Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-01-29
H0RSESENSE.
Anecdotes Illustrating the
Keen Instinct and Friend
ly Disposition of the
.y. Animal.


- 20
Horses Soon Learn to Become
| Gallant in Treatment
| ..I of Ladies.
| A lady writer in the Overland Month
| ly, who, in company with her husband,
has had much experience In field and
camp life, recalls some interesting re.
miniseences of her pets, with which she
amused herself. In the recital of these
peculiarities of animals, are mentioned
some of the traits of her horses, which
illustrate their instinct most forcibly. NJ
INTELLIGENCE AND KINDNESS.
| One of these was called 'sKitty," says
the lady. She was assigned to the duty
of taking me out to ''mother's house, y
where she was always well pleased
to go, for l used to take her out of
the harness and let her run loose
under the orchard trees. l have
never met with horse 80 expert
at picking apples as she was; she never
injured the trees, and seemed always to
know exactly which were the best ''eat-
ing-apples." When the time came to go
home, Kitty, like q sensible, grateful
horse, was always on hand; the only
trouble was to get her back into harness
again, it generally being just milking
time then, and never liked to admit to
any of the men that / could not harness a
horse as well as saddle it. So, it often
happened that, after l got on the road,
Kitty would stop short and refuse to go
a step farther. Whipping would do no
good on such occasions; she would only
switch her tail, stamp her foot
impatiently, and turn her head around as
if to say: 'sDon't you know that have
good reasons for acting sol" On throw
| ing down the lines, and examining the
harness, l would be sure to find that
some buckle had been left unfastened, or
some strap was dragging under her feet.
One day soldier came to my assistance,
and he said it was the greatest wonder in
the world that the horse had not kicked
the buggy to pieces, for l had fastened
buckle on the wrong side, and with every
step she took the buckle had pressed sore
ly into poor Kitty's flesh. / could APP
preciate Kitty's good behavior all the
more for having seen her kick dashboard
and shafts to splinters, one day, when
the captain drove her, and some part of
the harness gave way.
| The friendship, however, was recipro-
cal; for many a bucket of cool, fresh
water, many tes-tray full of oats, and
many an apple and lump of sugar had
Kitty received at my hands, when she
stopped at the door, or was taken into
the back yard to await her masters
leisure to ride The saddle she liked best,
| for under it she could move about in the
yard. She would follow me like q
dog, and tried to make her
way into the basement one day,
where l had gone to get some
grain for her. l always kept sack of
oats in the house, as we had no stable,
and the horses were boarded at a stable
down town; but Kitty would have gone
without her dinner many time had it not
heen for "private feeds" l gave her, as
the Captains opinion was that horses
should not be ''panpered and spoiled "
Kitty knew how much thought OF her,
and sometimes presumed on it, too. !
have known her-at times, when the
Captain brought her into the yard late at
night, previously to sending her 10 the
stable-to set up such Whlnny-
l ing. stamping, and snolting, that,
to the Captains infinite amusement, wa
compelled to leave my bed and bring heI
| a handful of oats or piece OF sugar
And on the street, if met the Captain
mounted on or riding behind Kitty, sh'
would instantly step on the sidewalk anc
make a dive for my pocket, to extract the
spple che fancied concealed there
Moreover, she would allow Tiny, pc
dog, to climb all over her back; but Dick
another dog, she always greeted with
snort, and occasionally with kick.
ToBY'5 FONDNRss FOB LUNCH.
When we reached Fort Leavenworth,
the quarters in the barracks were all oc
cupied, and q number of our officers were
assigned quarters in the Attache barracks
The captain had decided to purchase
morse from the government stables and
urn him over to me for saddle use, as
did not want to go to our frontier post
without q horse of my own to depend on
It was in June; and the little square yard
in front of the Attache barracks Wer'
fresh and sweet with grass ant
blossoming red clover. The dool
of our quarters stood open; the captain
had gone out, and l was startled by
knock on the door-post. Looking up,
saw the head of an orderly appearing q
the door; but, poking over his head,
saw that of horse, evidently taking
strict inventory of everything in the
room. OF course, was at the door, ant
ON the horses neck, in the course OF
a very few seconds, for, from the orderly
I soon understood that the captain hs
sent the horse for me to look at. Col
IL, with his too little girls, came u
inst then, and as we were all going l
o the same command, the acqusluo
of q horse for the march had an IL
A terest for all parties. Together, we SUI
rounded and admired the beautiful whit
animal; and the little girls and myse
were soon braiding clover-biossOms int
Toby's tail, and trimming his head an
IS neck with garlands of butter cups-op
= rations which did not, in the least, int
- fere with his good humOr, or his app
70 t;te for the Juicy grass he was croppin
/ Inc C8pldlD3 IL oCOAhSJ heSN s-J
" his speed and mettle; he was not a
r praised at any unreasonable figure, al
so Toby was mine before we took up u
line of march for the plains.
le From the wagonmaster heard late
or that Toby had been captured in Tex
s. during the war. He had been raised al
IS trained by a woman, who had follow
y him around the country for some TIN
u irving to get her pet back again; D
" Uncle Sam, no doubt, had the best rig
IN to him, and he was placed in the staol
ie of the fitting out depot. One thing CT
70 tainly spoke for the truth OF this stol
ne Whenever Toby had been let loose a
III refused to be tied up again, he would
~ WAYS allow me to come up to him, Wh
III he would turn and throw up his heels
~ the approach of man.
DC Toby was soon a universal favor
e and proved himself worthy of the pref
On ence, though he had one or two trlC
al about him that were by no means co
10 mendable. First, he was an inyeter
ce thief; and then, at times when he
of not ridden, but led along by the order
Oh he had mean way of lying back .
Ut letting the other horse pull him along t
Ies fairly exasperated me. His thefts, nc
'eo ever. were always carried out in sucl
la cunning manner that l readily forg
q Ok M q