rings on the pastern, then through the ring on the end of the long strap, and slip up snug and tight; next, run the strap between the forelegs and through the ring in the collar on the neck. Now draw it up snug wdien she is standing in her natural position and secure it with a slip-knot so that it can be easily removed when necessary. There will be no excitement about this, and no punishment. It does not interfere with the mare's lying down or getting up; all it will do for her wdl be to prevent her from kicking, simply because she cannot, and she will soon learn to live in peace with her stable mates. We have used this for many years without a failure, and we would be pleased to have all humane horsemen use it in preference to a long chain or heavy swinging block or padded stall." Dr. F. A. Crandall, Jr., V. S., very sensibly suggests that to cure balkers and stall kickers the surest way is to break all balky drivers and sulky stablemen and teach them to speak to an animal before hitting it. In the very interesting story entitled "David Harum" there is a description of how the hero of that book treated a balky one which was put on to him by some professional horse traders. Their warranty was: HORSE SECRETS 15 "There ain't a speck nor a pimple on him, he'll stand without hitching, and a lady can drive him as well as a man," which, as a delicate descrip- tion of a balky horse, deserves preservation as a classic. Harum's treatment of the balker was to drive him to a lonely point in an unfrequented road and when the horse balked, tie him securely with hopples and a rope taken along for the purpose. When the horse got tired of standing still he essayed to move forward and found he could not. Of this condition he soon tired and after a time was liberated. When the word was given to go, Harum gave him a savage cut with the whip down the right shoulder — just one, but one that hurt. At the next stoppage the same performance was repeated until by and by the horse began to expect that awful cut with the whip when his driver said "Get up." "The deacon who purchased the horse, under the same warranty given David, had less luck with him. The association of the infliction of a savage cut with the whip fol- lowing failure to obey a command will always make a thorough impres- sion on any horse's mentality. A personal trial of Harum's method of fixing up a balker succeeded perfectly in a case undertaken by the writer. The use of the single cut with the whip is invariably successful as a remembrancer with any horse. It is a great cure — the greatest — when punitive measures are necessary. Stopping Pawing in Stall. It has been suggested that some horses are so nervous that the presence of rats or mice in the stable causes them to paw or kick at night. This is another reason for the extermination of vermin which at all times are a nuisance in the stable. When a horse persists in pawing all night long this may indicate that he has had too little hay, or lacks bedding, or suffers slight collicky pains from formation of gas. A horse suffering from impaction (stoppage) of the bowels always paws. Chronic pawing may also be due to a steeply inclined stall floor which strains the tendons of the legs. Simple causes of this sort may easily be removed. A two by four scantling spiked across the stall floor just back of where the heels come when the horse is standing up often will prevent pawing. When the horse starts to paw the scantling trips the foot, astonishes the horse and causes him to desist for fear of the unknown obstacle. A horse may quit pawing if allowed a box stall, instead of an ordinary stall. Idle horses sometimes paw so persistently near meal times that they make themselves lame. We knew a fine trotting stallion to become lame in this way. Navicular disease was diagnosed by the veterinarian, but later pawing (pound- ing) was found to be the true cause. This was stopped by hanging several flat pieces of lead from strings tied to a breast collar. These struck the horse on the knees and forearms when he started pawing. The lameness speedily subsided on removal of the cause. Brainard, a successful horse trainer, suggests the following way to prevent pawing in the stall: "Buckle a strap above the knee. Take a piece of rope six inches long; tie one end to strap, other end to a round piece of wood to be hung down in front of leg. As he paws the block hits the horse's leg and he soon learns to stand quiet to evade punishment from the block." Preventing Casting in Stall. Many a good horse breaks its neck, back or a leg by getting cast in the stall. To prevent such casting and the serious results alluded to, the front boards of the manger and hay rack should be boarded down flush to the floor. Where a space is left between the floor and the bottom of the manger the fore feet of the horse often become caught l6 HORSE SECRETS there and throw him as he attempts to rise. Where the halter rope or strap is too short and made fast instead of running in a ring or hole the accident is more likely to happen. An unnecessarily wide stall also induces the accident as does a box stall that has perpendicular walls, loose planks running lengthwise or weak planks set in an upright fashion. The heel calkins are apt to catch between the planks when the horse kicks and so cast the animal or hold him down. Box stall walls and partitions should flange out a foot or so at the base. This prevents casting and makes tail rubbing impossible. When a cast horse cannot be turned over, pulled out of the stall or made to rise, the first step should be to remove the partition against which he lies. Then turn him over and examine for fracture of the leg. If the leg is sound, brisk rubbing will cause the blood to circulate, relieve the numbness and enable the animal to get up. Brainard suggests the following mechanical treatment for a horse that has the habit of getting cast in the stall: "Take a small rope long enough to reach from the ceiling to within two and a half feet from the floor. Fasten one end to ceiling in center of stall, directly over horse's head when he is lying down. Snap the lower end of rope into a ring sewed to head piece of halter between horse's ears. Tie as usua] with halter strap to keep horse in place. When he lies down and tries to roll, this rope keeps his head in a perpendicular position. As he can neither lay his head upon the floor nor place its weight upon the halter strap, he cannot roll and therefore will not get cast." Curing a Knee-Knocker. The fault of hitting the knees with the opposing front feet is the hardest the trainer of trotters has to combat. Few horses, unless pigeon-toed, go quite clear there when at speed at the trot. All nigger- heeled horses strike the knees. As the knee is a true hinge joint, and the direction of the leg cannot be changed as in the case of the hind leg, which is controlled by a ball-and-socket joint, the force of gravity must be invoked. Some horses never are cured of the fault of banging their knees, and almost all racing trotters wear knee-boots. Horses which have this fault may be greatly benefited in most cases by applying weight to the inside of the front feet — not the outside. The weight is supplied in the form of a thin strip of lead, fitted with spurs, on the lower side to enter between the shoe and hoof, and attached to the hoof by countersunk screws after the fashion of toe weights. The weight may extend from near the toe to the quarter, and be more or less according to the shape and direction of the foot and the location and method of striking the knee. Hanging weight on the outside of the shoe has a tendency to make the action closer than ever. This applies only to the fore legs. To widen the action of the hind legs, controlled by the ball-and-socket joint, the weight is applied on the outside. Secret of Stopping Tongue Lolling. Some horses let the tongue dangle out of the mouth when in harness. This is an eyesore, depreciates the horse's value and may result in injury to the organ. The habit is induced by severe bits, frosted bits, hard pulling on the reins, caustic medicines and pulling out the tongue when administering medicine. Most of these causes may easily be avoided. In some cases the tongue will not be protruded if a strap is buckled around the nose just in front of the bit rings. A "spoon bit," to prevent tongue-lolling, is constructed as follows: A straight bar-bit is fitted with guards at each end, and a flat piece of steel two and one-half inches wide and three or four inches long is attached to the bar. The flat piece of steel rests on the tongue when HORSE SECRETS 17 the bit is in place, and extending two inches or so back of the bar makes it impossible for the horse to get his tongue back far enough to get it over the steel. The two guards prevent the tongue from being protruded at either side of the mouth. Dr. F. A. Crandall, Jr., V. S., suggests that, instead of metal, a piece of light harness or boot top leather may be used. The leather should be 2% inches wide and 6 inches long. This is folded over a bar bit and then stitched in place so as not to slip on bit. It is put in the mouth with point of leather to back of mouth on top of tongue. This will prevent tongue lolling in 90 per cent, of cases, unless paralysis of the tongue is present. Where that condition exists amputation of a portion of the tongue is the only remedy. This is recommended by Dr. Grenside, V. S., who advises that by use of anaesthetics and antiseptics the operation may be rendered practically painless and non-dangerou":. Secret of Curing the Stall Squeezer. Some horses will allow the feeder to enter the staK at feeding time, and bite him as he turns to leave, or squeeze him agaihst the stall partition, or kick him out of the stall. Other horses will do the squeezing act at every feeding or harnessing time. These are annoying and dangerous vices. One stall biter was cured in a rather cruel way. The attendant provided himself with a hot poker, and held it behind him as he stepped up to feed the horse. When the vicious beast turned to bite he got the red-hot poker in his mouth instead of the expected "pound of flesh," and ever after carefully avoided a possible repetition of the sore and terrifying experience. A smart tap on the nose with a stick, each time the horse tries to bite, may break up the habit. Hobbling stops the kicking. The squeezing stunt may be cured by means of the following rig: Buy two small iron pulleys. Suspend one by means of a bit of chain above the level of the horse's head at the left or "near-side" of the stall parti- tion, and adjust the other pulley to the left hand stall post. Run a small, strong cotton rope through the pulleys, and by means of a snap-hook attach one end to the ring of the halter on the left side of the horse's head; the slack of the free end of the rope being wound around a metal or wooden cleat nailed to stall post. To enter the stall pull upon the free end of the rope until the horse's head is raised and pulled over to the left; then secure the rope to the cleat to keep the head in that position. Now shove the hind parts of the horse to the right in the stall. This is easily done, and by this means the horse in time may be trained to allow one to enter the stall on the left side. Then, if so, the same training may be applied to the right side. Secret of Making a Horse Easy to Shoe. When one gives the subject a little thought, it does not seem strange that a colt should become vicious and difficult to shoe. The cause is fright, and often cruelty and abuse at the first time of shoeing. The young colt, three-year-old or over, when imperfectly "broken," and quite unaccustomed to many things that do not alarm or worry the old, experienced work-horse, is suddenly led into the shoeing shop and instantly exposed to many terrifying sights and sounds. There is the roar of bellows and fire, the ringing of the anvil under the hammer, the showers of sparks, the sight of fire and red-hot iron. the smell of smoke and burning hoof-horn. The voices of men and association of strange horses. Then a strong, rough man suddenly lifts a fore foot, holds it- in a grasp of steel, and starts to nip, and cut, and rasp the hoof, fit on it a red-hot shoe, and finally hammer in half 1 8 HORSE SECRETS a dozen long, slim nails. All the while there is torture from cramped joints and muscles bent unnaturally during the act of shoeing, and over and above all the terrible fear engendered by the fearsomt experience. Once "scared to death" in this way the horse may remain vicious for life, so far as shoeing is concerned. Prevent all this in the training process, while the colt is young, so that before he makes his first visit to the shoeing shop he will have become perfectly accustomed to having his feet raised and held, and hammered and rasped, and to see and hear all of the things to be later met with in the shop. So taught, and then gently and sensibly handled in the shoeing shop, he will not be difficult to shoe, and will not develop "vice." Secret of Makin£( a Horse Lie Down to Sleep. Some horses persist in standing up to bleep. They tend to become tired and are lazy or sluggish at work. In some cases the cause is rheumatism, or sprain of the muscles of the loins, the affected horse fearing to lie down, as he may be unable to arise, or have difficulty in rising. In some cases the six bones forming the loins (lumbar vertebra) have become united (anchylosed) so that a fracture of the part becomes imminent should the horse lie down. This is most liable to prove true in old, rheumatic horses, and those that persist in standing while asleep. The fracture may occur when the sleeping horse suddenly falls down in his stall, or it may happen when he is "cast" to undergo an operation. Nervousness in many instances keeps a horse from lying down to sleep. His mates keep him awake, or rats and mice may have that effect. Often he will lie down at once if turned into a secluded, well-bedded box stall. It has been suggested by Prof. Harper that two or three days of extra hard work should be given to the horse that will not lie down. During this time he is to be fed in a common stall at night, but on the night of the second or third day he is to be brought in late, when the stable is quiet, and turned loose into a box stall, bedded with fresh straw up to his knee.