The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-06-22
CAVALRY TACTICS.
How Herxe. are Trained TO Lie Down mt
the Bugle Call.


the BuEle Cali.
4 Camp Langtry Tex. letter says -
Troop IL, Of the Third United States cav
airy. stationed at Fort Mcintosh, Tex, has
won 50 much praise for its unique exhibitions
Of drill, in which the horses seem as much
interested as the men, that it is frequently
referred 10 as the famous circus troop of
cavalry" Ii goes through what is some
times called the mounted infantry drill
with great precision, and invariably attracts
quite exceptional notice. Three score Of
slick sorrel horses display an amount of
equine intelligence that Is at first almost
bewslalaring, obeyisg che bagle calls With
the pronptness aud accuracy OF old sol
dicrs. But few eau realize the amount OF
care and patience necessary to train the
horses, first to understand what was wanted
aud then TO promptly obey words of CON-
mand The troop in question, when it
commenced with lis sO-calied "circus move
meuis, was under the command of First
Lieutenant George 4. Dodd, Third cavalry,
who was assisted in his labor Of instruction
by Lieutenant T. e. Hanson, Nineteenth
infantry, then acting seeond-lieutenant OF
the troop. The work Of training COM
meneed about the middle Of November,
1887, the drills being for four hours daily,
two in the morning and two in the after
noon.
The modss operaaoli was as follows -
The horses all appeared fitted with sur
eingles and watering brides only, each
trooper being provided with two leather
straps, one about two feet and the other
about ten feet long At a given signal
each maa led his horse to short distance
grosn the others, aud fastened the long strap
to the horses right foreleg, just above the
hoof. and carried the end Of the strap under
the surciugIe and over the horses back, so
that the end trailed on the ground on the
horses left side. He then fastened the
short strap to the horses left foreleg just
above the hoof, then raising this hoof the
strap was carried over the leg of the horse,
above the knee, aud firmly buckled, thus
leaying the astopished animal standing on
three Iegs and wondering what on earth
his rider meant At the next signal the
trooper seized the bride of the animal in
his left hand, and, grasping the long strap
close 10 the horses back, commenced to
pull upon this strap, at the same time
! pressing against the left side of the animal
with his right shoulder The result of
i this arti6ce was in all cases, except with
I the most vicious horses tof which there
were not few, to bring them down with
both knees on the ground, as the strap
pulled up the right hoof with jerk.
GETTING USED TO FIRE.
\ firm and sustained pressure with the
shoulder then brought the horse over so
that he lay al full length on his right
side, whereupon, after quieting him, both
by the voice and by stroking him, carbine
was held in front of him, rubbed against
him, and held so that he could smell it,
and then discharged With the majority
of the horses this, Of course, produced an
amount of terror and tugging and snorting
that, like the scene between the parrot and
the monkey, can be more easily imagined
than described. This was repeated during
each drill until horse and man were IA
tigued. In a week at least ten horses
would lie down at the bugle-eall without
straps by simply patting the hoof with the
hand and telling them what was wanted
Tho real work Of perseverance and patience
lay with the remaining less brilliant horses
There were at least dozen which had ap
parently come to the firm conclusion tha
nothing would ever induce them to submit
to the indignity of lying down at full length
in the dust except, perhaps, brute force
Such things would do very well for tn,
circus, hut for the thoroughbred, twelve
pounds-of grain per day horse-never
And as long as they had tooth to bit,
with, or a hoof to kick with, these mel
had better he careful
With these animals force was used, i
is true, but it was done in such a way tina
the horse was not terrified but was mad
to understand that his trooper was hi
master whom he must in all things obey
1t may be said, en- passant, that the troope
in certain cases found out this fact only a
, this drill With these high-strung an
: sometimes vicious horses four men wer
necessary, using two long straps to throV
/ them, and these were necessarily aided b
the lash of the troop commander In 81
: weeks the horses would all lie down with
out straps at the sound of the bugle, wit
4 the exception of possibly six or seven, wit
1 which straps were necessary, and one 0
| two which still required the heroic treat