The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-10-25

WINDING UP a HORSE.
singular Experience with IL Balky Animal
In India.
TIA be coatiHued.)

Rev. DR.. Chamberlain, in a letter to the
american Missionary from Mudnapilly, In.
dia, gives the following singular experience
he had with balky horse:
Nineteen years ago | bought in Madras a
peculiar kind of Il horse. He had to be wound
up to make him GO 1t was not machine,
but a veritabe live horse.
When breaking him to go in the carriage
he had been injured. An accident occurred
in starting him the first time, and he was
thrown and hurt and frightened 1t made him
timld; afraid to start. After he had once
started he would never balk, until taken out
of the carriage. He would start and stop and
90 on a. many times as you pleased, but it was
very difficult to get him started at first each
time he was harnessed to the carriage.
He was all right under the saddle, an excel
lent riding horse, and would carry me long
distances in my district work, so that | did
not wish to dispose of HIM. But could not
afford to keep two; whatever | had must 60
in carriage rs well as ride, and l determined
that | would conquer.
How have worked over that horse At first
1t sometimes took me an hour to get him start
ed from my door. AT last, after trying every
thing | had ever heard of, | hit upon an eXpe-
dent that worked.
| took strong bamboo stick two feet long
and over an inch thick A stout cord loop
was passed through hole Two inches from its
end This loop we would slip over his left ear
down to the roots and turn the stick round and
round and twist it up.
1t is said that hore can retain but one idea
at time in its small brain. Soon the twist
ing would begin to hurt His attention would
be attracted to the pain IN his ear. He would
forget all about a carriage being hitched to
him, bend down his head and walk off quiet
as lamb. When he had gone rod the
horseboy would begin to untwlst, soon off
would come the cord, and the horse would be
all right for the day The remedy never
failed.
After having 1t on two or three times he OBJ,
jected TO the operation, and would spring
about and rear and witch and back, anything
but start ahead, to keep it from being applied,
We would have, two of us, to begin to pat and
know which had the key All at once it would
be on his ear and winding up. The moment
that it began to tighten he would be quiet,
stand and bear it as long as he could and then
off he would go. 1t never took thirty seconds
to get him off with the key. 1t would take an
hour without After little he ceased object
ing to have it put on. He seemed to say to
himself II have got to give in, and may as
well do 1t at once" but he would not start
without the key. In few months he got so
that as soon rs we got into the carriage, he
would bend down his head to have the key
put on, and one or two turns OF the key would
be enough.
Then the key became unnecessary. He
would bend down his head, tipping his left
ear to the horse boy, who would take it in his
| hand and twist I and off he wnnlu
| Nv native nelghbors said THAT horse must
be wound up or he cannot run" And it did
seem to be so.
When he got so that the winding up was
nothing but form, | tried to break him OF
that, but could not succeed. would pat hlal
and talk to him, and give HIM a little salt OF
sugar or bread, and then step quietly into the
carriage and tell him to TO- NO" Coax
him mo" Whip HIM. "No." Legs
braced, every muscle tense. Stop and keer
quiet for an instant, and he would hold down
his head, bend over his ear, and look around
for the horse,boy appeallngly, saying very ear
nestly by his actions, "Do please wind me up
can't 60 without but III go gladly if you
will" The moment his ear was touched, and
one twist given, off he would 90 as happy ant
contented as ever could be.
Many hearty laughs have we and our friend.
had over the winding up Of that horse. If
were out on tour for month or two and he
were not hitched to the carriage, or il he stood
IN the stable with no work for week or two
during the monsoon, a real winding up had tt
take place the first time he was put in. We
kept him six years The last week | owned
him had to wind him up. sold the patent
| to the man that bought the horse, and learnct
from him that he had to use it as long AS the
horse lived.