^ and hocks. He will then usually eat his feed and lie down at once, and then should not be disturbed until he gets up of his own accord It has also been suggested to tie a five-pound weight to such a horse's tail, so that it will hang about four inches above the hocks, and by its dragging strain induce the animal to lie down. Avoid buying a horse that has an anchylosed back. It will be found that such a horse cannot turn around naturally and easily, as does a sound horse. He jumps around, when made to turn sharply after a trot to halter Test every old horse in this way. Secret of Stopping Head Tossing. It is most annoying when a horse continually tosses his head when being driven, and owners are at a loss to know what is the cause. Usually it is the bit. An examination will be likely to show that the bit is fastened in such a way as to irritate the corners of the mouth, the straps being too tight; or the bit is rough from rust, or has been put in the mouth when frosted, so that the tongue has been injured A man once sent us this inquiry: "Will a frosted bit hurt a horse's mouth?" And we answered: "Try it in your own mouth, brother." Of course it hurts. Dip the bit in water and so remove the frost. To prevent head tossing take a strap about six inches long, with a loose ring, a snap-hook at each end. Snap the strap to each bit ring so that the loose ring will hang under the lower jaw. Secure a strap to loose ring and pass it down between the forelegs and snap to a ring of the bellyband. HORSE SECRETS I9 Secret Tricks in Horse Trading. Secret of Shutting a Heaver. Heaves or broken wind more commonly perhaps than any other unsoundness, offers opportunity and necessity for skilful handling by the trickster in horse dealing. There are numerous plans for the temporary rehef of this disease, and so skilfully is the work done that often it is not suspected or discovered under twenty-four hours following a purchase. The "patient" receives no bulky food and all feed is wetted. Sometimes ammonia water is used in sprinkling the hay, and the observant buyer may detect this by the odor. Lime water or a solution of baking soda also is frequently used. An examination of the bit may show that it has been "medicated"; and allowing the horse to drink all the water he wants will be likely to disclose the heaves when he is made to gallop or pull a load. A pint of whiskey well diluted with water given as a drench also will be likely quickly to offset the effect of drugs. Dr. A. M. Henderson, V. S., of Illinois, states that sometimes when a heavey horse is "shut off" his nostrils will continue to dilate to such an extent that anyone can see it. To prevent this the sharp dealer has been known to slit the nostril through the thin part so that it will collapse. He adds that it is a common practise for such men to blow boracic acid down the horse's throat to stop the cough sometimes persistent after the heaving has been stopped by drugging. It is not the province of this book to furnish formulae of the mixtures or medicines used to "dope" or "shut" heavey horses, but rather to put the buyer on his guard so that forewarned he may be forearmed. There- fore, the following "dopes" employed for dishonest purposes are mentioned: Arsenic, stramonium, lobelia, indigo, chloral hydrate, opium, melted lard, lead shot, raw eggs, milk, fresh ox blood, vinegar, kerosene, slaked, lime in drinking: water, etc., and in olden days a fistulous opening was made in connection with the rectum for the free and silent passage of gas. If the buyer is allowed twenty-four hours in which to reject a horse, heaves, if present, will usually show up in that time if the horse is given an abundance of drinking water and bulky food and then is put to work. Secret of Plugging a Roarer. It is well to examine the horse's nostrils when making a purchase, otherwise he may sneeze out a sponge or two on arriving at his new home. The sponges are inserted to prevent a "roarer" from making a noise when breathing. This is also accomplished by fastening a spring truss to the nose band of the bridle in such a way that it causes pressure upon the false nostrils and so lessens the intake of air when the horse is in motion. Sponges even of fine quality clog with mucus if left in place too long. Dealers tie fine cords to the sponges and by this means pull them out of the nostrils as soon as the horse is 20 HORSE SECRETS sold. Another plan is to cut off the ends of a lemon, squeeze it dry, and then insert it in the nostril. It is left there with impunity as it will soon dry out, shrivel and be sneezed out of the nostril. Another trick is to pack the horse's sheath with oakum to prevent unpleasant noises when he is trotting; and the vagina of a lacerated (gill flirt) mare may be similarly treated for a like reason. Laceration of the perineum, an accident occurring at parturition, is usually incurable, hence the importance of making a careful examination when buying a mare. Diamond Cut Diamond. It is not always at the time of making a sale that the "gyp' practises sharp tricks. When occasion offers he has been known purposely to depreciate the value of a horse he wishes to buy. If he can make it appear that the horse is lame, sick, broken-winded, weak-eyed or balky, he may acquire him at a discount, and he has secret methods of accom- plishing his dishonest ends. A fine wire or cord tied around the pastern soon causes symptoms simulating those of founder; or the horse limps painfully after a horse-hair has by means of a needle been passed through a certain part of his leg, or when a small nail has been driven into the foot or a gravel or bean put under the shoe. A horse will stop eating and so appear sick when tallow has been smeared upon the roof of the mouth and inner side of the upper incisor teeth; or refuse to pull when his shoulders and breast have been bathed with an irritating solution of corrosive sublimate, tincture of cantharides, or tartar emetic; or seem to have glanders when fresh butter has been melted and poured in his ears; or afflicted with eye disease when whole flaxseed has been chewed and rubbed on the eyes; or he can be made fractious by an application of a caustic fluid. The owner should make a careful search for such causes of unsound- ness should his horse mysteriously go wrong at the time when a trade is pending, and on recognizing the possibility of a trick it is better to call the deal off than to discount the price. Dr. H. Fulstow, V. S., of Ohio, gives the story of an actual case of conceahng an unsoundness which may serve to put many a novice on his guard. He says: "I knew of a fine race horse with a low mark, that went wrong in the foot from "navicular disease." A gentleman corres- ponded by letter with the owner about him and agreed to come and see him on a certain day; so the foxy owner had a small hole cut in the sole of the lame foot and ran in some tar and then applied a poultice. When the intending purchaser arrived the owner informed him that he was very sorry, but that the horse had stepped on a nail the day before while being jogged, was in no shape to show, but would no doubt be all right in a day or two. The buyer having come quite a distance, looked the horse over, removed the poultice and saw for himself the evidences of a recent nail prick. He bought the horse, and the sharp owner, while the deal was being made, kept telling the buyer that he ought to leave him for a while and come back to see him when fully recovered." Dr. Ful- stow adds: "I may say that the horse never was worth a dollar for racing purposes." Making a Horse Act Mean. When a "gyp" dealer learns that a farmer is having diflSculty in training a high-strung yoimg horse, he tries to buy him at a discount, and unless closely watched will try to make the horse act mean when examined. He asks the owner to harness or ride the horse, and divert- ing his attention for a moment, applies an irritating substance to the HORSE SECRETS 21 heels, or some other part of the animal, causing him to kick, plunge and attempt to run away. He calls his secret dope "dog water," "hop up," "soup" or "fog," and its effect is intended so to disgust the horse owner that he will be glad to sell the fractious beast at a bargain. Dr. B. F. Holmes, V. S., of Wisconsin, states that "soup" has also been used to make a horse show symptoms of vio- lent colic. For this pur- pose it is thrown upon ,, . ,,„ , the abdomen by means of a small syrmge. When the horse becomes violently sick the intending purchaser 'backs up" and manages to get a scaled down price on the anmial by agreemg to run chances of its recovery. Used on the hips the soup makes the animal a vicious kicker and the price is "docked" in consequence, as in the case of induced colic. Often, should a buyer visit a scalper's stable in the city, he will be shown a fine-looking horse and attractive harness and wagon The price asked for the horse and outfit is a low one, and the stranger jumps at the chance to acquire the property; but just as the horse is being hitched up, he begins to kick or behave badly under the influence of a dose of "soup." The intending buyer immediately suflfers from cold feet, and is readily induced to take an inferior horse. The fine horse and outfit are thus used times without number to attract buyers and assist in the sale of unattractive, cheap horses at profitable prices. Blowing Air Under the Skin. When the muscles of the shoulder have wasted away, constituting the condition termed "sweeny," air sometimes is blown under the skin to give the part a plump condition. This trick is easily detected, for when the hand is passed over the inflated part it crackles (crepitates) showing the presence of air under the skin (emphysema). The same trick is practised to make an old horse appear younger than he really IS, the hollows over the eyes being blown up by means of a hollow needle, quill or straw passed through the skin. This is called "puffing the glins." For low hip and atrophy of the shoulder muscles we have also known tricksters to inject a two per cent, solution of phenol under the skin and then thoroughly massage the part. Stopping a Switcher. Apart from operating upon the muscles of the tail to prevent switching, which often is a bad vice in mares, dealers resort to the following trick: The tail is tied up over the horse's back as tightly »s possible and left in that position over night. It becomes so numbed 22 HORSE SECRETS by this treatment that the horse is unable to use it for half a day or so after it is let down. The switching habit is also mechanically prevented, when the mare is hitched, by fastening a strand of the hair or string from each side of the tail to a part of the breeching of harness. Tail switching is less likely to be noticed by the buyer if the tail is tied up or braided. Therefore, it is well to let the tail down for this and other reasons before deciding to buy the horse. The Turpentine and Gasoline Tricks. Temporarily to lessen or remedy the lameness of a foot-sore horse, turpentine heated to the boiling point is poured into the sole of the foot. It can be held there for five minutes by binding a bandage around the foot so that the turpentine cannot run down over the hoof-head. The buyer may readily detect this trick, as the odor of turpentine gives it away when the hoof is examined. It also is alleged that the following treatment is given for muscle soreness, caused by use over hard stones: The night before he wishes to sell the horse affected in this way, the "gyp" dealer will pour gasoline over the withers, and let it flow down both shoulders and forearms. The gasoline contracts the capillaries and larger blood vessels and diminishes the blood pressure and nerve sensibility, thus allowing a nearly natural movement of the muscles. Of course as soon as the effect of the gasoline passes away the soreness will return. If gasoline were rubbed on the muscles it would probably result in a blister. Gingering a Show Horse. As a preparation for the show ring contest, or before exhibiting a horse to a prospective buyer, it is almost the general practise to insert ginger root in the animal's rectum that the irritation produced thereby may cause it to carry a high tail and show spirit and action. This trick is termed "figging." While this objectionable practise obtains most as regards coach and carriage horses, it is also followed by exhibitors and sellers of draft stallions and mares, and of recent years has been practised extensively. Indeed the trick is becoming far too common, and we have even seen