wo 2^ 1^ ^-s^ TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES lllllilllllillH 3 9090 014 530 121 Webster Family Library o? Veterinary Medicine Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University 200 Westboro Road North Grafton, MA 01 536 Canterjiig Exercise ^— — ^ I \ V s V -.. . \ / / .-- ^•:--..N\ / / / y N.. \ \ i / A-^ \/ Ui ^ \ ll^§ ; .>v :-.. "- ^ ^ y Ciiiiing He ads I I 1 I I., I I I 9 1 ^ |4 5ft55A555G555(i&i HI^S.: NOLAN'S SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES, KENNER GAERARD, CAPTAIN FIFTH CAVALRY, U. 8. A. t NEW YORK: D. va:n^ nostkand, 192 broadway. 1862. b2„ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, By D. van NOSTRAND, In tlie Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. O. A. ALVORD, STEREOTYPER AND PRINTKE. PREFACE, This " System for Training Cavalry Horses " is based upon tlie principles of equitation dis- covered by Monsieur Baucher, of France, arid originally arranged by Captain S. E. ^Nolan, 15tli Hussars, Englisli Army. Captain Nolan's work is now out of print, and to preserve to tlie Cavalry Service so valu- able a "System," this book has been prepared for publication. It is essentially the same as the original, with the addition of a chapter on " Rarey's Method of Taming Horses," and one on the subject of " Horse-Shoeing," For thQ plates illustrating the foUoiving pages, the author is indebted to the skill and kindness of CaptainW. H. Bell, 3d Infantry. West Point, October l5^, 1861. CAPTAm jstolan's preface. Army and Nayt Club, 10th August, 1852. Since this book was put in the printer's liands, I have been travelling on the Continent. Everywhere, I found that Monsieur Baucher's new Methode had excited much attention, and not a little jealousy amongst the followers of the old system. Books and pamphlets have been published, trying to turn into ridicule the bold intruder, who, in two months, brings his horses to do what years could not accomplish in the old school. In France, Baucher's Methode was subjected to a trial, which, according to the reports of many mem- bers of the committee, was eminently successful. The system was rejected notwithstanding; but some of the bending lessons — the most important part of his methode — were retained, and are now made use of in the French cavalry. In what I have seen in the different foreign riding- schools which I have visited, I have found no reason to change my opinion regarding the advantages to be derived from the application of part of Monsieur Bau- cher's Methode, to the purposes of cavalry; and I * PREFACE. have endeavored to take from botli systems wliat I found best in practice, namely, from the old system, the principle of first bringing out the horse's action, improving his paces, giving power and freedom to his movements ; and from Monsieur Baucher's, those les- sons which enable us to control that action, and thus regulate the horse's paces, and render him handy and obedient. CAPTAIN NOLAN'S INTEODUCTION. This new system of equitation was invented by Monsieur Baucher ; and for any thing that is good in this book, the credit is due to him. I had, at first, intended translating his work from the French ; but experience showed me that certain modifications were necessary to adapt it to the use of our cavalry. I therefore determined on publishing the lessons as I myself had carried them out, with many horses of different breeds and countries, add- ing what my experience suggested ; and as I found that those lessons succeeded with all, without excep- tion, I can safely assert, that any horseman of com- mon capacity, following them out in the same way, will break in his horse perfectly in about two months' time. The system rests on a few simple principles, show- ing how to attack each point in succession, and thus enabling the rider at last to reduce his horse to perfect obedience. The horseman, in the success he daily obtains, finds a constant incitement to continue his exertions ; the only thing to guard against is undue ha^te, and the wish to obtain too much at once. By this plan the time of training is shortened so 6 INTKODUCTION. miicli, that one's interest in the daily progress of the horse never flags ; the man works with good-will, and many a horse is thus preserved from the effects of bad temper in the rider. It saves many a young horse from the ruin occa- sioned by the use of the longe and other substitutes for skill in the riding-school. The progress made is so gradual that it never rouses the horse's temper. It improves the horse's paces, makes him light in hand and obedient, adds greatly to the appearance and efficiency of each individual horseman, from the way the horses learn to carry themselves, and the con- fidence the man naturally has, when riding an animal he feels to be completely under his control. In case of emergency. Cavalry could, by this sys- tem, prepare any number of young horses for the field in an incredibly short space of time ; for though about two months are required to complete the Les- sons, the horses could be made available for service much sooner. All other books on equitation speak in general terms, but never point out where to begin, how to go on, or when to leave oflf. According to the old school, when you had ari-ived at the "height" of perfection, your horse was con- stantly sitting down on his haunches — *' a great ob- ject to have gained, after a couple of years' hard and dull work!" INTRODUCTION. 7 In the old school much was written about equi- librium; the horse's hind-legs were drawn imder him and rooted to the ground, whilst his fore legs were always scrambling in the air; Head. Equilibrium of ^^^„,,^^^^ the Old School. TaiT and those horses that were perfect had acquired a way of going up and down, much resembling the motion of a hobby horse : too much weight was thrown on the haunches, and a horse could neither raise his hind-leg to step back when required, nor could he dash forward with any speed whilst made to throw his weight backward. The horse, again, whose weight was thrown for- ward was still worse and more dangerous, for the weight of the rider often brought him to the ground, and at all times the bearing on the hand was so great as to require the strength of both arms to resist it — • thus, the horseman, having no power over his horse, became in a great measure useless as a soldier. baucher's equilibrium. Tail. ==??=^== Head. The true equilibrium, which is neither on the 8 INTEODUCTION. haunches, nor on the forehand, but between the two, Mons. Baucher alone has shown us how to obtain, by carefully gathering up and absorbing one by one all the resources of the horse, and uniting them in one common centre, .where they are held at the disposal, at the sovereign will and pleasure, of the horseman. CONTENTS PAGE. Captain- Nolan's Preface 3 Captain Nolan's Introduction 5 Preparatory Remarks 11 ON THE SNAITLE. Lesson First (five days) 16 Lesson Second (five days) 18 XHE BIT. General Remarks , 20 Preparatory Lesson (two days) 22 HORSES BITTED. Lesson First (seven days) 23 Dismounted Bending Lessons. — Mounted Bending Lessons. — How to teach a Horse to obey the Pressure of the Leg. Lesson Second (seven days) 32 Circling on the Haunches. Lesson Third (seven days) 34 The use of the Spur. — Reining Back. — The Horse's Paces — Walk, Trot and Canter. Lesson Fourth (five days) 47 Circling on the Forehand and Haunches to both Hands. 1* 10 ^ CONTENTS. PAGE. Lesson Fifth (seven days) 49 On the Haunches about. Lesson Sixth (seven days) 50 Going about on the Forehand. Lesson Seventh (fourteen days) 51 Perfecting the Horses in the preceding^ Lessons. . A Short- Explanation op this System by Questions and An- swers 54 Piaffer 59 Leaping, how to be practised 61 Translation from Monsieur Baucher's Methode d'Equitation, 62 On the Performance of Horses at Liberty 72 To make a Horse limp iij Imitation of a Lame Horse. Rarey's Method of Taming Horses 83 Teaching a Horse that Man is his Master, — How to make a Horse he down. — To accustom a Horse to a Drum. Horse-Shoeing 96 Preparing the Foot. — The Shoe. — Choosing a Shoe. — Cutting off the Heels. — The Nail-Holes. — Fitting the Shoe. — Filing up the Nails. — Naihng on the Shoe. — The Hind-Shoe. — Removmg Shoes. NOLAN'S SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES PKEPAEATOEY EEMAKKS. The health and condition of the horses should be carefully considered, and great care be taken not to overfatigue them by too violent exertion ; punish- ment never being inflicted on a young horse, except for decided restiveness, and downright vice. Even in that case, your object only being to oblige him to go forward, you will, the moment he moves on, treat him kindly. When a horse resists, before a remedy or correc- tion is thought of, examine minutely all the tackle about him. For want of this necessary precaution, the poor animal is often used ill without reason ; and being forced into despair, is in a manner, obliged to act accordingly, be his temper and inclination ever so good. Horses are by degrees made obedient through the hope of recompense, as well as the fear of punish- ment. To use these two incentives with judgment 12 SYSTEM FOE TRAmiNG CAVALEY HORSES. is a yeiy difficult matter, requiring miicli tliouglit, mucli practice, and not only a good head, but a good temper ; mere force, and a want of skill and coolness, tend to confirm vice and restiveness. Resistance in horses is often a mark of strength and vigor, and proceeds from high spirits; but punishment would turn it into vice. Weakness frequently drives horses into being vicious when any thing wherein strength is necessary is re- quired of them. Great care should be taken to dis- tinguish from which of these causes the opposition arises. It is impossible in general to be too circumspect in lessons of all kinds, for horses find out many ways and means of opposing what you demand of them. Many will imperceptibly gain a little every day on their rider ; he must, however, always treat them kindly, at the same time sho\ving that he does not fear them, and will be master. Plunging is very common amongst restive horses. If they continue to do it in one place, or backing, they must be, by the rider's legs and whip firmly ap- plied, obliged to go forward ; but, if they do it fly- ing forward, keep them back, and ride them gently, and very slow, for a good time together. Of all bad tempers in horses, that which is occasioned by harsh treatment and ignorant riders is the worst. Hearing is a bad vice, and, in weak horses especi- ally, a dangerous one ; whilst the horse is up, the PREPAKATOEY EEMAEKS. 13 rider must yield the hand, and at the time he is com- ing down again, he mnst vigorously determine him forward ; if this be done at any other time but when the horse is coming down, it may add a spring to his rearing, and make him come over. If this fails, you must make the horse move on by getting some one on foot to strike him behind with a w^hip. With a good hand on them, horses seldom persist in this vice, for they are themselves much afraid of falling backward. .When a horse rears, the man should put his right arm around the horse's neck, with the hand well up, and close under the horse's gullet ; he should press his left shoulder forward, so as to bring his chest to the horse's near side ; for if the horse fall back, he will then fall clear. Starting often proceeds from a defect in the sight, which, therefore, must be carefully looked into. Whatever the horse is afraid of, bring him up to it gently, and if you make much of him every step lie advances, he will go quite up to it by degrees, and soon grow familiar with all sorts of objects. ^Noth- ing but great gentleness can correct this fault ; for, if you inflict punishment, the dread of chastisement causes more starting than the fear of the object ; if you let him go by the object without bringing him to it, you increase the fault, and encourage him in his fear. However, if a horse turns back, you must punish him for doing so, and that whilst his head is away 14 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CATALRT HORSES. from the object ; tlien turn liim, and ride him quietly up toward what he shied at, and make much of him as long as he moves on ; never punish him with his head to the object, for if you do he is as badly off wdth his head one way as the other, w^hereas, when the liorse finds out that he is only punished on turn- ing back, he will soon give it up. If a horse takes you up against a wall and leans to it, turn his head to the wall and not away from it. When remount horses join a regiment, they should be distributed amongst the old horses ; they thus become accustomed to the sight of saddles and ae- coutrements, &c., &c., and the old horses on each side of them, taking no notice of all these things, in. spire the young ones with confidence. The veterinary surgeon first takes them in hand, and a dose of physic previous to their -going into work is advisable ; meantime the men should handle them, and saddle them quietly, under the superinten- dence of a non-commissioned officer, and thus quietly prepare them for instruction. The first day they are led out to the drill-ground in saddles and with snaffle-bridles, and the instructor should inspect the saddles to see that the cruppers and girths are rather loose, so as not to inconvenience the horses ; he should then order the men to mount quietly, and at once walk them around in a large circle, and whilst so doing, divide them into squads of not more than sixteen each. He should pick out PREPAKATOET KEMAEKS. 