The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-09
The Art OF the Horse Tanner.
TTurf, Field and Farm

A writer In the Sporting Magazine
of 1928 draws attention to James Sui
livan, the Whisperer, horse breaker
at Cork, IAN ignorant, awkward rus
tic of the lowest class" 1t was
claimed for him that he possessed
the art of controlling, ly some secret
influence, any horse or mare that was
VIGOROUSLY vicious. He practiced in
private and would not reveal his
method. when employed to tame
an outrageous animal he directed the
stable in which he and the object of
the experiment were placed to be
shut, with orders not to open the door
until d signal given. A fter tete-a-
tete between him and the horse for
about half an hour, during which lit
tie or no hustle was heard. the signal
was made, and upon opening the door
the horse was seen lying down, and
the man by his side playing Familiarity
with him, like child with d puppy
dog. From that time he was found
perfectly willing to submit to any dis
cipline, however repugnant to his
nature before" Sullivan could not
be persuaded to practice his art
abroad. He was welded to
locality, and so his triumphs were
with ssed by only a small circle. 1t
is safe to affirm that he did not con-
troll horses by talking to them in
whispers and by magnet touch.
His practice was different from his
pretensions. When Rarey, a son of
an inn-keeper n central Ohio, went to
England in 1858, he claimed to have
psychological power over horses, and
after he had brought Cruiser under
control, his praises were sung by two
continents. The truth of the matter
is that Rarey, like those before him
and those who came after him, OBJ
tanned obediance through force. He
practiced the leg-tying-up system
which he had learned at Georgetown,
KY, from Denton Offutt. Make the
vicious horse feel that you are his,
master. and then Soothe him with soft
careSses and gentle words, and you
will accomplish all that WhiSperer
Sullivan accomplished. Mr.. Wagner,
in his Forthcoming book, gives thefull
history of the Cruiser case. The facts
were furnished by Mr.. Goodnough,
who took Rarey to England. Cruiser
was owned by Lord Dorchester,
and had been vicious from colt. He
was kept for breeding purposes at
Morrell Green, forty-one miles from
London. A interchangeable was kept
on him contin ually. To it were at
tached two chains, each about twelve
inches long, with buckle at the end.
The door of his stable divided in the
center, and when it was desired to
lead him out for use the lower half
was opened and bucket of water put
in. When the horse plunged lis nose
in the water to drink strap twenty
feet long was quickly fastened to each
bit of chain. In this way two men
could lead the animal without getting
in range of his teeth and feet. Cruiser
never wore the big iron muZzle which
Rarey exhibited with the horse.
That was little advertising trick
Cruiser was not subdued by ordinary
methods. AS a last resort, his fore
legs were tied up, a collar put on and
his hind legs drawn up and tied to it.
In this utterly helpless condition he
was left all night in a solitary stable.
In the morning he was watered,
caressed, fed and groomed. Then he
was led behind dog cart to
London and tied down again the
following night. His spirit was
broken, and after this Rarey could
handle him with comparative ease.
In London and New York wondering
crowds tiocked to see the vicious ami
NAL which the magic touch of the
horse tanner had male as gentle as
lamb. After Rarey's death Cruiser
was treated inhumanly, and he again
grew sullen and vicious. He was con-
fined in small paddock at Grove
port, near Columbus, Ohio, his feet
seldom trimmed, never carefully
groomed, and his food pitched at him.
He had no love for man, and the face
of every prying intruder threw him
into rage. He was a horse of fine
grain, with well proportional head
and rather wide between the eyes. He
was bred to a few mares in Central
Ohio, and left there some colts of
more than average merit. The sue
cesSful horse tanner must have firm
ness, excellent judgment and control
over his temper. Intuitively and
after much experience he will learn
to read the character of an animal
and know what steps to take to rem
der him submissive. Mere lip and
hand mummery is waste of time.