it boldly and flagrantly practised in the judging ring to the disgust of all decent and fair-minded spectators. Possibly there may be some excuse for the practise as a means of setting a show or sale horse "on edge," but if allowed at all it should at least be done in private and be absolutely prohibited as a public act in the show ring. We sincerely trust that managers of horse shows will take this view of the matter; and officers of the humane societies should see to it that horses are not excessively tortured in this way. While the grooms of some horse exhibitors use ginger in the judging ring, others pay some regard to the rules of decency by backing the horsesi into their stalls before showing so that the trick may be practised unnoticed by the visitors who throng the aisles of the horse barns. We have heard of such a plan being followed when preparing the entire string of coach horses of one owner for the evening exhibit at a great horse show. HORSE SECRETS 23 Unnerving and Cocaining. Chxonic lameness is done away with by skilful obliteration of the large nerves which supply the affected parts with sensation. The operation is termed nerving or unnerving in common parlance and, properly, as neurectomy. It consists in cutting down upon the nerve and then removing a portion so that its function is destroyed so far as the portion below the seat of operation is concerned. Unnerving is most often done to hide the lameness caused by navicular disease which is incurable; it may also be practised on account of ringbone, sidebone, founder or other unsoundness of the foot. After unnerving, the horse does not evince pain when the parts below the seat of the operation are pinched or pricked. The operation merely does away with pain and lameness. It is in no way a cure. Stringhalt often is cured by peroneal tenotomy, which consists in the removal of a portion of a tendon under the hock joint. Scars of this operation and unnerving are always looked for by the expert examiner. Cocaine or eucaine solution injected by means of -a hypodermic syringe upon the nerves at the points where neurectomy would be performed will temporarily have an effect like that of the operation. Just after the injection a swollen or puffed place may be discovered at the point where the hypodermic needle was inserted, and local soreness may be present after the effects of the drug have subsided. Keep an Eye on the Sign Board. Dr. Hawley advises that when buying horses at auction one should watch the sign-board, as it may be suddenly shifted from "serviceably sound" to "wind and work." In such a case a horse slightly lame may be purchased with no chance of rejection. Secret of Hiding a Spavin. It is an old "gyp" trick to beat one hock-joint with a stick so that it will swell and acquire the same size as the hock unsound from spavin. Caustic solutions injected under the skin at the seat of spavin also smooth the appearance of the joint. If spavin is suspected, test for it by picking up the hind foot and holding it toward the stifle for two or three minutes so as to tightly shut the hock-joint. Then drop the foot and instantly have the horse trotted. If spavin, apparent or hidden (occult), is present the horse will hop off on three legs, or go much lamer than before. Artificially Induced Knee Action. True knee action is an inborn trait in certain horses, such as those of the English hackney breed, and some families of Ameri- can trotters; but in many high-stepping horses, sold on the market, such action is unnatural, and has been acquired The true knee actor ilexes his hocks about as freely as he does his knees This is the test: Watch a fashionable, high-going coacher, and if the action is not well balanced, and if the hind legs are imperfectly flexed and seem to have difficulty in "keeping up with the procession," depend upon It that the horse has been trained to go as he does and easily may forget his lessons on leaving school. "4 HORSE SECRETS The "gyp" trick is to wet the hoof heads with turpentine, which sets up intense irritation and induces knee action. This is readily discovered by remembering to run the hands over the coronets when examining the horse, then noting if they smell of any drug. The horse trainer, on the other hand, develops high knee action by putting on heavy shoes, the toes being left long; by trotting and gallop- mg the horse in plowed land, deep snow, or a deep bed of straw. He also frequently taps the legs back of the knees with a whip or light stick as the horse takes daily walking exercise. Soon the animal learns the trick of high stepping, and thus is ready to match with one of like kind and gait, for sale at a high figure to some rich man in the city. A coach horse with extraordinary high knee action was sold by a dealer to a city man for $400. In a few days the buyer returned the horse, saying, "Sell him over again; you put him on me, now stick some one else with him." This horse had stringhalt in both forelegs which caused him to go high. In buying a coach or hackney stallion or mare for breeding pur- poses, see to it that the high action is natural and not acquired or due to chorea, else the tendency to step high will not be transmitted to the progeny. The Artificial Tail Trick. Where a horse is bought without careful examination of the tail, it may transpire when too late for redress that the switching appendage has been joined on. We remember examining a fine, thoroughbred running horse that was to be used for saddle purposes. Everything passed scrutiny until we came to the tail, which was that of some other horse, nicely held in place by clamps. When it was removed it was found that the horse under examination possessed a mere vestigal stump of a tail — a regular shaving brush affair — and on that account the deal, like the tail, was all oflf. Draft and work horses are often offered with the tail braided and tied up. Where this is the case, the intending buyer should let the tail down and then he may find that a big foreign switch has been braided in with the scant supply of natural hair. The critical examination of the tail will also save the prospective purchaser from acquiring an animal afflicted with pigment tumors (see page 47), or one that is about to lose a portion of the tail by gangrene, due to keepmg a cord too tightly and too long around the part when tied up in muddy weather, or while exposed for sale. Keeping a Horse "In the Air." The dealer tries to keep a horse "in the air" as much as possible when showing him to a prospective buyer, but the latter should be sure to examine the horse when he is "standing at ease." The object of keeping the horse rattled by cracking whips, shaking barn door latches, rattling a whip handle inside of a derby hat, whooping, yelling, and chasing behind him, is to make him appear spirited, or to hide some lameness. Often the horse so treated has a spavin, the laming effects of which disappear with exercise, and this also is true if the horse has navicular disease or chorea. This absurd treatment of the horse is customary in the selling of a heavy draft stallion that has been so fattened, pampered and drugged HORSE SECRETS 25 that he is practically asleep half the time, and has to be waked up by strenuous means to give him an appearance of life. A naturally acute and wide-awake horse needs little urging. Wedging a Cribber. Some dealers temporarily make a horse desist from cribbing by driving hard wood wedges between his front incisor teeth. Another old plan is to saw between the teeth. The soreness makes it painful for the horse to practise the habit of cribbing. Such a horse may be returned to the commission man, no matter how much time has elapsed since the purchase. The trick is difficult to discover unless the horse has cribbed long enough to render the appearance of the teeth suspicious. In the confirmed cribber the teeth are worn ofT or bevelled and usually have lost the marks. Another way of stopping a horse from cribbing is to blindfold the animal, place a block of wood on the incisor teeth and strike it with a mallet. By this cruel means the parts are made so sore that the horse temporarily stops catching hold of the manger to crib and suck wind. A highly recommended and far less severe method of preventing cribbing is to tie a %-inch cord to the ring on one side of the halter, then pass the free end under the upper lip, draw it fairly tight over the gums of the upper incisor teeth and tie to the other ring of the halter. C. W. Bolton, an old time farrier, says that a horse so treated "can eat just the same, but won't crib, for when he takes hold with the upper teeth the cord tightens and it hurts." The buyer should always, when pos- sible, see the horse in the stall prior to the show out. If he remembers this and moves quick enough he may see the horse wearing a strap buckled around his neck just back of the ears. Such a horse is a cribber and wind-sucker and the strap is put on to prevent the latter vice. Dr. N. S. Mayo, V. S., says that if a horse has worn a cribbing strap the con- tinued pressure upon the hair about the ^- ;i/iu>ir/ \\ •?\ neck will make marks indicating that the '' mnn///,. W \\ strap has been used. As cribbing and windsucking may come from idleness, never let a horse remain a single day l\\f/ ""^^ _r idle in the stable. Work him daily, and when there is no work for him to do turn him out in the yard, paddock or field. "A very tired horse seldom cribs " Making an Artificial Star. It sometimes happens, or is claimed to have happened, that a pure- bred foal, registered in the stud book when young, is set down as having a star in its forehead, but which on attaining maturity shows no such mark. Sometimes in matching horses a difficulty is experi- enced when a perfect mate is found with the exception that a star is lacking. In such cases the horseman is occasionally more or less successtui in producing an artificial star. One plan suggested is to cut a boiling 26 HORSE SECRETS hot potato in two and instantly apply the cut surface to the skin of the forehead. The scalding removes the hair and it comes in white, but a careful examination of such an artificial scar often will disclose a small pink, hairless spot in the center of the mark. The same tell-tale spot is seen where the artificial star has been produced by cauterizing with a red-hot iron or scalding with boiling water. Dr. N. S. Mayo, V. S., says that hot dough is also used. The discovery of an artificial star on the forehead of a stallion or mare sold as pure-bred and regis- tered is sufficient reason for making a careful investigation as to the identity of the animal and the integrity of the seller. An old book gives the following plan of making an artificial star: Take a piece of coarse tow-linen, the size of the wished-for star. Spread on it warm pitch, and apply it to the shaved spot; leave it on for two or three days, then wash with a smart water, or elixir of vitriol, two or three times a day until well. When the hair grows it will be white. The Loose Shoe Trick. When a horse is a poor mover, but stylish and likely to be a prize winner in the show ring, the owner tries to avoid putting him through his paces before the judges. A shoe is loosely tacked on, so that when the horse is trotted it comes oflf, and the owner then blames imperfection of motion to the loss of the shoe. We remember a case in the judging ring where a stallion vvith notoriously poor, flat, brittle hoofs was being trotted out for inspection by the awarding committee. At the first trot out, off flew a shoe, carrying with it a goodly portion of horny wall. "Too bad, too bad!" condoled the judge with the owner, who instantly replied, "Oh, that's all right; a horse with a foot like that will never miss it!" And the judge — a beginner — seemed to take it for granted that the foot was a specially good one, precisely as he was expected to do, and he gave the horse a prize, although he had not been properly shown out like his rivals. Wire Marks Over Side-Bones. Instances have been disclosed where gashes have purposely been cut with a knife on the hoof head just over a prominent side-bone so that when the wounds healed and left large scars the side-bones might be laid to a wire cut. This trick is mostly used in the case of a stallion that might, on account of a side-bone, be refused a license for public service in states where laws are in force for the supervision of the horse breed- ing industry. In Wisconsin, which was the first state to enact a stallion service law, we found large scars over side-bones on both fore feet of a pure-bred draft stallion. In another case, where a complaint was filed .to the effect that a stallion was unsound from side-bone, the owner claimed by letter that the side-bone was due to a calk wound. Examination by a veteri- narian disclosed the fact that the wound scar was over a side-bone on a hind foot, and there were two large side-bones on each fore foot and no scars on the latter. The state license of this horse was promptly cancelled for cause. Black Spots on a White Horse. An old veterinary book says: Take of powdered quicklime half a pound, and litharge four ounces. Beat well the litharge with the lime. The above is to be put into a vessel and a sharp lye is to be poured over it. This is the coloring matter* which must be applied to such parts of the animal as you wish to have dyed black. HORSE SECRETS 2J Broken Crest or Wrong Lying Mane. In certain