15 all the horses that are in poor condition, or weak, or very young, and make a squad of them, giving them less work than the others. The instructor should allow no shouting, nor noise in the squads, and even the words of command should be cautiously given at first, in a quiet tone of voice, so as not to startle or set off the young horses. When the squads are told off, they are filed to stables. If any of the horses are intractable, the men should dis- mount and lead them ; but those that go quietly should be ridden to and from the drill-ground, care being taken not to allow them to close up nearer than six feet. Check-reins fastened to the saddle are a great help to a man at first, in keeping the horse's head steady, and they never do harm; but they should always have some play, and the man must never be allowed to pull upon them. K any of the horses will not allow the men to mount, put a cavesson on, stand in front of the horse, raise the line with the right hand, and play with it, speaking to the horse at the same time to engage his attention, whilst the man quietly mounts ; no one else should be allowed near, as the more people round a horse the more alarmed he is, and the more difiicult to manage. As soon as the man has mounted, turn your back to the horse and walk on, leading him round with the other horses — he will soon follow their -example. A few dismounted men are necessary to 16 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. take hold and lead those horses that are unsteady when mounted, and if any one of them stands still, take care that the man trying to lead him on does not pull at his bridle, and look him in the face, which will effectually prevent the animal from moving for- ward ; make the man who leads the horse turn his back and go on, and, in almost every case, the horse will follow. "Tlie instructor should insist on the men using their horses gently ; he will thus save much time, and gain his object." ON THE Sl^AFFLE. First Lesson.— (Five Days.) Where there is no riding-house, and there are but few in the United States, the instructor should lay off a rectangular track on a level piece of ground for his riding-school ; for squads of sixteen horses or less, two hundred and fifty feet by eighty are suitable di- mensions. During these first lessons old horses should lead off, and a few dismounted men be with the different squads, to assist in keeping the horses in their places when required. Tlie first point to gain is to get the young horses to go forward, and to go willingly ; they should there- fore be allowed to walk three or four times quietly ON THE SNAFFLE. i< round the school, be patted and made much of; the men should be without spurs, and use, when neces- sary, a small cane, or a stiff w^hip without a lash. ■ The word "Tr6>^" is then given, and the horses are urged to trot their best, and though some confusion is likely to occur, the instructor is cautioned not to bring them to a walk at once, as this may increase it ; but he should keep them going for a short time, then bring them down to a walk and halt them. (The dis- mounted men are here found useful). Let the men sit at ease, speak to and make much of their horses. During this lesson, the men must give the horses their heads, and only use the reins to keep them in their places. After a short rest, repeat the trotting, and remem- ber that the " object" now is to get the horses to go ; the pace must not be confined in any way, but the horse should have the greatest freedom, and be made to step out to his utmost at the trot, without any re- gard to distances being kept. After they have been at work in this manner for a quarter of an hour, bring the squad to a halt, and begin to teach the horses to obey '' the feeling of the rein" — thus : The men must not play with the snaffle-rein, but merely draw it quietly to the side they wish to bend the horse's head to, always having a feeling of the other rein ; and if the horse follows the indication of the rein only a few inches, bring his head straight again, with the outward rein, and make much of him. 18 SYSTEM FOE TEAINI]\'G CAYA.LRY IIOESES. Tlie instructor must explain tliat the object of bend- ing a horse's head to the right, or left, is not to supple his joints, as many suppose — for a horse in freedom can lay hold of his tail — but to teach a horse to follow with his head to whichever side the rein is drawn to ; and thus early must it be impressed upon the men's minds not to allow the horse to take the initiative in any thing, and when his head is bent to the right or left, he must not be allowed to throw his liead to the front of his own accord, but it must be brought quiet- ly back again by the rider's hand. This lesson, altogether, not to last more than half an hour, and to be repeated every day until all the horses trot well oat. About five lessons will, gener- ally, bring them to it. Second Les§on. — (Five Days.) Begin to collect the horses both at a walk and a trot. At a walk, the man must be taught to raise his horse's forehand, by keeping his snaffle in constant play, and not allowing the horse to lean upon his hand. When he does so, the man must draw his snaffle from right to left, with a sawing motion, till the horse raises his head, and bears no weight upon his hand. In all these lessons, a man must sit well down in his saddle, keep his body upright and his shoulders well back. He should not lean forward or bear his weight on the stirrups. Begin by circHng to the right, and give the word ON THE SNAFFLE. 19 ^^Trot'^'' let tlie leading file ride a very collected pace ; tell tlie men to feel tlie liorses up with botli reins at every step, and those horses that are sluggish must now be worked well up to the hand ; make the men use their canes or whips on the horses' shoul- ders, but be particularly attentive to prevent them from having a dead pull on their horses' mouths. When trotting, the snaffle is used diflferently to what it is at a walk, both reins being equally felt at the same time, and that whenever the horse is in the act of putting his foot to the ground, not when rais- ing it. This being hard work for men and horses, bring them to a walk every two or three turns on the circle, and then give the w^ord " Trot " again ; the same to the left ; then "- Forward^^'' " TFc^Z^," and finish by trotting out a couple of turns to each hand round the school. Before leaving the school, devote a few minutes to bending the horses' heads to the right and left. The lesson not to last more than half an hour, and in five days the horses, if properly rid- den, should be sufiiciently collected and tractable to be bitted. These lessons on the snaffle form no part of M. Baucher's system, who begins his work at once on the bit ; but Captain Xolan found, by experience, that the horses were brought on quicker in the end, and better, by going through these lessons on the snaffle. "With troops, he considers them absolutely necessary, though a single horseman might dispense with them. 20 SYSTEM FOK TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. THE BIT. The best bit for all purposes is a light one, the checks of an average length, and the mouth-piece merely sufficiently arched (c) to admit of the horse's tongue passing freely underneath it, points a, a, made straight, to rest equally on the horse's jaw, and not too thin. And in choosing a bit for a horse, the point to look to is, the distance between b, b, which should vary according to the breadth of the horse's mouth. A bit of this sort is quite sufficient to bring most horses under control, for it is a mistaken fancy that the op2>osition a horse offers to the rider's hand, is caused by the peculiar shape of his mouth, or that one horse's mouth is by nature much more sensitive than another. The jaw-bone of every horse is covered in the same way; whether a horse be light or heavy in hand, cannot, therefore, depend upon the quantity of flesli between the bit and the jaw-bone, though many sup- pose this to be the case ; but the fact is, it is not the horse's mouth that is hard, but the rider's hand that is in fault. THE BIT. 21 Many and various are the bits in use, originating chiefly with the trade, and partly the inventions of those who, unable to control their horses, sought as- sistance in bits of different sorts. For instance, when a horse carries his nose up, a bit with long checks was recommended, which, by adding to the power of the lever, should assist the hand to pull in the horse's nose bv sheer strens-th. In this case, if the horse has never been taught to yield to the pressure of the bit, and to bring his head in, he will set his jaw against the bit to alleviate the pain he sufl:ers, and thus adopts a way of his own, which he will ever after recur to in similar circumstances. Other bits again are such instruments of torture, that they either deaden all sensation in the horse's mouth, which becomes numbed, from the excessive pressure stopping the circulation of the blood, or they drive a horse frantic with pain, and no power the rider can exert with his legs, can bring the ani- mal to face such a bit ; the horse, therefore, remains behind the hand, and " hand and leg" cannot work toc^ether. A light bit is therefore strongly recommended, and in the following lessons, it will be explained how to use it and obtain obedience. In the United States service, the snaffle in connection with the bit, was a few years since discarded from the bridle, and though after the horse is trained the snaffle may be dis- pensed with, in the following lessons its use will 22 SYSTEM FOE TEAINmG CAVALRY HOESES. greatly faciliate bringing tlie horse on, and is be- lieved to be almost essential. ON THE BIT. Preparatory Lesson. Befoee commencing the bending lessons, it is well to give the horse a preparatory one of obedience, and to make him sensible of the power that man has over him. This first act of submission, which may ap- pear of but slight importance, will prove of great service ; it makes the horse quiet, and gives him con- fidence, and gives the man such ascendency as to prevent the horse at the outset from resisting the means employed to bring him under control. Two lessons of half an hour each will suffice to obtain this first act of obedience from the horse. Go up to him, pat him on the neck, and speak to him ; then taking the bit-reins at a few inches from the rings with the left hand, place ^^ourself so as to offer as much resistance as possible to the horse when he tries to break away ; take the whip in the full of the right hand, with the point down, raise it quietly and tap the horse on the chest, on which he will naturally try to escape from the punishment, and rein back to avoid the whip ; follow the horse whilst backing, pulling at the same time against him, but without discontinuing the application of the HOESES BITTED. 23 wliip in tlie same quiet way, showing no signs of anger or any indications of giving in. The horse, soon tired of trying to avoid the inflic- tion by backing, will endeavor to do so in another way ; he will rush forward, and then you must at once stop using the whip and make much of him. This repeated once or twice will prove wonderfully successful even in the first lesson. The horse, having found out how to avoid the pun- ishment, will not wait for the application of the whip, but anticipate, by moving up at the slightest ges- ture ; this will be of the greatest assistance in the subsequent bending lessons, as also of great use in mounting and dismounting, and in every way accel- erate the training of the horse. HOESES BITTED. First Lesson.— (Seven days). Dismoimtecl Bending Lessons. — Mounted Bending Lessons. — IIov3 to teach a Horse to obey the Pressure of the Leg. The horses (being bitted, the curb-chains rather loose) are walked round the riding-school once or twice to quiet them ; the squad is then brought " to the right," or "to the left," halted, and the men ordered to " dismount" and begin the first bending lesson w^ith the bit. ^ 24 SYSTEM FOR TEAENING CAVALRY HORSES. The balance of the horse's body and his lightness in hand depend on the proper carriage of the head and neck, and to these two points we must first and chiefly direct our attention. They should always pre- cede and prepare the horse by their attitude for every movement about to be executed, and the rider has no power over the animal until he has rendered both these points susceptible of every impulse communi- cated by him. It stands to reason that if they do not lead in all turns and changes of hand, &c, &c., if in circling they are not bent to the circle, if in reining back the head is not brought home, if their carriage is not. always in keeping with the different paces, the horse may execute the movements required of him or not, as he pleases, for his resources are still at his own disposal. A young horse generally attempts to resist the bit, either by bending his neck to one side or other, set- ting his jaw against it, carrying his nose high up, or low down. We must, therefore, render him manage- able by bending him to the right, left, and "up and down," that is, teaching him to bring his head home, and to arch his neck on the reins being felt ; against this last bend the horse generally defends himself most successfully, by setting his under-jaw, or clos- ing it firmly on the bit, and, as nothing can be done with him until he has been taught to yield to the hand, we must begin our work with the following bending lessons, and we shall find that, in a short Vl.l HORSES BITTKD. 