Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-11-06
TRICKS FOR HORSES.
THE ANIMALS ARE EASILY TAUGHT
AND QUICK TO LEARN.

They Can, without Much Trouble, he
Made to Signal eyes" and "No,' to
Shake Hands and to Lie Down mt
the Word of Command.
There are so many things that
horse can be taught to do, says Suc-
cess, that it is hard to tell which to
select as best illustrating the methods
by which we teach them. The follow
Ing, however, will furnish the key:
Take pin in your hand, and, stand
ing abreast of horses near shoul-
der, prick him lightly on the breast.
This resembles the bite Of a fly, and
to drive off the nuisance lie will bring
down his nose to his breast. This you
accept as "Yes" and Immediately re-
ward him by feeding him lump OF
sugar or some other trine that he likes.
Repeat the operation till he brings
down his head at the slightest move
ment of your hand toward his breast.
BY degrees you can substitute simple
downward movement of the hand,
which is less noticeable to an onlook-
ct, DuI eQudlly eueCllFe.
Standing In the same position, prick
him lightly with pin on the top of his
neck. He will at once shake his head,
which is accepted as NO." then re-
ward him as before. Repeat this until
he shakes his head at the least upward
movement of the hand. This signal,
as he learns his lesson more perfectly,
can be gradually lessened until it is
very slight indeed. To say Eyes" or
"No" is a very simple trick, and yet
there Is none that shows to better ad-
vantage. OF course when horse has
thoroughly learned to obey the signals
you can ask him some questions and
then, by the motion of your hand,
make him say Eyes" or "No" as you
please.
To teach horse to shake hands, fas-
ten short strap to one fore foot below
the fetlock. Then, standing in front of
the horse and having the strap in your
hand, say, "Shake hands," and imme-
diately pull up his foot and take 1t in
your hand. Then, still holding the foot,
reward and caress him exactly as you
would IL he had given it to you Of his
own accord. Keep repeating the oper-
alton, being careful to reward him only
while his foot Is in your hand. He will
very soon learn to give you his foot
the moment you reach your hand to-
ward 1t.
To teach q horse to lie down at u
word of command first select a good,
smooth piece of greensward, where he
will not hurt himself. Harness him
with surcingle and bride and strap
up his Off fore foot. A common breech-
ing strap is best for this, the short
loop around his foot between the fet-
lock and the hoof and the long one
around his forearm. Fasten one end
Of strap to the near fore foot below
the fetlock, pass the other end up
through the surcingle and take it In
your right hand and the bride rein in
your left hand. Push him slightly, and
the moment he steps pull sharply on
the strap.
This OF course will bring him to his
knees If he is horse of any spirit,
he will generally fight very pertina-
ciousIy before he goes down; but, hav-
ing the use Of only his two hind legs,
he soon becomes wearied and rests
with his knees on the ground. Now
pull his head toward you. and he will
fall over the other way.
Hold him down for some minutes,
meanwhile speaking to him very sooth-
ingly. Feed him Jumps Of sugar; in
fact, make as much as possible Of him
while In this position. Then release
him and repeat the lesson. He soon
learns to lie down very readily, and
then you can omit strapping his Off
fore foot. Later you can also abandon
the use Of the strap and surcingle by
taking his near foot in your hand.
Then you can accomplish the purpose
by simply touching the near fore Leg
with your hand and finally by mo-
ton OF your hand toward his leg.
You should always accompany the
signal by the command, "Lie DOWN.
BY degrees he learns Its meaning, and
the signal can be dispensed with. If a
horse is large and strong, the trainer
must be cool, wide awake and alert;
otherwise he may make botch of 1t
and injure the horse or himself or
both.