The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-12
HANDLING HORSES.
THERE ARE NO SURE, IRONCLAO
RULES THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED.

Horses, Like Men. Have Their Peculiari-
ties, and Many Of Them Are Hard to
Account For-What Cures a Had Habit
In One Horse Fails With Another.
From time TO time there find place In
eur columns questions as 10 the eradication
Of some bad habit or vice indulgod In by
horses belonging to our different corro-
spondents. AS we have often remarked
In connection with several matters other
than horse breaking and training, cures
are not effected by the system, but 10y the
man. 1t Is, rs most persons with u prac-
tical knowledge of horses know, almost
useless TO give any minute directions for
the cure OF some particular had habit, un
less Is be some mechanical remedy which
works itself and needs 10 skill on the part
OF the owner. In the first place, remedy
which succeeds in the hands of one person
is attended with failure when put into
practice by some one else; while secondly,
a remedy which succeeds with one horse
works no good result ON another, though
tried by tho same operator. Those with
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 are not unknown either In or
out Of the stable, a considerable amount
Of time is usually required to bring about
u cure. To be able to ascertain what
brought on the bad habit complained of Is
to be half way toward getting rid OF IL,
but some peculiarities there are which
cannot be accounted for.
For most vices and bad habits there is n
reason could wo but find it out, and 1t 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, tho coffin was borne
upon a 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 foot's
pace. Their memory told them-memory
is q horses strong point-that they were
hurriedly attached to the engine, and that
almost before the last link or buckle was
] fastened they were of as hard as they
could 60, though when they reached the
scene Of q confiagration they would stand
like images, undisturbed by the glare, the
crowd or the noise of pumping. Now,
many horses are made impetuous starters
| In q week or 90 by their owners, who may
perhaps have q train to catch, cutting
things too fine. They postpone their de-
| parture till the last minute, jump in In q
hurry, and at once start the horse of 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. Tho stud there included
some rather curious animals. One was a
black horse which, on being asked to
canter, invariably kicked, and hundreds
| of beginners have gone over his head bss
| 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 incorrigible. 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 bethought him Of n
noseband and standing martingale, 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.
Their. there is the storv told by Harry
Hieover Of some one buying, unknown to
| himself, 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 tho horse was only
| induced to proceed after long struggle,
| and these differences Of opinion became so
| frequent that the owner at one time
| thought of getting rid Of the horse. One
| DAY he was in the act of lighting cigar,
| 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 of in the required direc-
| ton. Thus by the mcrest chance was
the secret OF managing the previously un-
| ruly horse acquired. In another instance
horse would always kick violently, to
the danger Of his attendant, if the bucket
were taken from him while any water re-
mained in 1t. So long as he was allowed
to finish the last drop, even though there
were 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 have ere now formed the subject
of question and discussion. How these
tricks first came to be practiced is an in
teresting problem. A very common theory
Is that It Is In consequence Of some i'll
treatment, intentional or not, that horses
become vicious, and i'm great many cases
this is doubtless the true solution; yet
horses which are constantly whipped and
spurrcd do not commonly seek to retaliate
by vice. On the race course horse often
turns "thicf" as the result Of too many
vigorous finishes, but horse which has
been beaten good deal does not common
ly take to savaging tho man who has pun