25 time, liorses that require the whole strength of a man's arm to make them obey the action of the bit on the bars, will bend to the slightest feeling of the reins ; for, finding that they cannot resist the power of the bit used in the manner hereafter shown, their in- stinct will teach them to obey, and habit accustom them to yield to the impulse received from the rider ; tlius they become handy and obedient. As a general rule, in all the ensuing bending les- sons, when a horse champs the bit, it is a sign that he no longer resists the action of the hand ; then make much of him, and allow him to resume his natural position. It is of the utmost importance that the horse never be allowed to take the initiative. " Al- ways oppose the raising of the horse's head — always lower your hands and bring it down." See that the bit is properly placed in the horse's mouth, and the curb so that you can pass your finger under it ; place yourself on the near side in front of the horse's shoulder, facing inward, the feet a little apart to give you more power. Take the off bit rein in the full of the rio;ht hand, close up, with the ring of the bit between the forefin- ger and thumb ; the near rein in the same way with the left hand, thumb-nails toward each other, and lit- tle fingers outward ; bring the right hand toward the body, extending the left one from you at the same time, so as to turn the bit in the horse's mouth (vide plate 1). 2 26 SYSTEM FOR TEAINING CAVALRY HORSES. The strengtli employed must be gradual, and pro- portioned to the resistance met with, taking care at first not to bring the horse's nose too much in, or too close to his chest, which would make the bend very difficult ; if the horse reins back, continue the press- ure until he, finding it impossible to escape from the restraint imposed upon him by the bit, held thus crossways in his mouth, stands still and yields to it. When the bend is complete, the horse will hold his head there without any restraint, and champ the bit (vide plate 2) ; then make much of him, and allow him to resume gently his natural position, but not to throw his head round hurriedly. Practise this in the same manner to the left. This lesson not only teaches the horse to follow the indication of the rein to both hands, but also to yield his under-jaw to the pressure of the bit, the advan- tages of which will soon be apparent. And now, be- fore mounting, prepare the horses to rein in. For this purpose, cross the snaffle-reins behind the horse's jaw, taking the near rein in the right hand and the off rein in the left (vide plate 3, fig. 1), at about six inches from the rings, and draw them tow- ard each other till the liorse gives way to the press- ure and " reins in" (vide plate 3, fig. 2). Do not for- get to oppose the raising of tlie horse's head by low- ering your liands, and bringing it down again, as before mentioned. AVhen the horse gives way to the cross pressure J^(.3. n/i. HORSES BITTED. 27 of the snaffle, ease your hand and make much of him. After practising the lateral bendings with the bit, and the vertical ones with the snaffle, for a few min- utes, the instructor will order the men to mount and go through with the same lessons mounted. To the right, by passing the second finger of the right hand through the bit and snaffle-reins well down ; so as to have the reins short on the off side. Then draw them quietly toward you till you get the horse's head completely round to the right, in the same position as in the bend dismounted ; being care- ful not to try to accomplish too much at first. Be very gentle and patient, giving the horse time to com- prehend by degrees what is required of him. When the horse champs the bit, make much of him, and allow him to resume his natural position. "When bending the head to the left, pass the right hand over the left one, and, placing the forefinger through the near reins, proceed as before directed. Then, to teach the horse, on the reins being felt, to rein up, arch his neck, and bring his nose into J^o. 10 (vide plate 4), and there remain steady till he is allowed to get his head away again by the rider loos- ening the reins. At the word, '' Bein in your Horses ^'^ turn the little finger of the bridle hand toward the horse's head, lowering the hand as much as possible, ' and keep it there ; with the right hand, nails down, take hold of the bit-reins close within the grasp of 28 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. tlie left hand, and shorten them by degrees, drawing them throno^h the left, which closes on the reins each time they are shortened, to allow of the right hand taking a fresh hold. "When the horse resists mnch, and holds his nose up (vide plate 5), keep the reins steady ; do not shorten nor yet lengthen them ; the legs closed to prevent the horse from running back ; he will remain, perhaps, a minute or more, with his nose up, and his jaw set against the bit, but will then yield, bring his nose in, and champ the bit ; make much of him with the right hand, loosen the reins, and, after a second or two, " rein him in" again. The horse will thus learn to rein in, and bring his head home, whenever you feel the bit-reins, and this practice gives him confidence ; for most young horses are afraid of the bit, and, if frightened at first by any sudden jerk of the reins, will never after go kindly " up to the hand," or let you have the requisite degree of bearing on the bit, which is necessary to forewarn the rider of what the horse is going to do, and whether he requires more collecting (which he does if he bears too heavy on the hand), or more freedom (which he does if he rises too much in his action), but which is also necessary to induce the horse to work boldly and well. Some horses are so shaped by nature that they overdo the " reining in," and rest the lower jaw on the chest ; to counteract this, direct your attention to Tl.5. rlJi. HORSES BITTED. 29 falsing Ills head by the use of the snaffle, as mucli as possible ; whilst with the leg always drive him for- ward to the hand ; this will soon make him carry his head better. Uow to teach a horse to obey the pressure of the leg. On the word of command, '' Circle your horses to the right on the forehand^'' (vide plate 6), the horse's head remains straight to the front; apply the left leg v/ell behind the girth, very quietly, and without touching the horse's side with the spur ; press against him till he takes a step to the right with his hind-legs, take the leg from him, make much of him ; then re- peat the same, and get another step from him, and so on till he has turned about ; always pausing at the half- turn. In this Lesson the horse should not rein back, but his fore-legs remain steady, and his hind quarters circle round his fore. At first the men should be directed to assist them- selves when circling to the right on the forehand, by feeling the left rein, and by touching the horse lightly with the whip on the side, and close to w^here the leg is applied, but very, very gently. '-''Circle to the left on the forehand'''^ is executed after the same manner, but vice versa. It must be an invariable rule never to hurry a horse in his bending lessons. By degrees, as the horses improve in this lesson, 30 SYSTEM FOK TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. and step freely " from" tlie pressure of the leg ; on tlie word '^ Circle your horses to the right on the fore- hands^'' let the men pass the right hand down, with the middle finger between the off reins, and bend the horse's head a little to the right, so that the horse may see his hind-quarters coming round (vide plate Y) ; apply the left leg as usual ; should the horse not an- swer to the pressure, use the reins on the same side with the leg, and resume the opposite rein the moment the horse yields. All this must be done very gently and gradually, for if you bend the horse's head round as far as it can go, and attempt thus to circle him the first time, he will resist, finding it too difficult ; but if done by degrees, he will soon come to it. The near fore-leg is the pivot on which the horse circles to the right on the forehand. The off" fore-leg is the one he circles on to the left on the forehand. The leg opposite the one which presses the " hind quarters" to circle round the "fore," must be kept close to the horse, to assist in keeping him in his place, by communicating a forward impulse, whilst the other leg communicates the impulse which makes tlie horse step from right to left, or left to right ; and in order that the pressure of the one shall not counter- act the effect of the other, the leg applied to make the horse step to either hand, should be further behind the girth than the leg used to keep him up to the hand. Both leo:s should be close to the horse at all times, the pressure on either side being increased as occasion Pi 7. % THE PEESSUKE OF THE LEG. 31 requires. The outward leg must always assist the inward, and vice versa / only never apply it opposite the outward, except you wish to press the horse for- ward equally with both legs, or when you are w^ork- ing on a straight line. In passaging, particularly at a trot and a gallop, the inward spur is often used, and sometimes with great good effect, in front of the girth, particularly when a horse will not give his head to the side he is passaging to. At first, dismounted men are useful with the un- steady horses, by taking hold of the bit-reins on the side opposite to that to wdiich the horse is to step to, and thus assisting the rider, who then only uses the snaffle ; but all extraneous assistance should be as much as possible avoided. After practising the " Bending Lessons " mounted, for a few minutes, the Instructor gives the command ''•To the right {or To the leff)^ March^^ and moves the squad round the school two or three times at a " Walk," and at a " Trot," to both hands. Caution the men not to use the bits much the first few days, but the snaffle, and bring the horses to face the bit by degrees. In circle to the right or left at a trot, round the school af a trot-out, walk, change hands, and again trot, and every now and then bring them to a walk, halt them, and make the men bend their horses to the hand they are working to. Explain to the men that the horse's head and neck 32 SYSTEM FOK TEAINING CAVALKY HOESES. must always be bent the way lie is going, and that they must always precede, and prepare the animal by their attitude, for all turns, circles, &c., &c., about to be executed ; and whenever they feel the bit-reins, and the horse does not yield to them, let them keep the bridle-hand steady, and play with the snaffle-rein until the horse champs the bit. The snaffle should be continually used to prevent the horse from leaning on the hand. Finish the lesson by going through the " Bending Lessons" on foot and mounted, and then file home. During the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th and 5th Lessons, the horses should be brought out for a quarter of an hour in the afternoon merely bridled, and the men go through the " Dismounted Bending Lessons" with them. This Lesson seems long ; but it may be gone through with in three-quarters of an hour, and no Lesson with young horses should exceed that, if pos- sible. Second L7?^ the pressure of the leg). I can move his forehand (from having circled on the haunches). I therefore now proceed to rein back, and bring his loins into play. 10. Will " rehiing lacW alone^ then^ combine the play of forehand and haunches? Kot thoroughly, without the use of the spur. 11. Then in lohat way does the spur assist ? By the use of the spur I oblige the horse to bring his head and neck, shoulders, loins and haunches, all 56 SYSTEM FOE TKAINING CAVALKY H0ESE3. into play at tlie same time ; and hy degrees I exact obedience from tliem collectively. 13. Explain how this is do7ie. I keep the horse at a walk on the straight line, his head reined in, and approaching the spnr close to his sides, tonch him lightly at first. This gives the horse a forward impnlse, which I quietly control by keeping my hand steady, while the horse's hind-legs, which he brought nnder him to spring forward, are suddenly kept there by the opposition of my hand. I then make much of him and caress him, ease my hand, letting him continue to walk on quietly, till, by re- peating this lesson, at the slightest pressure of my legs he brings his haunches under him, and arches his neck, and is ready to spring forward, to rein back, or turn to either hand. 13. Bxit suppose^ ichen you stick the spurs into him,, he throws up his hcad^ and dashes off loith you f Tliis could not happen to me, because I should never communicate an impulse with the leg which I could not control with the hand. I begin by touching his sides so lightly, and taking it so coolly, neither moving hand nor leg, that the horse is never alarmed, thinks nothing of it at first, and thus I go on, gradually in- creasing the dose, till he takes as much as is " neces- sary^'''' and " cannot help himself ^ 14. When do you know that the horse has taken as much as is " necessary f "When I feel the horse so buoyant and light under CATECHISM. 67 me tliat I can make him spring forward, rein back, or turn to any side witli perfect ease. 15. And how is it that ''he cannot help hi^aselfP Because I have made myself master, by degrees, of all his strong places, being careful to attack them one by one, and never to attempt ]^o. 2 till I was in full possession of No. 1. 16. Then^ according to your showing^ you first niaJce yourself master of the forehand, then of the Jtamiches, and then you comJjine the play of hoth hy ** reining hack^^ and using the spur. Do you now consider yourself inaster of your horse V Yes, I do. IT. ^Yhen you hend your horse to the right and left, whether on foot or mounted, is it suficient thctt he should champ the hit f Not quite, he should open his mouth and take no hold of it. 18. Do you continue these hending lessons long? Until the horse yields and opens his mouth at the slio:htest feelino; of the reins. 19. Li " reining hack^^ which comes first, " the pressure of the legs^'* or " the feeling of the reins f First, the pressure of the legs, and then the feel- ing of the reins. 