Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-08-19
RarY'S Secret.

inc ART OF nOrSe-preakln q Londol
publisher has issued a pamphlet writer
by Rarey, before he dreamed of being
hero, giving the whole information fo
IL cents. The following is the theor
of Mr.. Rarey:
1st.-That he (the horse) is so consti
tuted by nature that he will not offer re
sistance to any demand made of hin
which he fully c~omprehcnds, if made il
a way consistent with the laws of his ma
ture.
2d.-That he has no consciousness o
his strength beyond his experience, anc
can be handled according to our will
without force.
3d.-That we can in compliance with
the laws of his nature by which he ex.
amines all things new to him, take any
object, however frightful, around ovel
or on him, that does not infict pain with.
out causing him to fear.
The horse, though possessed of some
faculties superior to mans being def
cient in reasoning powers, has no knowl-
edge of right or wrong, of free will and
independent government, and knows not
of any imposition praticed upon him,
however unreasonable these impositions
may be. Consequently; he annot come
to any decision as to what be should or
should not do, because he has not the
reasoning faculties of man to argue the
justice of the thing demanded of him
If he had, taking into consideration his
superior strength he would be useless to
man as q servant.
Every one hat has ever paid any at
tcntion to the horse has noticed his
natural inclination to smell everything
which to him looks new and frightful.
This is his strange mode of examining
everything. And, when he is frightened
at anything, though he looks at is sharp
ly, he seems to have no confidence in
this optical examination alone, but must
touch it with the lose before he is en-
tirely satisfied; and as soon as this is done
all is right.
We mightvery naturally suppose, from
the fact of the horses applying his nose
to everything new to him, that he al
ways does so for the purpose of smell
ing these objects. But 1 believe that it
is as much and more for the purpose of
feeling and that he makes use of his nose,
or muzzle Gas it is sometimes called as
we would of our hands, because it is the
only organ by which he can touch or
feel anything with such susceptibility.
We know from experience, that if a
horse sees and smells a rope a short dis
lance from him, he is very much fright
ened (unless he is used to it) until he
touches or feels it with his nose; which
is a positive proof that feeling is the
controlling sense in this case.
1t is a prevailing opinion among
horsemen generally that the sense of
smell is the governingsense of the horse.
And Faucher, as well as others, has with
that view, got up receipts of strong smell
ing oils, &C., to tame the horse, some
times using the chestnut of his legs,
which they dry, grind into powder, and
blow into his nostrils, sometimes using
the oils of rhodium, organum, &C., that
are noted for their strong smell; and
sometimes they scent the hand with the
sweat from under the arm, or blow their
breath into his nostrils, &C., &C., all of
as far as the scent goes, have no
effect whatever in gentling the horse or
conveying any idea to his mind; though
the acts that accompany these efforts
him, touch him about the
nose and head, and patting him, as they
direct you should, after administering
the articles, may have a very great effect
of the ingredients used.
Now, reader, can you or any one else,
give one single reason how scent can
convey any idea to the horses mind of
what we want him to do? If not, then of
strong scents are of no avail in
tanning the unbroken horse.
In order to obtain perfect obedience
from any horse, we must first have him
fear us, for our motto is fear LoUe, and
obey; and we must lave the fulflment of
the two first 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 whatever. 1 should not want, for
myself, more than half or three quar-
tiers of an hour to handle any colt and
have him running about in the stable
after me; though L would advise a new
beginner to take more time, and not be
in too much of a hurry. When you
have entered the stable stand still, and
let your horse look at you for a minute
or two, and as soon as he is settled in
one place, approach him SLOWLY, with
your arms stationary, your right hand
hanging by your side, holding the whip
as directed, and the left bent at the ell
bow, with the hand projecting, as you
approach him, go not too near his head
or Group SO as not to axe him move
backward or forward, thus keeping the
horse stationary; if he does not move
either forward or backward, step a little
to the right or left, very cautiously; this
will keep him in one place. AS you get
very near to him draw a little to his
shoulder and stop a few seconds. IF
you are very near him, he will turf 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 is all colts will do, and they
will smell your naked hand just as quick
ly as they will anything that you can put
in it, and with just as good an effect,
however much some men may have
preached the doctrine of tanning horses
by giving. the animals the scent of arti-
eles from the hand. 1 have already
made it appear that the notion is a mis-
take.