gross, coarse-necked, heavy-maned plethoric draft stall- ions advancing in age it is not uncommon to find the crest broken over under the weight of the mane. Attempts are sometimes made by the owner or seller to offset this objectionable condition by braiding the mane and causing it to lie upon the side of the neck opposite the break by weighting wi*h flat strips of lead attached to the hair. If the crest breaks over to either side the mane may be roached. Weights may also be used in similar fashion to shed the mane of one horse of a pair so that it will lie on the proper side of the neck to make the team well matched and dressed. A broken crest is objectionable in a stallion as it indicates coarseness and grossness, a tendency to which is likely to be transmitted. The term broken crest is sometimes applied in the market to a horse affected with fistulous withers or scarred therefrom. Concealing Discharging Sinuses. It is not uncommon for a horse to have a fistula (opening or sinus) of a salivary duct. Where this is so there will be a discharge of saliva which appears as a limpid, transparent liquid oozing out or flowing in a stream. It is most profuse when the animal is eating and at that time may escape in jets. Such fistulx commonly involve Stenon's duct and are located on the side of the face or jaw. They are difficult to remedy, and the dealer resorts to the use of strong astringents and then plugs the opening;^ tightly with cotton temporarily to prevent escape of saliva until a sale has been effected. A fistula connecting with the root of a diseased molar and dis- charging pus through a sinus (pipe) the orifice of which is under the lower jaw, may be plugged in similar fashion, to be discovered later by the chagrined buyer. It also is possible temporarily to prevent escape of pus from small chronic fistulje or those resulting from poll- evil, fistulous withers or trephining of the bones of the face, or from the sinus sometimes found at the base of the ear and mentioned on page 29. Dr. N. S. Mayo, V. S., asserts that where a horse has a discharging fistula the dealer often trades him on a wet, rainy day, as the parts wetted by the discharge are thus not so likely to be noticed. The Galloping Past Dodge, Some horses roar loudly when going fast in harness, but are instantly quiet when action ceases. To prevent the detection of this unsoundness the seller, unless prevented from doing so by an experienced buyer, gallops the horse past the latter, and by tugging upon the lines, makes it appear that the animal is trying to run away or is difficult to control. The team is pulled up some distance away and by the time the buyer gets there the horse has resumed normal breathing. Dr. B. F. Holmes, V. S., says that it is not uncommon for the dealer to run the roaring horse in an old rickety wagon or hay rack which makes so much racket that the noise made by the horse cannot be heard. The better way to test the horse's wind is to lock the rear wheels of a wagon by thrusting a strong stick between the spokes from one wheel to the other; then make the horses pull the wagon at a run and be at their heads the moment they stop. Such horses may not be true roarers, but mechanical chokers with thick, bull necks or enlarged throat glands. These are practically sound and only roar when pulling a heavy load up hill or on getting the chin down close to the chest. 28 HORSE SECRETS Keeping a Horse on Edge. A horseman of the old school writes : "When dealers have had a horse some time in their stables, they exercise him with a whip two or three times a day, so that when a 'chapman' goes to look at him, they have only to stir their hand with the whip in it. Under such conditions it is hard to say whether the horse, fearful of a drubbing, is lame or not, and a good judge may be deceived." in another place he says : "A horse that goes with his fore feet low is very apt to stumble and there are some that go so near the ground that they stumble most on even road, and the dealers, to remedy this, put heavy shoes on their feet, for the heavier a horse's shoes are, the higher he will lift his feet." "An Eye for An Eye." The buyer should have a keen look out for the eye of the horse; otherwise he may easily make sad mistakes in the market. The pupil of the eye should contract when the horse comes out into the light. If it does not, the eye is blind, or at least unsound. Such eyes have an unnatural appearance which should attract the attention of the alert examiner, but he will be very apt to overlook the blindness if the horse is led out into the bright sunshine. Where a horse has recently become blind from periodic ophthalmia (moon blindness), he may still be able to detect a bright light, and so when exposed to sunshine, may throw up his head and look directly at the sun. This act makes the examiner liable to consider the eyes sound. Dr. George P. Frost, V. S., Chicago, advises that when examining a horse's eyes the examiner should close his hand, leaving the index finger extended and with this finger threaten to poke the eye. He says : "Thrust your finger at the eye; if the sight is impaired the horse will not close his eyelids until your finger almost touches the eyeball. Do not make the test with the open hand, as the air current caused by your open hand will cause the horse to close his eyelids while your finger is still some distance from the eye." It should be remembered too, that even when a horse is stone blind he will instantly close the eyelids if the fingers touch the long hairs (feelers or tentacles) on the cheek just under the eye. Periodic ophthalmia, as suggested by the term, comes on at intervals, but eventually after repeated attacks ends in blindness of one or both eyes A horse that has had a few attacks, causing a slight opacity of the cornea (scum), is a favorite with the scalper, as he can be bought cheap, treated for the temporary clearing up of the eyes, and sold at a profit to an unwary buyer. The disease is incurable, and its presence is to be suspected when the eyebrow appears triangular and wrinkled, and the eye looks smaller than its mate or a healthy eye, and is retracted into the orbit. Not infrequently horses are blind from amaurosis (glass eye). The eye to the novice looks sound, is clear, bright, wide open and naturally prominent, but an expert sees the pupil round and fully dilated, and on further test is found to be blind. Unscrupulous buyers sometimes render a horse temporarily blind by chewing whole flaxseed to a pulp and smearing it in the eye. By washing a cloudy, sticky-looking eyeball, this trick is readily discovered. A horse may also be rendered temporarily blind by the administration of certain drugs. The clearing-up process of treating a blue-eyed or moon-blind horse also is effected by skilful use of such drugs as atropia, belladonna, eserine, nitrate of mercury ointment, bloodroot, alum, calomel, etc. Their effect is transitory, and the horse soon has an unmistakable attack •of ophthalmia. HORSE SECRETS Examine the Ears. ^9 It will be well to "put a flea in the ear" of the man who contem- plates buying a horse and who may not know that the ear will bear investigation. If the animal will not submit to inspection, look out I The horse that will not allow one to handle his ears, or fights when the attempt is made, may be a terror to shoe, and therefore has had the "twitch" put on his ear many a time in the blacksmith's shop; or he may have had poll-evil, some injury to the ear, or head, or have a disease present which makes the ear sore or sensitive. A horse so afifected is difficult to handle, as he fights when the halter or bridle is put on. If a horse makes no objection to having one's finger thrust into his ear, it is safe to suspect that he may be a dummy (see glossary). Sometimes a fine silken thread may be found running under the forelock from ear to ear to prevent them from loppine over. Or there may be a leaden bullet suspended by a silk thread in the hollow of the ear to prevent its constant motion. Sometimes the motion indicates impaired sight or nervousness, whereas the lack of it may indicate deafness. "Gyps" sometimes pack cotton batting into the ears to quiet a horse that is easily frightened by noises. Then, too, we sometimes find at the base ot the ear a ctironic, almost incurable fistulous opening and tract connecting with the bursa mucosa, constantly discharging a substance like liquid vaseline, which daubs and mats the hair, giving the part an untidy, filthy appearance. Besides this, temporarily stitched and glued split ears, chronic eczema and warts may be looked for and avoided. It is more difficult to find ear ticks, such as are met with in southwestern states, but when present they cause great irritation and may make a horse fractious. Bishoping, an Old Trick. John C. Kncwlson,* an old farrier, writing in 1850, says: "Horse dealers have a trick of knocking out the nook teeth at three years and a half, to make a horse appear five years old when only four; but they cannot raise the tusks. At six years old the nook teeth are a little hollow, and at seven there is a black mark, like the end of a ripe bean. Afterwards you will observe the flesh shrink from the teeth, which grow long and yellow. Horse dealers have also a method which they call Bishoping a horse's mouth; that is, filing the tusks shorter, rounding them at the ends, taking a little out of the nook teeth, so as to make them rather hollow, and then burning them with a hot iron I was hired by Anthony Johnson, of Wincolmlee, Hull, as farrier to a number of horses that were going to the city of Moscow, in Russia, for sale, and we had a little gray horse, called Peatum, that was seventeen years old, the mouth of which I bishoped, and he passed for six year'- old, and was the first horse sold, and for £500 English money! I onlv mention this as a caution to horse buyers." How Bishoping is Done. Bishoping is dental forgery, false marks being made on the incisor teeth to make an old horse appear young. It is a dishonest practise and not to be countenanced for a moment by a reputable horseman. The modus operandi of the business is told as follows in a well-known book: Renewal of the cups (bishoping) is the most important of the artificial attempts to make horses appear younger, and if per- formed intelligently upon horses that are not too old, together with the shortening and polishing of the crowns of the superior incisors, may deceive even the vaunted expert. The operation consists of cutting (♦See note on page 46, relating to "An Old Operation for Spavin") 30 HORSE SECRETS large cups in the inferior corners, smaller ones in the laterals and mere dots in the centrals and then staining them with silver nitrate. The cupping process is performed with an engraver's gouge, and a revolving hand drill, or by the modern ingenious implement in vogue in the Chicago market, consisting of the foot engine used by human dentists, equipped with a circular cutting wheel, by which cups of perfectly normal shape and size can be made. The horse is backed into a smgle stall and secured in a dental halter. An assistant works the dental engine with the foot. The operator holding the hand piece of the flexible shaft in the right hand and the jaw in the other, cuts first a large elliptical cup, with sharp commissures, in the table of the corner incisors, then smaller ones in the laterals and small dots in the cen- trals. As the wheel revolves with great velocity, the cupping is the work of but a moment, if the horse stands complacently. When the corner tooth has but a small table it is enlarged by filing and the cup is cut across its entire length. The cup in the corners is frequently made with a rounded belly internally and a sharp commissure externally to give a more confusing if not a more natural appearance. When the cupping process is complete, the arcade is dried and kept free from saliva by wrapping the jaw behind the teeth with a cloth or towel. The cups are then stained by applying a saturated solution of silver nitrate with a stick and then drying it immediately by plunging the head of a burning match into it. The drying process immediately blackens the cavity. If the stain flows over the table of the tooth it is filed off. Shortening, polishing, cupping and staining the incisor teeth of a nine or ten-year-old horse may be so cleverly performed that the most circumspect study of the mouth may fail to detect the alteration. In these cases the cupping is limited to the removal of the crusta petrosa within the infundibula, thus leaving the cup with a perfect enamel boundary. At that age the other retrogressive changes are not pro- nounced, and afford but little evidence to guide the diagnostician. When horses are past the age of twelve years the results of these operations are easily detected by the interrupted contact of the incisor arcades (rows of teeth) and especially by the angle of inclination, which is never altered by any natural process and which cannot be artificially changed. The shape of the tables and the absence of enamel around the cup will also lead readily to detection of the fraudulent attempts to make very old horses appear younger." 