Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-08-10
HOW HE TRAINED THEM.
Description of Manner by Which DR.
Carver Trained His Diving Horses.

The following narrative, related to a
reporter by DR.. Carver, whose great
combination will be at the Winneshiek
County Fair, will be of interest to
readers:
81 commenced the training of Pow
der Face when she was one year old
upon an entirely new theory" was
the reply "That is to say, / believe it
was possible if one would devote time
enough to horse on the human princi-
pie, that is, treat them as companions
and friends and reward them with
sugar when they pleased me, they
might be taught readily. With this
feeling commenced the long and try
ing ordeal to teach the horse to dive.
l made resolutions and promises never
to lose my temper, never to use whip,
never to give up as long as lived and
with this feeling l commenced with
four colts, Powder Face being the baby
of the lot. l built tank twenty feet
wide, ten feet deep and forty feet long.
This body of water made quite a nina
turelake. Then l builta platform Is
feet high, on the end of which placed
trap. The horse climbed up an in
cline and onto the track when my as
sistant pulled lever; the trap fell and
the horse was thrown toward into the
water. The natural instinct of horse
teaches him to swim, and as soon as
she found herself in the water she be-
gan swimming up to the incline where
men stood with blankets to take care
of her. After scraping the water from
off her she was given several Jumps of
sugar, petted and caressed. We sue
ceeded in getting each of the four to
90 the first time and at the second at
tempt we realized what we had under
taken. Not one of the horses would
ascend the incline or have anything to
do with me.
Several days were wasted in trying
to get them up the incline, but with
no power could persuade them. Feel
ing that coaxing would avail nothing,
several of us carried Powder Face up
the incline and deposited her on the
trap much TO her disgust, and no one
ever lived who could draw upon their
imagination and paint picture that
ha ~
of her wild and frightened appearance.
Her eyes fairly bulged from their Soc
kets: her hair stood on end like fright
ened cat, presenting picture OF awful
fright. She began to foam at the
mouth. SnOrting and kicking, she
stood until the trap gave away and she
found herself in the water. There was
no one to receive her when she land ed.
She stopped for one instant: shook the
water from her body, and then, with
look of defiance, gallOped across the
field, jumped the fence and began life
over again with the farm horses. She
had always been a pet and fed on
sugar. Her love for sweet things over
came her fear, however, and in few
months we had won her heart and
confidence by giving her plenty Of
sweets. Within two years from the
first dive she would climb up the steep
run, out onto the trap and permit her
self to be thrown into the water and
swim out 10 get her reward-a lump
Of sugar.
After this it was easy to teach her to
make the leap herself, and thousands
flock to see her wherever she goes. In
fact she has drawn the largest audien-
ces ever seen at any entertainment and
has won the heart of every man, wo-
man and child who have seen her 1t
Is very gratifying to me to feel that /
have accomplished in horse training
that which has been universally pro-
nOunced as impossible"