Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-05-22
A HORSES IDlosYNCRACIEs.
JOSEPH BATTELL
Middlebury, VT.

A HORSES IDIOSfNCkACIeo
IL like your views about the intelli-
gence of horses" writes a friend, "but
| should like to have some of the pro-
ceedings of my horse Jerry accounted
for. | bought him last summer OF man
who seemed to have been entirely kind
to him. The horses chief recommends
ton to me was that he could not be
frightened by trains or any loud noise,
and this was a great recommendation,
because | had just been through two
runaways on the part of very nice and
gentle and pretty horses, and | was de-
termined to get a horse, if possible, I'M
der whom gun might be fired without
frightening him. | am sure that Jerry
would fulfill that condition; and | have
no doubt that head-on collision OF eX-
press trains might take place within ten
feet of his nose without attracting the
smallest attention from him. just the
same, my brave Jerry is MORALLY afraid
of white cows, However, in the dread
full emergency of an encounter with
white COW on the road he is controllable.
so that it has led me INTO some specula-
tions as to the nature and limitations of
a horses intelligence. 1t is in the di-
rection of another popularity that | wish
to make an inquiry from you.
But | must first tell you how really
smart Jerry is. He will come and put
l.;
hold it out to him; he will back unguided
Into the shafts of a buggy or sleigh; he
will step forward or backward or side
wise just as much as you tell him to;
and with regard to ordinary affairs of
life he shows almost the power of rea-
son. For instance, the manger in my
stable is very shallow, and Jerry found
that the hay put into it often fell out ard
forward into the barn floor, where he
could not reach it. After studying this
phenomenon awhile he fell into the way
of roofing the hay out of the manger
into his stall, where he can reach 1t: and
not spear of it now escapes him. |
watched this proceeding until ! became
convinced that he did it purposely, and
with the knowledge that he could in this
way prevent the hay from escaping him.
"But now to the point. Why is it that
an animal that has so much sense as
this one should insist on biting at any
and every one who attempts to buckle a
girth around him? This he will do every
day, and whoever harnesses him must
look out for his teeth. If you take the
whip and hold it over your arm while
Harvesting, Jerry will not bite. but will
look at you all the time out of 1.-THE tail
of his eye as we say in Ireland, and APP
pear very meek and harmless, as if he
never thought of such a thing as object
ing to a girth. Also. if you are much on
your guard and speak to him with dire
threats in your tone he will withhold
his teeth; but neglect these hostile dem
onstrations and he will nip you. He
carries his prejudice again girths to such
an extent that he will bite at me when
| am buckling blanket on him on
cold night, which consider the height
of ingratitude. 1t also makes him fight
ing mad to curry him in the neighbour
hood of his backbone. But he VIII suf-
fer his legs to be scratched at will or
held up in the air; and after he has
bitten viciously at me he will sometimes
lay his nose on my cheek in the most
atlecuonate manner. | have learned, as
you will infer, to suspect those Judas
like demonstrations of affections. know
ing well that he will bite me if he can
when | approach HIM with girth.
Nov, if this horse has the inteli-
gence that he seems to have, why has he
not learned by this time that | mean
well to him, that | will not abuse him,
and that he and live on entirely annie
able terms if he is willing. without any
display of teeth on one side or whips on
the other? Also, wouldn't it show the
fine equine intelligence in better light
if he recognized the general harmless
ness of white cows?-T Boston Transcript.