New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-08-01
The Circus Hoz,se.
ON the Pail Mall Gazette


From the Pail Mall Gazette
People who go to the circus and see
horses, elephants, monkeys and the
like perform wonderful tricks must
often ask themselves how the animals
are taught TO do them. A writer in
the Matin, having interviewed several
circus celebrities, undertakes to satisfy
their curiosity. Mr.. Loyal, who has
been ringmaster of the leading Paris
circus for 80 years, supplies interesting
information concerning horses. THE
horse" he says, CONTRARY to general
belief, is the most stupid animal on
earth He has only one faculty
memory. You must teach him his
exercises with the cavesson and the
long whip. Having forced them into
his head, you must use the short whip
when he resists, and give him a carrot
when he obeys. Whips and carrots
form the secret of the trainer. The
horse must be from 5 to Z years old;
before that age he is too spirited;
after it his muscles are not elastic
enough.
The first thing to do is to accustom
your horse to the ring. to make him
run round regularly, and then to
stop at a given signal To accomp-
fish this, the animal is brought into
the ring. The trainer holds in his
left hand a tether, which is passed in
to the cavesson, a kind OF iron cres-
cent armed with sharp points fixed
on the nose OF the horse; in his right
hand he holds a long whip. Behind
the animal an assistant with q stout,
short whip is posted. The trainer
calls on the horse to start, and, pull
ing his tether and cracking his long
whip, forces him to gallop round II
he refuses, the assistant. uses his whip
also; il he is obedient, he is rewarded
with carrot. To make him stop
short the trainer cracks his long whip
again, while the assistant, with his
short whip, throws himself suddenly
in front of the animal, and the result
is obtained.
Mr.. Loyal tells us that .tthe horse
has great objection to kneeling or
lying down at any moment. This feat
is taught by means OF iron bracelets
placed on his ankles and attached to
a tether held by the trainer, who, by
sudden jerks or pulls as he is moving,
makes him fall or kneel. The animal
| remembers the lessons, and, by dint
OF whip and carrot, ultimately per-
| forms them at the mere command of
the trainer. The horse is taught to
/ n 70 l,
the foot bracelets"
AS regards the learned horse, who
| opens boxes and takes articles out OF
them, here is how the animal is train.
ed to do it: 81 first get carrot"
says Mr.. Loyal. 81 place it in a
box. I then lead the horse to the
box. He smells the carrot, lifts up
the lid OF the box with his nose and
takes out the vegetable, which he is
allowed to eat. The next day, before
letting the horse free, I show him q
handkerchief full OF bran. He takes
it and tries to eat it. / then let him
loose. He runs to the box, but-bit.
ter deception-it is empty. The day
after | resume the exercise, but
this time the horse finds the handker.
chief with the bran in the box. He
takes 1t out and reward him with a
carrot. | decrease the amount Of bran
in the handkerchief every day, unit
in the end ] put merely the handker
chief in the box. The horse brings ii
to me and gets his carrot. I then re
duce the size OF the carrot every day
until at last | give him nothing. The
horse continues to perform with the
handkerchief in thehope OF getting the
carrot