The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-07

little as soon as he espied the branch.
Then he veered off to give it wide berth
ami was brought back into the road by a
quick jerk OF one rein and sharp word #
command. BY that time the branch was
c0se beside him ana. unable to see II
clearly for the blinde IS that nearly covered
his eyes, he gave sudden, quick Jump TO
one side that would have overturned any,
thi'g but the heavy breaking cart to
which he was hitched. Down across his
back came the trainers heavy whip and
the colt promptly attempted to kick, but
was prevented by the broad kicking-stTap
over his quarters. The first rut of the
whip was followed by two or three more,
and then he was turned around and driven
back along the road past the blowing OBJ
ject which it took several blows TO get him
OgO by, then back again, to meet it once
more and again to be severely punished tor
shvins at il.
By this time the branch had blown into
an angle of a pOst-and-rail fence, but its
mission was accomplished. The horse
had come thoroughly to understand that
when he met such an object as that in the
road it meant mischief for him. and be
must pass it just as quickly and keep just
| as far from it as possible.
For that really was all the lesson his
training was calculated to teach him. The
perfectly logical reasoning that pro baby
passed through his narrow brain was I'M
doubtedly somewhat as follows:
whats that? It's an awful-looking
thing. Tn afraid it's going to hurt me.
I'll shy off"
SHES and rushes past the object and
receives sharp blow from the whip that
makes him jump again. Rehects:
There! / knew / should be hurt I'll
shy wider and run faster next ,ime.'
IL Is the commOnest thing In the world
| for the average driver 10 strike shyipg
horse. and the logic OF such a course is
quite correctly stated as have put it, The
| horse does exactly what a man would do
under the same circumstances.
passed on, after watching this lesson,
| and dismissed the colt and his trainer
| from my mind. About an hour later | was
returning home along the pleasant village
street, wien l saw colt, cart and
trainer stock still, before me in the
away. and l walked slowly; but while l
| could not but notice the uneasiness of the
! driver the animal himself seemed very
! quiet. As came opposite them | stopped.
| The colt stood rigid and sulen in the
road, now and then rolling an angry eye
around In vain endeavOr to see back
| CT his blunders, but never turning his
| head. There were two or three bystaDd-
ers, hands in pockets, and wearing express
| slons OF superb atural wisdom as they
walked about the animal. The trainer,
when he saw me, smiled, a sickiy sort of
| smile, and In answer to my query as to
what the trouble was merely grunted tina.
| the beast had turned stubborn. In all nv
experience with horses l have never seen
| one really balk in harness. and | would
nave liked to stay and watch the outcome,
| but deemed IL best not TO do so, and so
/ passed on. Some distance further up the
road met the wrathful owner of the colt,
| VINO, hearing that the animal had baked.
was hurrying to the scene Of disaster. Il
refused $500 Tor the team week ago, ana
that one was the most promising three
| year-olG ever owned, but | suppose he's
! ruined now"
did not add fuel to his wrath. nor offer
MIN company Ia bis misery by telling him
of my own spoiled saddle animal. who
! could never. without a pitched battle, aud
at the risk of broken bones. be got past
Il certain public house where this self
same trainer had kept her standing one
cold day, when she had just been clipped.
| while he talked with the boys" and had
then whip ed her for her impotence
until she had turned sulky and baked,
peated. when driven to that point, albeit
she never seemed to think OF stopping
| there when ia harness.
| There is no creature so wholly gov
erDed by habit as a horse. Anything that
has thoroughly frightened him once Will
| ever alter be an object of terror 10 him.
| a trlck once learned is never forgotten.
His brain Is so built that not only can he
think Of but one thing at time but he
never RECEIVERS from a vivid. painful I'M
| preston. ANY repetition of The circum-
stances that led up TO il will produce the
same terror in him, sven after a lapse OF
years.
Rarey, the great horse-trainer. whose
methods most English hOrsemen profess
I" disIrust and despise, may not have
known all there is TO know in regard to
the training of horse. His great point
lay IN tanning and subduing. 'gentling" as
ne called 1t, vicious horses, but he has
gwen US some good general rules for deal
ing with horses and his phenomenal sue
cess. which first gave him his fame in
America, suffered no diminution In Eng
land. 1t was Rarey who completely sub
dued aud rendered tractable the great
English stallion whose stall no man ever