20. ^Yhyf Because the support (the hind-leg) must be dis- placed before the weight is thrown on it. If the reins are felt first, the whole weiglit of the horse is throTvn 3* 68 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. on liis liind-legs ; and how can he then lift them, and step back. If lie succeeds in lifting one leg, it is with a great effort, and he w^ill fall hack, on it rather than step back, and thus injure his houghs, if forced to repeat it often ; whereas, by a pressure of both legs, I make him raise one hind-leg ; and at that moment, by feeling both reins, I oblige him to put that foot down, back instead of forward. I do not throw the horse off his balance, and he can continue stepping back, with as little effort as stepping to the front. 21. Do the hand and leg work sejyarately f ^o, they should always assist each other. 22. When circling on the forehand do you ever halt the horse f Yes. "When the leg is applied, the horse moves from it, but when the pressure ceases, the horse should no longer step from it ; otherwise, when he once begins passaging, he is not easily stopped ; and to prevent a horse getting into this bad habit, as well as to teach him to collect himself, whenever the leg is applied, after each step in circling on the forehand, I stop him by closing the inward leg ; and by a pressure of both legs, I collect and press him up to the hand, but I never allow him to hurry. 23. And now how do you jpidl uj) a horse when at full speed f By closing both legs, and feeling both renis. 24. Do you mean to say that you pull up a horse when at speed hy " the use of your legs .^" PIAFFER. 59 Yes. Tlie liorse is so accustomed at the pressure of tlie rider's legs to bring liis liaunclies under him, that he does so at speed also, and I seize that moment to keep him there by throwing myself back, feeling both reins at the same time. 25. If yoit did not use your legs lohat vjould hap- pen? If I did not use my legs, but merely pulled at the bridle, the horse would put his head up or down, and though I should by strength of arm pull him up in time, it would be entirely on his forehand, his hind- quarters up, his loins arched, and I should be thrown up and down in the saddle in a very helpless way, and thus quite unfit to act on an emergency, as the horse would be under no control.* PIAFFEK. For the " Piaffer" to be regular and graceful, the horse's alternate legs (off fore and near hind, and the near fore and off hind) must be raised and brought to the ground together, the intervals of time between each footfall being made as long as possible. * By the above means we can bring the horse in about two months to be, Generally obedient; — Light in hand; — To carry himself well; — '10 walk and trot, steadily and quickly, and always in hand ; — To rein back freely, and close steadily to either hand; — To canter to both hands and. change leg ; — To go about on the forehand and haunches (Pirouette) ; — And thus make him a useful Cavalry horse. 60 SYSTEM FOK TRAINING CAVALKY HOKSES. The liorse must neither lean on liancl or leg, and his balance should be perfect. (Vide plate 13.) Begin by communication an impulse with the legs, light at first, but often repeated ; then let the horse walk on, closing your legs gradually, and exciting him to increase his action ; then, then only, feel the reins in concert with the legs, and at the same inter- vals of time, keej)ing up an imperceptible incitement, which reacts on the horse, and makes him keep his legs going, though without any regularity or precis- ion. Be satisfied with this at first, and whenever the horse raises his legs, bringing them to the ground again without gaining much ground to the front, halt, and make much of him, and soothe him after the ex- citement you have caused, by recpiiring of him that the object of which he does not yet understand. Once the horse is brought to keep his legs moving, then beo^in to reo-ulate and increase the interval of time at which he raises them and brings them to the ground. It is by the pressure of each leg in succession you obliire the horse to remain lonc^er balanced on the opposite side. At the moment the horse is prepai-ing to bring his fore-leg to the ground, close your leg on the same side ; if you do this at the proper time, the horse will balance himself slowly from side to side, and raise his legs well off the ground. By quickening the alternate pressure of your legs, you quicken the " Piafi^er ;" it therefore depends upon PL IS. HOW TO BE PKACTISED. 61 yourself to regulate the pace; but remember, that the horse must be kept in perfect " equilibrium," and never allowed to lean on hand or leg. LEAPING, HOW TO BE PEACTISED. The riding-school is a bad place to teach a young horse to leap. The bar, with its posts, is very apt to frighten the animal, and the use of the whip, often administered to make him go up to the bar, gives the horse a thorough aversion to it. Take the horses into a field and over a low fence first, or a small ditch, not backward and forward over one and the same thing to disgust them, but over what obstacles are in the way, and then to the stables. Few horses refuse, if led on by a steady horse, and in this, as in every other lesson, let the increase be made by degrees. Always leap the horse on the snafile, and do not be in a hurry. 62 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. M. BAUCHEE'S AIES DE MANEGE. Translation from Monsieur Baucher^s " Metliode d'Equitation," explaining the following jpeyform- ances {called ^^Baucher^s Seize Nouveaux Airs de Manege''^), as exhihited hy him on his horses^ " Pai'- tisan^^ '-^ Capitaine^^ ''^ Neptune ^^ and ^^ Buridan,'^'^ They are adapted only for the circus^ hut they are hoth extraordinary and interesting, as they show to what extent the system may he carried. "Les etudes premieres bien comprises conduisent a I'erudition. Plus I'esprit a de consistance, plus il a de brillant et de justesse." {Passe-temps Equestres.) Those who systematically denied the efficacy of iny " Methode," should have also denied its results. But they were obliged to admit, together witli the public, that my performance at the " Cirque Olym- pique" was both new and extraordinary ; though one and all attributed the result to different causes, main- taining, of course, that the rider's horsemanship was nothing compared to the sagacity disj^layed by the horse. According to some, I was a new Carter, taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment ; others would have it that I tied ropes to their legs, suspended them in mid-air, and then made their limbs 63 play like those of puppets ; some, again, supposed that I fascinated them by the power of the eye ; and part of the audience, seeing the horses work in time to my friend Monsieur Paul Cuzent's charming music, actually maintained, seriously, that the horses had a capital " ear for music," and that they stopped at once with the clarionets and trombones. Thus music had more power over the horse than I had — the beast obeyed an " ut^'' or a " sol^'' " staccato^'' but my hands and legs went for nothing ! Gould any one imagine such nonsense emanating from peoj>le who actually passed for horsemen ! I conceive perfectly that they could not at once understand the means employed, because my "Meth- ode" was new ; but, before passing judgment on it in such an extraordinary way, they should, I think, have tried at least to make themselves accpiainted with it. I found the old school of Equitation so limited, and its movements all so much alike, that when you could do one, you could do them all. The rider who, on a straight line, at a walk, trot, and canter, could make .the horse work with his hind legs upon a parallel line to its fore, could, of course, work " Passage Shoulder In^^ " Passage Shoulder Out,'''' " Shoulder In,'''' and perform the " Voltes Ordinaires^^ or " Renversees^"* " Change of Hand^^ &c., &c., &c. As for the " piafFer," it was supposed that nature alone decided that point. This long and tedious work had no variety but in 64 SYSTEM FOK TRAINI2^G CAVALKY HORSES. tlie different names applied to its movements ; since it was sufficient to conquer the first difficulty to over- come all tlie others. I therefore invented some new '^Airs de Manege!'' (movements), the execution of which required the horse to be more supple, better in hand, and to have more finish in his education than was formerly neces- sary. With my system, this was easy ; and, to convince my adversaries that in my performance at the Circus there was neither mystery nor magic^ I shall explain by what means — purely equestrian — I brought the horses to execute the sixteen " Airs de Mcmege'^ that apj)eared so wonderful, and this without the assistance of pillars, cavessons, or whips. I. The horse hending andj raising one of his fore- legs and holding it uj?^ whilst the remaining three legs are fast to the ground. Bend the horse's head slightly to the right, tlirow- ing his weight to the left. Close both legs (the left more than tlie right) to prevent the hand from acting too much on the weight ; then, with the same power you employ to keep fast the part weighted (namely, with a feeling of both reins and a pressure of the right leg), communicate an impulse to the off fore, sufficient to make him raise and hold it up. By repeating this exercise a few times, you can make the horse hold up his leg as long as you like. IT. TJie horsp resting on the fore-legs^ %ohilst the bauciiek's aies de ma:nege. 65 hind-legs are aliernately raised and balanced one over the other I the hind-hg which is held up moiling fro7ii left to right without touching the ground^ to hecome in its turn the support^ whilst the other hind-leg is raised and executes the same movement. Circling tlie baunclies to the right and left round the forehand is one of the elementary exercises I have laid down for the instruction of the horse. Make this exercise more complicated by bringing each leg alternately in contact with the horse's side, until you get him to step freely from one hind-leg to the other, without the movement from right to left, and from left to right, exceeding a step each way. This w^ork improves and shar23ens the rider's percep- tion of the use of hand and leg, and prepares the horse to re'spond to every aid, however slight. III. From the slow^^piaffer^^ tothefiuiclx.^^piaffer^'' and vice versa. The slow " piaifer" is obtained by the slow and alternate pressure of the rider's legs. The quick " piafFer" by quickening the alternate pressure of the leg. Any horse can be brought to " piaiier," both slow and quick ; but perfect " tact" is indispensable, for this already ranks amongst " equestrian difficulties." IV. To ^^rein tach^^ with an equal elevation of the alternate fore and hind feet, which are raised and hrought to the ground again together ; the horse ex- ecuting this movement loith as ranch freedom and ease 66 SYSTEM FOR TEAINmG CAVALRY HORSES. as if moving forward^ and apjparently without assist- ance from the rider. '' Eeiniiig back" is nothing new in itself, though it becomes so under the conditions I impose. It is only bj previously making the horse perfectly sui^ple, and by having him well " reined in," that you can suspend the horse's body in such manner, between hand and leg, that the weight be equally divided, and that the legs acquire equal energy and activity ; and then the movement is as easy and as graceful as the mere " backing" a horse is painful and destitute of all elegance. y. The horse lifts the alternate fore and hind legs, carries them hack and then forward again to their former position^ to alloio of the opposite two heing raised and doing the same. If the horse is supple and well in hand, this move- ment is easy ; for when the horse is completely sub- dued, he answers to the lightest aids applied by the rider ; and these are intended in this instance to dis- place barely sufficient weight, and to give just impulse enough to induce the movement of the two alternate legs. By practice the horse will soon get accustomed to this movement. The animal's intelligence keeps pace with the progress made in his education. VI. Trot^ dv^elVmg on each stride ; the horse hav- ing raised his legs, extends them forward, sustaining them for a moment hfore he hrings them to the ground. baucher's airs de manege. 67 My system is based on principles wliich reproduce tlieniselves at eacli simple movement. How mucli more then are tliey brouglit into play in tliese com- plicated ones. If tlie " equilibrium" is only to be obtained through lightness in hand, in return, no lightness of hand can exist without " equilibrium ;" but when these quali- ities are united, then tlie horse acquires the facility of extending his trot to the very furthest limits, and thus greatly improves his style of going. yn. ^^Serpentine Trot^'^ the horse turning to the right and to the left^ returning nearly to the starting pointy after taliing fiv>e or six steps in each direction. Practise the horse at bendino; his head and neck to both hands whilst at a walk, always closing the leg opposite to the side you bend him to, and keeping him well in hand ; then practise him at it in the same way at a trot, and you will have no difficulty in exe- cuting the serpentine, but unless the above conditions are adhered to, the performance is impossible. YIII. To halt the horse on the spot when at a gal- lop^ }jy the use of the spur. The horse having been reduced to perfect obedience, and got well in hand by the use of the spur, he is prepared to be stoj)ped when at a gallop by the above means. Practise it from a slow gallop at first, and increase "by degrees to the greatest speed ; tl^e legs preceding the hand will bring the haunches under the horse, 68 SYSTEM FOR THAINIlVG CAVALRY HORSES. when a sudden feeling of botii reins stopping them in that position, immediately arrests the further spring of the horse. IX. The Jiorse^ without moving off his ground^ Iceejys one of his fore-legs in onotion^ j^erfonning^ 1)1) the will of the rider ^ that movement hy which he often of his own accord shows his impatience {^^jyaw- ivf). This is done by the same means employed to make the horse hold up one of his fore-legs, in which case the rider's legs keep np a constant pressure, so that the force employed to make the horse raise his leg, is continued to make him hold it there ; whilst in this movement the impulse must be constantly renewed by a succession of slight pressures, in order to keep that leg in motion. The horse's leg acquires a movement subordinate to that of the rider, and if the leg is applied at the proper moment, it will appear almost as if he moved the animal by mechanism. X. Reining hach at a trot^ the horse worMng at the same regular pace ^ the feet coming to the ground at the same steady intervals as when trotting for- ward. To rein back at a trot, the first condition required is perfect regularity of pace, and that the horse shall be as much collected as possible. Tlie second condition is dependent entirely on the rider. G9 He must try, by degrees, whilst collecting tlie horse, to make the resources of the forehand press on those of the haunches, without upsetting the har- mony of action whicli must necessarily exist. You see, therefore, that by having your horse prop- erly collected, you first get him to " piaffer" on his own ground, and then to "piaifer" reining back; in time, without even the assistance of the reins. XI. ^^ Reining hack at a ca.nter^'' the pace heing the same as when cantering forward, hut when the fore- legs are raised they are carried hach instead of for- ward, and when hrought to the ground, the hind-legs retrograde in the same way. The same principles are applicable to this as to the preceding movement ; the horse being perfectly col- lected, his hind-legs are already so near the central point, that by raising the forehand the houghs cannot move otherwise than " up and down."