The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-08
Training Young Horse Stock.

"A young MORSE can NC euuCaO0u W
degree proportionate with his natural IN
/ telligence, and his tractability, as a rule.
will be in the ratio of his breeding. II
| he is highly bred, of any breed, whether
| Trotter, Percheron, or Clydesdale, the
| chances are that he will be more susceptl-
! bic to training than if of what is under
! stood to be scrub origin. This is owing
| in part to that progress made by animals
under estication-progress in refine
ment of form. and certain other tenden-
| cies and requirements which all educa-
| ted breeders aim to fix. Men and chill
! dren, by constantly coming in contact
| with those of better tone and more re-
| fined sentiments, imbibe these qualities
! to a degree and their natures are inn
| proved. So it is with colts reared by
men who are engaged in growing the
better classes of stock, they usually get
more intelligent handling than when in
| other hands, hence become more thor
oughly domesticated.
| When we consider how few horses
there are, 0eaying out the old pillow and
| team horses, accustomed all their lives
! to having the whiffletrees striking
against their heels), that will permit the
cross-bar or anything else to come
against their hind legs when in harness,
we may well wonder why the prominent
lessons from colthood up are not as they
| should be to secure safety behind the
horses heels, under nearly every COW
ceivable circumstance. The disposition
to kick is implanted in most animals that
have the round hoof, and in some whose
| hoofs are cleft. Especially does the
! horse look to his heels as his best and
most reputable mode of defence. To
| kick, under circumstances where defence
is thought necessary, is allowable in the
| horse; nor does he lose caste by this in
diligence, if the provocation is great
| But the horse that strikes with his fore
feet, or uses his teeth-and where they
do one of these things they are quite like
! ly to do both-takes a low rank. and is a
yeritable hyena among horses. As a
rule, the horse showing, from his colt
hood up, a disposition to bite and strike,
will prove, under ordinary care and
handling, partially at least, beyond the
reach of kindly tutolship.
| But the animal that not having been
fortified against such sudden surprises
by previous training, shows disposition
to protect himself from anything that
strikes him unexpectedly in the rear, is
merely carrying out warrantable in
stinct. Against this tendency to sur
| prise, we have it entirely in our power
to fortify him. This can be done by a
series of lessons, and they may begin
when he is a young colt Yet, they may
be deferred till he is OF sufficient age to
be handled in harness. Perhaps the best
way to familiarize the colt with the har-
ness is to place this upon him while he
is in his stall. In order to accustom him
to work up to the collar, before hitching
| him to the wagon, harness him in his
stall; hook his tugs to a whitfletree; at
tach a rope to this, running over pulley
or roller; append a heavy weight to the
free end of the rope, and so adjust the
fixtures that when the colt goes forward
to the manger, or feed box, he will
| tighten the tugs and lift the weight. In
this exercise, the pressure against the
collar will become associated with his
| hay and grain and it will be found
that the association is by no means an
unpleasant one. So adjust the whif11e-
tree-and let it be a very light one-that
WHEN tne cOlC DacKS TO tne limit permit
ted by his halter, the whiffletree will
come in contact with his heels. Be care
full that he is accustomed to this, at first,
IN your presence, every precaution being
taken to avoid sudden surprise, involy-
ing response from his heels.
1t is of the utmost Importance that he
become accustomed to permit some unu-
sual substance to dangle against his heels,
that he may, in the future, permit this
without kicking. This he certainly will
do if the lesson is given to him with dis
erection, not alone in the manner stated
but by progressive plan, out of the sta
BILE. 1t will very rarely be necessary to
show the colt, if he is of reasonably fair
temper, that the master is his superior,
physically, through the means of appli-
ances that he uses upon him. If his duties
are taught him through kindly lessons,
and not through putting them before MIN
in the light of a series of punishments,
by making him draw load, when, per-
haps, his breast or muscles are sore, even
making the lesson impressive by the use
of the lash, the colt of average intelli-
gence and docility will take hold of his
work willingly.-NatjomaL Lipe Stock
Journal.