30RSE SECRETS 31 Miscellaneous Secrets. ) The Widow Trick. Some years since it was common to find cunningly worded horse- sale advertisements in the daily newspapers, offering seemingly valuable annuals at sacrifice prices. In some of these advertisements it was stated that a widow about to leave for Europe, where she hoped to be able to assuage the grief of her recent bereavement, would sell her favorite carriage horse, provided she could be assured of a good home arid kind treatment for the highly esteemed animal. In reality the widow was a myth and the valuable horse a good looking but worthless "robber." The scheme was craftily carried out, and many a man from the country fell a dupe to the wiles of the "widow" and her confederates. On going to the address mentioned in the advertisement, the pros- pective buyer would find a large stable in the rear of a fine old- fashioned mansion on one of the outlying boulevards or avenues. Here in charge of a glib-tongued coachman, usually a colored man, would be found several finely groomed horses standing knee deep in the finest of wheat straw bedding and surrounded by every appointment of a swell private stable. Opening negotiations with the groom, the buyer would hear one of the most plausible and pleasing tales imaginable elaborative of a similar, condensed story told in the glowing advertisement that had induced the visit. The filly or gelding would be described as bred irt the purple, by AUerton, out of Kentucky Queen, she by a Pilot, Jr., or some such combination of standard blood, possessed of great speed, having done halves in 1.08, a final quarter in 34 seconds, and the half "would have been as good as 1.06% had the track 'near the pole' not been heavy from a recent rain." When the purchaser had become interested, but not sufficiently so to agree to a somewhat steep price, the "widow" dressed in deepest mourning and heavily veiled would opportunely appear upon the scene, do the weeping act and manage matters so adroitly that soon a bargain would be struck at a handsome figure. Sometimes a "Colonel" or a "General" or a "Judge" would take the place of the "widow," the man posing as that character being suitably dressed for the part, commanding in appearance, and so plausible and polished in address as to disarm all suspicion. During the preliminary negotiations between the groom and the buyer, the "Gen- eral" would be conveniently stationed in the hay-loft overhead and would be summoned by electric bell when wanted, the "sucker" mean- while being taken into the alley to see the horse go through his paces. Needless to say that the buyer on getting the horse home and trying him out quickly rued his bargain, and equally unnecessary to say that when he went back to the swell stable for redress he found the place abandoned and was wholly unable to locate the men who had perpetrated the swindle. This, method of fleecing the unwary buyer is still in vogue but far less common than was the case before the advent of the automobile. Still it will be well to take glowing horse-sale advertisements with a large grain of_ salt, and better still to purchase a horse through some reliable commission man or dealer. 32 HORSE SECRETS A Horse That Was Right There. A New Hampshire horse dealer was "burned" by trading for a horse that would work anywhere and pull strongly except when he came to the foot of a hill; there he would balk and refuse to pull a pound. After he had kept the horse about a month a stranger came along and was "taken in." The horse looked well and a trade was made for another horse and considerable "boot." The buyer asked the dealer if the horse was a good worker and was told, "You bet! He will work any place you put him and when you come to the foot of a hill I tell you he's right there!" So the buyer discovered, and on complaining bitterly to the dealer was reminded of his honesty and candor in stating that at the foot of a hill he would always be right there. No doubt he paid more particular attention to the plausible talk of the dealer the next time he had occasion to "dicker" for a "hoss." An Honest "Hoss" Dealer. There lived in Michigan a shrewd old horse dealer who gave folks due warning to beware when he donned his selling clothes. He used to say: "When I say, 'Hoss,' — look out! I'm a-goin' to trade. But when it's 'Horse,' — nawthin' doin! Ye're perfectly safe." It is related that this character had a balky horse put on him by brother dealers in a neighboring town ; but a few days later he got even, and with the same "hoss." The former owners failed to recognize the beast, for in the interim it had been clipped, reached, docked and bishoped, besides receiving a few artistic spots of dye, and having had "tug marks" and "collar galls" manufactured by skilful shaving at the right places. In his new fix he looked a young, handsome, hard-working animal, but when the deal was made and the new owners hitched him up, they realized at once that both they and the horse were "stuck." A Sharper's Smooth Sayings. Elsewhere we have told of a balker that "was right there at the foot of a hill" or that would "stand without hitching." The scalper and crafty dealer use many catchy phrases of this sort, and they fool the buyer unless he has sharp ears and quick comprehension. A few additional catch sayings may prove of interest : A dealer having a horse with defective eyesight fitted him out with close blinkers and said to the buyer, "He doesn't look very well." Another said of a heavey horse, "If he ain't windy you needn't take him." Again, as to looks, and ability in harness, one said, "If he don't suit you in harness you can take it ofif," and again, "Single I bought him; double I broke him myself," or, "If you don't like him you needn't keep him," meaning that the "stung" buyer has the privilege of sticking some other victim with the horse. Some of the dealers are wits and most of them have quaint expres- sions and sayings. The following sample will suffice: A dealer was seen exercising a horse so badly foundered in his hind feet that he not only walked on his heels, but stood with his fore and hind feet almost on the same spot under his body. "Say! What are you goin' to do with that critter !" asked a bystander, and like a flash came the answer, "Take him to Indiana to tramp sourkraut in a barrel." Dr. James Robertson, V. S., tells us that a filly was sold with the promise that she could "keep company with Blue Ribbon and some of the fastest ones on the side drive." She did, but she generally was going one way while they were coming back the other ! HURSE SECRETS 33 The Winter Board Trick. A farmer read an advertisement in a city paper asking for a winter home and board for two family horses that the owner desired to leave comfortably provided for in the country during his absence in Europe. The farmer went to the city to investigate and found a fine pair of horses in a swell stable. Soon a bargain, profitable to the farmer, was arranged at a specified rate per week for board, stabling and care during the winter, but as the pleased stranger was about to leave for home, the stableman said, "Here, you are a stranger to me, and therefore you ought to put up some security for having such a valuable pair of horses in your care." After some discussion, the farmer was induced to deposit $100 as security, and went home, congratulating himself upon the good winter's profit he would have in looking after the horses which were to be shipped to him by train the following day. In due course, two horses arrived, but they were old "plugs," worth perhaps $s a piece. The swindle cost the farmer $go and his expenses, for when he went to the city to hunt up the sharper, he found the stable in the same old place, but the bird had flown, and no one could tell him where. How Horses Catch Cold. An old time farrier wisely says: "Many farmers and tradesrnen get too much drink when they go to market, and then set off home, riding like madmen, and calling at some public house on the road to get more of the soul and body destroying evil, leave their horses to stand sweating at the door, where it is no wonder that they get cold. Wagoners, carters and coal carriers are also often guilty of this abominable practise." Tricks in Measuring Horses. It is often important to have a horse not less than some given height, and great care has to be taken in making the necessary measurement with the "hand stick" (hippometer). If the horse is under or over the desired height the dealer may irritate the animal so that an exact measurement is diffi- cult or impossible to make. If the horse is undersized the dealer will try to stand him with the hind feet low. In the stable or yard everything is prepared so that this may be easily done. Another plan is to put on abnor- mally thick shoes, or those having calkins; the animal's head is kept lowered so that the withers will be correspondingly heightened. Opposite methods are practised when a horse is a trifle too high for show-yard requirements or mating, and such tricks have given buyers of horses for the army no end of trouble. When a horse is to be measured stand him on a level floor and then see that the measuring is honestly done. The Twitch and Cording Trick. A "twitch" is a loop of strong cord attached to a stick, placed around the upper lip and twisted tight to control a vicious or nervous horse at time of shoeing or when an operation has to be performed. Sometimes it is brutually applied to the ear or even the tongue. Cases 34 HORSE SECRETS are quoted where dealers have temporarily subdued and rendered docile, intractable or vicious horses at time of sale by use of a small twitch supported behind one of the branches of the bit, or attached to the side of the bridle or the h.ilter. Such things should be looked for by the buyer, who may also find that the horse is "corded" to make him step high. In the latter case a small, strong cord is looped and the ends tied together. One end is then looped over the bar bit and the other end or loop placed over the upper incisor teeth under the lip and made tight enough to stay there. The Secret Formula Swindle. The farmer or stockman who buys the formula of a "magic cure" from some stranger most likely will find his acquisition a "gold brick." A gyp horse dealer sold a "sure cure" heave receipt to an Indiana farmer for $25. It proved to be made of crude gypsum ("land plaster") flavored with a little capsicum and ground ginger root. The horse was to receive a tablespoonful night and morning for two or three weeks. Such a concoction might possibly relieve some of the severest symptoms of heaves, which is an incurable disease, but was of course not worth a fraction of the price charged. It is astonishing what cheap ingredients find their way into condition powders, worm powders and stock foods. We knew of a quack who combined fine sifted sand from the shore of Lake Michigan with the wood ashes of his stove and a dash of fenugreek and sold the mixture at fifty cents a pound under a high sounding name. We have found fine sand to be the chief ingredient of an alleged sovereign worm remedy for lambs. The lambs died despite or, mayhap, by reason of its adrnin- istration. A sheep feeder who uses large quantities of wheat screenings annually told us that when he was buying his supply of this feed the miller mentioned incidentally that he had recently sold some two thousand tons of screenings to a manufacturer of a stock food. Such stuff makes a cheap "filler," but is it a useful or safe "condimental" food for animals? We trow not! Anyhow the sheep feeder lost a lot of sheep from poisoning by corncockle seed present in the screenings. We remember a formula faker who went the rounds of livery barns and private stables some years ago. He used a liquid which by light rubbing almost instantly appeared to plate afresh the rusty or tarnished metal trimmings of harness. He sold the formula to a liveryman for $5, and at his request we compounded the concoction, which comprised a number of mineral salts, including nickel. But the mixture wouldn't work! The formula read well, but was a fake. The fluid used by the faker doubtless was merely some strong acid which instantly "cleaned" the metal trimmings of the harness. As a general rule it is safest to steer clear of all formulas advertised or peddled for sale. Fooling the Expert Judge. Many instances might be cited where slick horse showmen have fooled the experienced and wary judge. One of these is told on page 26 A new one is reported by Mr. R. P. Stericker, the noted judge of harness and draft horses. He says that a "dealer" was showing a horse as a gelding and the judge noticed nothing to make him suspect that the animal was a stallion. This was the fact, however, but it had been hidden temporarily by a light application of a red hot iron to the scrotum before the horse entered the ring. This trick was told against the judge as a "good one" at a dinner ten years later. This story reminds us of a report to the effect that a certain show- man having a splendid ridgling drafter which he wished to show in the HORSE SECRETS 35 stallion class at a forthcoming fair asked a skilful operator to make incisions and insert imitation testicles made of silver so that they would naturally fill the scrotum and make the horse presentable in the arena. There is no record that the trick was successfully consummated. A M&gic Cure for Cramps. Horses like people suffer from "needles and pins," numbness and cramps in their limbs. The muscles of a hind leg temporarily may lose sensation and become rigid so that the leg cannot be moved. The horse stands "anchored" in his stall. The owner knows not what to do and some wise, experienced charlatan perchance is called Quickly arriving at a correct diagnosis he dilates upon the terrible seriousness of the really simple conditions present, loudly lauds the wonderful virtues of his "Electric" or "Magic" liniment and persuades the fright- ened owner into agreeing to pay a fee of $I0 for a cure. This done the farrier's coat comes off, his sleeves are rolled up and the liniment rubbed in with many a pinch and slap. It smarts. The blood begins to circulate. The horse sweats, paws, kicks and a few sharp cuts of the quack's whip complete the "cure." Ten to one the whip applied or even cracked to scare the horse would have turned the trick. The empiric imposed upon the ignorance of the owner; but the "cure" was accomplished according to contract and there is no recourse. Color Secrets. 