The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-26
TRAINING HORSES,
SUCCESS WITH a HERD or WILD
BRoNCKOs FROM THE WEST.

Wild, Vicious, Kicking and Ballsy Steeds
of the Plains-The beginning of Theit
MISUNDERSTANDING the Tricks of the
SawduSt Ring. - " :"
An oldish man in blue blouse and overallA, I.
working long houls day by day, with In. |.
finite patience and a long hay whip over q ,
score OF "caico Notwithstanding, cajoling, (.
ordering his four-looted charges to dance,
march, cavort, and do all manner Of un- !
horsely capers-that is old Dan CASTILLO on o /:
day OF undress rehearsal RehaEilttate: the !:
oldish man in top boots and the splendid !,
vest of ring master; put a silver-rlounted
whip in his hand and wax his mustache out: I.
to supernatural length, and old Dan, the
veteran horse trainer, becomes aProfessor D:
Castello."
III hit months ago the quadrupeds wero
fiery, uutamed bronchos, roaming with
500 of their kind OH the plains Of Oregon
strangers to bit or birdie, impatient Of
human approach, obeying nothing but their
own wild wills. Cowboys or Indians who
wanted tham for use cast .lariats into the
herd and conquered them. by the wild
methods of the prairie. They bore, as all
bronchos bear, unenviable reputations; were
kno VII as wild, vicious, kicking, balky or
worse, and as rule, were credited with no
virture beyond their great endurance and
speed Eight months have done wonder s for
the untutored bronchos In November last
they were taken to q capacious stable in q
suburb of the city, and there, during all the
months Of winter and spring, they have been.
the constant objects Of Dan Castello's
patient care.
mo one has any idea" said that veteran
the other day, how wild horse really is
I had to lock them up, one by one, in a
strong, high STALL out Of which they couldn't
break if tney tried. 1t would have been as
much as my life was worth to 60 into
the stall, so would approach them from
the side where they couldn't get at me- 2
At the very touch Of my hand upon their
backs they were frantic; they howled as
never knew horse could howl, SO that you
could Lave heard them block away. They
reared and pitched and snorted, and almost
broke their necks trying to bite my hand. l
kept on rubbing and caressins them till, I
s'pose, they saw I wouldn't hurt 'em, and
submitted with tolerable grace to be han
died That was one point gained Then
named each one Of them and taught him to
know his name. That was another point.
BY slow degrees I came to take them out OF
tho stall and to teach them to mind ME-
TEACHING THEM THE TRICKS.
"How did I teach 'em tricks? Well now,.
you might just as well ask me how to teach
a boy his letters. These horses resemble
nothing else more in the world so much as a.
parcel of mschievous young boys; this one
;. fho,, ba fbic
brighter and quicker to learn, and that,
more docile and dignifed. don't know
how teach 'em. They teach me; that is,
have to learn their characteristics from
themselves Now, look at that fellow up
there; see him stick his head under
the whites belly and bite that little
calico mare. There! told youi
the mare thinks it was the white that bit
her and she's getting back at him, while
the guilty horse looks as demure as school;
girl. If those other horses looking on there
aren't laughing, Pm tenderfcot You see
that tall white horse there: Well, he's reg
ularly gone on the horse 'longside Of him
and never speaks to the rest I've traineH
a good many horses (Old Dan never spoke a
truer word in his life, and I blieve thess
fellows are all the better for having been:
wild. They haven't stupid habits to un-'
learn, you see, and they're sharper than:
common stock" j,
Mr.. Coup says he picked out calico horses: J:
because the people would have them IL had
lot Of bays and browns and blacks Last
season." said he, "a.d they were mighty
clever too, but the people just turned up
their noses; they could see bay horses any
where. There's sort Of tradition, l sup
pose, that show horses must be calico
never knew more'n dozen people outside
OF show who would touch 'em. There's
one man in New York, though-a noted
physician-and neither he nor his daughter
will have any other kind What did I get
bronchos for? Well, have theory that
these Mexican horses are all the progeny of
some Arabian stock that Cortez brought
over with him and didn't have time to take
back. l know they are brighter than
ordinary; but I never thought Dan wouLt
have as good luck with 'em as he has "-Chi-
Il