The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-12
HANDLING A BALKY HORSE.
One Driver Who Kept His Temper and
Knew the Right Thing to Do.
New York Sun.

new 1OTk sun
In a downtown street. just off Broad
way, a constantly changing bunch of on
lockers had gathered on the sidewalk to
watch a balky horse and the doings of the
horses driver. This horse was not only
balky, but kicker, also. There was a
good stout bit of rope carried over his
launches and down to the shaft on either
side. He was hooked to an empty light
delivery wagon, and he had just baked
because he was a balky horse.
This horse may have been made balky
by ill-treatment and overlooking; but, if
this was the case the mishandling had
not been done by his present driver, whose
treatment Of him and whose perfect con-
troll of himself awakened the admiration
of all the bystanders. He was "a young
man, but he was. nevertheless, calm, level
headed and sensible.
Above all things, he was in no hurry.
He neither fretted the horse nor permitted
himself to get fretted. He took his time
about everything.
of course, he treated the horse with alb
solute kindness, and he never once lost
his temper in the slightest degree. Two
or three times he tried to lead the horse,
and on one of these occasions a truckman
stopped his horse and jumped off his truck
and put his weight on one of the rear
wheels of the wagon.
He was a strong man, this truckman,
and he pushed the wagon up against the
balky horse good and hard, making 1t
absolutely clear to the horse that there
was nothing there but what he could
easily haul. but the horse wouldn't start.
The man pushing on the wheel got him
forward a little bit until the horse realized
what was going on. and them he settled
back against the wagon and there was
nothing more going in that line.
Twice when the driver tried to lead
him. the horse, instead, of going ahead
started to back. And then the driver
backed him. He didn't yank on the bit
nor pull and haul on him at all, but with
perfectly cool, calm. deliberate even-tem-
peredness he backed him slowly clean
around a circle. When he. got the horse
backed clean around the driver would halt
him, and then stand beside him. No hur
ry, plenty of time.
About five minutes later the driver hav-
ing decided, apparently, that he had now
could give him to advantage this oc-
casion accepted an offer of tow from a
passing truck driver. The truckman took
a piece of rope which he made fast to a
drawpin on his truck. while the driver
of the wagon made the other end fast
around one OF the shafts of his wagon.
While this was going on the balky horse
fairly trembled. Evidently he knew per-
fectly well that the dickering with him,
the effort to make him go as other horses
went had ceased and that they were going
now TO move him. He realized that the
solid. chunky horse ahead of the truck
could draw him and the wagon behind him
right along with perfect ease.
And that's just what the truck horse did.
With everything made fast each driver
got on his seat and the truckman started
up his horse Then in Just about a minute
the whole incident was closed.
Thus compelled to 1t the balky horse took
up his load and began TO pull it himself
and just around the corner in Broadway
they cast the tow line loose, and the peo-
pie who had remained for a moment to see
the outcome of il all saw the balky horse
stepping briSkly up Broadway, going right
! ahead now under his own steam.
He couldn't have handled him with bet
| ter judgment, said man on the side
walk who appeared to know something
about horses and the handling of them.
"and if he keeps it up that way he'll get
/ the horse so that he won't bak any more -