Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-24
ELECTRICITY FOR BALKY HORSES
The Driver Presses a Button and q
Three-NOIt Current D0es the Rect

The Driver Presses a Button and n
Three-Soit Current Does the Rest,
From the Pttsburg Dispatch.
Electricity has been put to a new and so
far successful use, that of conouerine a.
hdIky or lazy horse. In one case a very
hlgh-spirited and valuable animal. but ex-
tremely vicious and balky was cured in one
hour with the aid of a three-yoIt dry bat
terry
The officials of the Western Pennsylvania
Humane Society were notified some time
ago that Thomas Rodgers of Avalon was
using the dry battery on his horse, whic h
vas as bad as valuable high-bred horse
could be. Superintendent Thomas NJ. Por-
ter vestigated the case and Friday he
gave Rodgers a hearing before Justice
William Griscom of that place. Rodgers
said his horse was worth 81 900 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 ami
mai, and at last consulted DR.. T. c. Mcneil
the city veterinary. The doctor advised
Rodgers to try electricity. and he bought a
three-volt storage battery, and by means of
three wires connected each side of the bit
and the crupper with the battery The
horse was hitched to road cart and at
hrst refused to move. standing with all
Mr.. Rodgers then had the wires connected
to the battery. which was placed in the
cart, and at the first push of the button
the horse jumped. snorted and then moved
on. Each day for 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 a suffi-
clent shock to hurt the animal. Rodgers
was ischarged
Superintendent Porter had a similar case
some months ago. He found that one of
the rich suburban reSidenters was using
the fluid battery on lazy horse in cult
waiting his summer garden. After several
unsuccessful attempts to catch the gar
dener using the horse. he was at last re-
Warded one bright sunny morning by catch
Ing the gardener wedding the potato patch
with the horse hitChed to harrow. The
superintendent went to the driver and after
introducing himself and informing the man
why he visited him, he was shown the con-
trivance
Strapped to the backband was a small fluid
battery with wires running from it to the
martingale and crupper. A sponge was fas-
tened to the wire at each place and kept
moist by the heat of the horses body.
When the animal got tired II 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 fraction over two. He said he
thought 1t was better and more humane to
use a small amount of electricity on a
horse than to whip it. and was satisfied II
was not a 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.