The morning call., 1893-10-29

order ana ride on. but the animal would
not go forward. He would back and turn,
but when urged forward would only rear
and jump. Then l noticed that he was
not, after all. making any effort TO throw
his rider, but was evidently in distress.
Thinking l was afraid 10 ride by, the gen.
tleman called out: 81 beg pardon. / can
not make him go on, but if you can get
your horse TO pass him | am sure he will
not kick"
Urging Madame forward ] rode little
nearer. The roam was quiet, as the rider
sat motionless, and the poor creature W as
painting for breath. his bloOd-red nostrils
closing and opening painfully 10 the effort
at respiration. He does not look vicious"
yentured TO say. and his rider replied ::
II never knew him to make mismove
before in his life. He seems TO have sud-
denly taken stubborn freak. Look out
there, you BRUTE" as the horse gave a
start. and the whip was again Iaised
threateningly. The roam was backing in a
circle. Glancing over him my attention
was attracted to blood on the creatures S
lips. II think" / said, ''there is something
wrong with his mouth. 1t might be worth
while to see." Even as / spoke |
saw what the trouble was. but it is always
better 10 let driver or rider find that out
for himself. Glancing down, this paTticu-
lar rider at once dismOunted, and presently
an exclamation showed me be had seen
what 1 already knew. Instead of chin
strap his bride, like many in California,
was fitted with a chain of large twisted
links. This chain had broken and one link
of loose end had become hooked through
the flesh in corner of the horses mouth.
: It was TO this side he kept turning, mind
ful. even in the frenzy of his pain. of early
training and supposing, poor brute. that
the dragging at the corner of his mouth
was produced by his masters guiding
hand on the rein.
Tenderly the latter removed the tortur-
ing iron. and, to his credit / write it. took
:. the animals b cad in his arms. | rode on
as quickly as l could, feeling very apollo
getlc at having seen this much of his re-
pentaDce. L am sure the horse forgaye
him at once for his brutality and forgot
his own pain and punishment in pleasure
at that caress. but if | am not mistaken 1t
will be a long time before the man for
gives himself. /, myself, still remember
with a remOrseiul pang how once, years
ago, / whipped to standstill punging,
rearing three-year-old colt only to find
when dismounted and removed the sad
die good-sized, sharp-edged stone tucked
under the cinch by some boy. probably, in
an impulse of vicious mischief.
There is one thing Of which the rider or
driver may almost invariably be certain.
That is, that whatever a horse does he
means 10 do exactly right. l think this is
a statement in which every one who has
had much to do with horses will concur.
The average horse, until cruel treatment
has made him distruStful and resentful,
takes pleasure in doing the will of man. /
have owned animals who seemed actuated
by but one motive-to find ont what /
wanted them to do, and then to do it.
have talked with people who seem to re-
gard the horse as a beast of prey, going
about seeking whom Ii may devouT, an d
they talk about "vicious" and wicked"
horses as though these willing, generous
natured friends of ours were ever, by any
chance, any other than what we make
them.
NJ. Baucher, the great French trainer,
laws it down as his first principle in the
education of a colt that: "All the resist
ance of young horses springs from ply
sical cause, and this cause only becomes a
moral one by the awkwardness. ignorance
or brutality of the rider. The rider OF
driver who, when a horse begins to act
contrary to the generally understood rules
of equine good behavior, Furnishes the AMI
NAL without first seeking 10 learn the
cause of his unusual conduct, shows him.
self un nworthy 10 DE iDtrusted with the care
of an animal so capable OF suffering as Is
The horse"
wrote some time since of some of the
stable vices OF horses. / shall have some
thing further to say ON that line IN the
near future. but in this particular c0nnec.
ti0n word, in regard to some of the out.
of-door vices of our equine friends Is in
order.
The list comprising them is rot very
long. Some people lengthen this list.
once heard man characterize The picking
up of stones in the hoofs as vice of bi:
favOrte road animal, but the real vice.
and bad habits of the horse are few. Tht