The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-10-27
Driving TrottlDg Horses.


of q series of articles on this impOr-
can Stock Journal, and contains
some sensible suggestions, that
should receive attention FROM all who
handle horses. Trotjing stock, and
tro.ting for money and amusement, |
are now more popular than ever, and
il is highly important, both on the
ground of humanity, and in order
to enable the animal TO attain the |
highest degree of speed and endu- |
rance, that he should be hendled |
and driven in an intelligent manner. |
There is too much useless cruelty /
practiced on these noble animals, |
and it is no sufficient excuse to assert |
that in many cases, this harsh treat |
ment is the result OF thOughtfulness, |
| or ignorance of their structure, feel
| ings or habits. No person has any
right, morally, TO train or handle
| horses without having preViOuly
ACQUIRED information as to all oft is
| points, pecuIiarities and develop
! ment. a trotting horse requires q diff
| ferent conform alton to that of run
ming horse, and there lie a wide diff
| ference in the modes of treatment
I
| animals for different purposes.
But we are depressing from the
subject Of our article, and our pur-
| pose is, simply, to impress the i'm
| portance Of experience, knowledge
and skill, upon the part of those who
desire to bring tTOtters up to their
| highest speed, with the least punish
ment to them:
In some cases the whip must be
used, but it never should be brought
| into play when the horse does not
know what it is for. a clap with
the whip, which almost makes the
colt lump out of the harness, is often
Immediately followed by a powerful
| snatch on the reins to pull him back
again. Both of these are as bad as
bad can be. Sore mouths, bad TOM
pers, and broken gaits, are almost
inevitably the results Of such hand
ling. On the other hand, if the colt
has been we'll broken, and has a good
lively mouth, and the driver handles
the reins skillfully and thOughtfully,
the colt will soon understand every
move of the hand, and to answer it.
From this it follows that you ought
TO make no move with the bit with
out a definite object. When yOu feel
an impulse to do something with the
reins without knowing what you are
| to do it for, don't do it at all. Such
moves only fool the horse. Every
body admits that very bad pulling
horse is q nuisance; and every bOdy
knows that some will pull if they
are to trot, and will not exert them
selves without n strong pull; even
in regard to these, 1t is not well to
keep up steady, rigid pull all Of
the time. ! say, rather pull for a
space. and then ease of, not sudden
", but gradually, by this means they
VIII not pull quite so hard, and viii
trot faster. 1t Is not natural for a
horse to pull hard. Some there are,
of uncommon ardor and detcrmina-
ton, that will pull in company; but
more are made hard puilers by faulty
| handling when young, which has
deadened their mouths.
| In order that a fast horse should
be under circumstances TO do his
best, he should be as much at ease in
his harness and general rig as posi-
bic. If he is not, he is placed at al
most as much disadvantage as if gore
or stiff, or suffering from some oodi-
ly ailment. You may sec horses
| brought out of the stables to trOt
| with q very tight check to keep their
heads up, and tight martingalo to
| keep it down. Such a horse Is in
| irons, and when to this is added
dead drag at the Teins, and no move
| ment OF the bit from end to end, i
cannot see how he can DO his best.
/ People talk about a steady, bracing
pull but, in my opinion, that Is no
the way to drive q trOtter. There If
a great difference in letting go os
your horses head, and keeping one
dull, deadening pull all the time. The
race-horse riders practice what is
called a bracing pull, and, great
many times. have seen their horses
tire under it without even running
their best. The steady pull checked
them. The pull should be sufficient
to feel the mouth, and give some sup
port and assistance, so as to give the
horse confidence to get up to his
stride. More than that is mischiev-
Gus. To keep the mouth alive, the
bit must be shifted little occasion
ally. But this is not to be done by
pull of the hand on the rein. n
mere half-turn, by which the thumb
is elevated and the little finger
lowered is sufficient to shift the bit,
keep the mouth sensitive, and arouse
the horse.
The reins are to be steadily held
with both hands while this play with
the wrist is made; and 1t is, Ofcourse,
ONLY to be done with one wrist at
time. The hands should be well
down, and the driver ought not to sit
all in heap, with his head forward.
Neither should he lean back, with
his bodily weight on the reins, which,
in that case, are made sort of stay
for him.
He should be upright; and what
pulling he must do should be done
by the muscular force of the arms.
The head and the arms are what a
good driver uses, but some have
their arms straight out, and pull by
means of putting the dead weight of
their bodies on their reins. If, in
stead of lying back, and putting
their bodily weight on the reins,
| with which latter take turn round
their hands, drivers would depend
upon their muscular strength they
would let up on the pull, graduate 1t
instantaneously. The driver who de-
peuds upOn the arms has CON mand
of the horse; he who substitutes
bodily weight with the reins wrapped
round his hands, has not half COM
maud Of the horse, or of himself
either; and if the horse is a puller,
he will soon take command of the
driver.
Those who use hard soap will find il
very convenient, instead of trying TO use
| up The last bits Of a piece of soaD to keep