The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-05-06
CIRCUS RING HORSES.
The Way They Are Trained For
Their Snowy Work.
TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE.

The Willing Animals Must Be Shown,
Not Whipped, and They Readily Re-
spond to the Efforts of the Trainer
The Whip and the Apple.
In purchasing an animal for circus
ring work-bareback-int in the
purchaser is perhaps more important
factor than mere technical knowledge,
but both are important. However. be-
yond such intuition the points to be
looked for are broad breast, straight,
broad back. short coupled body and q
broad. Intelligent forehead He must
be young and, Of course, sound and
well marked. After he and the trainer
have met and come to know each other
the latter gets on him for trot around
the ring. giving the animal his own
gait for awhile. then bringing him into
a lope Next he is given little spur
always pointless and usually a ten cent
piece with the milling worn down so
that it does not cut the skin-and the
knees of the rider are pressed in grad
ually until the animal comes TO canter
This is continued patiently and with
many encouraging words until the
horse gets his right leg out-the left
leg out is what is known as a false
gallop." The wise trainer acts on the
theory that all horses, candidates for
the ring. are from the Iron Mountain
State-must be shown. not whipped
and when once the animal gets the idea
that his trainers motives are of the
kindliest it is surprising how quickly
he responds in kind.
After the horse has been broken into
proper gait large pieces of paper are
scattered about the ring, sacks thrown
up before his head, dummy figures cast
on and off his back, pistols fired into
the air and under the feet, drums beat
en- on his back and under and around
him to accustom him to all sorts of in
tmidating noises and sights To a
nervous animal this is trying expert
ence. and confidence in his master, who
continually soothes him with reassur-
ing words, is all that keeps the pupil
from going to pieces. But even then
some are panic stricken. and the train
er's motto is, Take time-have pa
tience" He then works the novice
around the ring with an experienced
animal, allows him to smell of the sad
die and other objects used and bite
them il he wants to. But sometimes
even after all this, the subject is found
to be too nervous to stand the strain,
and he is turned out for a few days,
weeks or months or longer, as may
seem best
Early in his training the horse is ham
died all over until he becomes so used
to it that he will not finch. After he
has been broken to gait and noises
dummy rider is put up in such a man
ner that it will flop pretty much all
over his back. When he has got used
to this a real rider takes the place of
the dummy However, even after the
circus horse has been through all these
In that event the trainer gives him
'one-two' across the front legs with
whip, and there is no more sulking
after that, for the impression of this,
his first real punishment, is lasting
one. An "Ah, alb, there!" usually is
sufficient thereafter to correct him.
Some horses will break in two weeks,
but put a new rider up and the ami
NAL seems possessed, throwing the
equestrian the moment he essays
stand, but this generally is found to be
the fault of the rider. Some, with feet
at horse, standing in one place too
long, will get an animal ticklish after
awhile, causing him to kick and squeal,
thus running an otherwise artistic per-
Torrance, and then the rider has to be
requested to move about more on the
horses back. The feet of an expert
~ -
take notice, are never in one spot for
more than an instant They are con-
stantly on the move, wo4 King much as
a ballet dancers do.
To teach him to kneel touch his knees
with the whip and have the groom put
him down gently with trip straps, one
foot at a time. The animal should
wear knee caps in this schooling so as
not to intimidate or make him stub
born. In lying down tactics use the
same two straps, hopping him in a
harness. Tap gently on both knees
with the whip, have the groom pull the
straps, and down goes the horse on his
knees. Next pull down on the reins
and touch the whip lightly to the hip.
the beginner will flop heav-
fall all over again, both he and the
groom bracing against the animal as
he comes Gown to show that falling
easily will not hurt him. Such an OBJ
ject lesson is usually found effective.
Apples and sugar are used freely as a
reward for work well done. Sitting up
on the launches is accomplished by
lifting on the reins, coaxing the horse
gently so he does not want to jump up
and run away, which is the natural in
stinct with the beginner. Should he
have done wrong when he returns to
he stable the trainer says, NO apples
today, SIR at the same time showing
him an apple and taking it away after
him to smell of it. Two or
three experiences of this sort and the
animal sees great light. He has been
shown. - Frank Patchin in Leslie's
Weekly.
- Lir.