The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-10-18

HOUSE, FARM AND GARDEN,
Facts About Horses.

AN Equestrian Manager" in Eng
land gives the following interesting facts
about horses:
1t scarcely needs stating that a good
memory is indisdensible in learning any
thing. And if horse has to learn trick
or routine performance, he can only do
so by remembering IL from time to time
of going through 1t. Both horses and
dogs have wonderful memories, but 1
will narrate one or two instances relating
to the horse.
l was once driving to Long Milford in
Suffolk at a spot where there was bridge
leading over river. AS we approached
the bridge, the horse pulled up, and
would not move without whipping. For
some time l was at loss to account for
this freak; but it afterward occurred to
me that the last time L had crossed the
bridge and with the same horse, had
pulled up at that spot to speak to man.
Unless there is a reason to the contra
ry, we always prefer occupying the same
field each time we visit town. Some
times it happens that the stud groom,
who is generally with the first wagon,
forgets which field it is. But by giving
the horse his head and leaving him to
himself, he will pull up at the right gate.
The groom never finds him to be wrong,
and drives straight in.
When in Southampton some years
since, had to pass up High Street daily
and had a different horse almost every
day. Whichever horse had he would
slacken speed at the Star Hotel, and
went to turn into the yard. Upon men,
tioning this to the groom, he explained
that, five years previously, when the cir
Gus was in Southampton, the stud had
been stabbed at the Star, and the horse
had not yet forgotten the place.
have my oppinion, founded upon
close and varied observation, that horses
can and do convey to each other very
exact intelligence by the sounds they
produce, from the proud sonorous neigh
ings for full spirited horse, down to
the whinnyings and snortings and other
little sounds with which all keepers of
horses are familiar. Once, in long sta
BILE containing twenty stalls in a row, a
horse at one end was dying. Near the
other end was horse of timid disposi-
ton, which showed marked signs of
dread and extreme nervousness, as
though conscious of what was going on;
trembling from head to foot, and stream
ing with perspiration. feel convinced
that intelligence of what was passing had
reached this horse, and that being of a
nervous temperament, the poor animal
had been troubled to the painful extent
we had witnessed.
Another example of different kind.
1t often happened that was away from
the company for weeks and months at a
stretch, and on some of these occasions
had returned along the same road by
which the circus was crossing, thus
meeting the vans, one after the other all
down the line. When yet there was
some distance between myself and the
nearest van, my horse would scent or see
the nearest van-horse, and salute him
with loud neigh. This would be at
once answered by the van horse, which
seemed to pass the signal to the rear
down the line, where it was taken up
from horse to horse to the very end, per-
haps three quarters of a mile away. Then
as rapidly drove by and met the vans,
each horse would turn toward mine as
he passed, greeting him with friendly |
and joyous neigh; apparently holding
short conversation in passing, as though |
welcoming each other after a separation.
For it must be noted that it was only
after long absence that such demonstra-
tions took place.