Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1842-06-09
TANNING HORSES.
HORSE TRAINING, BY a. J. ELLIS, II. A. W


customs of the North American Indians, gives
the following account of their method of tanning
the wild buffalo calves, and wild horses:
81 have often, in concurrence with a we'll
known custom of the country, held my hand oy-
yer the eyes Of the calf & breathed few strong
breahs into its nostrils after which Ithave, with
my companions, rode several miles into our en-
campment, with the little prisoner busily follow
ing the heels of my horse the whole way, as close
ly and allectonatcly as its instinct would attach
it to the company of its dam. This is one ofthe
most extraordinary things that have met with
in the habits Of this wild country; and although
had often heard of it, and felt unable exactly
to believe it, | am now willing to bear testimony
to the fact, from the numerous instances which |
have witnessed since | came into the country
During the time that | resided at this post, in
the spring Of the year. on my way up the river,
assisted lin numerous hunts of the buffalo, with
the fur companys men) in bringing in, in the a.
bove manner several of these little prisoners,
which sometimes follow for five or six miles close
to our horses heels, and even into the fur compa-
ny's fort and into the stable where our horses
are led. In this way, before | left for the head
waters of the Missouri, think we had collected
about a dozen.
'In the same way the wild horses are tanned.
When the Indian has got him well secured with
the lasso, and pair of hobbies on his feet grad
ually advances, until he is able to place his hand
on the animals nose, over his eyes, and at length
to breathe in its nostrils when it soon becomes
docile and conquered so that he has little more
TO do than to remove the hobbies from his feet,
and lead or ride ii into camp"
Mr. Ellis Glanced to read this account when on
a visit in Yorkshire, and, forsooth resolved to
try the experiment. He and his friends were a.
like incredulous, and sought amusement from
the failure, rather than knowledge by the result
but two experiments, all he was able to try,
were both successful. Here are the particulars
OF le of them:
Saturday, Feb 10, 1912 While the last cx-
perments were being tried the yearling, w
esped s., farmer and tenant, with several
men, at the distance of some fields, trying, most
Intellectually, on the old system, to break a horse
W. proposed to 20 down aud show him what eff.
feet had been produced on the yearling. When
the party arrived at the spot they found that b
and his men had tied their FLY short up to tree
in the corner of field one side of which was
walled, and the other hedged in. We now pro
posed to g. to tame his horse after the new me
thod. B., who was aware Of the character of hi:
horse, anxiously warned w. not to approach it
cautioning him especially againt the fore feet
asserting that the horse would rear and strike
him with the fore feet, as it had famed his owl
! (B.'s) thigh just before they had come up. w
, therefore proceeded very cautiously. He climb
t ed the wall, and came at the horse through thu
tree to the trunk Of which he chung for some lit
tie time that he might secure a retreat in cast
5 of need. Immediately upon his touching TIT
halter, the horse pranced about, and finally pull
/ ed away with logged and stubborn expression
5 which seemed to bid w. defiance Taking ad
! vantage ofthis, w. leaned over far as he could
e cngng all the time to the tree with his RICH
j hand, and succeeded in breathing into one nos
j tr without however, being able to blind iii
eyes From that moment all became easy. w
: who is very skilful in the management of horse
= coaxed it, g. rubbed its face, and breathed lror
d time to time into the nosrils, while the horse o
d fered no resistance. In about ten minutes "
!. declared his conviction that the horse was sui
e dued and he then unastened it, and TO the grei
O and evident establishment of b., (who had bee
If trying all the morning in vain to get master
It over it,) led it quietly away with loose halle
It Stopping in the middle of the field, with no on
n else near, W. quietly walked up to the horse phi
+ ced.his arm over one eye and his hand over I'll
}, other, and then breathed into the nostrils.
IS was pleasing to observe how agreeable this ope
" alton appeared to the horse, who put up his no:
/ to receive the puff In this manner w. led Il
re horse through all the fields to the stable yar'
r where he examined the fore feet of the hors
! who offered no resistance-but while w was e,
N aiming the hind feet, bent its neck round an
10 kept nosing WIS back. He next buckled on
N surcnge, and then a saddle, and finally ftC
1t the horse with a rope. During the whole of the
10 operations, the horse did not offer the sIighte
10 resistance, nor did it finch in the least degree
% Two experiments are all Mr. Ellis has had Z
pit opportunity of either Witnessing, or hearing Il
q result of. But as he states, these have been
al him perfectly satisfactory; and, as he has no o
in porlunity of carrying them on, since he is una
he quainted with the treatment of horses, and nett
to er owns any, nor is likely to be thrown in Il
s, way of unbroken colts, he has resolved to pubr
to these particulars that gentlemen, farmers, rai
We ers, and others, may at least try simple pla
and thus test and determine its valu9 Mr. Ell
ok is Of opinion that this is the secret of the Gel
es brated Irish horse tamers-and we remember TN
ie in more than one recorded instance Of their POI
H. err they pretended to whisper to the animal, al
err played with his head, aud thus probably breat
tn ed into his nostrils
" A Mr. Peck having been elected a representa-
lis to the Legislature joker congratulated him up
as the result, and added that he might well be proud
vn his constituents, they had shown themselves m
on of principle, and in selecting him for their represe