'Few foals," writes Mr. J. H. S. Johnstone, "are born the same color they display when fully matured horses. Only albinos are foaled pure white. The ordinary white horse of the street or country road is never dropped that color. Most men intimately connected with horses have never seen a pure white foal. Piebalds and skewbalds are born parti-colored. White markings are white at birth and do not grow on horses, save perhaps in the extension of a strip in face to meet a snip, and then the change is very slight. Grey horses are foaled black. Black horses come a rusty brown, as do some red roans and blue roans. It is often hard to tell from the birth hue whether a foal will be bay, sorrel or chestnut. There is frequently the same difificulty in distinguishing between foals that will eventually be brown or dark dun (or clay-bank). Cream-colored foals are usually, though not always, born that shade, sometimes a dirty dun, shedding oflf lighter. Quite often it is impossible to tell whether a foal is going to be grey or black from the hue when dropped. Though the foal may have all the appearance of promising to be black, a few white hairs may present themselves at the first shedding off. When this is seen, it is practically certain that at four or five the animal will be a grey. In this way mistakes in registering have often been unwittingly made, when the rules required the recording of young animals. Red and blue-roan horses often turn white with advancing age. Pintos or 'paints' — spotted horses common in the range country — are supposed to owe their parti-color to albinism close up somewhere in their lineage. The spotted, parti-colored, skebald, or 'calico' horses, seen in aH circus outfits, are for the most part erroneously called 'Arabians.' A pure-bred Arab horse, spotted or otherwise parti-colored, has never been known to exist. Indeed the Arabian is the only so-called pure breed of horses that, so far as is known, never produced a parti-colored animal. Therefore if a horse is parti-colored there is no possibility of his being at the same time a pure-bred Arabian, despite any claim that may be made to the contrary. The commonest color among pure .'\rabian horses is grey, followed in order by bay, chestnut, brown and black, few browns and blacks being in evidence. ^t HORSE SECRETS It is believed that little is done by dishonest horse dealers in changing the color of horses, but such practises have been known. A strong infusion of black walnuts, the nuts being gathered just as the shucks are about to break open, shuck and all being infused, will color white markings on horses almost any bay or brown shade desired, according to the strength of the infusion and the frequency of applica- tion. An admixture of henna tea is used to simulate dark chestnut." Training a Trick Mule. A trick mule — "!Maud" is generally the name — is almost always an integral part of every circus. ''Come along,- gentlemen, we will give a dollar a minute for every minute you ride this mule." Thereon sundry rough looking individuals present themselves at the ringside and one after the other attempts to ride the mule, which is adorned by a halter only. These individuals are thrown in turn and perchance some bona fide aspirant tries his luck, only to fare far worse. The training of such a mule is based on the fact that most people in essaying to mount will place the left hand on the withers or neck. The first thing then to be done in the educating process is to use a spiked glove on the left hand of the operator. Naturally the mule bucks away from the prods so received, and it is not long before it becomes adept at putting down all who try to mount it. The outstretched left hand is the signal to jump and pitch. Some mules get so vicious that they can hardly be ridden at all, while others learn so that they will submit to being mounted peaceably by the clown or other known person who approaches them with an awkward but recognized movement, keeping the hand always from the withers or top of the neck. Any one who owns a small mule can educate it so that in a short time he can have a barrel of fun with the neighbor boys. HORSE SECRETS 37 Secrets About Stallion Selling. Palming Off a Grade Stallion on a Company. Despite the fact that recognition is not given to several stud book ■ societies by the Stallion Registration Boards of the various states, their publishers still issue registry certificates which are practically worthless. Grade stallions can be registered in some of these non- standard books, the liberal registration fee being the principal object of their publication, and the registry certificates have the appearance of authenticity. This being so they are often used by stallion peddlers in victimizing the unwary buyer, who might easily ascertain the true worth of the papers offered, by sending them for examination to the secretary of the Stallion Registration Board of his state, or asking that official to give his opinion relative to the reliability of the stud book association involved. As an example of the dishonest purpose to which such bogus certificates of registry are put, it is stated by the secretary of the Department of Horse Breeding, of the College of Agriculture, of the University of Wisconsin, that a stallion whose sire was said by the owner to be "Middleton II.," and out of a dam of part Morgan blood, was given a grade license certificate by the Department. Some time later the horse changed hands and the buyer, who was an experienced organizer of stallion companies, had him recorded in a bogus stud book which issues a handsome gold-sealed registry certificate. On this the stallion was given an entirely new and wholly false pedigree, the sire being set forth as "Grove Revenue," and the dam as a well-bred Shire. On the strength of this attractive registry certificate of notable ancestry, and the help of a few confederates, the stallion was sold to a company of hard-working farmers in one of the northern counties of the state for $1,800, in shares of $75 each. Some of the notes were discounted and the peddler disappeared, but now the matter is in the courts, as the Department of Horse Breeding discovered the swindle and put the company "wise." (Later, the farmers won their suit. — Editor.) Another case has been discovered where a grade stallion was sold for a good price as pure-bred, on the strength of a registry certifi- cate from the stud book alluded to, and "imported" according to the statement of the peddler. The owner in this case also learned too late that he had fallen a victim to sharpers, and will now seek redress in the courts. Many similar cases could be cited and they serve to show the importance of studying the registry certificate furnished with the horse and making sure that it was issued by a stud book association recog- nized by the Stallion Registration Boards. Secretaries of State Stallion Registration Boards. If in doubt relative to the authenticity of a stallion registry certifi- cate, the prospective purchaser may send it to any one of the following secretaries, or tell him the name of the seller and the name of the stud book that issued the registry certificate, and will be cheer- 38 HORSE SECRETS fully advised whether or not the papers are correct, honest and legal. The inquiry, so far as possible, should be sent to the secretary of the Board of the state in which the inquirer lives. California — Secretary, George Robertson, Stallion Registration Board, Sacramento, Cal. Colorado — Secretary, James B. Pearce, Secretary of Stale. Denver, Colo. Idaho — Secretary, Dr. G. E. Noble. Boise, Idaho. Illinois — Secretary, J. K. Dickirson, Springfield, 111. Indiana — Secretary, Prof. D. O. Thompson, Lafayette, Iml Iowa — Secretary, A. R. Corey, Des Moines, la. Kansas — Secretary, Dr. C. W. McCampbell, Manhattan, Kan Michigan — Secretary, State Veterinary Board, Lansing, Mich. Minnesota — Secretary, Joseph S. Montgomery, Universitv Farm, St. Paul, Minn. Nebraska — Secretary, W. R. Mellor, Lincoln, Neb. North Dakota — Secretary, Prof. W. B. Richards, Fargo, N. D, Oregon — Secretary, Prof. E. L. Potter, Corvalis, Ore. Pennsylvania — Secretary, Dr. Carl W. Gay, University of Pennsyl- vania, Philadelphia, Pa. South Dakota — Secretary, Prof. James E. Wilson, Brookings, S, D. Utah — Secretary, Prof. John T. Caine, Logan, LTtah. Washington — Secretary, Stallion Registration Board, Pullman, Wash. Wiscon.=;in — Secretary, Dr. .A.. S. Alexander, Madison, Wis. Stud Books Recognized as Reliable The Department of Agriculture, Washmgton, D. C., at one time certified reliable stud book associations to the secretary of the treasury, for his information in dealing with pure-bred horses offered at tfie ports of entry for free importation for breeding purposes. Such "certification" of American books of record was discontinued in 1910, since which time only the foreign books of record have been certified. The various Stallion Registration Boards, for the most part, continue to "recognize" as standard the original list of stud books certified to by the Department of Agriculture, and still refuse to accept the registry certificates of those stud books not previously "certified." A few changes have been made, in several states, such as those noted in Wisconsin, and can be learned on application to the secretary in charge of stallion registration work in any particular state. The following list of recognized stud books is practically correct, with the exception just mentioned: American Association of Importers and Breeders of Belgian Draft Horses — J. D. Conner, Jr., Wabash, Ind., Secretary. American Breeders' Association of Jacks and Jennets — J. W. Jones, Columbia, Tenn., Secretary. American Breeders' and Importers' Percheron Registry — John A. Forney, Plainfield, O., Secretary. (Not recognized in Wisconsin.) American Clydesdale Association — R. B. Ogilvie, Union Stock Yards, Chicago, 111, Secretary. American Hackney Horse Society — Gurney C. Gue, 308 West 97th St., New York, N. Y., Secretary. American Morgan Horse Register — T. E. Boyce, Middlebury. Vt., Secretary. American Saddle Horse Breeders' Association — I. B. Nail, Louis- ville, Ky., Secretary. American Shetland Pony Club — Miss J. M. Wade, Lafayette, Ind,, Secretary. HORSE SECRETS 39 American Shire Horse Breeders' Association— Charles Burgess, Wenona, 111., Secretary. American Stud Book (Thoroughbreds)— W. H. Rowe, New York, N. Y., Secretary. American Trotting Register Co.— Wm. H. Knight, 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111., Secretary. American Suffolk Horse Association— Ale.xander Galbraith. De Kalb, III., Secretary. Arabian Horse Club of America— H. K. Bush-Brown, Newburgh N. Y., Secretary. (Not recognized in all states.) Cleveland Bay Society of America.— R. P. Stericker. Aurora, 111. Secretary. _ French Coach Horse Society of America— Duncan E. Willett, Oak Park, 111., Secretary. German, Hanovarian and Oldenburg Coach Horse Breeders Association— J. Crouch, Lafayette, Ind., Secretary. National French Draft Horse .Association- C. E. Stubbs, Fairfield la.. Secretary. Percheron Society of America— Wayne Dinsmore, Union Stock Yards, Chicago, 111., Secretary. Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America— George E. Brown Aurora, 111., Secretary. Stud Books Not Recognized by Registration Boards. The following registry books are not at the date of this writing Nov. I, 1910, certified by the Department of Agriculture, Washington] American Horse Breeders' Trotting Registry Association, 161 High St., Boston, Mass. American Horse Registry Association— N. J. Harris, Des Moines la., Secretary. American Iceland Pony Club— Geo. H. Simpson, Wheaton, 111 Secretary. American Percheron Registry Association— S. M. Heberling, La Grange, 111., Secretary. Belgian-American Draft Horse Association— A. J. Meyers, Loving- ton, 111., Secretary. Coach and Draft Horse Association of America— Frederick Wight- man, La Crosse, Wis. Hartman Stock Farm Registry Record Co.— Adam Krumm, Colum- bus, O., Secretary. International Consolidated Record Association— H. A. Jones Penn Yan, N. Y., Secretary. Morrison's International Roadster Register,— Des Moines, la. National Percheron Horse Breeders' Association— W. E. Phdlips, Secretary. The American Jack Register— W. L. De Clow, Cedar Rapids, la. The National Standard Pacing and Trotting Horse Breeders' Asso- ciation— Thos. C. Parsons, 1023-5 Williamson Buildmg, Cleveland, O., Registrar. The Standard Jack and Jennet Registry of America— Kansas City. Mo. (Now recognized in Wisconsin, as provided bv a legislative amendment to the stallion law in 1913.) 