The Portland daily press., 1886-04-19
THE PRESS.
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 10.
The Education of the Colt and Horse.

1t is safe proposition that, in order to properly
educate a colt or horse, we must have control
such as will enable us to put him through the dif-
ferent motions necessary to explain to him what
we want him to do. AS the horse cannot under
stand our language before he has been repeatedly
put through the motion which answers to the
word of command, and has connected the motion
with the word, thus learning what the word
means, the only way we have of explaining what
the word means is to put him through the motion
necessary to explain. If we have such perfect
control over the horse that he can do nothing ex-
cept what we wish, then it becomes an easy task
to educate. If we attempt to drive a horse to an
object and he can, on account of poor control,
dodge the issue and go somewhere else, he does
not understand where wanted him to go be-
cause we did not explain TO him by making him
go there.
Control over the horse is simply an acknowledge
ment on his part that we are MASTER and this
can Just as well be obtained by requiring him to
do some little thing that he will object to do as
by putting on war-bridles, yanking him about, and
whirling throwing, lettering and beating hlm
Obedience to authority is necessary before par
ent can govern his child and the KIND parent geus
this by appealing to the intelligence and manli-
ness of his child while the brutal parent keeps
down or eradicates these inner qualities ana gov
erns through the fear of infection of pain. The
means of control should be such thatit will appeal
to the intelligence of the horse without the infiic-
to receive Impressions; and, inasmuch as we drive
with the bit and reins, it is proper that ne
be under control, and not under subsection. Sub
DUNG implies the use of force, or coercion into
superior skill and knowledge and an appealing to
acknowledgement Of the animal. Education while
under subsection of pain is temporary only;
while under control, with the mind calm u IS per-
manent. The horse that is subdued with the war
bride or by throwing or whirnng though ne may
nave oDsyed Is ef WILD s0de is nnnsbe9 afer
he has obeyed; which is torture to the animal and
causes him to fear end fight the next application
In educating the colt, the first impression to be
made upon HIM is that you are his friend. Ihen,
c w1 Without barshuess teach him YOU are his
friend and master. Make him handy in every re-
spect about the stable by requiring him to go to
the corners into every stall and room, and stand
with his nose against the wall. Teach him to
back; to stand still at the word whoa" and allow
you to harness him. handle his head, ears body,
tail and feet; picking up the latter, rapping on
them with hammar and teaching him to hold MS
feet up as well as to pick them up Remember
try to make him swallow too much education at a
time. Rehearse each preceding lesson ana make
20 any VIA farther. You Should repeat his lessons
until you satisfied he understands 1t as well as
you know how to spell boy" then ne VIII never
90 back on his education. After he is handy about
the barn, lead him about the yard and road and
oblge him to go to every place to which he objects
to go, Handle him equally on both sides. Edu-
eating one side doesn't educate the whole horse.
Teach him to start at the cluck; at the same time
teach him thata tap Of the whip forward Of his
Striking horses back Of the hips makes swltchers
and kiekers. No horse is properly educated or
safe to drive until he Is under control of the
whip and will go to the front under 1t. Teach
your colt to rein TO the right and left by touching
the reins along his sides until he turns to the
right and left. Add the harness and bit him
slightly the first time. letting him walk about the
floor for twenty minutes; and after the next les
son bit him little tighter Repeat this after each
lesson until he will stand under check at the
natural carriage Of his head. Then drop the reins
about him through the thill-lugs, drive him about
the floor being easy with him at first, and finally
break him on the reins and teach him to move
his body with his head by refining him sharply about
from right to left with the reinS about his haunc-
es, plying the whip lightly in order to get motion,
until he answers readily to the slightest touch OF
rein him about in backing Now drive him out in
to the yard and rein him well there Flna . as
many places as possible to which ne VIII 9nIecs 10
and get the idea into his head that he must 60
wherever and whenever you command MIN TO. II
you do this in his early training he Will never Pc
come baker. Then introduce him to the shafts
by walking him in head first with the shafts rails
ed about his head. When he shows no fear lower
them, rub them against his neck, along his body
and about his legs Stand him side to the shafts,
draw them up,play them about his legs and under
Ais belly, place them on his back and rub and
thump him gently with them. Then put him in,
let them drop on the floor, rub them against his
legs, and finally bring the cross bar against his
gambrels, gently at first, then more violently un
til he will stand it without fright. Then rehearse
his whole education until he goes through the per-
Torrance pleasantly, and as matter of course.
You now have an educated colt, well behaved,
and, with few days driving to "waywise' him,
he will bring good price anywhere
You may think it good deal OF trouble to do all
this; but you can bring his education to state OF
perfection quicker by doing it gradually than you
can by hitching bin with another horse and let
ting him learn by imitation only, or by Harvesting
him without any preliminary education and trying
to get too great results at once. Try it once and
the result win attest to the Importance of going
slow and the exercise OF patience. ! sincerely
hope these hints will be the means of eleyating
the condition and increasing the value of mans
most serviceable animal, to which l am firm
friend. PROF. w. III. SANBORN.