^ A horse of high mettle is easily brought to this work, but it should not be tried with an inferior an- imal. XII. Changing leg when at a canter o,t each stride. This is difficult work, and the horse must have been often practised at changing leg to fit him fijr it. Before changing from stride to stride, teach the horse to change at every two strides. It depends upon the aptitude shown by the horse, * The horse in raising his hind-legs cannot put them forward, for the forehand is pressing him back. 70 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALKY UOKSES. and above all, on the intelligence of tlie rider ; with this last quality there is no obstacle he cannot sur- mount. The horse must keep up the same degree of action, and remain light in hand throughout, if he is to per- form with all desirable precision ; and the rider must carefully avoid throwing his horse's forehand roughly from side to side, to obtain the changes of leg. XIII. Pirouettes renversees on three legs^ during which the horse holds uj? the fore-leg on that side to which he turns. " Pirouettes renversees" must be familiar to a horse broken in on my system, and I have shown how to make him hold up one of the fore-legs. If these movements are well done separately, they are easily combined. In preparing the horse for the " pirouette," prepare liim at the same time to raise the fore-leg ; once up, throw tlie weight to the side opposed to that you are going to turn to, by pressing on it with hand and leg ; the leg on the side you turn to giving a forward impulse to the "horse, to prevent the hand from throwing the horse too much back. XIY. '•'Reining hacli^^ pansing at each step, the horses right leg remaining stretched out and immov- able over the ground that the left has 2MSsed over', and vice versa. This movement depends upon the cleverness of the rider, for it is the result of a combination of aids which cannot be particularized. 71 Althoiigli it is not a graceful movement, tlie expe- rienced horseman will do well to practise it, to make himself master of all the difficulties of his profes- sion. Xy. '''Piaffer^'' with a sudden halt on three legs, the fourth remaining raised in the air. Here again, as in the pirouettes on three legs, it is by practising separately the piaffer, and the raising one of the fore-legs, that you afterward succeed in combining the two. To accustom the horse to this work, stop him when piaffing, forcing him at the same time to raise one of his fore-legs. XYI. Changing leg each stride^ and at equal inter- vals^ without the horse moving off his ground. This is done in the same way as on the move ; but it is much more complicated, as you must communi- cate an impulse only just sufficient to make the horse change leg, without moving him forward. It requires good management on the part of the rider, and can only be done with a horse thoroughly broken in, and broken in after my fashion. The above are the new " Airs de Manege," which I amused myself by inventing, and performed often be- fore the public. They appeared so extraordinary, that no one would believe they were brought about by purely equestrian means ; and yet they are simple enough, and easily understood by those acquainted with the principles of my " Method e." In every one of these movements the precepts of 72 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. this work arebrouglit iiitoplaj. But I repeat, tliough I have added much that is new and interesting to the art of equitation," I do not pretend to have attained to its farthest limits ; and some one may follow me, who, by studying my system and carrying it out Avitli in- telligence, may surpass me in my career and add to the results which I have obtained. oinT the perfoemakce of horses at LIBERTY. The first time horses were seen to kneel, lie down, sit at table, c^c, &c., &c., it created great astonish- ment ; and even now it causes some degree of sur- prise ; and yet there are few persons who could not bring horses to do these things by the following means. I shall leave out those antics requiring no clever- ness in the trainer, no study for the horse, which as- tonish and amuse the public only because they are ig- norant of tiie means employed. My object is iT^ot to treat of what the mountebank does, but merely to detail that work which requires the man to have pa- tience and " tact," and which shows decided intelli- gence in tlie horse. The great point in teaching a horse, is to know, when he refuses to obey, whether he does so from PERFORMANCE OF HORSES AT LIBERTY. 73 caprice, obstinacy, vice, or from ignorance, and in tliis lies the only difficnlty. If the horse does not understand what yon want, and you punish him because he does not understai^' you, will "he then understand you better ? The first thing is to teach the horse to know wliai you want ; and you must in various little clever ways try to make him sensible of it, before you attempt to impress it on his memory. Is it with blows that you will make him sensible of it ? Certainly not : but make the object in view as clearly perceptible to his faculties as you possibly can : then, by punishment or caresses, applied at the right moment, impress the movements required on his memory. The prettiest work for the horse, is that wherein he is almost entirely left to himself, and with this we will begin. For this sort of training a circus is best ; the man is nearer to his horse, and can more easily correct his faults. TVe first teach the horse to remain on the track near the boards, at a w^alk, trot, and gallop, then to leave that track, and turn to the right or left. Put a surcingle on the horse with a ring in the pad, to tie the snaflie or bit reins to ; tie these according to the horse's action and the way he carries his head ; then put on a cavesson, with a longe about eleven yards long. 4 74 SYSTEM FOE TKAINING CAY ALKY HORSES. When the horse is brought in, go up to him kindly and give him some sngar, to which accustom him he- forehand ; hold the line in the left hand, the whip in the right ; at first only allow him about six inches of longe, and accustom him to the cracking of the w^hip ; if he does not fly from it, make much of him ; place yourself opposite, and about three paces from him, looking at him kindly ; horses know perfectly if you are favorably disposed toward them, or otherwise, and they will more readily approach him whose look is kind. You must be equally careful in adapt- ing the inflections of the voice, as circumstances re- quire. These are by no means unimportant rules ; for the greater the command you wish to obtain over the horse, the more must you endeavor to make him un- derstand and interpret your slightest gesture. From the distance he is at (namely, three yards), make him come to you, calling out in a loud voice, " d moi''' (here, or come here). He will not under- stand it the first time; use the whip, touching him up under the girth, till he comes, then soothe him after the punishment administered, pat and speak to him, and give him some sugar ; begin again, giving him a little more line, as soon as you know^ that he wdll not attempt to rush oft'; the horse will soon learn to obey the voice ; at last let him out to the full ex- tent of the line, slackening it at the word " d moi ;^'^ if he comes at once, caress him and give him some PEEFORMANOE i)F HORSES AT LIBERTY. 75 sugar, otherwise hold the line steady, stand fast your- self, and touch him up with the whip till he obeys. It is better to accustom the horse to obey through fear, than through the hope of recompense. He will never forget the causes that brought punishment upon him, and as you have taught him to escape tlie infliction by coming to you, he will obey willingly and quickly ; if, on the contrary, kind means only are used, he might forget them, and play some tiick, and then how punish him for such a freak ? It would be difficult, because the very prank he was playing would make him forget all about the accustomed re- ward, and he would only come back when he pleased. Thus you would be at his mercy, for he would obey only when he bethought himself of the reward. You must make him fear and like you at the same time. The horse should approach when you call, and throwing your body back suddenly, should make him turn in any direction. Lead him to the boards on the right hand, stand near his shoulder, holding him by the cavesson line, go away from him gradually as soon as he no longer tries to follow you. Hold the butt of the whip to him each time he tries to leave the boards ; if he starts off in a trot before you order him, give the word " Walk^'' dwelling on the word. If a horse is trained by a patient and observing person, the animal's intelligence will keep pace with 76 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. his education, and in a few days lie will walk on steadily, though the trainer be ten yards off. To make him trot, lift the hand, show him the whip, and say, "Troi^," raising the voice, and dwelling on the word ; keep him going, and prevent him with the whip from falling again into a walk. If he hurries, shake the line to restrain him ; bring him often to a walk, using the word " Walk^^'' and slightly shaking the line. Make him gallop by the same means, as far as the whip goes, but when you say " Gallop^'' let it be with a louder voice than for the trot. It is not the worcl^ but the difference of intonation, which makes him obey. From the '^ Gallop'^ to the ^^Trot^^ is the same as from the '^Trof to the " TTaZ^," lowering the voice and dwelling on the word "'Trot'^'' In addition to the variation in the voice, you must assist the meaning of the words, by moving the body more or less energetically, in proportion to the increase of pace you order. Thus, walk quicker when he is galloping, slower when he is trotting, and slower still when he is at a walk. Though you are a good way from the horse, he will nevertheless have his eye upon you, and will follow more easily your movements than the words of com- mand, which he only understands through the various other indications which accompany them. PJiRFOiiMANCE OF HORSES AT LIBERTY. T7 The liorse liaving been accustomed to approacli at tlie word "<;? moi''^ (or any other word which you are in the habit of using), you throwing your body back at the same time, he will easily learn to tijrn across the circus in the same way ; give the word '-^Turn f if he hesitates, use the longe and Avhip to bring him to you ; then lead him across, remaining at his shoul- der; after repeating this till he comes to you, walk on with him, to keep him going to the opposite side. Changes of hand are easier still, for the horse always tries to avoid you. To make him change, get a little in front of him on the side he is going to, and show him the whip. The mistrust he feels induces him to cut across the circus, changing to the opposite hand ; but you must use the line, and the whip if necessary, to make him come to you first, otherwise, instead of changing hand properly, he would finish by twisting round on his haunches. Caress him and make him understand the way he is to go. In time, and by rej)eating these movements, he will come to know them perfectly, and will then anticipate your wishes. This is so true, that I could not blow my nose whilst " exercising one of my horses without the movement of my arm bringing him into the school immediately. I had mastered his faculties to such a degree, that all his attention was fixed upon me ; and I could make him do all manner of things without opening my 78 SYSTEM FOK TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. nioutli, but luerely by moving my head or shoulders, and this so little as to be imperceptible to the specta- tors. "When the horse does his work well, take off the cavesson ; but when he does any thing wrong put it on again. To prevent disobedience, divide the lesson into two parts, working the first part with, and the second part without the cav^esson. To teach a horse to " fetch and carry" requires great patience ; but, however small the success at first, do not be discouraged. It is during this interval that the lessons are gradually taking effect on the horse's memory, and if you do not increase his difiiculties by undue haste, he will profit by your lessons and come to understand your wishes perfectly. Leave him in the stable and in his own stall, that he may not fret by thinking of you. Put in a white cloth, some oats, and sugar, go up to his near side, pass your right arm under his head, and make him open his mouth, by pressing the forefinger on his lower jaw ; with the left hand put the cloth between his teeth ; keep the thumb and forefinger on the upper and lower lip, and each time the horse tries to get rid 'of what he is holding, press the lips together sharply, and in a quick and marked manner ; repeat this a hundred times if necessary, always putting the cloth with the oats and sugar back into his mouth ; and, above all, apply the slight punishment of compressing his lips, at the proper moment. PERFORMANCE OF UORSES AT LIBERTY. 