40 HORSE SECRETS Story of a Company Stallion Deal. "Farm, Stock and Home," some years ago publislied the following tale of a fraudulent stallion sale : "A few j'ears ago a suit for the payment of fraudulently obtained notes for the purchase of a stallion was thrown out of court by Judge Garland, of Sioux Falls, South Dal.ys. In the great horse markets, when a gentleman's coachman, or a man who is deemed by him to be an expert judge, is commissioned to buy a certain style of horse at not over a stated price, the expert can easily arrange to make a double profit. He seeks out some scalper friend, and gives him a detailed description of the sort of horse wanted. The scalper then visits the stable of his associates in the business, selects a horse that "looks like the job" and secures an option on him at a price considerably lower than the buyer has said he will be willing to pay. He now brings in the expert, and if the horse suits that worthy, he is purchased at the option price and turned over to the employer of the expert at his specified price or a trifle less. Then the scalper and the expert divide the profit, or if another man "on the inside" has been used in the deal, the profit is "split three ways," to give him a slice. The buyer is usually well satisfied with his bargain, and probably could not have bought the horse cheaper at first hand. The Recent Wound Trick. Unscrupulous horse dealers sometimes attempt to deceive pur- chasers by knowingly oflfering for sale a horse which suffers from intermittent lameness. For this purpose then intentionally make a wound which renders him lame from a simple and apparent cause and for a duration which always exceeds that of the guarantee according to law. "We must be on our guard against such malpractice," says Goubaux and Barrier, and they further advise that in general a lame horse should never be bought unless his price is notably reduced. It is especially in this particular case that it is necessary to consult a veterinarian in order to be informed as to the gravity of the lesion and the cause of the lameness. If, however, it be determined to buy a lame horse having a recent wound, it is well to require from the seller an appropriate bill of warranty, as a matter of precaution in case the wound having entirely healed, the characters of a chronic intermittent lameness should after- ward manifest themselves. Secret of Detecting' a Dummy. When buying a horse beware of the dummy. He is more or less stupid from softening, or other disease of the brain. It is a progressive and incurable disease. When a mild dummy is being shown by the dealer, "It is," says Dr. A. H. Baker, V. S., "the ordinary practise to keep the horse excited by continually cracking and flourishing the whip, and giving him a crack around the hocks occasionally if necessary to keep him awake. He is not allowed to stand quiet a minute. Every- thuig in connection with the case is push, pull, whip and hurry up. The horse is in good condition, fat, of good age and sound otherwise, and the price being enticingly low, the sale is made. He is taken home, only to be found worthless next day. The preventive remedy: Ask the dealer to let you take his whip a minute as if to shake the horse up a little more, then put it quietly HORSE SECRETS 55 under your arm, let the animal quiet down, when he will show his ■defects, or the dealer will order him put away." Dr. George P. Frost, V. S., suggests that the intending purchaser should always remember to slip a finger into the horse's ear, for if he does not resent this he may be suspected to be a "dummy." Pointers on Buying a Horse. See the horse in his stall. Often the buyer is handed a cigar and asked to take a chair in the ofiice until the horse is "cleaned" for exami- nation. Time is thus had in which to cocaine a lame animal or "fix" him in other ways. The horse should allow one to enter and leave the stall without being bitten, squeezed against the partition or propelled out by one or both hind feet. Note if the horse "digs a hole" by pawing, "vveayes," has eaten his manger, has no feed in front of him, wears a cribbing strap,_ has feed that smells of ammonia or other medicine. Make him "get over" or "stand over" in his stall. He will hop on the sound leg if the other is spavined, or jerk up a hind leg if alilicted with string- halt and show quivering of muscles and tail if a "shiverer" (affected with chorea). This is even more noticeable on backing the animal out of the stall. If whipped in the stall, chorea is not readily detected. Stand the horse on a level door away from the wall before exercising. If sore or lame he will "point" one foot or both fore feet in turn, or shift from one foot to another and flex his joints (cock or knuckle over). Walk around him to examine from every point of view. See that he can back handily. Make him turn sharply each way to left and to right. This will disclose chorea (crampiness), "kinked" or anchylosed (ossified) back. The pupils of the eyes should contract on coming into the light from a dark stable, or when the hand is removed after covering the eye for a few minutes. Examine the feet. Do not buy a horse that wears a leather sole, rubber pad, or bar shoe before removing same for a careful examination. A corn, stone bruise, cankered sole, dropped sole, nail prick or thrush may be hidden by the contrivance mentioned. Give the horse all the water he will drink before testing his "wind." In examining for soundness suspect the presence of every known unsound- ness, defect, deformity and vice. Each is looked for in turn. If all are absent the horse is sound. Look for brands under the mane. Dr. N. S. Mayo, V. S., says "The letters T. C on the neck indicate that the animal has been inspected and condemned in service in the U. S. Army for un- soundness, vices or inability to stand gun fire." In France, when a stallion is found to be sound by the government inspectors, he is branded with a five-pointed star under the mane. If he fails to pass the examination he is branded with the letter "R," which stands for the word "refuse," meaning refused. The R may appear over the five-pointed star indicating that the horse was at one time passed as sound, but was condemned as unsound at a later examination. When a horse has been cocained to conceal lameness a tender swelling may be present on the course of the nerve above, on or just below the fetlock. "Wind galls" (puffs) about the fetlock are temporarily reduced by applying flat corks or pieces of dry sponge kept in place by bandages. Bandage marks show on the legs and should arouse suspicion. Beware of a tail switching horse or mare that urinates spasmodically when approached or spoken to. "Gyp" dealers do not offer horses "on trial." They sell outright and there is no recourse. Reliable dealers, on the contrary, often allow "two days' trial." and this is an advantage to the buyer. Dr. A. H. Baker. V. S.. suggests that the buyer should always be- ware of sore feet. He says that many a sore footed horse has been sold for sound after having stood in the soaking tub for six to twelve hours. The soaking temporarily relieves chronic founder, navicular disease, corns and kindred ailment. Reputable dealers are willing to insert in S6 HORSE SECRETS the bill of sale a return clause of forty-eight hours if the horse proves to be not as represented. Such a privilege should be asked for in every instance. The Break Away Trick. Sometimes a dealer takes in trade an old, stupid, sluggish, lifeless draft stallion that has been so long a prisoner in a dingy box stall and generally abused that he can scarcely walk or trot out of the way of his own feet. He is a loafer and stumbler. No buyer would bid once on seeing him act to halter; but there is a way of making him "go" without resort to "soup" (see page 21). The horse is kept in a dark stall without exercise and away from the sight, sound or smell of equine mates. When a likely buyer arrives the stallion is driven out with yells and the cracking of many a whip. Naturally he pulls and rears. Suddenly the halter shank parts and away goes the old faker, head and tail in air, and every joint flexing finely. He has action galore, for he thinks he has broken away and so neighs in triumph and acts the part of a young and agile colt. But alas, the halter rope had purposely been cut almost through and broke easily, so that both buyer and beast were shrewdly fooled. No wonder unwary buyers now and then "go broke"! Secret of the Auction Ring. In some auction rings at the great wholesale markets customs have been engrafted on the business which are mystifying to the novice, but taken as matters of course by regular habitues. Primarily, of course, the shipper does not propose to see his horses sold for less than they stand him — if he can help it. Consequently the first bid announced by the auctioneer is invariably about what it will take to let the con- signor out whole, and then a few perfunctory raises of $2.50 each follow. Thus the anirnal is carried to about the notch where the seller would like to place him, often without a single bona fide bid having been made. Supposing that no buyer appears to want the beast at the figure so reached, the auctioneer will then unblushingly start all over again, perhaps $20 lower than he did before. There is always some one ready to raise that bid, and if, perchance, the ultimate real offer made comes within the profitable zone, the hammer falls and the purchaser's name is announced. Sometimes the vendor is desirous of getting rid of the animal at some price, but no one seems to be willing to bid what spells a profit on cost-price and expenses. In such a case the horse, after an unsuc- cessful trip or two through the ring, is brought back and the auctioneer announces that "he will see what they will give for a good horse." Some sort of a figure is then sure to be bid and, unless the trade is very suspicious indeed, the beast finds a new owner at perhaps less than half of the sum to which he was first hoisted. All this is accepted without challenge or protest by the dealers, who know what is going on and govern themselves accordingly. They know besides that ship- pers cannot continue long to do business at a loss. Horse buyers are a hard class of men to deal with and the shipper believes he must protect himself or get the worst of it. If it was not for the buyers there would be no market, and the buyers take full advantage of that fact. The commission salesmen are inclined to favor- them to the limit of their power and submit to usages which would not be toler- ated in any other line of merchandising. For instance, a regular buyer, having bid in a horse, may, on second examination, not just exactly like the animal. No particular fault, just does not like him after all. In such a case he simply refuses to take and pay for him, and the dealer bows as gracefully as he can, knowing that if he sets in force the machin- HORSE SECRETS 57 ery that will force the bidder to implement his transaction, that buyer will buy at other sales and his custom be lost in that manner. Likewise, the buyer is constantly seeking some excuse to "bush" the seller — that is, deduct from $s to $25 from the price bid — on some pretext, real or trumped up. Usually the shipper consents to some reduction rather than lose the sale outright. Buyers may be forced to take horses bid in by them in this way: If they refuse to settle, and their reasons for so refusing have been declared inadequate in the agreed way, the officials will on proper show- ing impound the rest of the horses owned by that buyer and refuse to let them be removed until the dispute has been adjusted to the satisfac- tion of all concerned. To Increase the Amount of Bone. Every purchaser of a horse seeks as much bone as possible. To increase the size of the legs below the knees and hocks, the back of the tendons is first lightly attacked with an instrument resembling a currycomb to irritate, but not pierce, the skin. The part — for about three to four inches below the joint — is then lightly beaten with a round, heavy stick — a common, old-fashioned desk ruler of ebony being the favorite instrument. The leg fills within a few hours and is hard, but if the job is neatly done, lameness does not ensue. When the condition desired has been achieved, the animal is shown to the buyer, who is, usually amazed to discover, if he does not see the animal for a few days,' that he has bought a good deal less bone than he anticipated. It is said, by unquestioned authority, that this trick has been successfully worked by some continental European dealers on unsuspecting American importers. Another trick is to blister an area just under a swelling or pufif. This detracts attention from the swelling, the blistered part appearing rough, while the other is smooth. A somewhat similar trick is described by Dr. A. M. Henderson, V. S., as follows: It is an old and cruel jocky trick when a horse is going lame in one leg to take a sack or some such container, put in a handful of small stones and use this to strike the opposite leg so as to cause a deep bruise, but no scar. The horse is thus caused to favor both legs, which is not nearly so noticeable as lameness of but one leg. A Glossary of Market Terms. In each of the great horse markets of the country certain technical, trade and slang terms are used in speaking of horses, and the intending buyer will do well to familiarize himself with them, else he may learn their meaning by dear-bought experience. In preparing the following glossary