The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-04-24
THE TRAINED HORSES.
Patience. discipline and Kindness.

EaIence. DHsctpiAne ana kAfmunesS-
After the drill, the next thing was to teach
Bravo and Bonito to do their teetering on
the plank. Each in turn was made to go up
the plank, which was at first quite wide and
not more than a foot from the ground. When
they would get little beyond the balance
and fad the end going down with them,
they would not rush forward or jump off to
the other side, but would back off very
cautiously. BY degrees we got them used to
it, so that they would so up until it tipped,
and then 90 down with quiet Indifference to
the antics OF floor which they found did
them no harm. Then, as by simple motions
OF whip, they would move either forward
or backward, 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 regular
motion, forward and backward That
changed the weight enough TO give the sec
saving motion TO the plank. And they evil
IDENTIFY liked it, and had no fear when we
narrowed the plank and raised it. When
they have been loose in the ring in daytime
and the board has happened TO be IN place.
they hsve gone 10 1t, mounted II, and en-
joyed a seessw 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 violent
strain on the muscles of the unnaturally
Outstretched fore legs. In teaching her that
first taught her TO put her feet upon box,
then had the box fixed so to move slowly
until she got used to moving her hind legs
to walk after it. Then | substituted the roll
ing barrel, but had it so fixed that ii could
not roll rapidly to brighten her or destroy
her confidence. She does not like to do il,
because it is hard. The rolling of light
barrel with his nose is an easy thing COM
paratively to teach a horse. You touch
hr hohind Oantlu NTH Ubin on
as to drive him up until his nose
pushes against your breast and 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 understand that he can push things
out of his way with his nose. Then make
HIM kneel, and put barrel annoyingly close
to his nose, so that he will push it away. As
he does so you tell him to roll the barrel In
a little while ii will be unnecessary to make
him kneel, for as soon as be hears the words
he will obey the order.
To teach the business with the handker-
chief and box when / had the horse SO that
he would bring handkerchief to me from
any part of the ring in obedience to the sig
nails of the whip, put it into box 50 that
it would show little, but so fastened to the
lid that when the horse seized it he would
throw up the lid. At the same time / would
say, RAISE the lid When be got so that
uS OlO tutS regularly anu expected 10
raise the lid, made 1t more and more diff
cult for him to get held of the handkerchief
without doing so, exposing very little of it
for him to seize, and for his own convent
ence be got to throwing the lid up with his
nose when told him to 'raise the lid"
In similar way taught
the putting back of the hand
kerchief and the closing of the lid.
There are some curious things about
training horses to face fire. Once broken to
it, they never forget ii. Let them pass safely
through flames once, and they always seem
TO have a mania for rushing into fire ever
after. 1t excites then-seems to madden
them. | once trained a horse for that feat
who required two men to hold him while
wetting him for it, and as soon as he was let
loose he would dart for the fire and 90
through it. He would have rushed into a
bonfire on the street had he come in sight of
one. The Broncho horse that does 1T here
is the quietest / ever saw, but even he shows
that 1t excItes him greatly. To make them
20 through the hoop of flames we first teach
them to jump gate, then put little fame
on the whip and hold it on the gate and
they go over that. Next we enlarge the
fame until we get it as you saw tonight,
mass of fire. 1t is necessary to accustom
them TO il very gradually, for, if once fright
ened by fire so that they bolt from it, it is
subsequently much more difficult 10 get
them near il.
i don't know how long it will take horse
to forget trick that he has once thoroughly
learned, but I'm sure he will not forget IN
three years, because l have had occasion to
test that Some may have better memories
than others, just as some have quicker COM
prehension. There's that horse Nettle our
leaper; don't think he would ever forget
anything. He is not a Broncho, but an
American horse, with q strain of Arabian
splendid horse, but vicious. He came near
killing groom the other day. Now Nettle
observes a great deal. reasons, thinks and
has ideas OF his own about things He used
TO jump over six horses, but IN Cincinnati
one of them SHE'D and he got hurt He
knows he can make the leap over six with
little more effort than over four, but ne will
not take the increased chances OF one of the
number moving out of place. So he always
counts them before taking a start for the
leap, and If we try to ring in five on him he
refuses to attempt it. Four is his limit.
If punishment is ever required il must
come instantly upon the offense for which it
is given. l never give more than three
blows, and then not severe ones. III q horse
loses confidence in himself don't whip him.
but call him up and reason with him.
When you see he Is tired give him a rest
Treat him as a friend, and he will do a
friends part by you. Some trainers give a
horse Jumps Of sugar when he does well. /
do not The only reward l give is letting
him stop and rest when he does his work
rightly. Get HIM used to sugar and he will
be looking for that instead of paying atten-
ton to what you want him to do.