Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-08-27
HORSE SENSE.
And q Little Talk About the Treat
ment Of the Noble Animal.

And q Little Talk About the Treat.
ment Of the Noble Animal.
We hate TO see o horse abused. The
man who will wsntonly abuse a good horse
deserves bad LUCK in this world and eternal
punishment in the world to come. There
happens to be a livery stable in full view
of the SENTINEL Office. This brings q good
many vaqueros and cowboys and others
with horses under our immediate notice.
We often see men kicking and cutting and
jerking, just to show off. as it were. We
bave been threatening for a long time to
read the riot act to some of these cruel and
inhuman people. They deserve to be an
sthematized by name in letters as big as
Prospect Mountain. Kindness is the only
proper treatment for a horse. We fully
agree with an exchange when 1t says that
every one who manages horses ought to
have a little horse sense; and then there
would be fewer bad horses, fewer accidents
caused by the use Of horses. and those
noble animals would do twice as much
service as they now do.
Many do not take the proper method Of
" breaking horses" as it is called, from a
mistaken idea OF what is necessary to make
a horse obedient and useful. 1t is errone-
ously supposed that it is necessary to
break the spirit of a horse and to make
him afraid by the use OF whip and spur
before he will become obedient, safe and
useful. By this process the spirit, courage
and constitution of many noble animals
are very mnch injured, and never made
perfectly docile and safe for all parties to
use.
The true policy is to teach the horse
that you are his friend as we'll as master.
Feed him, pet him, treat him kindly aud
he will willingly do what you desire. The
only difficulty is in making him under
stand what you wish him to do. Patience,
perseverance and gentle words are ten
times more effective than whip and spur
and curses.
Bad driving will often fatally injure a
horse in a few miles; when skillful driving
would make the journey in less time and
leave the horse as fresh as when he started.
Drive slow when the animal is full of
food and water; but after the muscles
are limbered and the system emptied, in
crease the speed. Then check up and let
the horse cool off before stopping and there
will be less danger Of taking cold and OF
stiff muscles, and less necessity for rub
bing down.
Drive slow up hill and down; and make
good time on level ground and on moder-
ate descents. Never keep the same gait
and speed for a long time; for a change of
gait is equivalent to a rest, as it rests one
set of muscles and puts another set in use.
A good driver will make five miles q day
more with less injury to the horse.
Never ride a horse without first making !
his acquaintance and securing his good
will. Go TO his head, speak kindly, pat him,
look in his eyes and smell his breath. In
other words let him know whether you
are friend or foe, which he will judge by
your voice. your eye and your breath.
Horses judge a man as quickly as o man
does a horse.
Feed and water a~bundantly at night af-
ter work and the animal has had time to
rest and cool off. Feed moderately in the
morning or before work. Parthians and
Arabs prepare their horses for hard drives
by fasting rather than by feasting. More
horses are injured by hard work on a full
stomach than by any other process. Never
let a horse eat or drink much when he is
hot from work.
Study your horse. treat him according
to his nature, make him your friend and
he will do you better and safer service.
The following directions are credited to
Lord Hampden. They are worthy Of q
conspicuous place in every stable:
Up hill-whip me not.
Down hill-hurry me not.
On level road-spsre me not.
Loose in stable-forget me not.
OF hay and corn-rob me not.
With sponge and w~ster-neglect me not.
or clean water-stint me not.
OF soft dry w~ater-deprive me not.
Tired OFT hot-leave me rot.
With bit and reins-oh, jerk me not.
When you ere angry strike me not.