many of the terms explained are such as one hears in the Chicago market and elsewhere, and the writer has also freely quoted from an article entitled, "The Veterinary Horse Buyer," from the pen of Dr. H. W. Hawley, V. S., in the Chicago Veterinary College "Quarterly Bulletin" for June, 1903, and from Bulletin No. 122 of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, in which Prof. Rufus C. Obrecht deals elaborately and instructively with the subject of "Market Classes and Grades of Horses and Mules." In many instances it has been thought well to explain technical matters relating to practical sub- jects as well as to interpret the special terms used by horsemen. A Bull. — If a horse grunts when stood against a wall and threatened with a stick or whip, he is called a bull (or grunter) and by many is con- sidered unsound in wind, or a roarer. The test is not conclusive, as not all roarers grunt and many sound horses grunt when so treated, or even when the rider places his foot in the stirrup. It is also used to describe 58 HORSE SECRETS a wind-broken horse that chokes at work. A heavey horse does not grunt when tested in the above mentioned manner. A Bull Heaver. — A bad choker. A Canard. — A bit windy. A Coia Collar. — Balky. Afraid of the Floor. — Has chorea, or St. Vitus' dance. A Gravel. — Suppurating corn. It is not due to gravel. A Hole In. — There is "a hole in" a horse when he has some defect temporarily non-apparent. A Little Careless. — Knees bent forward, or sprung. A Little Coarse or Full in the Hock. — Spavin. A Little Nappy. — A little balky, or a dummy. A Little Ouchey. — Founder, or navicular disease. A Little Reading on Him. — Branded. A Little Rounding. — Curb. A Little Stamp On. — Branded. A Little Strong in the Mouth. — A lugger. Pulls on the bit. Tough- mouthed; may be unmanageable, a run-away, or subject to crazy fits. An Angel. — A greenhorn buyer who bids on an unsound horse. He usually gets him on his first bid. At the Halter. — "Sold to halter," or "at the halter" means without guarantee of any kind. The horse likely will be wild, balky, unmanageable or so unsound as to be useless. Beefy Hocks. — Coarse, meaty hocks having too much connective and adipose tissue. The hock should be clean, hard, free from beefiness, pufiFs and bony growths. ■ Bellows to Mend. — Wind-broken ; heaves. Bench-Legged. — Knees bent toward one another. Blind-Spavin. — Occult or hidden spavin among bones composmg ■ hock joint. Blue Eye. — Eye showing a bluish or pearly cast, indicating unsound- ness and disease which may or may not have caused blindness. Bobber or Jig Back. — Weak loins causing bobbing or wobbling of the hind quarters. Boggy in Hocks. — Distension of the capsular ligament of the hock joint indicated by a large or small, soft, fluctuating, synovia-filled swelling at the front of joint. Such hocks appear dropsical. The condition consti- tutes bog-spavin, and by some is termed wind-puff or wind-gall. Bowed Tendon. — A thickened, bulging unsoundness of the back tendons (flexors). Caused by an injury. Broken Crest. — Coarse, thick, broken over crest under mane. Seen in stallions. Sometimes used to mean fistulous withers. Broken Down. — Fetlock bending too near ground, or tendency of toe to turn up as a result of injury to the tendons. Cause of acute lame- ness at time of accident. Broken-Foot. — Foot having lost horn of wall in places along plantar border so as to interfere with regular distribution of nails. Broken Knees. — Scarred knees showing results of a fall. May be new or chronic. Especially objectionable in saddlers. Brush. — To strike lightly or scuff the knee, cannon or ankle with the opposing foot. The injury is less than in knee-banging, knocking or interfering. Buck-Kneed. — Knees bent forward. Buck-Shinned. — Bulging profile of front of cannon bones. Bull Pen. — A horse auction sale ring. Burglar or Robber. — This is an expression used by "gyp" dealers to denote a good-looking horse with some slight defect which they can remedy temporarily. This horse is sold, the buyer discovers his defect in a short time and brings him back and trades him in or sells him at a HORSE SECRETS 59 reduced price. Such a horse is stock in trade and the "gyps" sell him over and over again, trade him in and make money on him every time. Bush. — Forcing a consignor to accept a lower price that was bid in the auction ring. Calf-Kneed. — Opposite of buck-knees. Knees bent backward. Can't Keep a Secret. — A roarer; broken-winded. Capped Hock. — New and sore, or old and painless, swelling or callous of the_ point of the hock joint; due to bruise. Car Bruise. — Swellings, tumors, abscesses, on parts likely to have been bruised in shipping. Sometimes an excuse for such things not so caused. Careless. — A horse is "a little careless" when he stands with knees sprung. Cartilage. — A prominent lateral cartilage at quarter of foot. May or may not be a side-bone. Chest Founder. — Wasting or falling in of muscles of front of chest. Chestnut. — 1 lie horny projection found upon the lower inner aspect of the forearm and lower inner aspect of the hock joint. Considered a vestige of an additional hoof or foot pad of the prehistoric horse. Clefty; Clifty. — Flat, clean, fine quality cannon bones. Club-Footed. — Stiff, stilty upright forward position of foot, coronet and fetlock. Coarse-Footed. — Having side-bones. Cocked Ankle. — Fore or hind ankles (fetlocks) bent forward. Com- mon in young, overfed and under-exercised colts. When chronic, indicates shortening of flexor tendons and sometimes high ringbone. Cold-Footed. — "A little cold-footed" means stringhalt. Coon-Footed. — Long, sloping pasterns, throwing fetlocks low. Coupling. — The region of the lumbar vertebrae, loins, or space between last rib and hip. Cow-Hocked. — Standing like a cow with hocks together and toes turned out. Crampy. — Chorea, St. Vitus' dance, or slight stringhalt. The affect- ed animal jerks up a hind leg on backing out of stall, and at the same time the tail elevates and quivers, and the muscles shiver. Crest Fallen. — Broken over crest under heavy mane. Often means fistulous withers. Cribber. — A horse that fixes his teeth or rests his chin on any object and then sucks wind. Crock. — Old, crippled horse. Cross-Firing. — Striking one fore foot with opposite hind foot when pacing. Cross Hopples. — Hopples diagonally arranged to keep a horse from pacing, and en the trot. Rare. Curb. — A bulging enlargement at back of hind leg just below hock and resulting from an injury to the tendon and its sheath. Curby-Formed Hock. — An acutely bent or set hock giving a sickle appearance. Hind feet are thrown too far under body. Cushion. — A small puff toward front of outer side of hind cannon just below hock joint. Cut in the Wind. — "The least bit in the world" unsound in wind. Cutting. — Interfering or striking with feet on joints. Dead Spavin or Ringbone. — Lameness of spavin or ringbone sub- sided (killed) as result of firing and blistering, or other treatment. Dimple. — Point of hips lightly deformed by accident constitutes a "little dimple," slightly hipped. Dizzy. — A dummy. Dock. — 1 he tail. Docked. — Having had part of tail amputated. 6o HORSE SECRETS Docked and Set Up. — By operation the tail is made to carry high, after being docked. Droop Croup. — Short, steep croup; tail set low. Dropped Soles. — Bulging, or convexity of soles at points of frogs, due to descent of pedal bone in acute founder. Dummy.— Softening of the brain following sunstroke or heart ex- haustion. Horse is dull, sleepy, stupid; takes hay into the mouth and forgets to chew it; and if the fore feet are placed crossing one another, they may be kept in that position indefinitely. Ergot. — The horny spur located at the back of the fetlock joint. The ergot is considered a vestige of an additional hoof of the prehistoric horse. Ewe Neck. — Low crest, inclining to concave formation rather than gracefully arched; markedly depressed in front of withers. Falls Out of Bed. — Pulls back on halter rope. Family Broke. — Takes the whole family to drive him. Family Broken. — Safe and gentle ; safe for family use. Feather in Eye. — Scar on eyeball, due to cut; it does not necessarily impair vision. Feel Sore from the Planks. — Has chorea; a shiverer. Filled Hocks. — Swelling of joints, indicating poor circulation, gross- ness. As a market term, it may mean bog-spavin and thoroughpin. Fistula. — Fistulous withers. An abscess with opening discharging pus from sinuses (pipes) connecting with diseased tissues of the withers. Fitly. — Has fits when hot. Fiat-Footed. — Low heels, dropped sole ; founder. Forging. — Noisily striking the fore shoe with toe of hind shoe when traveling. Founder. — Laminitis. Inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the foot, leading to lameness, dropped soles, rings and ridges in hoof wall and tendency to walk on heels. Freezer. — A palsied horse; "hind feet froze to the floor." Gill Flirt. — Perineum between rectum and vagina lacerated at foaling so as to unite passages. Glass-Eye. — Amaurosis or palsy of the sight in which, from paralysis of the optic nerve and retina, the eye is stone blind, yet bright, lustrous and prominent. The pupil is widely dilated and does not contract when exposed to bright light. As a market term, may mean cataract, watch-eye, wall-eye, or that condition in which the iris is pearly white in color and not necessarily diseased ; eye that shows white all around. Go Down, or Kidney Faller. — Collapses in hind quarters when worked. Goose Rump. — A short, steep croup and narrow at the point of the buttock. Goosey. — A horse that is nervous in the stall. Gristle. — A forming side-bone or enlargement of the lateral cartilage due to tread, bruise or wire cut. Guinea. — A Greek or Italian buyer. Hand. — Four inches. Width of the palm of the hand, used in measuring the height of the horse from the ground surface at the sole of the foot to the highest point of withers. Hand-Stick. — Used for measuring the height of horse. Head Strong. — Halter puller in stall. Heaves; Heavey. — "Broken wind," or "emphysema of the lungs," characterized by coughing, passing of gas from the rectum, and double bellows-like the action of the abdominal muscles in breathing. High Blower. — Broken winded or may be soft from feeding and idleness. Hillside. — Hipped. HORSE SECRETS 6l Hipped. — Point of hip-bone (ilium) fractured (knocked down), mak- ing that hip lower than the other when viewed from the rear, and not unusually a serious unsoundness. When distortion is great, the shaft of the ilium may have been fractured. The latter condition may render a mare unfit for breeding purposes. Hip Sweeny. — Wasting (atrophy) of the muscles of the hip. Often serious in mares, being associated with fracture of the pelvis, and unfitting them for breeding purposes. Hitch. — Stride of one hind leg too short. Hog-Back. — Arched or roached-back. The opposite of sway back or hollow back. Indian. — An untamed horse; dangerous to handle in or out of stall. Interfering. — Striking the fetlock or cannon with the opposite foot as it passes, either >n front or behind, or it may be an "ankle knocker." Jack. — A small, round, bone-spavin. As a market term, often applied to a prominent spavin. Jibber. — A green, raw, unguidable horse; a balker. Knee-Banger. — Strikes knees with opposing front foot ; knee-knocker. Lady-Toed. — Cow-hocked horse. They are almost sure to hit their fetlocks, shins or knees. Legs Go. — See Market Rules No. 5. Light in the Timber. — Light boned below knees and hocks. Little Green. — Awkward, poorly broken ; may not pull. Lop Ear. — Ears dropping over. May be a dummy. Lugger. — Pulls or lugs on the bit. Lunker. — An exceptionally big, heavy-boned horse. Makes a Little Noise. — A slight roarer or whistler. Mallenders. — Scurfy or eczematous condition of skin back of knees. Mecatched. — Jewish term for a heavey horse. Mechanical Choker. — A horse that roars when pulling a heavy load uphill, by getting the chin down to the chest, but is otherwise sound. Megrims. — Fits; staggers; sudden falling. Michigan Age. — Old. Michigan Pad. — See Cushion. A puff on forward edge of hind cannon just below hock. Moon-Blind; Moon-Eyed. — Eyes diseased or blind from periodic or recurrent ophthalmia. Mug. — A greenhorn or buyer from the country. Nicked. — Tail operated upon by severing the muscles to "set up" or straighten it. Nickel's Worth of Hair Off. — Wire cut; any slight superficial blemish. Nigger-Heeled. — Front toes turned out; heels in. Old Skin or Skate. — Aged, decrepit, or worn-out horse. One Bum Lamp. — One eye blind, diseased or unsound. Outbow-Footed. — Toes turned outward. Outside Cushion. — Same as Cushion or Michigan Pad. Over-Reach. — Stride takes hind feet farther forward than the point at which the fore ones were picked up, causing forging. Over-Shot. — Protruding upper jaw. Paddle. — "Winging" out with fore feet. Palsy. — Shiverer; chorea. Parrot Mouth. — Upper incisor (pincher) teeth protruding over lower incisors. Upper jaw longer and projecting over under jaw. Parrot-Toed Foot, Cross-Footed. — Toes turned inward. Peacock Neck. — Neck long and slim. Pigeon-Toed. — Front toes turned in. Opposite of nigger-heeled. Pig-Eye. — Small, retracted eyes. May indicate imperfect vision. Pilgrim. — An old, worn-out horse. A good old "has been." 62 HORSE SECRETS Pin-Hipped. — Hipped from fracture of point of ilium. Pink-Eye. — Pinky, as a marl