The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-07-22
TRAINING HORSES.
An Account of How the Animals are
Taught by Professional Trainer.

AAo6At ny y Ekete5St0Hat VfutneFs
"Whoa, boy |"
Crack.
"Whoa-a-a."
Stay there" said the reporter, as h,
made his way the other night from the o. D
aide of the stage at the Grand Opera HOUSE
across to the front side, to see Professor
Bristois horses, or as they were billed
Ooup's Equescurriculum. The curtain
had just dropped, and the Journal man was
intent on hearing the professor expatiate on
horse lore.
Are all these horses equally intelligent ~
said the reporter.
No." replied Mr.. Bristol. ''Can you
tell me which one is ?"
1 should say the Arabian" pointing a,
white Arabian stallion.
You are right. He is, and wonderfully
perceptive feeler, too.n
Tell me about training animals"
Well, in the first place you must be
enough OF horseman to Judge of horses,
and to determine their intelligence. Horses
differ as widely as men in that regard. You
must not expect the perception in Perch.
eron that you would in lithe-limbed dapper
Arabian or Kentucky horse. Breeding il
everything and the points that determine q
horses intelligence are these "A smooth
ooat-the fine haired is the best-and then
he must have slender neck. His head in.
dicates also his brain. Horse phrenology
holds good. OF the thoroughbreds, the
Hambietonians are the slowest of percep.
ton. You will notice they have heavy
neoks.n
How long does il take q horse 10 bt
trained to perform such tricks as those pre-.
sented to.night?"
About three years, with constant labor.
You have to use persuasion, petting and the
whip. After horses are taught tricks, and
perform them before audiences, they soon
learn that you will not use the whip, and
become indolent and sleepy. You must
continually watch them. Horses learn from
each other, and it is best to train them to.
gether. They exhibit vanity when they &C.
complish some hard feat, and become am.
bilious to transcend previous efforts.n
Do they exhibit any sagaciousness out
side of the routine work that would indicate
| reason ?"
II believe they do. They stumble on Ia
tricks. The mule taught me the trick Of
pulling of my coat"
How about the festive mule? What de
gree of intelligence has he, and does 1t equa
bis ability to kiokfn
Hardly. The mule, you know, work.
both ways, and when he starts there is gen
orally b. o. t. around Still, If you worl
with long whip, in circles, and with plen
ty OF muscle, you can fetch him. Mules ar,
intelligent. All the tricks that blind mul,
does taught her after she was blind. Sb,
lie very found OF children, and is a docil,
animal. TRAINED her by the use of words
which she remembered and performs feat
accordingly, answering to the sound. l
took me long while to teach the null
Denver to eeter on the board side
uaisa liz run,l1s - =. -oaksuwase5 Das y
put him across the board and get him 10 d
the trick | had to catch his feet and plac
them backward and forward for weeks.
"a peculiar thing about horses in leap
Ing is their lack of perspective in an obstacle
You might teach horse to mount fenc,
ten feet high, yet you could not get him Il
go over horse of much less height. Ii
order to train them to 60 over horses has
dummy made and increased II in heigh
according as they yaulted better All TIL
time the dummy was covered with buffalo
robe. Then we transferred the robe to
horse and then accomplished the feat.
Horses are as intelligent, I think, o
dogs, and am firm believer in their rea
soning powers. My horses are learning
something ne W all the time. "-Indianapoli
Journal.