The N.C. Republican, and civil rights advocate., 1884-05-22
EACHING CIRCUS HORSES.
Kindness and Apples Go a Great way
In Instructtng Them.

standing in the center of circus ring
talking to a gray stallion. The anlmai
stood fully sixteen hands high, was
built as Flemish draughV
horse, and had a coat that glstened
like satin. Its white tail swept the
sawdust in the ring, and its head ana
neck were as clean cut and graceful as
swans.
whoa, there! Whoa, my beauty
Then he approached and stroked tn
creatures neck, while it whinnled
softly and paved the sawdust with It's
off forefoot. The man was Hiram
Marks, ringmaster with John ROBIN
sons show, and this was his school OF
horses.
81 am just giving this stallion his
lesson now," he said. "He is begin
ner, fairly we'll advanced in the First
Reader we may say. l advanced him
from the Primer last week, and find
that he has so much intelligence that
it is pretty clear that will be allie TO
carry him through the High school and
graduate him as a No. trick horse.
When he came to me he had been
handled enough to bear the girth and
the bit. l satisfied myself that he was
beauty and had a certain degree o.
| intelligence before | began TO handle
him, as it is time thrown away to edu-
cate an ungainly horse or one that IS
not exceedingly bright. L put a glrth
on him. slipped bit into his no1th,
put bride over his head, fastened the
over-check and side lines to his girth'
and led him into the ring. The ring,
as you see, is regular circus rim g.
with raised circumference and center
pole. buckled this lunge cord into
the ring at his bit, and there he Was'
ready to take his first lesson.
"The first thing is to teach him TO
90 around the outer edge of the ring,
instead of running across it, as is his
first impulse. BY threatening m
with the whip, l keep him from
center of the ring, and by pulling on
the lunge cord l hold him from going
too far and climbing the embankment'
In the course of a week or two, by
working twice a day. any horse can
learn to lope or gallop about the ring,
either way, as commanded, Have you
ever noticed that all circus riders ride
around the ring from right to lett
No? Well, they do. An Italian by
the name of Jumarny was the only
.-~ridar- ] eyer knew who rode from LETT
to right.
"After this stallion had learned tt
go around the ring when commanded
| started in to teach him to come tC
me at motion of the whip. 1 hav
reached that stage now. You can see
how l go about it. D."
! He cracked the whip and the beauti
full horse set off on lope only to stok
short when the whip was cracked
! again.
Come" said the trainer, pulling
: gently on the lunge cord and motion
ing with the whip handle. There was
r a seconds pause, and then the steady
! strain of the cord told the animal what
, was wanted, and he walked slowly
toward his master. When he had
reached the desired point an apple and
a caress were given him, and then the
entire act was repeated.
with plenty of apples and candy
4 the right kind of horse can be taught
anything No, they neither need OF
get any whipping at all while theil
education is in progress. They may
3 be tapped occasionally with the whiE
= handle or brushed with the lash, but
r the main use Of the whip is to tell then
9 when to move by its cracking, and tt
= tell them how to move by its motions
!, The principal signals to a horse ar'
: made with the whip handle; when tht
j voice is used it is done more to beguilt
q the audience than to enlighten th'
:. horse. For instance, when l say
: Come l move my whip in certain
g manner, and and the horse comes. With
: out the motion of the whip he woulc
o not understand me, while without tn
Y word come my wants would be per
: fectly clear to him, and he would ODE.
@ by the whip alone.
: Dan Rice had one Of the very few
y horses that have been broken to thu
v voice, and that happened only by acci
: dent. When Dan began with him th'
Y nag had perfectly good eyes, and wa'
. broken to the motion of the whip, but
: while the training was in progress il