79 Some time after tliis tiresome beginning, the teeth will be kept closed a little longer ; then caress him with hand and voice. The oats and sugar impregnated with saliva will make the horse anxious to taste them, and he will rush at the handkerchief when you put it near his lips. Lower it or remove it to get him to follow, and soon, whenever he can see, he will try to get at it. To make him pick it up off the ground, say, ^' d terre^^ (on the ground), if he does not take it, try to show him with your hand what is wanted, point out where the handkerchief is ; if he will not go to it, the eavesson may be found useful. Act carefully till you are convinced that it is not ignorance on the horse's part ; if, after picking it up once, he was so capricious as to refuse to do it a second time, speak to him with severity, and use the whip, without, however, losing your temper. You cannot, without punishment, bring even a well- trained horse to passive obedience. It often happened to me, with a clever mare I had, that when I threw the handkerchief to some distance, I could not prevail upon her to pick it np till I threatened her with the whip, then she at once rushed off, and brought it to me. It is with regret I publish the means of making a horse kneel, limp, lie down, and sit on his haunches, in the position called the '^Cheval Gastrono7yie.^^ 80 SYSTEM FOK TSAINIXG CAVALKY HOKSES. This work is degrading to the horse and painful to the trainer, who no longer sees in the poor trembling beast the proud conrser full of spirit and energy he took such pleasure in breaking in. But I have gone so far that, though reluctantly, I must fulfil the task I have imposed upon myself. To make a horse kneel, tie his pastern joint to his. elbow, make fast a longing Ime to the other pastern joint ; hfive this held tight, and strike that leg with a whip ; the instant he raises it from the ground, pull at the longing line to bend the leg. He cannot help himself, but must fall on his knees. Have plenty of saw-dust, or other soft substance, to prevent the horse hurting himself in his fall, or blemishing his knees, and, to make it more safe, wrap something round the knees. Make much of the horse in this position, and let him get up free from all hindrance. As soon as he does this without difficulty, leave off the use of the longing line to make him bend his leg ; and soon after leave both legs at liberty ; by striking him on the shins with the whip, he will understand that he is to kneel down. Once on the knees, bend his head well to the off- side, and, supporting him with the left rein, pull the right rein down against his neck till he falls to the near side ; once down at full length, make much of him,^^ and have his head held that he may not get up * Earey's system was not known to the public at the time this was written. PERFORMANCE OF HORSES AT LIBERTY. 81 too suddenly, or before you wish liim to do so. Profit by liis present position to make liim sit up on bis bauncbes ; raise bis bead and neck gently, and make bim put out bis fore-legs ; bave a good bold of tbe bridoon reins witb botb bands, standing near bis bind- quarters ; raise bim gradually, and tbus you will suc- ceed in a few lessons in making bi:ii J.v in tbe position of tbe " Clieval GastrojiomeP Once tbe borse is accustomed to kneel, by using a wliip you can easily make bim walk on bis knees. Take tbe weigbt off tbe rigbt side by bringing tbe bead and neck to tbe left, tben touching that part (from wbicb tbe weigbt bas been removed) witb tbe wbip, put it in motion ; wben tbe borse bas moved forward on tbat side, repeat tbe same on tbe opposite side, and so on from one leg to tbe other, till tbe borse gets quite into tbe way of it. To Make a Horse Limp in Imitation of a Lame Horse. Use tbe longing-line, strike bis leg with tbe whip and bold it up witb the line, and by forcing the borse to move on at tbe same time, be must always fall on the leg tbat is at liberty, and after a little practice be wdll limp at the slightest threat witb tbe wbip. I shall not expatiate further on examples of this sort; what I have described already will prove quite sufficient to try one's patience upon. I should have 82 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. abstained from tlie subject altogether had not many people expressed a desire to become acquainted with the theory for thus showing what an intelligent animal the horse really is — a theory which as yet had never been made public. Few people take to this sort of work, and yet it is not without merit, when carried so far as to enable lis to see into the animal's thoughts, and control his every movement by a mere gesture. Every trainer of horses should devote himself to it sometimes. It is by no means useless in the profes- sion ne follows, and it is an amusing and instructive pastime when not carried too far. This article will also have this advantage, that it will take from the mountebank the sort of superiority assumed over " school riders," whilst those antics were supposed to have been produced by means almost miraculous or supernatural, whereas they require less science and practice than is necessary to break in a horse in the most commonplace way. MR. karey's method. * 83 EAEEY'S METHOD OF TAMIXG HOKSES. What is here said of " Earej's Metliod of Taming Horses" is taken from "The Art of Taming Horses," by the Hunting Correspondent -of the "Illustrated :tTews." This method is based upon three fundamental prin- ciples : First. That any horse may be taught to do any thing a horse can do, if taught in a proper manner. Second. That a horse is not conscious of his own strength until he has resisted and conquered a man, and that, by taking advantage of man's reasoning powers, a horse can be handled in such a manner that he shall not find out his strength. Third. That by enabling a horse to examine every object with which we desire to make him familiar, with the organs naturally used for that purpose, viz. : Seeing, smelling, and feeling, you may take any ob- ject around, over, and on him, that does not actually hurt him. The whole object of this " method" is, to give the horse full confidence in his rider, to make him obe- dient to his voice and gestures, and to impress the animal with the belief that he could not successfully resist his trainer. 84 SYSTEM FOK TRAINING CAVALKY UOBSES. In speaking of gentling unbroken horses, Karey sajs : To those who nnderstand the philosophy of horsemanship, the spirited horses are the easiest trained ; for when we have a horse that is wild and live- ly, we can train him to our will in a very short time — for they are generally qnick to learn, and always ready to obey. But there is another kind that are of a stubborn or vicious disposition ; and although they are not wild, and do not require taming, in the sense it is generally understood, they are just as ignorant as a wild horse, if not more so, and need to be taught just as much : and in order to have them obey quick- ly, it is very necessary that they should be made to fear their master ; for, in order to obtain perfect obe- dience from any horse, we must first have him fear us, for our motto is, " Fear, love, and obey ;" and we must have the fulfilment of the first two before we can expect the latter, for it is by our philosophy of creating fear, love, and confidence, that we govern to our will every kind of horse. Then, in order to take horses as we find them, of all kinds, and to train them to our liking, we should always take with us, when we go into a stable to train a colt, a long switch whip (whalebone buggy- wliips are the best), with a good silk cracker, so as to cut keenly, and make a sharp report. This, if handled with dexterity, and rightly applied, accompanied by a sharp, fierce word, will be sufficient to enliven the spirits of any horse. With this whip in your right MR. kaeey's method. 85 hand, witli tlie lasli pointed backward, enter the stable alone, so as to have nothing but yourself to attract his attention. If he is wild, you will soon see him on the opposite side of the stable from you ; and now is the time to use a little judgment. I should not require, myself, more than half or three-quarters of an hour to handle any liind of colt, and have him running about the stable after me ; though I would advise a new beginner to take more time, and not be in too much of a hurry. * -H- -^ * * -x- Accordingly, when you have entered the stable, stand still, and let the horse look at you a minute or two, and as soon as he is settled in one place, approach him slo\vly, with both arms stationary, your right hand hanging by your side, holding the whip as di- rected, and the left bent at the elbow, with your hand projecting. As you approach him, go not too much toward his head or croup, so as not to make him move either forward or backward, thus keeping your horse stationary ; if he does move a little either back- ward or forward, step a little to the left or right very cautiously ; this will keep him in one place. As you get very near him, draw a little to his shoulder, and stop a few seconds. If you are in his reach he will ^urn his head, and smell your hand, not that he has any preference for your hand, but because that is projecting, and is the nearest portion of your body to the horse. This all colts vv'ill do, and tliey will smell 80 SYSTEM FOK TKAINING CAVALET HOESES. your naked hand just as quickly as they will of any thing that you can put in it, and with just as good ai* effect, however much men have preached the doctrine of taming horses by giving them the scent of articles from the hand. As soon as he touches your hand with his nose, caress him kindly, pat him gently witli your hand, and rub your hand on him smoothly the way the hair lies, always using a light soft hand. As you stand by his side, you may find it more conve- nient to rub his neck or' the side of his head, which will answer the same purpose as rubbing his fore- head. Favor every inclination of the horse to smell or touch you with his nose. Always follow each touch or communication of this kind with the most tender and affectionate caresses, accompanied with a kind look, and pleasant word of some sort, such as " Ho ! my little boy— ho ! my little boy !" " Pretty boy !" " Nice lady !" Or something of that kind, constantly repeating the same words, with the same kind, steady tone of voice : for the horse soon learns to read tlie expression of the face and voice, and will know as well when fear, love, or anger prevails, as you know your own feelings ; two of which a good horseman should never feel, fear and anger. If your horse, instead of being wild, seems io be of a mulish or stubborn disposition ; if he lays bact his ears as you approach him, or turns up his heels to kick you, he has not that regard or fear of man tliat he should have, to enable you to handle him quickly MK. karey's Method. 87 ««• and easily ; and it might be well to give liim a few sharp cuts with the whip, about tlie legs, pretty close to the body. It will crack keenly as it plies around his legs, and the crack of the whip will affect him as much as the stroke ; besides, one sharp cut about his legs will affect him more than two or three over his back, the skin on the inner part of his legs, or about his flank, being thinner, is more tender than on his back. But do not whip him much — just enough to frighten him ; it is not because we want to hurt the horse that we whip him — we only do it to frighten vice and stubbornness out of him. But whatever you do, do quickly, sharply, and with a good deal of fire, but always without anger. If you are going to frighten him at all, you must do it at once. ]^ever go into a pitched battle with your horse, and whip him until he is mad, and will fight you ; it would be better not to touch him at all, for you will establish, instead of fear and respect, feelings of resentment, hatred, and ill-will. It will do him no good, but harm, to strike him, unless you can frighten him ; and if you can succeed in frightening him, you can whip him without making him mad; for fear and anger never exist together in the horse, and as soon as one is visible, you will find that the other has dis- appeared. As soon as you have frightened him so that he will stand up straight, and pay some attention to you, apj)roach him again, and caress him a good deal more than you whipped him ; thus you will ex- 88 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAY ALKY HORSES. cite the two controlling passions of his nature, love and fear ; he will love and fear yon, too ; and, as soon as he learns what you require, will obey quickly. In handling the horse, commence at or near the head, handling the ears, tlien advance to the neck, then to the sides, &c., until you have handled and patted him from head to tail and felt all his legs. Li doing this, you must proceed in a careful and pro- gressive manner, and every time a horse shows any nervousness return immediately to the head, and commence over again, but gaining a little ground each time. Proceeding in this cautious, careful manner, you can halter the horse and teach him to be lead ; but take time, and remember never to enter into a strug- gle with the horse ; if you feel impatient, leave off and beciin ao;ain another time. It has taken Mr Itar- ey himself two hours to halter a colt, which shows the great importance of working carefully and pa- tiently, and from the very commencement, never al- lowing the horse to receive wrong impressions, or gain the slightest advantage over his trainer. A new beginner nmst not, however, expect to be entirely successful the first time he undertakes to break a colt, but, by the exercise of good judgment, patience and perseverance, feeling neither fear nor an- ger, he will eventually attain results fully compensa- ting him for his exertions. 