Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-07-08
THE NOBLE HORSE.
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE ANIMAL.
The Physiognomy of the Horse-His
Attachment for Man and for
His Mate-SOme Stories
Illustrating This.
HFn horse is broad and full between


o whereas a bulging forehead or a
"dish face" are evidences of stupidity or
:tubbornness. A fiery horse always has a
6ery eye, and a vicious horse gives you
warning by his expression Of cOunte-
nance that he will bite or kick if he gets
4 chance. There can be no doubt that
horses, usually so gentle and tractable,
have been found to be on occasio MS
veritable wild beasts. There are some
interesting accounts under this head
which are of record.
In the steppes Of Russia, where wolves
abound and where the horses lead wild
life ano have 10 shift for themselves,
it is said that a young colt will some
times be made so furious by the perse-
cution of his enemies that he will rush
wildly among a drove of wolves and bite
and strike until he has slaughtered a
large numter of them. These horses are
exceptionally fierce, rendered so, 1t Is
supposed, largely by the extreme varia-
tiobs in the climate. At one time OF the
year they suffer from the into nse heat OF
a tropical sun and at another they live
among raging snow storms and extreme
cold.
There are number Of stories about
the fury Of horses upon the battlefield,
and occasionally they seem to 90 mad.
One instance of this was an Arabian
horse at Balaklava, which rushed 1t an
English soldier who happened TO be
drawing water, seized hlm in his mouth
and threw him down, and then, kneel-
ing upon him, tore at his breast aud ac-
tually bit of his hand Before this ter
ror could be subdued he bit off another
soldiers finger, and seriously injured the
veterinary surgeon of the regiment.
There was no battle in progress on tins
occasion, but it is highly probable that
A military life aud the attendant excite
ment had driven the horse crazy.
There was a case similar to the above
in Illinois some years ago. A. MI. Han.
dau, of Peoria, suddenly found his horse,
usually very gentle one, acting in a
very strange manner. "He would lay
hold, said the gentleman who gave the
account, "with his teeth of everything
that came within his reach aud shake it
as a terrier would rat. While the gen
tleman was watching the horse reached
into pig pen and, seizng hold of one
of its inmates, threw it up into the air.
This strange feat he repeated two or
three times; then, setting his teeth in
the body OF the pig, he crushed it to the
earth, gnawing and mangllng the body
in the most frightful manner. The horse
then took second pig, served it in a
similar manner, aud then tosscl a calf
into the mir as easily as a cat would a
mouse. The owner Immediately sent
for apopuar farrier, but when he ar
rived the horse was more quiet, where
upon the farrer ventuted into the in.
closure and called the horse to him. The
animal came up apparently very docile,
but the moment he was with reach he
seized the man violently by the should
ers, threw him forcibly with his face on
the ground, then, setting his teeth in
his back, endeavored to crush and gnaw
him, the animals eyes meantime becom-
ing CLASSY with rage" The owner
rescued the farrier, but the horse had to
be shot. 1t was clearly a case Of in
sanity.
DO horses really care for human be-
ingsl 1t is probable that no two horse
men will answer in the same way.
Some maintain that they are afectionate
and love their masters, and Others are
equally certain that they only care for
cne another. Philip Gilbert Hsmertou,
who PROCESSES to have made q scientific
investigation on this point, declares that
horses have no sympathy for people, and
that they do not love their masters, but
there are plenty of intelligent people Of
ornerierce who assert to the contrary.
However tins may be, there is no doubt
about their strong attachment to each
other. and Their intelligence in assisting
one another is illustrated by one of the
most remarkable horse stories on record.
It must be told in the language of the
narrator:
"A gentleman possessed Of a span Of
sprightly little horses, which, whether
in the stable, in the field or in harness,
were always together, proceeded to Lake
Minnctoska on fishing excursion.
Taking them from the carriage he tied
them some rods apart, near the lake
shore, and left them TO feed. Repairing
to a shanty near by the gentleman threw
himself upon the fooi with the inten-
ton Of doing away the time which
would elapse before the return of the
fishing party engaged on the lake. But
a short time passed before the sound Of a
horses feet aroused his attention, and A
moment after one Of the horses ap.
peared at the shanty door. The animal
nut his head in, gave loud neigh, and
then, 10 a slow gallop, but evidently un-
der great excitement, returned toward
L :.