The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-04
LIMITATIONS OF THE MORSE.
An Animal o. Ont Idoa II . Time and
Many PcouIInrities.
From nc Outing MaaaHnc.

70 SELF or TO those who cherish him. His
ovsrpoweFing instinct in such oAssA 10 hisht.
frequently. but not always. associated with
a determination 10 clear himself from any
hamperinR surroundings. He has no feeling
Of reveng &c, unless trained 10 cunning by the
abuse or the mistakes Of mankind. and when
these prevail he rarely wreaks his ven geance
upon any particular individual, but upon
hum anity In general. with no regard for age
or sex.
The sentiment OF revenge 10 so usually
associated with cowardice that II may almost
be classed as . phase Of that instinct. Cow
ardice mAnifests itself In equine connection
In many ~ways-with one II 10 terror OF the
dark. which will make him kick his stall all
night. doing himself possibly serious injury;
yet in nine cases out OF ten q light left In the
stable will 80 completely reassure him that
he will not life a foot. Another 10 alarmed
at blowing paper, yet stands yawninE while
cannon are fired in his face. II 10 this very
attribute Of cowardice which enables Us to
handle the animal a. we do; 20 train him to
our will and for our purpose; which makes
him, once he is thoroughly deceived and In
timidated, the useful servant We find him;
not a willing slave. but one who fears TO tempt
r~eprisals which have always proved effective;
and who labors for US because he has been
made to do 80 and fears to rebel. Give to
the most docile the idea that he may success
fully disobey. and. prestol you shall discover
another attribute OF the c~ovard-for your
steed forth with becomes q bully. and q very
dan gerOus one. since each little act OF re-
bellion which succeeds awakens him TO the
idea that he need not obey and that In power
and will he is superior. Forthwith disaster
impsnds.
The horse is an animal Of one dea-bds
brain can concentrate itself upon but enc
thing at a time. 1t is this popularity which
renders II 80 vitality important that in training
him we should have his whole attention--if
we do not keep il our work Is void. Even
in the ordinary usage OF riding and driving
the animal who is not paying attention to us
is never under complete control. and II is for
this reason that SO many accidents happen
TO children with their ponies and to women
who use horses; for their male relatives or
instructors never. or rarely, impress upon
them this vitality important detail. Look
where you may you will 1nd ample demon
~stration Of the fact that the one idea always
sways the animal. Why should a handful Of
earth placed in the mouth. or a twist OF the
ear, or a string sawed back and forth gently
around a leg. Or any enc OF dozens Of other
expedicnts start a balky horse? Why does
a horse led from his burning stable rush back
through the flames to die in his own stallH
Why does the animal work for us at ALP Why
does he run headlong upon friGhtful injury
in his stampedes? The one idea excludes
all others-the novelty Of dirt. &c. puts the
L OINNlldtl Oul Vi lie utdus Aht Out luNd VI
the protection always Afforded in the stall
dominates any fear Of injury from fro; the
him do his work; the one idea IF terror BIDS
him as thoroughly mentaIy as. optiCelly.
We're he more perfectly equipped, as - his
handle him, at all; just as, were he really
as personally afectionate as We fancy him.
he would prove an Internal nuisance by in
sisting upon taking us to ride whom we wanted
TO read, or by sitting in our laps whenever
Va. naKy anf M Nh ~ harnNafA ualaN and
pedicure to a horse for twenty years. and il
You do not speak to him he will not know
that your on ID ed SMadcap" or Mischief"
knows your touch and the special pet words
you employ. but neither Of them will do any
do for another, provided he has your tone Of
voice and your a~ssertive powers. 1t e very
rarely that the voice Is recognized. and even
then IL receives little attention unless used
in command. provided always that the equine
repYen shed. 4 horse that has always been
made TO obey quickly will respond 10 COM
mands from any one, whereas the creature
who has been petted and talked TO accords,
unless hun cry, scant attention to any one;
We talk to horses altogether too much, and
should mean but one thing. and. slip, slide or
fall. should meet with, instant obedience
Not another word SHOULD ever BE-, used. be
the stall talthouGh even that il best unsaidl:
except the click" Of the tongue for increased
You are sHentmhe does not know what you
will do next. and as he distrusts and merely
iety IL always to find out what you wish done
or what move YOU will next make. Given
the nerve needful, a perfect stranger car. ap-
provided he does not speak and moves with
assurance from the time he opens the door.
person for whom a horse has an appare nt
anttpathy may stand In safety directly be
fore him II ne ~ w dnv not o3S speak; and neither
NAL recognize him., although sometimes It
has seemed a. i the Scurd Of the ioots.ep
to any horse, and You may say q away or
Good mGrnipS" when you mean Come
use the tones and gestures you employ in
the latter command. Bugle calls. as Of
cavalry, are some Of them recognizes. but
equine brain with mental excitement or
physical activity. "a the charge" or the
odd that sound has 40 little to do with mutual
recognition among horses, while scent has
everything. The mare will answer any fcal
onsprinEby any test but that Of scent; VII reas
she knows her long time attendant by neither
Mia n to- R s%ei accent p@1 RISg by s %s ~ C of Voice ice
ESPECIALLY at meal tines. Let him. how
tsiS oo Of fg = bSant nff 1 @eal. a dnd At she an S0 TsSsnSi
time; or es one Of several in different parts
Of her neld, a stranger at the gate and he
horse for another is often very marked; yet
0NssOCllIe even Tue OlNeHL Ol HARNESS. mates
for a short period and no RECOGNITION follows
their meeting. We often encounter inti-
mAcies of long duration between cats, dogs,
sheep, goats and horses, and comment ad-
miringly upon the tenaCitv Of the equine
affection, giving sCant considera alton to the
tenden cies Of the other animal con cern ed
A n matter OF fact the horse. as a gregnrious
animal, loves company, but has slight regard
for any particular COmrate and will cheer
fully accept any other Of his species. IL the
two are at pasture. and accident OF death
overtakes the satellite, the horse will walk
away and, wholly ncOncerned. leave him
TO his fate II there he other animals In the
same en- closure. Sym nathy, affection or regret
are almost unknown factors Of his intelligence
so far as comrades are concerned " any
other CompaniOnshiD IN forthwith provided,
The hOming instinct Ia dominant in the
horse, and, except the dog. no animal X more
unerrinR than he, and none more certainly
remembers and seeks the familiar r%ooftree.
let any period Of years intervene. No ami
NAL suffers more keenly the panRs Of nostal-
RiR, and upon none are the physical effects
so wearing and severe, Much Of the illness
and failure TO do we'll" noticed among green
young country horses IL moth nR more or less
than nervous frCtt!rg and longing for thu
familiar stall and the scenes of colthocdis
days, and especially II this evidenced in tn
case Of those animals which 90 direct from
the place OF their nativity TO other stables
Horses have died Of this Ion 0ing and its ac-
c0mpanying physical waataRe, and others
are doing the same every day, even though
tenderly nurtured and carefully provided