89 Teaching a Horse that Man is his Master. After having gentled a horse in the preceding manner, so that he can be handled and led, the next step, if he be quiet, is to prevent him from finding out his strength ; if he be vicious, is to teach him that it is impossible to contend successfully with his trainer ; both of which lessons are taught after the same man- ner, and as follows : Having, then, so far soothed a colt, that he will per- mit you to take up his legs without resistance, take strap 1 (vide plate 1^), pass the tongue through the loop under the buckle so as to form a noose, slip it over the near fore-leg and draw it close up to the pas- tern-joint, then take up the leg as if you were going to shoe him, and passing the strap over the fore-arm, put it through the buckle, and buckle the lower limb as close as you can to the arm without hurting the animal. In dealing with a vicious horse or a colt that has a trick of striking out with his fore-legs, for protection the trainer can make use of a cart-wheel. The wheel may either be used loose, or the animal may be led up to a cart loaded with hay, when the horse-tamer can work under the cart through one of the wheels, while the horse is nibbling the load. In those in- stances in which you have had no opportunity of pre- viously taming and soothing a colt, it will frequently take you au hour of quiet, patient, silent perseverance 90 SYSTEM FOK TKAINING- CAVALEY HORSES. before lie will allow you to buckle up liis leg ; if lie re- sists, you have nothing for it hut patience ; you must stroke him, you must fondle him, until he lets you enthral him. Sometimes it may be better to lay the loop open on the ground, and let the horse step into it. Take care that your buckle is of the very best quality and the leather sound, for, in this lesson, the breaking of any of the straps would give a temporary advantage to the horse, and do harm. It is better the buckle should be inside the leg if you mean the horse to fall toward you, because then it is easier to unbuckle when he is on the ground. The near fore-leg being securely strapped, and the horse, if so inclined, secured from biting by a wooden bit, the next stej) is to make him hop about on three legs. There is something in this operation of taking up one foot that conquers a horse quicker and better than any thing else you can do to him. There is no process in the world equal to it to break a kicking horse, and without any danger of hurting either himself- or you ; for in this position you can handle him and work with him either in or out of harness, there being no danger of his kicking you, or of his running fast enough to do harm. A horse can hop about on three legs for some time, but he must be made to do so very gently, speaking to him very kindly ; when he has hopped as long as PI. 16 ri.io. 91 yon think necessary to tire liini, buckle a surcingle on his body tolerably tight. Next you shorten the bridle, wliich should have a thick, plain snaffle-bit, so that the reins when loose shall come nearly straight ; then take strap 2 (vide plate 14), and making a loop, put it round the off fore-leg, and draw the loop tight round the pastern-joint ; pass the strap through the belly part of the surcingle (vide plate 15), take a firm hold of it with your right hand, stand close to the horse on the near side behind his shoulders, and with your left hand take hold of the left rein of the bridle. Make the horse hop, by gently pulling him to the near side, or by having him led, and the moment he lifts up his off fore-leg, draw up strap 2, tightly and steadily. The motion will draw up the off fore-leg into the same position as the near one, and the horse will go down on his knees ; there hold the strap so firmly that he will not be able to stretch his foot out again. As soon as the horse recovers from his astonish- ment at b^ing brought to his knees, he begins to re- sist ; that is, he rears up on his hind-legs, and springs about in a manner that is apparently alarming, and which often requires a good deal of activity in the trainer. (Yide plate 16.) You must remember that your business is not to set your strength against the horse's strength, but merely to follow him about, holding the strap just tight enough to prevent him from putting out his off fore- leg. As long as you keep close to him and behind 92 SYSTEM FOE TEAINING CAVALRY HORSES. liis shoulders, you are in little danger. The bridle must be used in the left hand to guide him, pnlling to the right or left, as occasion may require ; or by pulling straight the horse may be fatigued, by being forced to walk backward. The trainer is not to fatigue himself more than he can help, but standing upright, simply follow the horse about, guiding him with the bridle. It must be admitted that to do this well re- quires considerable nerve, coolness, patience, and at times agility ; but the danger is more apparent than real, though a high-couraged horse will make a stout fight. AYhen held and guided properly, the horse seldom resists more than ten minutes, at which time, if not before, exhausted by his violent struggles, he sinks forward on his knees, sweating profusely, and with heaving flanks and shaking tail. (Yide plate 17.) JSTow is the time to get him into a comfortable po- sition for lying down ; if he is still stout, he may be forced by the bit to walk backward. By pushing gently at his shoulder, or by pulling steadily the off rein, you can get him to fall on the side you may wish ; but this assistance should be so slight that the horse must not be able to resist it. The horse will often make a final spring when you think he is quite beaten ; but, at any rate, at length he slides over, and lies down, panting and exhausted, on his side. Take advantage of the moment to tie up securely the off fore-leg to the surcingle ; for, as soon as he recovers his wind, a horse will generally make a second fight. Pin. 93 often more stubborn and fierce than the first, and your object is, to exhaust without hurting him, and to force u]_7on him the conchision that, by your supe- rior strength you have conquered, and can always conquer him. When a horse lies down for the second or third time, thoroughly beaten, the time has arrived for teaching him a few more of the practical parts of' horse training. If he has been afraid of a saddle or harness, now is the time to place them upon his back, first allowing him to smell them ; now is the time to mount him. If he has heretofore resisted shoeing, now is the time to handle his legs and tap his feet gently with the hand or a hammer. If he has been fidgety about the ears, now is the time to handle them, &c., &c., ac- cording to the object to be accomplished ; always speaking kindly to him when he submits, but with a voice of authority if he resists. JS'ext, take all the straps oflf of him, and go through the process of gentling him ; walk slowly around him from head to tail and back to his head ; scrape the sweat ofi" him with a scraper ; rub him down with a wisp ; smooth the hair of his legs, and draw the fore ones out straight ; handle his head, legs and tail, and gentle every part of him, for, being exhausted and powerless he cannot get away from you, and he has time to find out that you mean him no harm. (Vide plate 18.) 94 SYSTEM FOE TRAINING CAVALEY HOESES. If a horse unstrapped, attempts to rise, you may easily stop liim by taking hold of a fore-leg and doubling it back to the strapped position. If by chance he should be too quick, don't resist ; it is an essential principle, never to enter into a contest with a horse unless you are certain to be victorious. In all these operations, you must be cabn, and not in a hurry. Thus, under the " Karey system," all indications are so direct, that the horse must understand them. You place him in such a position, and under such re- straint, that he cannot resist any thing that you choose to do to him ; and then you proceed to caress him when he assents, to reprove him wdien he thinks of resisting ; resist with all his legs tied, he cannot. Kepeated lessons end by persuading the most vicious horse that it is useless to try to resist, and that acqui- escence will be followed by the caresses that horses evidently like. The average horse may be subdued by the average horseman, and colts usually come within the average ; but a fierce, determined, vicious horse requires a man above the average in temper, courage, and activity. It is seldom necessary to lay a colt down more than twice ; but it must not be supposed, that a man with- out experience can, with these straps, manage any horse. rtiH. 95 Hoio to Mahe a Horse Lie Down. Ey this process of throwing a horse, you can in a short time teach a horse to lie down. Throw him, handle him all over, then take off the straps and straighten out his legs ; rub him lightly about the face and neck with your hand the way the hair lies ; handle all his legs, and after he has lain ten or fifteen minutes, let him up again. After resting him a short time, make him lie dowm as before. Repeat this oper- ation three or four times, which will be sufficient for one lesson. Give him two lessons a day, and when you have given him four lessons, he will lie down by taking hold of one foot. As soon as he is well broken to lie down in this way, tap him on the opposite leg with a stick when you take hold of his foot, and in a few days he will lie down from the mere motion of the stick. To Acoustom, a Horse to a Drum. Place it near him on the ground, and without forc- ing him, induce him to smell it again and again until he is thoroughly accustomed to it. Then lift it up, and slowly place it on the side of his neck, where lie can see it, and tap it gently with a stick or your finger. If he starts, pause and let him carefully ex- amine it. Then recommence, gradually moving it backward until it rests upon his withers, by degrees playing louder and louder, pausing always when he 96 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. seems alarmed, to let liim look at it and smell it if needful. In a very feAV minutes jou may play with all your force, witliout his taking any notice. When this practice has been repeated a few times, your horse, however spirited, will rest his nose unmoved on the big drum while the most thundering piece is played. In the same careful, progressive manner a horse may be accustomed to any noise or sight. HOESE-SHOEIKG. What is here said of " horse-shoeinor " is taken from o "A Plain Treatise on Horse-Shoeing," by William Miles, Esq. Before entering upon the subject of shoeing, two things must be noticed, which must not only be be- lieved, but acted upon, if we ever hope to arrive at really good shoeing ; the first is, that nature has given, to what horsemen call a good-shaped foot, the form best suited to the horse's wants ; and the second is, that the hoof expands, when the horse's weight is thrown upon it, and contracts when it is taken off again ; but the mere belief in these things will be of no use unless we make the shoe to fit the foot, and nail it on in such a manner as will allow the hoof to expand and contract ; for we might as well not be- iieve at all, as believe a thing right, and not do it. HOKSE-SUOEING. i 97 ^N'ailing au iron shoe to a living horse's foot is a very unnatural thing to do, but, as it must be done, it is our duty to see how we can do it with the least injury to the horse. To show this, it will be supposed directions are being addresed to a young smith, who is about to shoe his first horse. Prejyaring the Foot. You must begin by taking off one of the old shoes, and one only, because the others should always be left on for the horse to rest upon ; all horses stand quieter on shod feet than they can on bare ones; and they are less likely to break the crust : many tender- footed horses are in positive agony, when forced to rest on a bare foot while the opposite one is held up to be shod. First raise all the clenches with the buffer, and, if the shoe will not then come off easily, loosen some of the nails with the punch ; but never tear the shoe off by main force ; it splits the crust, widens the nail- holes, and destroys the horm The shoe being off, you should rasp the edge of the hoof all round, and take out any stubs that may be left in the crust. Then you must pare out the foot ; and this requires both care and thought. If the horse has a strong, upright foot, with plenty of horn, you should shorten the toe, lower the heels and crust, and cut out the dead horn from tii-e sole, and also from the corners between the heels and the bars ; the best way 5 98 stStem fok training cay alky horses. of doing tills Is to pare the bars down nearly eYen with the sole, a«id then you can get at the dead horn in the corners more easily. The part of the bar which stands above the sole would have been worn away or broken down, if the shoe had not kept the hoof off the ground ; therefore you had better always pare it down ; but on no account ever cut any thing away from the sides of the bars, or, what is called, " open out the heels ;" and be sure that you never touch the frog with a knife. ISTow remember, that there are three things which you must never do in paring out a foot ; you must never cut the sides of the bars, or open out the heels, or pare the frog ; and for the following reasons : The bars are placed where they are, to keep the heels from closing in upon the frog, and if you thin them by cutting their sides, you weaken them, and they can no longer do it, and the foot begins to con- tract. Opening out the heels does exactly the same thing, by weakening the very parts which nature placed there to keep the heels apart ; it takes some time to coi'-rract a horse's foot so as to lame him, and because the contraction comes on by slow degrees, no one no- tices it until the horse falls lame, and then every one wonders what can have done it, but very few hit upon the right cause. The frog is a thick, springy cushion, whose chief use is to protect . a very important joint, called the HORSE-SHOEING. 