The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-15
HANDLING HORSES.
THERE ARE NO SURE, lRoNcLAD
RULES THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED.
Horses, Like Men, Have Their Peculiari-
ties, and Many of Them Are Hard to
Account For--what Cures "A Bad Habit
In One Horse Fails with Another.


From time to time there find place In
our columns questions as 10 the eradication
Of some bad habit or vice INDUCED i'm by
horses belonging TO our different CORE
spondents. As we have often remarked
I'm connection with several matters other
than horse breaking and training, cures
are not effected by the system, but by the
man. 1t is, as most persons with prac-
teal knowledge of horses know, almost
useless 20 give any minute directions for
the cure of some particular bad habit, I'M
less it be some mechanical remedy which
works itself and needs no skill on the part
of the owner. In the first place, a remedy
which succeeds in the hands of one person
Is attended with failure when put into
practice by some one else; while secondly,
o remedy which succeeds with one horse
works no good result on another, though
tried by the same operator. Those with "a
heightened experience of the rougher side
of horse nature are perfectly aware of the
fact that they cannot apply, with any
chance Of success, some cut and dried rule
to meet all cases, and that, though sudden
conversions arc not unknown either in or
out OF the stable, considerable amount
OF time is usually required TO bring about
"a cure. To be able to ascertain what
brought on the bad habit complained OF is
to be half way toward getting rid of 1t,
but some peculiarities there are which
cannot be accounted for.
For most vices and bad habits there is a
reason could we but find it out, and it fire.
quently happens that horse which leaves
the breakers hands in docile state con-
tracts bad habits through some want of
knowledge or skill on the part of those
who subsequently use him. When Mr..
Braidwood, the head of the London fire
brigade, was buried after losing his life at
| the Tooley street fire, the coffin was borne
upon fire engine drawn by the horses
which had worked in fire engines, and con-
| siderable difficulty was experienced in in
ducing them to settle down to foots
pace. Their memory told them-memory
is a horses strong point-that they were
hurriedly attached to the engine, and that
almost before the last link or buckle was
fastened they were off as hard as they
could go, though when they reached the
scene of a conflagration they would stand
like images, undisturbed by the glare, the
crowd or the noise of pumping. Now,
many horses are made impetuous starters
In week or so by their owners, who may
perhaps have a train TO catch, cutting
things too fine They postpone their de-
parture till the last minute, Jump in in
hurry, and at once start the horse off at
best pace. 1t does not take horse very
long TO connect being drawn up at the
front door with hasty departure.
Some of our more elderly readers may
call TO mind the riding school kept by Mr.
Hall, formerly riding master in one of the
household cavalry regiments, at the lower
end Of Albany street. 1t is now furniture
storing place. The stud there included
some rather curious animals. One was
black horse which, on being asked TO
canter, invariably kicked and hundreds
of beginners have gone over his head be-
fore they knew where they were. But the
quietest horse in the stable was one which
had passed in and out of many hands as
perfectly incorrigihle. There was simply
no holding him, and Mr.. Hall bought him
cheap at one of the repositories, only to
find himself completely beaten when he
tried TO ride his new purchase in the park.
After some trouble he bcthought him of
nosoband and standing martingalc, and
the reformation was complete. The mar
tingale was dispensed with and was not
missed, but the use of the noseband was
adhered to- and the horse was as quiet as
the proverbial sheep, and so remained.
Then there is the story told by Harry
Hieovcr of some one buying, unknown TO
himself, u horse which had most unenvi-
able reputation for sitting up with his
rider on the road. On the first occasion
his new owner mounted him regular
fight took place, and the horse was only
induced to proceed after a long struggle,
and these differences of opinion became so
frequent that the owner at one time
thought of getting rid of the horse. One
Hau bax in ba Of BDh "a
when the horse suddenly stopped and was
about to turn. The rider had dropped the
reins and instinctively tapped the horse
over the nose with his stick, when, to his
surprise, he gave up trying to turn and
at once walked off in the required direc-
ton. Thus by the merest chance was
the secret Of managing the previously I'M
ruly horse acquired. In another instance
q horse would always kick violently, to
the danger of his attendant, II the bucket
were taken from him while any water re-
manned in it. So long as he was allowed
to finish the last drop, even though there
We're no more than half pint in the buck
ct when he began to drink, he never
offered to kick.
Inquiries for hints how to treat horse
difficult to shoe have been printed in these
columns, and horses with one side to their
mouths nave ere now FORMED the SuDJeCC
Of question and discussion. How these
tricks first came to be practiced is an in
teresting problem. A very common theory
Is that 1t is in consequence of some i'll
treatment, Intentional or not, that horses
become vicious, and in great many cases
this Is doubtless the true solution; yet
horses which are constantly whipped and
spurred do not commonly seek to retaliate
by vice. On the race course horse often
turns "thief" as the result of too many
vigorous finishes, but horse which has
been beaten q good deal does not common
ly take to savaging the man who has pun.
ished him. That he should do so would
be the logical outcome Of the theory that
vice and bad habits are the result of an
attempt on the part of the horse to redress
q grievance. Some horses which will go
quietly enough when ridden by some one
in short jacket will not stand the tails
of a coat to touch them; others have been
said to object to scarlet, just as some race
horses which will try their best when rid