Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-05-22

O'er de ribber dark an wide;
Jinin' wild de great pucceshun
Marchin to de oder side.
Detroit Free Press.
Breaking a Bronco.
A bronco colt is usually allowed to
run ON the range till he is four or five
years old without being handled at all,
and in some cases they become so wild
that, if at all badly handled in break
ing, they will never be quite broken.
When colt is to be broken the bunch
of horses in which he runs is driven into
the corral and the breaker throws his
lariat on his neck. while another man
ropes him by the fore feet in order to
throw him down. Some men prefer to
throw him in this way, and others merely
rope him by the neck and choke him till
he falls. As soon as he falls man runs
to his head, loosing the rope ON his
neck so as not to choke him, and kneel-
ing on his neck, holds his nose up in the
air, the rope on the fore feet being
pulled tight and held short so as to
raise his feet Off the ground. Held in
this position the horse cannot get up,
and the breaker can put on and adjust
his halter and blinds with perfect facil-
ity. The rope that was thrown on the
neck in the first instance with slip
moose is removed and the end tied on
the neck in a firm knot, the rope being
passed through the halter ring and tied
there. The blinds are drawn over the
forehead, but do not cover the eyes;
they are ready to be drawn down. ga
After all these things are done, the
rope on the feet is slackened SO that the
moose will open and fall off, and the
head is loosed at the same time and the
horse gets up. There are one or two
men holding the head rope, SO that
there is no fear of his getting away.
After he is on his legs. the breaker
walks up to his head. keeping a hand on
the rope, so as to be able to jerk him
round in case he should attempt to
whirl and kick, and stroke him on the
nose. If he is wild one, it will take
several attempts before the breaker can
get a hand on him at all, but in a short
time he can be handled on the head and
nose.
If the horse is worth taking some pains
over, the breaker will handle him for
perhaps half a day before putting a sad
die on. He will begin to teach him to
lead, will handle him all over, and teach
him not to be afraid of a man, and will
rub him down the legs and pick up his
feet, and do all he can to get the horse S
confidence. If, however, the breaker
wants to do the work as fast as posi-
BILE, he will, as soon as he can, rub the
horse on the head, draw the blinds down
over the eyes, and proceed to saddleup.
1t is not usual to put on a bride at first,
as horse cannot be pulled up by a bit
,,,,t;1 La hoc nI fbot Is nf IN
stop him, but a hacomore is used instead.
This consists of plated rawhide ring
that encircles the nose, being fixed on to
headstall of the same material. A
| short hair rope is used for reins, the
ends being tied, on to the ring under
the Jaws; the ring is placed so far down
the nose that when pulled upon it will
shut off the horses wind and then he
can be stopped.
Everything being adjusted, the rider
mounts and pulls up the blinds ard
starts the horse up with his quirt. He
usually begins bucking at once, and
| breakers prefer to let him have a good
| spell at it and to quiet him well mean
while, and then in many cases he will
never buck again. 1t takes a good rider
to sit on bucking horse; the body
must be thrown well back in the saddle
and the back as loose as possible. while
the saddle is gripped tight.
| 1t is usual to have an assistant on 6
gentle horse to give the unbroken one {
lead, and to head him off from any tim
Der or dangerous ground that he may
try to run into, for, knowing nothing o1
the use of the re1ns, he can only bt
guided by pulling his head round by
main force. After being ridden two OF
three times the colt will tcavel well will
another horse, and soon become bride
wise, through his nose being made sort
by the hacomore ring, and then a bride
is put on as well as the hacomore ring
and both reins used at once. After
few lessons at this the hacomore is dis
pensed with and the bride used alone
A colt will very soon learn to drive il
a band of horses, but at first he will tr,
to run into the band instead of roun'
them He can be made very useful fo
driving horses within a week of being
taken up, but it takes longer before h
will be of much use for cattle. In tel
days to three weeks he will be so gen
tie that any fairly good rider can man
age him, though he will be liable t
buck for some time when anything goe
wrong. If at first he does Not succee
III getting fld OF MS fluer ne Will CIV
up trying to do so, but if he once mar
ages it he is encouraged to attempt
whenever he can take the rider at a di:
advantage.
I A breaker will have several horses
hand at once; he will keep them on
picket rope or in the stable for som
time at first, teaching them to let hil
walk up to them in the corral.
When horse is badly handled 8
first, and allowed to get loose with
rope on, and to throw his rider, and s
to have his own way, he is frequentl
"spoilt," and in many eases never be
comes thoroughly broken. He has foun
out that he is stronger than man an
that he can have his own way if he take
advantage of his opportunities.
A breaker will undertake to brea
horses at from So to SO a head.
will gentle them SO that any ordinar
! rider can take them to put to work, b.
he cannot at that price make them tho
oughly bridlcwise, nor break them
every particular. They will need car