Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-04-11

q speaking to him, just as a ma.
Il would. First l made then
It march in line, having a man be
J. hind them to keep them up
a next, to break off in platoons
3 go in single file, reform in line
! oblique and wheel to right ant
: left, giving them the signals
: with the whip, breaking then
off, closing them up, and keep.
/ ing them back as required, SIM
( ply by causing them to apply
collectively what they had
) learned individually.
,l "Aftcr the drill, the next
thing was to teach Bravo and
Bonito TO do their teetering On
the plank. Each in turn was
made to 60 up the plank. which
was at first quite wide and not
more than foot from the
ground. When they would
get a little beyond the balance,
and find the end going down
with them, they would not rush
forward or jump off to the 9th
er side, but would back off very
cautiously. BY degrees we got
them used to it. so that they
would go up until it tipped, and
then go down with quiet indif-
ference to the antics Of a floor
which they found did them no
harm. Then, as by simple mo-
tons of a whip they would
move either forward or back
ward, they soon found that they
could balance the plank. After
that it was an easy matter to
teach Bravo, by light touches
of the whip, before and behind
his off fore leg, to move that
foot with a regular motion, for
ward and backward. That |
changed the weight enough to
give the see-sawing motion to
the plank. And they evidently
liked it, and had no fear when
we narrowed the plank and
raised it. When they have been
loose in the ring in daytime,a ,and
the board has happened to be
in place, they have gone to it,
mounted it, and enjoyed a see
saw for their own amusement.
"Rolling the barrel with the
fore feet, which is Flora's trick,
is one of the hardest things a
horse does, for it is such a vio-
lent strain OH the muscles Of the l.
unnaturally outstretched fore
legs. In teaching her that, /
first taught her to put her feet
upon a box, then had the box
fixed SO as to move slowly until
she got used to moving her hind
legs to walk after it. Then /
substituted the rolling barrel,
but had it SO fixed that it could
not roll rapidly to frighten her
or destroy her confidence. She
does not like to do it, because
it is hard. The rolling of a light
barrel with his nose is an easy
thing comparatively, to teach
horse. You touch him behind
very gently with the whip, so
as to drive him up until his nose
presses against your breast, and Y
you give way before him. Or
you, in the same way, cause him
to push with his nose an easily
moved board. He will soon
that he can push
things out Of his way with his I
nose. Then make him kneel,
and put the barrel annoyingly
clo Sc to his nose, so that he will
push it away. AS he does so A
you tell him roll the barrel. In
4 little while it will be unncccs- +
,ary to make him lneel, for as
he Lears the words he will obey I
he order.
"po teach the business with A
he handkerchief and box, when
[ had the horse SO that he would /
BRING a handkerchief to me
rom any part of the ring in O.
,ediencc to the signals Of the
whip, ] put it into a box so that A
t would show a little, but so
to the lid that when the a
lorse seized it he would throw
Up the lid. At the same time | F
would say, Raise the lid
When he got 60 that he did that n
'egularly and expected to raise
he lid, / made it more and more Ii
lifficult for him to get hold of
he handkerchief without do A
ng SO, exposing very little of
for him TO seize, and for his v
,wn convenience he got to
hrowing the lid up with his 4
lose when / told him TO raise
he lid.' In a similar simple A
vay l taught the putting back
# the handkerchief and the clos D