The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-15
A CURE FOR BALKY HORSES.
electricity Has Been Put to n New and
Novel Use.

electricity Has Been Put to New and
Novel Use.
Electricity has been put to new
and 80 far successful use, that OF con-
quering a balky or lazy horse. In
one case very high-spirited and valu'
able animal, but extremely vicious
and balky, was cured in one hour with
the aid of a three-volt dry battery,
says the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The officials of the Western Penn.
sylvanis Humane Society were mott.
fed some time ago that Thomas Rod
gers, of Avalon, was using the dry
battery on his horse, which was as bad
as a valuable high-bred horse could
be. Superintendent Thomas NJ. Por'
ter investigated the case, and Friday
he gave Rodgers hearing before
Justice William Griscom, of the place.
Rodgers said his horse was worth
$1,000 to him if he could be cured OF
baking and one or two other vicious
habits. He had offered $500 to any
one who could manage the animal, and
at last consulted DIR. T. G. Mcneil,
the city veterinary. The doctor ad.
vised Rodgers to try electricity, and
be bought three-volt storage battery,
and by means of three wires connected
each side of the bit and the crouper
with the battery. The horse was
hitched to road cart, and at first re-
fused to move, standing with all four
feet in braced position.
stMr. Rodgers then had the wires con-
nected to the battery, which was
placed in the cart, and at the first
push of the button the horse jumped,
snorted and then moved off. Each
day for q week he went through the
same lesson and is now the pride
road horse of Avalon and never balks,
bites or kicks.
That was the testimony brought out
at the hearing, and as the veterinary
and Squire thought three volts was
not sufficient shock to hurt the AMI
NAL, Rodgers was discharged.
Superintendent Porter had SINH
lar case some months ago. He found
that one of the rich suburban resi-
denters was using the fluid battery
on lazy horse in cultivating his sum-
mer garden. After several unsucces'
full attempts to catch the gardener
using the horse, he was at last re-
warded one bright, sunny morning by
catching the gardener wedding the
potato patch with the horse hitched
to a harrow, and, after introducing
himself and informing the man why
he visited him, he was shown the
contrivance.
Strapped to the backband was e
small fluid battery with wires running
from it to the martingale and crouper.
A sponge was fastened to the wire al
each place and kept moist by the heat
of the horses body. When the ami
NAL got tired it would stop, and, by
pressing two buttons together, the
circuit was formed and the horse
would move on for several hours.
Porter tested the full strength of the
battery on himself, and found that the
sensation did not go above his elbows
and that the voltage was only frac.
hon over two. He said he thought il
was better and more humane to use a
small amount of electricity on horse
than to whip it, and was satisfied it was
not case of cruelty. He has written
to several of the best known horse
doctors in the United States, asking
their opinions on the subject, and is
waiting for their replies with a good
deal of interest.