99 navicular joint, and it is covered by a thin layer of horn, which keeps in the moisture ; and every time you slice off any of the frog you lay bare a part that was never meant to be exposed to the air, and it drys and cracks, and forms rags ; and if these rags are cut off at every fresh shoeing, the whole frog becomes as hard and dry as a board ; and the horse gets an in- curable disease, called " navicular disease ;" therefore leave the frog alone, it will never grow too large ; for, long before that would happen the outer covering will shell off, and a new horny covering will be found underneath; and as to the rags, leave them alone also, and they will fall off of themselves. A weak, flat foot will bear very little paring, or rasping ; the crust of such a foot is sure to be thin at the toe, and low at the heels, with a thin and weak sole ; therefore the less you do to it the better, beyond getting rid of the little dead horn there may be, and making the crust level, where it is to bear upon the shoe ; this must be done to all feet, and, as the inner quarter, where there should be no nails, does not wear away as fast as the outer quarter, where the nails are driven, you should place a rasp upon its edge aci ;ss the foot, to be quite sure that the two sides are level. Before you pare out a foot, you should always think of the state of the roads, and, if they are dry? and covered with loose stones, or have been lately re- paired, you should take very little off the sole of any foot, because if you thin it, the stones will bruise it, 100 SYSTEM FOR TKAIXING CAVALRY HORSES. but, wlien tlie season is wet, and the stones worn in, you may pare out the sole of a strong foot, until it will yield to hard pressure from your thumbs ; but you must never pare it thin enough to yield to light pressure. Plate 19 shows a good-shaped near fore-foot, pared out ready for shoeing. The toe reaches from A to A, the letter B shows the middle of each quarter, and marks the heels. You will observe that the crust is thicker on the outer quarter, where the nails should be, than it is on the inner quarter, where a nail must never be driven ; and you will also see that the hoof is not a circle, as some suppose, but is straighter on the inside than it is on the outside. D marks the sole, jE^ shows the upper part of the bars, pared down nearly level with the sole, i^ shows that part of the bars which must never be touched by a knife, G marks the frog, and is placed just over the situation of the navicular joint. Examine this frog, it is what every horse's frog should look like, plump, and full, and even, with a broad, shallow cleft, not split through at the back part ; and, if you shoe your horses prop- erly, and never pare the frog, it is what their frogs will come to in time. The Shoe. Before speaking about the shoe, the names for the upper and under surfaces must be fixed ; that part of the shoe that rests upon the ground, will be do- /V./.9 HORSE-SHOEING. 101 nominated tlie "ground surface;" and.tlie part that goes next to the foot, the " foot surface." In turnhig your store shoes " in the rough," you should leave them lon^-er at the heels than smitlis generally do ; and you should make the web as wide at the heels as it is at the toe, and of the same thick- ness throughout from the toe back to the heels. The " fuller" should be carried quite round the shoe to the heels, and the fuller-iron should have both sides alike. Choosing a Shoe. The first thing to look to in choosing a shoe is the kind of foot you have to deal with. If the foot be a strong, good-shaped one, it will be an easy matter to find a shoe for it ; only take care that the web is not too narrow., and that the shoe is not too light. A light shoe is apjt to bend before it is half worn out ; and the pain caused by the pressure of the. bent nails against the tender lining of the hoof, throws the horse down, and most likely breaks his knees. If the foot should be flat, with a weak, brittle crust, you must still choose a stout shoe ; for a horse with such a foot could not go at all on a bent shoe ; and the slioe must have a wide web, because the sole is sure to be thin, and will need plenty of cover to protect it. You must also look to the seating ; for, if the foot is weak and flat, the shoe must be well seated out to prevent its pressing upon and bruising the sole ; but 102 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAVALRY HORSES. if the foot is strong and the sole arched, there need not be more seating than will allow the point of a picker to pass freely round between the sole and the shoe ; otherwise dirt and small stones will get in, and bruise the sole as much as the shoe would do if it pressed upon it. Cutting off the Heels. Having fixed upon a shoe to your mind, begin by cutting off the heels ; and you will find a half-round chisel a better tool for the purpose than a straight one, because you should never cut them ofl' square ; if you do, you will find it impossible to fit the shoe properly to the heels, and at the same time keep the web as w^ide at the heels as it is at the toe, for one of the corners of the shoe will be sticking into the frog, while the other stands out beyond the crust ; but if you cut them off as shown fig. 1, plate 20, you will have no difficulty in bringing every part of the shoe into its proper place on the foot. Fig. 1 is a shoe turned in the rough ; and the dotted lines show the direction in which the heels should be cut off. The side next the frog should be cut off from C to B, and the outer corner from A to B^ and then the shoe will look like fig. 2, which with a hammering over the beak of the anvil will soon come like fig. 3 ; you will see that the points marked A in fig. 2 have disap- peared in fig. 3, and that the parts between A and B I'l -W. HORSE-SHOEING. 103 on each side, have become a portion of the outer rim of the shoe ; whereby the outer rim is lengthened, and the inner rim shortened ; and there are no cor- ners left to prevent your fitting the shoe to the exact sweep of the crust at the heels, and you are enabled to keep the web as wide at the heels as it is at the toe. Fig. 3 has been introduced in this place, be- cause it affords the opportunity of explaining the reason for cutting off the heels as directed ; but at this stage of the business it is a good plan always to leave the quarters and heels rather straight, and wide apart, until you liave fitted the toe ; because it is less trouble to bring them in, than it is to open tliem out, after the front has been fitted. TTie Nail Holes. You must next open the nail-holes ; but be sure that they have been stamped so as to pass straight through the shoe, and come out in the flat part of the web, and not partly in the flat and partly in the seating. It is a very bad plan to make them slant inward as most smiths do; for in driving a nail they have first to pitch the. point inward, then turn it outward, driving it all the time with the grain of the crust, and at last they bring it out high up in the thinnest part of the hoof, and have the weakest part of the nail for a clinch, l^ow, instead of all this, if you make tlie holes straight through the shoe, you 104 SYSTEM FOK TEATKING CAY ALKY HOUSES. have only to drive the nail straight and it will go through the shoe, across the gi-ain of the crust, and come out low do^vn in tlie thickest part of the hoof, and give you a strong clinch made out of the shank of the nail, instead of a weak one made out of the point. The advantage of straight-holing is, that you are sure never to prick the foot in driving a nail, and you get a firmer hold for the shoe. The soundness of a horse's foot, so far as shoeing is concerned, depends more upon the number of nails and where they are placed, than upon any thing else ; for if the shoe is ever so badly formed, and the nail- holes rightly placed, very little harm will happen to the foot beyond the loss of a shoe ; but if a shoe is of the best possible shape and fitted to the foot in the most perfect manner, unless the nail-holes are placed so that the foot can expand, it must in the end be- come unsound. The portions of the hoof that exj^and the most, are the inner quarter and heel ; you must therefore leave those parts free from nails ; and the way to do it is, never to stamp more than two holes on the inside of the shoe, one about an inch and a quarter from the centre of the toe, and the other about three-qnarters of an inch behind it. It is quite clear that if you nail both sides of a horse's hoof to an iron shoe, tlie hoof will be held fast and cannot expand ; and when the horse's weight forces the bones of the foot into the hoof, the tender lining of the hoof will be squeezed IIORSE-SIiOEING. 101 against tlie shanks of the nails, and cause pain to the horse at every step he takes. The whole number of the nail-holes should never exceed five ; three on the outside, and two on the inside. Having cut off the heels and opened the nail-holes, you must next turn up a clip at the toe ; every shoe should have one at the toe, it keeps the shoe steady, and prevents its being forced back; but you should never put one at the side. Fitting the Shoe. You must bear in mind, that "fitting the shoe" means fitting the shoe to the foot, and not fitting the foot to the shoe, as is too often done in many forges. It is a bad plan to try to fit the whole of the shoe at once ; it is much better, and saves a great deal of trou- ble, to fit the toe first, then the quarters, and lastly the heels ; but, before you begin to fit the toe, take a look at the old shoe, and see how much of the toe of it is worn away; because just so much of the new shoe should be turned up from the ground, to remove it out of the line of wear. A new shoe, turned up at the toe, is the same thing to the horse as an old one worn down, but with this great difference to his comfort, that he is easy upon the new one, from the time it is first put on, whereas he was never easy upon the old one, until he had worn away the toe. A strong foot will bear the toe to be turned up a good deal ; but a flat foot is always weak at the toe, and will not l)ear much, still 6* 106 SYSTEM FOR TRAINING CAYALRY HORSES. the shoe should be turned up a little, so as to clear the ground ; the horse will travel safer and better for it. It will now be supposed that jou have shortened the toe of the hoof, rasped away the crust, to receive the turned-up shoe, cut a notch for the clip, and turn ed up the toe of the shoe. You must now put the toe of the shoe in the fire, and make it hot enough to mark the uneven portions of horn, which should be rasped away, until an even bed ialeft for the shoe to rest upon. Wlien the toe is once properly fitted, there will be very little trouble in fitting the quarters and heels ; you have only to bring them in over the beak of the anvil, until the edge of the shoe ranges with the edge of the hoof back to the furthest point of the heel on each side, and continue the same sweep, until it nearly touches the frog ; there must be none of the shoe left sticking out beyond the hoof, either behind or at the sides of the heels. The part of the foot that needs protection from injury more than any other, is the " navicular joint," which rests upon the frog, about an inch or an inch and a quarter behind its point, and the only way to protect it, is to keep the web of the shoe as wide at the heels as it is at the toe, and to bring in the heels until they nearly touch the frog ; by so doing you lessen the opening of the shoe, and the web of 'ashing. ton, has exhibited its thorousrh appreciation of the merits of this volume, the want of which has been hitherto much felt in the service, by subscribing for 700 copies. "It is with great pleasure that we welcome the appearance of a new work on this subject, entitled 'The Artillerisfs xManual,' by Capt. John Gibbon, a highly scientific and meritorious officer of artillery in our regular service. 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N., from which JiU that is likely to be desired on the subject may bo readily acquired. # * * * After tlioroughly demonstrating the'efiiciency of the screw, Mr. Walker proceeds to I)oint out the various other points to be attended to in order to secure an effi- cient man-of-war, and eulogizes throughout the readiness of the British Admi- ralty to test everv novelty calculated to give satisfactory results. * * « * Commander Walker's book contains an immense amount of concise practical data, and every item of information recorded fully i)roves that the various points bearing uj)on it have been well considered previously to expressing an opinion." — Loncion Mining Jounial. "Evtiry engineer should have it in his WhrAvy .^'—American Engineer. ^e < Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings Sciiool of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University 200 VVestbcro Road