The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-12-15

Vicious Horses.

Mayhem in his illustrated Horse
Management" defines vice, when ap-
piled to the horse, as any quality which
may annoy the prejudices of the groom,
or may prove displeasing to the expec-
tations of the master, and adds that it
is purely ridiculous to suppose the an
iml can be vicious" The simple ma
ture of the quadruped is gifted with
no power to distinguish good from evil.
It lacks the imagination to conceive
those acts which man esteems to be he
role or to be grand. Were the crea-
lure able to embody ideas, the race
would possess the ability to combine ;
anything approaching the present pa
tent doclity would then be exchanged
for open rebellion against the earthly
tyrant. To prove that the horse can
not, in any accepted meaning of the
word possibly be "vicious," it is only
necessary to comprehend that vice of
every form, whether it be lewdness,
drunkenness, gluttony or malice, always,
in some qualification, seeks for a per-
sonal reward. 1t is no more than the
concentration of selishness 1t al
ways presupposes an intention. The
difference between crime and insanity
lies only in the idea of some recon-
penss to be secured by the commission
of q particular act and in sin without
q motive. When the horse was crea-
ted without ability to comprehend a
future, the power to be "vicious" was,
with the possibility of a contemplated
motive, withheld. The creature being
unable to anticipate consequences, lacks
NEGATIVE; therefore it can display no
vice, though it may exhibit insanity
The animal however may not always
please its master; it is the "vice" of
authority to call trivial offences by a
harsher name than the actions in fair
ness should receive but no man has
hitherto, stigmatized the horse which
he deems "vicious" as insane. The
various aspects which disease can as
sumo, are of course multiform, and
unfortunately these when exhibited by
the horse, are all exposed to the arbi-
trary conclusions of prejudice. Glib
bling" has been punished as the instiga-
ton of malice; the chastisement has
been inflicted without mercy, and has
continued for many ages; but cruelty
has not been able to check the exhibit
ton of disease The symptom is to
this hour as general as it was In the
previous centuries. 1t still delays the
vehicle after the driver is ready to
start; it often propels the wheels in a
contrary direction to that the coachman
desires they would travel; it common
ly stays the wayfarer when eager to
conclude his journey. At the door of
the mansion, in the public street and
on the high-road, the signs of the NAL
ady are frequently to be Witnessed
To run away from danger is an in
stinct in a horse. The animal does
not fly from battle, only because man
has deceived him into a faith that
there is no danger where gunpowder is
consumed. Terror renders the animal
blind and unconscious. 1t has no more
power to check the last effect, than it
has ability to contend against the first
consequence. Pain induces a natural
desire to escape from the cause of suf
fering. Its wish may be gratifed at
the sacrifice of property /; but property
Is an artificial institution, of which
most animals have hitherto refused
recognition. Sameness of cause usual
-ly induces like results-Idleness4eads
to mischief; safety promotes waste ;
terror generates alarm and itching pro-
vokes scratching. These acts in the
animal may be imprudenty indulged;
but the horse having no conception of
q future, of course, cannot nicely cal
culate probabilities. Thus if we run
through the whole ours of what are
termed "vice5" each will admit of a
very easy and of a remarkably ready
solution. Before joining in the cry
against equine vice, always investigate
the act which is adduced to justify the
prejudice. Do this quietly, look fair
ly at the surrounding circumstances,
and think how these might possibly
act-upon a timid and a non-reasoning
creature. Find out the cause, if posi-
BILE; because, by so doing, you will
serve your own interest. Knowing the
cause, it is probable you may eradicate
the effect. But, before this is under
taken, the party must be prepared to
exercise his utmost patience, for ami
mails are slow to learn, and have to
conquer their terrors before they can
exemplify the easiest of lessons.- On
ly, once taught, they are retentive
scholars, and by the pride they evince
In their requirements, reward their in
.structor. Severity although enthusiast
tically exempli6ed, has only imperiled
man, without in any way amending
the habits of the ANIMAL Therefore,
is it reasonable to continue the pro-
ceeding which, having been largely
tested, has induced nothing but mis-
fortune.-Americdn Stock Journal