Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-13

these, four are finally rejected. They
haven't the heart for the work. They are
cowardly, afraid to rush in where death is
often to be met. 1t is with horses as with
men. Your heroes are born not made.
Breaking the Horses In.
The green horses come on the force upon
trial. This lasts two months. The first
work of the trainer is to accustom them to
the saddle and rider. Thev aro then taken
into the park and walked to and fro n1idwsy
between the upward and downward lines of
carriages, carts and wagons. Tnls Is done
to familiarize them with metropolitan life
to the presence of many vehicles-so that
when runaway does occur they will pay as
little attention to the crowd and rush of
men and teams as downtown man does to
street fight. This trial and discipline of
nerves may require weeks and cannot be
dispensed with.
After the recruits have been taught to
look upon a moving, hurrying crowd as
merely an ordinary incident, the active work
is begun. This is the way Roundsman Nc
Kenna goes about it. He trots his green
horse by the side of other horses which are
in harness After he finds that his horse
will go well-mind the bride and spur-he
begins the third lesson. He secures the CO.
operation of some horseman who exercises
his horse in the park early in the day when
the drives are comparatively deserted. He
suddenly rides up close to his friends horse
and instantly reaches over the pummel of
his saddle and grasps the other horses
bride near the bit-about six inches from
it. He repeats this day after day, and
scores of times each day, until his steed
learns what is expected of him and will
obey at a touch.
Training in Actual Service.
Next he practices the horse in concert
with rider who rides at full speed; he pur-
sues, catches, intercepts, stops him. Only
one saddle horse out of two picked animals
proves to be suited to such service. All
this is but preliminary practice; the real
training and trial and test come in actual
contact and contest with runawavs Two
years of active service on the mounted
force are needed to develop ''hero." OF
course, the horse could be disciplined in less
time if it could have the necessary practice,
but runaways cannot be made to order, and
the horse must wait for his opportunities.
In turning his horse in toward a runaway
team the roundsman spurs it on the opposite
side from the direction which he wishes it
to 60 and pulls his reins "bridlewise.
That is to say, he steers his horse by the
neck rather than by the bit. All police
To turn horse "bridlewise" you pull both
pairs of reins over the neck of the horse in
the opposite direction you want to take,
pressing your hand at the same time heavily
over the name, indicating to the animal by
that means, more than by the pull upon the
bit, the course it should take.
A mounted life-saver's horse must stop
suddenly, must come to full, sudden halt
at the word of command. Of course, the
double bits, the snaff1e and the curb enable
the officer to perfectly check his mount at
will, but the horse should be trained to
stop without any use of these painful
methods.
Throwing q Runaway Team.
When a runaway team comes tearing up
the drive the policeman has to think with
lightning quickness. He must decide
it is better to turn them into some
shrubbery on the green, where they will be
forced to stop, or whether they should be
thrown. Sometimes it is dangerous to stop
a team of horses, especially when they are
attached to a carriage The vehicle hits
them in the rear, and fright makes them
wholly unmanageable. The policeman's
drsr thought must be for the occupants of
he carriage, if there are any, Next he
must consider the danger to other drivers
IN the vicinity. If there be no risk in
sitHcl VI LleSe uiTectlOHS lie HusI tiy "
ave the horse and vehicle from injury.
The surest way to stop team hitched to .
,arriage is by throwing them. 1t is one
iided wrestling match. The man on horse
back is almost certain to win; the conquered
lorses seldom survive the ordeal.
To throw a team the policeman rides up
md catches the lines near the bits and gives
me sudden and powerful pull toward the
light or left as the case may be. This
hecks the speed of the runaways, and in
line cases out Of ten it throws both horses
o the ground. A skilled man can invaria-
'ly throw horse on smooth pavement,
md team of horses is even more easily
lpset than a single animal The policeman
must be quick, however, to jump out of the
ray or he will be at the bottom of the
vreck. Last year mounted policeman
Tas killed because his horse could not get
ut of the way quickly enough.
BENJAMIN NORTHROP.