Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-05-21
From the North British Review.
THE HORSE OF THE ARAB.

General Daumas' book upon the Horses of the
Sahara is. without his having meant it to be so,
the most successful attempt yet made at o relation
Of the ~tent-life Of the Arab.
From what General Daumas reports, it is inn
possible that the horse and his rider should not
be one in the social habits of the desert. For the
FIRST few months of his life, the foal is given up to
the care Of women, and at o year and q half old
he is mounted by chiIdrsn.
"The only method of making horses infalibly
docile," says General Daumas, lis, according to
the Arabs, to give them riders of q weight cores
ponding to their strength at the very earliest age.
The existence Of the Arab horse is perpetual
movement he is never at rest he goes far and
wide for his riders purposes, far and wide even to
fetch his own food farther an! wider still, very
often, to fetch his drink. But this makes him,
like his master, abstemious and indefatigable, and
this is the kind OF apprenticeship which makes
him in moments of emergency. capable Of incred'
lille efforts" n n n "At eighteen mouths old,
a child leads the foal to grass, or to the water,
wherever that may be, or mounts him with an
easy, soft mule bride. This exercise suits both
the horse grows gentle, and the child grows up to
know how to ride. This is the principle cause of
the possibility which the Arab possesses of assur-
ing you with truth that he has to learn what is
the meaning of a FESTIVE horse"
By the way, Mr.. Rarey's much-vaunted system
of horse.trainipg has light thrown on it in the
pages of General Daumas The "Cavaliertype,'
as the French call him, the rider who indubitably
in modern times, as nearly as possible, realizes the
existence of the tabled Centaur of the ancients
never admits of the practice known in all Other
parts of the world under the denomination o
''horse-breakers." The Arab "breaks in" no hors
es, nor would dream Of such q proceeding. HI
''educates" the animal, so that he shall neve
stand in need of being "broken I'M" and he lay
down as a principle, never to be violated. tn
Avoidance of any of those struggles between tn
horse and his rider which, supposing even the lat
, ter to be victorious, makes the mans victory posi-
BILE only at the expense of the horses best quail
ties" At two years and a half q full.grown ma,
mounts the young horse. But for q considerabl
time he never goes beyond a foots pace, and be
, only required to be gentle. His bit is the lighes
. imaginable ; his rider has no spurs under hi
hand is only a mere twig, which he tries never t
r use.
"In this way" says the General, 'he goes t
market, visits his friends, inspects his psstur
= lands and Hocks, and sees to his affairs, r~equirin
: only from his companion obedience and docility
. both of which he usually obtains by speaking t
the horse in a loud, kind tone, but never showin
anger, and nevor provoking resistance. y n \
At the age of three. or between that and fou
years, somewhat more is demanded from the horse
!, whose food is now very abundant. Spurs or
then used for the first time-and to docility it i
necessary he should add boldness. This is cas-
too for the numerous beasts Of all kinds that, i
!, the Douar, have been lifelong his companions il
the day, have used hin to every species of noise
besides which. he has heard the hootings and how
ings of the wild animals that provl round th
tents at night. and that ceaseless fringe of pistol
. and guns that is quite inseparable from his mai
y ter's everyday existence oil of which makes
n hard to frighten or take a horse by surprise"